LOCAL communities across Middlesbrough are painting town blue and yellow as excitement grows ahead of the Tour de Yorkshire.
The town plays host to the cream of world cycling on Sunday, May 1 when the 2016 Tour sets off on its final leg to Scarborough.
The Captain Cook Stage is guaranteed a rousing send-off thanks to tireless work along the route by local communities and groups eager to make it a day to remember.
As the riders roll through town with the hardest and hilliest parts of the stage ahead of them, they’re sure to be entertained by a feast of music and entertainment as the town welcomes a worldwide television audience.
And when they swing onto Marton Road, they can look forward to a carnival atmosphere thanks to the four local Community Councils – Beechwood, Easterside, Park and Grove Hill.
Over recent weeks community leaders and volunteers have been hard at work painting bikes, making flags for children to wave along the route and creating replica Captain Cook hats for them to wear.
They’ve put their sewing skills into action to create colourful bunting, T-shirts and sheets have been emblazoned with coloured handprints, and flower pots will adorn the roadside.
Cllr Teresa Higgins, ward member for Longlands and Beechwood and co-ordinator of the local initiative, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire is a fabulous event, and we’re determined to show them a true Middlesbrough welcome.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about the community coming together to celebrate the town and show it off to the world.
“It’s our chance to show the people of Middlesbrough and beyond that we are a great town with fantastic people.
“I love Middlesbrough and I want to show people how good it is – we are all enjoying working together to lift the town and we’re determined to make the most of this terrific opportunity.”
Meanwhile in Nunthorpe, pupils at St Bernadette’s, The Avenue, Chandler’s Ridge and Nunthorpe Academy primary schools have been paint bicycles with help from the local community policing team.
The ‘secret knitters’ will be adorning the railway station and other locations with bunting and Tour de Yorkshire-themed knitted items, while this Sunday (April 24) the Parish Council will be hosting a treasure hunt for local children using the painted bicycles as reference points while there will also be cycle rides in the community.
On Friday, April 29 the village will host the Nunthorpe Luminaire Bike Ride, which sets off from the town’s Centre Square, with funds raised going directly to Zoe’s Place children’s hospice.
And on Sunday, May 1, the peloton’s departure will be followed at noon by the opening of Nunthorpe’s Family Fun Day with entertainment and light refreshments for all residents and community groups who have helped in the local celebrations.
The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire in 2015 attracted one and a half million spectators and more than six million global television viewers, and generated an estimated £50 million in economic benefit to the areas involved.
Councillor Lewis Young, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “The Tour de Yorkshire is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the town and everything that is good about it, and these are all great examples of the sort of community spirit that makes Middlesbrough so special.
“Across the Council and the town as a whole, a great many people are working really hard on this to ensure Enjoy the Ride and the Tour are a resounding success which will have a long-lasting legacy.”
For full details of the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire, visit letour.yorkshire.com/ and for regular updates on Middlesbrough’s build-up to the big day, visit www.middlesbrough.gov.uk and lovemiddlesbrough.com/enjoytheride