102-522: This article related to a non-profit organization is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . The UK Charity Awards are annual awards for outstanding achievements within the UK not-for-profit sector. Categories reflect the management of charities and not-for-profits, and awards are made to individuals, departments and whole organizations. In 2023, there were 12 award categories. Past individual winners have included Lord Rix and Richard Curtis , both for
204-755: A life peer , becoming Baron Rix of Whitehall in the City of Westminster and of Hornsea in Yorkshire . He was Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1987 to 1997 and was the first chancellor of the University of East London from 1997 to 2012. He was subsequently the chancellor emeritus. He was awarded ten honorary degrees by the following universities: Hull ( MA 1981), Open (MA 1983), Essex (MA 1984), Nottingham ( DSc 1987), Exeter ( LL.D. 1997), Bradford (DU 2000), Kingston ( DLitt 2012), East London ( D.A. 2013) and five fellowships , including
306-404: A New Born Babe ; Dinner for One ; It's a Bug! A Roof Over My Head ; First, Find Your House ; Take Me to Your Solicitor ; The Sitting Tenant ; Learn to Dread One Day at a Time ; Not Cricket ; Another Fine Mess ; Home and Dried Rix was the author of two autobiographies, My Farce From My Elbow (1974) and Farce About Face (1989), and two theatre histories, Tour de Farce and Life in
408-601: A burial monument), known as the ‘Twelve Apostles’, was constructed 4,500 years ago, during the Early Bronze Age. Serious interest in the rock art of Ilkley began after the publication of the "Prehistoric Rock Sculptures of Ilkley" in 1879 by Romilly Allen in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association . The remains of a Roman fort occupy a site near the town centre. Some authorities believe it
510-613: A film (starring himself, Leslie Phillips and Joanna Lumley ). After that, during the Three-Day Week in 1973–74, came a relatively unsuccessful pantomime season in Robinson Crusoe at the New Theatre , Cardiff . Rix was by now becoming tired of going on stage night after night, and sensing that he had reached the peak of his success, began to consider retiring from the stage. However, he performed in two more farces, A Bit Between
612-499: A film version . In the same year, he became engaged to Elspet Gray , an actress in his company, and six months later they married. They were together, domestically and professionally, for 64 years, until her death in February 2013, appearing alongside each other in many of the television farces , a radio series and three of the theatre productions. In 1950 the newly-weds toured together with Reluctant Heroes until Rix managed to persuade
714-516: A fountain and hanging baskets. Bettys , the Yorkshire tea room, has a shop in the town. Ilkley has little by way of industry or commerce but employers include the Woolmark Company , Spooner Industries and NG Bailey . The town is also home to three breweries, Ilkley Brewery situated on the outskirts, Wharfedale Brewery which is housed within the grounds of a former 18th century farmhouse in
816-592: A handful of the televised farces remain in the BBC archive, however. Rix also appeared in 11 films and though he felt these were less suited to his talents as a farceur, these also met with some box-office success. Reluctant Heroes , the first Whitehall farce, was by Colin Morris , later known for his dramatised television documentaries. During the four-year run of Reluctant Heroes at the Whitehall, Rix also sent out national tours of
918-573: A large outcrop, which allegedly imitates a cow, and a boulder, which imitates a calf. The site is also visited for its rock climbing routes. The Old Bridge just outside the town centre is the official start to the Dales Way , an 84-mile (135 km) walk through the dales to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District . Darwin Gardens, to the south of the town, is a Millennium Green which commemorates
1020-528: A learning disability. Rix also served as the first chairman of the Arts Council Monitoring Committee on Arts and Disability as well as founding and chairing the charity Libertas (working alongside Sir John Cox and Rix's son, Jonathan) which produced dozens of audio guides for disabled people at museums, historical buildings and other places of interest. Subsequent legislation in which he played an important role made this charity redundant. He
1122-466: A matinee of Reluctant Heroes . He subsequently became a passionate non-smoker and a founding member of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). In 1949 he married the actress Elspet Gray . The couple had four children, the producer and children's author Jamie Rix , Jonathan Rix (Professor of Participation and Learning Support at the Open University ), actress Louisa Rix and Shelley Rix. Shelley
