Worth Valley residents are preparing for next summer’s Grand Depart by forming a community group called ‘Worth the Tour’.

The group aims to unite local people and help them enjoy and appreciate the global sporting event.

The new group will involve as many people as possible in preparing for the race, as well as the 100-day cultural festival leading up to the spectacle.

Its members include traders, professionals working in marketing, design and the arts, tourism attractions and representatives of the Bronte Society, the Parsonage Museum and Haworth Fair Trade.

Liz Barker, a Stanbury resident and owner of Worth Valley Publishing, said: “The idea is to make sure we are talking to each other early on and not duplicating our efforts.

“We appreciate not everyone can get along to all our meetings, so we agreed to set up a website, Twitter and Facebook pages and to publicise information in the media so everyone can follow what is going on. We can all benefit in some way if we plan ahead.”

Oxenhope-based public relations consultant Gerry Crookes said: “We want to ensure we make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

For more details visit worththetour.org.uk or follow @worththetour on Twitter hashtag #worththetour.