A POPULAR museum's future has been secured.

Keighley Bus Museum Trust was given notice in 2021 that it would have to vacate its Riverside base.

The hammer-blow threw the attraction's existence into jeopardy.

But today, the trust confirmed it had bought the premises – a former foundry building, off Dalton Lane.

And it is planning a celebratory open day in May.

Trustee, Mick Berry, says: "It is with great pleasure that the board of directors of Keighley Bus Museum Trust has received legal confirmation regarding the purchase of our current home on the Riverside estate, which is the culmination of a long process.

"We wish to thank our former landlord for his help, our Riverside neighbours, the people of Keighley and the media – particularly the Keighley News – which helped to highlight our plight, in bringing this to a very satisfying conclusion.

"To celebrate this milestone in our history, our first official public open day will take place on Sunday, May 5. It will coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the Keighley Corporation Straker Clough, the world’s oldest surviving double-deck trolleybus, and will include free bus services operating around the town. There will also be visiting car groups, stalls, refreshments and entertainment."

The museum was founded in 1992, prompted by a need to find covered accommodation for a growing number of vehicles entering preservation.

Following the acquisition of vehicles from the then West Yorkshire Transport Museum, there was a need for expansion. And after considerable searching, Keighley Bus Museum moved into an old college building in Dalton Lane.

The collection was moved to the current location in 2005.

Whilst the museum centres on buses, its extensive collection – dating back as far as the 1920s – also includes cars, police and fire vehicles, other transport-related items and trolleybuses including WT 7101, the 1924 Keighley Corporation Straker Clough.

An event billed as a 'final parade' was staged in the summer of 2022, when the future of the collection was unclear.

Vehicles from the museum made a special journey around the town.

And visitors were given what was feared could have been a final opportunity to view the collection at Riverside.

'Home' vehicles were joined by visiting buses for the event, which also marked the museum trust's 30th anniversary.