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#17328445712901224-499: A prefabricated steel arched box-girder bridge. The river is prone to flooding the sports fields (and a few houses) that occupy the watermeadows . A person from Ilkley is called an Olicanian which is derived from Olicana , thought to be the name of the Roman fort Ilkley is built upon. The ethnic make-up of Ilkley's population is 98.02% White, 0.74% mixed, 0.72% Asian, 0.37% Chinese or other ethnic group and 0.14% Black. The largest age group
1326-697: A railway connection offering about 35 trains to each destination per day from Ilkley railway station . The railway, before the Beeching axe , also connected to Addingham, Bolton Abbey and Skipton to the west, and to Otley , Pool-in-Wharfedale , meeting the main Leeds to Harrogate line at Arthington . The town partially straddles the River Wharfe in a valley, rising from the river at 230 feet (70 m) to 650 feet (200 m) above sea level, up Ilkley Moor (a bracken and heather covered moorland , with rocky outcrops, to
1428-602: A record-breaking sequence of long-running farces on the London stage, including Dry Rot , Simple Spymen and One for the Pot . His one-night TV shows made him the joint-highest paid star on the BBC. He often worked with his wife Elspet Gray and sister Sheila Mercier , who became the matriarch in Emmerdale Farm . After his first child was born with Down syndrome , Rix became a campaigner for disability causes, among others. He entered
1530-468: A relatively high percentage of residents working in education and health and social work. The town had a relatively low percentage working in transport and communication and manufacturing. The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74, 2.2% students were with jobs, 3.7% students without jobs, 5.8% looking after home or family, 2.7% permanently sick or disabled, and 1.8% economically inactive for other reasons. Ilkley's 1.8% unemployment rate
1632-441: A significant shift in funding priorities; while maintaining support for national and regional building-based theatre companies, he actively supported the work of small-scale experimental touring companies – including theatre for young people and for the black and minority ethnic communities – and new writing projects. His approach meant he was able to cut through bureaucratic constraints. Before Rix's first budget-setting exercise for
1734-656: A theatre-owning and production company – run by Ray Cooney , Laurie Marsh and Rix himself. Ably assisted by his former stage manager and now PA , Joanne Benjamin, Rix was responsible for obtaining productions for various West End theatres including the Shaftesbury , the Duke of York's , the Ambassadors and the re-built Astoria which opened with the award-winning Elvis , starring P. J. Proby , Shakin' Stevens and Tim Whitnall . Rix and his partners were also responsible for re-opening
1836-582: A variety of other religious groups. Ilkley's medieval parish church All Saints' , largely reconstructed in the Victorian era, houses artefacts of the site's ancient Christian heritage including three Saxon crosses and today operates within the Anglican Communion . An expanding congregation in the 19th century triggered plans in 1873 for a second church which became St Margaret's Church, designed by Richard Norman Shaw and completed in 1879. Worship at
1938-458: Is Olicana , dating to 79 AD, but the identification is not settled. A number of Roman altars have been discovered from the reigns of Antoninus Pius (138 to 161), and Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla (211 to 217). Ilkley Manor House stands on part of the site in Castle Yard and is home to various Roman artefacts, including an original altar dedicated to Verbeia , the goddess of
2040-497: Is 45- to 59-year-olds (20.73%). The town is a tourist destination and is used as a base from which to explore the famous moor and the countryside beyond. Ilkley is a shopping town that sells everything from game, fine wine, expensive fashions and fine art. The Victorian parades of the Grove and Brook Street have a selection of speciality shops. The town's original Victorian arcade has been restored as an indoor shopping walkway complete with
2142-605: Is a ward in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford and is represented by two Conservative councillors, Andrew Loy and David Nunns, and Ros Brown, a councillor for the Green Party . indicates seat up for re-election. indicates councillor defection. Nearby are the North Yorkshire hamlets of Middleton (1 mile (1.6 km)), Denton (2.7 miles (4.3 km)) and Bolton Abbey (6 miles (9.7 km));
