WHAT a cracker of an early Christmas present for Keighley.

A near-£5 million 'gift' exceeds anything the town dared hope for from Santa.

It will provide a massive boost to people living in some of the less well off areas of Keighley, creating new opportunities.

And the local economy will receive a welcome lift.

Keighley is a proud town, with caring and hardworking communities striving to bring about improvement.

But the area has without doubt suffered over the years, as many fields of traditional manufacturing have struggled and people have seen provision stripped away.

Pockets of regeneration and hope are being witnessed and Keighley has assets to be boastful of, however a helping hand never goes amiss.

It's perhaps ironic that the funding is coming from the European Union, in what will most likely be its final act of financial backing for the town.

That of course leads us towards other arguments and the proverbial can of worms, a path we'll resist for now.

Let us instead celebrate and look forward to the potential benefits the windfall will bring.