SKIPTON Music Festival has rewarded two of its longest serving volunteers with badges and certificates - and afternoon tea.

Hilda Harrison joined the organising committee of the Skipton Music Festival in about 1987 - no one knows exactly when.

At that time, she was welcomed by Sheila Garnett who had already been helping to organise the annual festival for at least 20 years.

Between them they have been active volunteers for at least 80 years, and together, they can probably clock up more than 140 years of involvement with the event, having first stepped nervously onto the stage of Skipton Town Hall as eight year old school children, around the end of the Second World War.

Now, the Skipton Music Festival has honoured the two stalwarts with long service badges and certificates which were presented to them by festival chairman, Jeremy Russell at the Three Sheep Tea House and Kitchen in Skipton, where they enjoyed afternoon tea.

Much of Sheila’s life has been spent introducing young people to the joys of music, teaching and nurturing them, bringing many more young performers to that same stage in the town hall.

Hilda has become well known across Yorkshire and Lancashire, performing at venues both great and small. She said it was “Such a special occasion. I felt like a real celebrity, good meal, great company, and a fine chauffeur to top it all off. Wonderful - When is the next time.”

Skipton Music Festival was set up in 1922 to provide an opportunity for young performers and musicians and adult singers to compete in a friendly environment and benefit from the experience of the adjudicator.

The festival is held every year in March and lasts for a week. The climax of the festival is always the Saturday evening concert where there is the opportunity to hear again some of the outstanding performances of the week. The evening concert is a relaxed and enjoyable celebration without the stress of competition.