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#17328445712902244-451: Is characterised by Victorian architecture , wide streets and floral displays. Ilkley Moor , to the south of the town, is the subject of a folk song, often described as the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire , " On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at ". The song's words are written in Yorkshire dialect , its title translated as "On Ilkley Moor without a hat." The earliest evidence of habitation in the Ilkley area
2346-554: Is from flint arrowheads or microliths , dating to the Mesolithic period, from about 11,000 BC onwards. The area around Ilkley has been continuously settled since at least the Neolithic, around 3000 BC; more than 250 cup and ring marks , and a curved swastika carving possibly dating to the period have been found on rock outcrops, and archaeological remains of dwellings are found on Ilkley Moor . A small stone circle (possibly
2448-622: Is home to the Michelin-starred Box Tree restaurant where Marco Pierre White trained. In 1991 Ilkley won the Entente Florale and in 1990 and 2004 the Britain in Bloom contest in the category of 'Town'. In 2006 Ilkley became a Fairtrade Town . The Manor House , one of the town's oldest buildings, houses a museum and art gallery. The museum contains prehistoric artefacts and documents
2550-599: Is located close to Ilkley. There is a wide variety of sports clubs and facilities in and around Ilkley. Notable clubs include the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, founded in 1880 (member of the Lawn Tennis Association ), which hosts an Ilkley Squash Open that has attracted world-class players such as Peter Barker ; and Ilkley Trophy , a distinguished tennis tournament for men (an ATP event) as well as women (an ITF W100 event). Furthermore, there are also
2652-504: Is run by former UK champion Mark Outterside. Public facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and outdoor tennis courts at Ilkley's Lido . Constructed in 1935, it is one of only four public open-air swimming pools in Yorkshire and is a tourist attraction during the summer holiday season. Ilkley Town A.F.C. are a Charter Standard Community Football Club that provides football opportunities to over 650 members (male & female) from under 5's to SuperVets (over 45's). In 2021,
2754-533: The New Statesman ) wrote of Rix and his company in 1964 after the opening of the fifth Whitehall farce, Chase Me Comrade : There they are: the most robust survivors of a great tradition, the most successful British theatrical enterprises of our time. Curious that no one can be found to speak up wholeheartedly for them – no one, that is, outside enthusiastic millions who have packed every British theatre where they have played. ... It's particularly curious considering
2856-680: The A65 road , which runs between Leeds and Kendal . The nearest substantial motorways are the M62 at Bradford, the M1 at Leeds and the A1(M) at Wetherby. The civil parish is served by two railway stations: Ilkley and Ben Rhydding . These are linked by the Wharfedale Line , along which Northern Trains operates services between Ilkley, Bradford Forster Square and Leeds stations. Leeds Bradford International Airport
2958-726: The Arts Council of Great Britain 's Drama Panel. He was also an active chair of the Arts Council Disability Committee raising the profile and perceived importance of arts and disability issues within Arts Council decision-making. In these roles he proved dynamic and progressive. When Rix took office the Drama Panel was male-dominated, but by 1993 there was gender parity on the panel – paradoxically his female successor unbalanced it once more, again in favour of men. He achieved
3060-633: The Billy Rose Theatre in New York City, renaming it the Trafalgar and opening with a big hit – Whose Life Is It Anyway? , starring Tom Conti . Whilst in this post, he also presented (with his daughter, Louisa ) the BBC Television series Let's Go . This was the first British programme to be created specifically for people with a learning disability, and ran from 1978 until 1982. Rix found being on
3162-695: The Friends of Richmond Park . In 1970 he was President of the Lord's Taverners and he continued his love of cricket as a member of the MCC and Yorkshire CCC. Rix was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in October 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at a friend's house in Surrey, and again in April 1977, when Andrews surprised him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He
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3264-600: The House of Lords as a crossbencher in 1992 and was president of Mencap from 1998 until his death. Rix was born in Cottingham , East Riding of Yorkshire , the youngest of four children. His father, Herbert Rix, and Herbert's two brothers, ran the shipping company Robert Rix in Hull , founded by his grandfather. Rix had an interest in cricket and only wished to play for Yorkshire in his childhood. He did play for Hull Cricket Club when he
