Ingleton Gala marked 60 years with parades, stalls and more

The time honoured tradition of crowning a gala queen  began in 1964, with the coronation of Celia Redhead.

This year, Ingleton Primary School was the starting-off point for the colourful parade, which went round the village streets led by Batala Lancaster and its drummers’ samba reggae sounds.

This year was the first that a Gala King was crowned (Image: Robert Mahoney)

The musical troupe were joined by Batala Manchester, Batala Bangor, Batala Mersey and Batala Austria.

Ingleton's  first Gala King, George Bairstow, was attended by Pearl Murray, Phoebe Tallon, Bluebell Taylor, Emily Sellars and Freddy Hothersall.

After George’s crowning, fancy dress awards and prizes were handed out, before Batala Lancaster entertained crowds once again in the arena and then gave members of the public the opportunity to try their hand at the musical discipline, which was founded in Paris in 1997 and features various types of drum – surdos one through three, the repinique, and the snare or caixa.

Batala bands from Lancaster to Austria made for a lively parade (Image: Supplied)

Crowds were also entertained by the Bubble Whisperer, gigantic bubble fun, and children’s sports, as well as the egg throwing competition which was won by Adele Horner and Bill Taylor.

Elsewhere, local organisations made an appearance including Keep Fit Ladies, the Scouts, and cricket, badminton and football clubs.

The Gala's first Queen was crowned in 1964 (Image: Supplied)

Traders setting up stalls for the event included Sarah Preston of Tropic, Michelle Nurdin of Not Just Travel, Scentsy, and Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream.

There was also a visit from the Bentham Fire Service, which provided a water demonstration, while Hardy’s Soft Play provided a selection of bouncy castles that proved popular.

Gala King George Bairstow alongside two attendees in fancy dress (Image: Robert Mahoney)

The Gala wouldn’t have been complete without the annual mountain race, which, organised by Settle Harriers, set off to scale the summit of Ingleborough at 3pm and whose first runners returned an impressive 40 minutes later.

As a respite from the fun of the field, visitors could head to the community centre where ex-WI ladies served cups of tea, sandwiches, and cakes.

Gala King George Bairstow, alongside Freddy (Image: Robert Mahoney)

The Gala Committee, made up Liz Holman, Sarah Beeforth, Helen Wilson, Kelly Robinson, and Beryl Morphet, wish to thank all those who helped to make the day a success, from the sports field team and community centre staff to the marshalls, stall holders, charity organisers, people who helped erect marquees, and businesses that donated their vehicles for the parade.