A KEIGHLEY Walking Festival is being held.

More than 40 guided and themed walks will take place during the fortnight-long event, which begins on September 9.

The programme – aimed at people of all ages and abilities – will include bat, sketching and 'light up the night' walks.

And there'll be a special Keighley Borough Three Peaks Challenge. People can tackle a trio of the area's highest peaks – led by Muppet, community development officer at CNet Bradford & District. Everyone who completes the challenge will receive a certificate.

There is also a range of self-guided walks, details of which will be posted online.

The festival is being staged by Keighley Town Council, in partnership with Keighley Social Enterprise Town and CNet Bradford & District.

Participants are invited to take photographs during their walks and enter a competition, with the chance of winning a £100 voucher. Entrants should submit their photos to louise.soothill@keighley.gov.uk, together with their name, contact number and a note of which walk the picture was taken on.

Also, walk leader training will be available to people during the event.

The festival is being funded by the town council's events and community development committee.

Its chair, Councillor Mohammed Muazzam, says: "The walking festival is a celebration of community and the great outdoors.

"There is a huge variety of guided walks taking place, where you can really appreciate what Keighley and its surrounding areas have to offer.

"We encourage as many residents as possible to take part in this initiative, as it's a great way of staying active and socialising within the community."

Shaun O’Hare, of Keighley Social Enterprise Town, says: "The festival is pulling together Keighley folk who know the area 'inside out' to deliver a programme of walks promoting the landscape, its people and the health and wellbeing benefits of walking.

"It’s great to see social enterprises at the heart of the festival, all of whom are industry experts, sharing their skills and knowledge. The festival demonstrates that social enterprise activity is thriving in Keighley."

Muppet says: "I’m really happy to be involved in the festival. Keighley has acres of beautiful woodland and countryside right on its doorstep and I’m looking forward to showcasing this in the walks I’ll be leading."

More details about the festival and the walks programme can be found at keighley.gov.uk/our-services/our-community/walking-festival-2024

Hard copies of the schedule will be available from Keighley Civic Centre.