3366-702: The Ilkley Golf Club , Yorkshire's third oldest golf club founded in 1890, and where Colin Montgomerie for some years practised the game; Ilkley Rugby Club; and Ilkley Harriers Athletics Club. There are a number of football, rugby and hockey teams. Ilkley Cricket Club play in the Aire-Wharfe League. The nearby Ben Rhydding Sports Club in Ben Rhydding is the home of Ben Rhydding Hockey Club, founded in 1901, and Ben Rhydding Cricket Club. An Ilkley Karate Club
3468-591: The Ilkley Town AFC was admitted into the North West Counties League Division One North. The town has seen a number of high-profile international cycle races pass through. The steep climb up to the Cow and Calf rocks at the edge of Ilkley Moor is normally the reason for the races to visit as it presents a short but challenging climb. For three consecutive years between 1994 and 1996, the climb
3570-430: The River Wharfe . Three Anglo-Saxon crosses from the 8th century that stood in the churchyard of All Saints' Church have been moved inside to prevent erosion. The church site, as a centre for Christian worship, extends to 627 AD, and the present mainly Victorian -era church incorporates medieval elements. The Domesday Book , of 1086, records Ilkley ( Ilecliue/Illecliue/Illiclei/Illicleia ) as being in
3672-738: The Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych) as well as receiving an Honorary College Fellowship of Myerscough College He has also received numerous awards including: The Evian Health Award (1988), Royal National Institute for Deaf People Campaigner of the Year Award (1990), The Spectator Campaigner of the Year Award (1999), Yorkshire Society – Yorkshire Lifetime Achievement Award (1999), UK Charity Awards (2001), Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service – British Neuroscience Association (2001) and
3774-634: The West Riding of Yorkshire , Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the City of Bradford. Approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of Bradford and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Leeds , the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale , one of the Yorkshire Dales . Ilkley's spa town heritage and surrounding countryside make tourism an important local industry. The town centre
3876-518: The Whitehall Theatre management that this army farce was the ideal play to follow the long-running Worm's Eye View . It was a happy choice, for Rix's productions ran there for the next 16 years, before he moved to the Garrick Theatre , breaking many West End records in the process. His farces for BBC Television also began at the Whitehall, enlarging Rix and Gray's profile as well as that of
3978-525: The 26 years he was on stage in the farces; though he lost them less in the TV plays. In the first two years at the Whitehall, Rix's understudy was John Chapman , who also played a small part in Act 3, which ensured a long wait in the dressing room. To occupy his time, he began the first draft of the play that was to follow Heroes . Dry Rot , later filmed , was produced in 1954 with John Slater, Basil Lord and Rix himself in
4080-589: The Childcare Bill extended statutory childcare provision for children with a disability from 16 to 18 years old, whilst changes to the Electoral Administration Bill lead to people with a learning disability being able to vote freely. Rix discovered in the mid-1990s that the legislation regarding State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) had been altered under Margaret Thatcher . The original act had ensured that widows and widowers would receive
4182-574: The Church of the Sacred Heart ( Roman Catholic ) and the Ilkley Society of Friends' ( Quaker ) Meeting House , which opened in 1869. Churches Together in Ilkley exists to encourage co-operation amongst member churches. The former Wesleyan Chapel at the junction of Skipton Road and Bolton Bridge Road was built in 1834 but in 1892 it became Ilkley's first museum. In 1914 it became a commercial garage and
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4284-520: The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. Until 2006 Ilkley civil parish consisted of Ilkley ward, which includes Ben Rhydding, and the north half of Rombalds ward. The latter ward housed the villages of Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston. The population of the parish in 2001 was therefore considerably higher than it is today, consisting of 24,954 residents. In 2006, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston established their own parishes and today Ilkley consists only of Ilkley ward (13,828 residents). The town
