Fantastic images of people and events across the Keighley area 40 years ago

The photographs are from black-and-white negatives that were actually shot by the Keighley News in the early 1980s.

Keighley and District Local History Society is scanning the thousands of negatives and making them available to view on its Flickr site.

The images are from a two-year period between August 1981 and 1983.

They feature a huge range of topics and events, including sporting fixtures, weddings, shows and galas, theatre productions, political activities and charity functions.

The negatives have been on quite a journey – they were bought by the society from an Oakworth postcard dealer, who himself had acquired them from someone in Scarborough.

Tim Neal, archivist for the history society, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw two shoeboxes of negatives that we were being offered.

“It’s going to take months to go through them all, but they are a wonderful snapshot of life in the town and the surrounding villages 40 years ago. I’m hoping they stir a lot of memories for people.”

The negatives came in small envelopes and with only basic labelling and a date, but the society hopes people will get in touch with more information about the stories behind the pictures.

So far, just over 400 of the images – many showing what was happening around Keighley exactly 40 years ago, in August, 1981 – are available to view on the Flickr site, at flickr.com/keighleyhistory.

More will be added on a month-by-month basis as the society works its way through scanning the negatives.

In total, Keighley and District Local History Society has more than 14,000 images of people, places, objects and publications to view on its Flickr site.

People interested in helping out or joining the society can get in touch via its website – at keighleyhistory.org.uk – or its Facebook page, facebook.com/keighleyhistorysociety.

The society is also holding a series of talks via Zoom. Details can be found on its website.