Preparations for next year’s Tour de France are stepping up a gear with two meetings planned next month to help ready the area for the international race.

One, held by tourism group Welcome To Yorkshire, will be to provide information about how artists and creative industries can get involved in a 100-day festival preceding the tour.

Another, organised by Bradford Council, will help the public and local businesses know what to expect when the world’s biggest annual sporting event comes to their doorstep.

The cycle race starts in Leeds on July 5, and during the next two days will pass through Silsden, Steeton, Keighley, Haworth, Oxenhope and Stan-bury, as well as other Yorkshire towns and villages.

In the build up to the race, there will be a 100-day arts and culture festival in areas along the route.

A call has gone out for local artists to come forward and help make the event a success, and a roadshow being held by Welcome To Yorkshire will offer advice and support to artists who want to get involved.

It hopes communities across the route will make the most of the festival by staging art installations, drama productions and other cultural events.

The meetings will be attended by recently-appointed artistic director Maria Bota.

Mrs Bota said: “This is a chance for artists, arts organisations and creative industries to come along and find out how to get involved in making some once-in-a-lifetime moments.

“I will be outlining the creative vision for the festival, the commissioning process and guidelines for expressions of interest. We are looking to create a cultural festival that will welcome the world to Yorkshire with all kinds of artistic activity that is engaging and accessible, challenging and thought-provoking.”

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity added: “Whether you’re an artist or a festival committee, we want talented and inspirational people to turn Yorkshire into a Tour de France cultural spectacle in the run-up to the world’s biggest sporting event.”

The Bradford meeting takes place from 10am to noon on September 5 at the Alhambra Theatre.

Bradford Council plans to hold a public drop-in session about the Tour in Keighley’s Victoria Hall on September 28. More details will be announced closer to the date.