4386-514: The Drama Panel (when what was available for all companies was a less than inflation uplift) panel members and other members of the Arts Council had intended to fund the British-Asian theatre company Tara Arts, but no-one had been able to source the sum required. Rix however boldly proposed that the biggest national companies were stood still, so releasing money not only to fund Tara, but also allow fresh small-scale developments, and then saw that this
4488-741: The Farce Lane . He also edited, compiled and contributed to Gullible's Travails , an anthology of travel stories by famous people for the Mencap Blue Sky Appeal. For Mencap's 60th anniversary he produced All About Us! – The history of learning disability and of the Royal Mencap Society. Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire , in Northern England . Historically part of
4590-423: The Ilkley campus of Bradford and Ilkley Community College closed despite opposition. The campus had occupied a 15.64 acres (6.33 ha) site at Wells House , which was sold for housing after its closure. According to Census 2001, 75.64% of Ilkley residents are Christian. The second largest group are people with no religion who account for 15.53% of residents. 7.48% did not state their religion and 1.34% fall into
4692-490: The Lifetime Achievement Award. The event is hosted by Charity Times magazine , with help from BBC Training and Development and The Community Channel , as well as commercial sponsors such as Barclays , JLA, Sage Group BDO Global , CCLA, Investec . Lord Rix Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix , CBE , DL (27 January 1924 – 20 August 2016) was an English actor-manager, who produced
4794-569: The Origin of Species was published on 24 November 1859, whilst staying with his family at North View House (now Hillside Court). Tourists flocked to 'take the waters' and bathe in the cold-water spring. Wheatley was renamed Ben Rhydding after the Hydro, which has been demolished. Development based on the Hydro movement, and on the establishment of convalescent homes and hospitals, was accelerated in August 1865 by
4896-403: The Rix Thompson Rothenberg (RTR) Foundation which provides small grants for projects serving people with a learning disability; and president of the grant making Normansfield and Richmond Foundation. He was also a constant supporter of the Rix Centre at the University of East London , which develops and disseminates tools and training for multi-media advocacy to enhance the lives of people with
4998-412: The Roman fort of Olicana – remains of which are exposed at the back of the building – as well as the rise of Ilkley as a Victorian spa town. Ilkley Toy Museum has a collection of toys dating from 350 BC and a collection of English wooden dolls. Ilkley's rural surroundings attract walkers and cyclists to the area. The landmark Cow and Calf rocks, which overlook the town on Ilkley Moor , consist of
5100-464: The Royal Air Force, eventually ending up as a volunteer Bevin Boy working down the coal mines near Doncaster . After the war, Rix returned to the stage, forming his own theatre company in 1947 as an actor-manager, a career he was to pursue for the next 30 years. He ran repertory companies at Ilkley , Bridlington and Margate , and while at Bridlington, in 1949, he found the play that was to bring him notice – Reluctant Heroes , later adapted for
5202-400: The Teeth (with Jimmy Logan and Terence Alexander ) at the Cambridge Theatre and then, back at the Whitehall, Fringe Benefits (with Terence Alexander and Jane Downs ). After 26 years of almost continuous performance in the West End, on 8 January 1977, Rix gave his final performance to a packed house at the Whitehall Theatre. Having retired from performing, Rix joined Cooney-Marsh Ltd –
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#17328445712905304-634: The Whitehall Theatre. During the next 18 years, Rix presented more than 90 one-night-only television farces on the BBC. These were often presented at Christmas or on other bank holidays with viewing figures often reaching 15 million. In the early 1960s, Rix was the highest-paid actor (along with Robert Morley ) to appear on BBC television. Alongside the regulars from his theatre company, Rix appeared in these TV productions with such names as Dora Bryan , Joan Sims , Ian Carmichael , John Le Mesurier , Patrick Cargill , Fabia Drake , Sheila Hancock , Warren Mitchell , Thora Hird and Francis Matthews . Only
5406-456: The Whitehall. Stand By Your Bedouin went into storage. Let Sleeping Wives Lie enjoyed a further two-year run with Leslie Crowther , Elspet Gray, Derek Farr , Andrew Sachs and Rix playing the lead roles. After the first year, Rona Anderson took over from Gray. After Let Sleeping Wives Lie finished at the Garrick, it went on a short tour before opening for a summer season at the newly restored Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare . Rix played
