Anyone wanting to play a vital role in the Yorkshire Grand Depart of the Tour de France has until the end of the month to sign up.

The Grand Depart is set to come through Craven on two days in July next year and Welcome to Yorkshire wants to recruit an army of 10,000 to help it go as smoothly as possible.

Coun Simon Myers, Craven District Council’s lead member for the event, said: “I would encourage anyone who wants to play a part in this historic sporting event to sign up.

“This is the last call for volunteers and given the huge numbers of people expected to line the routes they will have an important role to play, helping to give a warm Craven welcome to anyone coming to view the event in our district.”

The first ever Tour Makers scheme, backed by supermarket chain Asda, was launched last week by deputy prime minster Nick Clegg who said the excitement was already building.

“You can already sense the buzz and excitement right across the country as we get ever closer to Yorkshire’s Grand Depart – and the launch of the tour makers and the public’s response to it already is evidence of that.

“I would urge anyone interested in this scheme to put their names forward now. The eyes of the world will be on Yorkshire when the peloton sets off from Leeds and spends two days racing around the county before finishing in Sheffield, and then racing from Cambridge to London. It promises to be an historic, spectacular event and really cements our nation as a global sporting leader.”

Stephen Smith, chief marketing officer at Asda, said: “We are really proud of our Yorkshire roots and it’s such an honour for Asda to be involved in a first for Tour de France by supporting the Tour Makers in such a iconic sporting event that’s on our doorstep.”

The 10,000 volunteers will carry out a variety of roles, from welcoming international visitors at airports and railway stations to supporting national Park rangers and the emergency services.

Anyone interested in volunteering can register at letour yorkshire.com/volunteer before December 31.