5508-434: The absence of specialist arts officers at the meeting, Rix was left isolated and he resigned as a matter of principle. This created a negative public reaction and shocked senior Council figures into realising their decision was unacceptable. After a campaign, led behind scenes by his Drama Director Ian Brown and publicly by Drama Panel members, the disproportionate cut was rescinded. Rix and his wife, Elspet became involved in
5610-443: The actors the chance to play a variety of roles – or even to have a night or two off. Rix tried with three farces – Stand By Your Bedouin , Uproar in the House and Let Sleeping Wives Lie – but as this was a commercial venture, without any state subsidy, it proved too expensive to run and Rix was forced to keep Let Sleeping Wives Lie on at the Garrick and transfer Uproar in the House , with Nicholas Parsons playing Rix's role, to
5712-654: The cast and ran for nearly four years. When Dry Rot went on tour with John Slater in the lead, he was joined by two young actors, Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. Both became involved in Rix's next production at the Whitehall, Simple Spymen (again by John Chapman) and had time to draft One for the Pot , which followed Simple Spymen . In all, seven playwrights were spawned by the Whitehall farces – Colin Morris, John Chapman, Ray Cooney, Tony Hilton, Clive Exton , Raymond/Charles Dyer and Philip Levene . Other writers of note who worked for Rix on television included Christopher Bond , John Cleese and Barry Took . Ronald Bryden (in
5814-506: The church is conducted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition and in 2005 was led by David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes . When the Archbishop of York resigned he became vicar at Ilkley until his retirement in 2006. Other places of worship in Ilkley include Ben Rhydding Methodist Church ( Methodist ), Christchurch ( Methodist / United Reformed ), Ilkley Baptist Church ( Baptist ), Kingdom Hall, Ilkley ( Jehovah's Witnesses ), St John's Parish Church, St Margaret's Church, Ben Rhydding ( Anglican ),
5916-418: The construction of the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway, which linked to the Leeds and Bradford Railway and the North Eastern Railway . The Midland Railway built a connection to Skipton via Bolton Abbey in May 1888. Other Victorian visitors to the town included Madame Tussaud . The only remaining hydro building is the white cottage known as White Wells House. The cottage can be seen and visited on
6018-426: The current intellectual agitation for a theatre of the masses, a true working class drama. Everything, apparently, for which Joan Littlewood has struggled – the boisterous, extrovert playing, the integrated team-work, the Cockney irreverance of any unself-conscious, unacademic audience bent purely on pleasure – exists, patently and profitably at the Whitehall. Yet how many devout pilgrims to Stratford East have hazarded
6120-484: The design of the new town of Ilkley to replace the village which had stood there before. In the 17th and 18th centuries the town gained a reputation for the efficacy of its water. In the 19th century it became established as a fashionable spa town , with the construction of Ben Rhydding Hydro , a hydropathic establishment at Wheatley, a mile to the east, between 1843 and 1844. Charles Darwin underwent hydropathic treatment at Wells House when his book On
6222-446: The development of local projects. Ilkley is in the Keighley UK Parliament constituency , held since 2019 by Robbie Moore , the Conservative MP. He defeated John Grogan , who had himself defeated the previous Conservative MP, Kris Hopkins , in 2017. Hopkins was first elected in 2010, replacing Ann Cryer . Cryer held the seat between 1997 and 2010, and her late husband Bob held the seat between 1974 and 1983. Before 1974 Ilkley
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#17328445712906324-529: The ePolitix Charity Champions Lifetime Achievement Award (2004). 90 full length and one act plays for the BBC. More than 30 were live. Sunday-Night Theatre ; Laughter from the Whitehall ; Dial Rix ; Brian Rix presents... ; Six of Rix May We Have Our Ball Back? ; Brick Dropp'ing ; Passes That Ship ; Half a Dozen of the Other ; Well I'm Burgled ; Horseface ; Near Miss ; To Russia With... ; Dash My Wig ; Desirable Residence ; Flagrant Memories ; Arabian Knights ; Silver Threads ; A Fair Cop ; ...As
6426-454: The edge of the moor overlooking the town. In May 2018, the parish council became a town council, with Cllr Stephen Butler serving as the first Town Mayor. The town consists of four wards and elects 14 councillors: Ilkley North (3 councillors), Ilkley South (3), Ilkley West (4) and Ben Rhydding (4). It meets in the 1908 Ilkley Town Hall on Station Road. The council precept is collected with the annual Council Tax to fund its running and to aid
6528-445: The first four weeks and then Leslie Crowther returned and played the last six. Meantime the cast of Rix's next West End production commuted by train every day to rehearse in London, returning in the late afternoon for their evening performance. She's Done It Again , opened at the Garrick to the best reviews Rix had ever enjoyed, but it had the shortest run of any of his productions to that date. Rix could never find an obvious reason for
6630-435: The full SERPS addition to their state pension if their spouse died first. The change in legislation halved the amount received. Rix campaigned to restore the original payment and after a number of years arguing the point with the New Labour Government, he succeeded. Amongst his many activities, he was the co-chairman (with Tom Clarke CBE MP ) of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability; chairman of
6732-411: The government in 1997, but again to no avail. Eventually, 12 years after Rix's private member's bill, short-term breaks sneaked through in an Education Bill , introduced by the then Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families , Ed Balls . The extent of his involvement can be seen by looking at the some of other legislation altered in the same year as the Education Bill (2006). His amendments to
6834-492: The job at Mencap and then when he retired in 1987 to him becoming chairman in 1988. In 1998, he became president, an office he held until he died. Entering the House of Lords as a crossbencher in 1992, Rix campaigned ceaselessly on any legislation affecting people with a learning disability. He was one of the most regular attenders in the House and every year introduced numerous amendments to legislation, mainly that associated with health, social welfare and education. He found
6936-419: The length of time required to change legislation very frustrating. One example in 1994 was when Rix introduced a private member's bill ensuring that local authorities would provide short-term breaks for carers and cared-for alike, on a reasonably timed basis. The bill easily passed through the Lords, but could not even achieve a first reading in the House of Commons . Rix tried again when New Labour became
7038-426: The libidinous government minister. Reviews were not as good as the previous play, but audiences kept coming and it ran for two years at the Garrick and then enjoyed another successful tour. Rix, who had never enjoyed touring, now hated the endless nights away from home, and was delighted when the play was turned first into a television series for HTV , Men of Affairs (with Warren Mitchell as the minister) and then into
7140-665: The other side of the footlights increasingly frustrating, and in 1980 he became the Secretary-General of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (shortly to become the Royal Society, later Mencap ). He returned to performing and the stage intermittently in later years, playing Shakespeare on BBC Radio , doing a six-month run in a revival of Dry Rot , directing a play with Cannon and Ball , playing his favourite big band jazz on BBC Radio 2 , and touring three one-night-only shows, one with his wife, which explored theatrical history and his own remarkable experiences of life. From 1986 to 1993, Rix served as chairman of
7242-488: The play, generally with John Slater playing the dread Sergeant Bell, and always playing to packed houses. To give some sense of its popularity, at one time Rix had the play running at the Whitehall, three tours on the road and the film on release. Rix himself played the gormless north-country recruit, Horace Gregory, in both film and throughout the four-year run at the Whitehall, where his reputation for losing his trousers began. He subsequently lost them at least 12,000 times in
7344-514: The possession of William de Percy 1st Baron Percy . The land was acquired by the Middelton family of Myddelton Lodge, from about a century after the time of William the Conqueror . The family lost possession through a series of land sales and mortgage repossessions over a period of about a hundred years from the early 19th century. The agents of William Middelton (1815–1885) were responsible for
7446-516: The production's short run, for the play enjoyed a sell-out tour after the Garrick. His favoured explanation was that the play, funny as it was, might have seemed somewhat old-fashioned, as it was adapted by Michael Pertwee from a pre-war farce, Nap Hand , by Vernon Sylvaine and based upon the birth of Dionne quintuplets . Rix's next play, also by Pertwee, was Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! with Alfred Marks (followed by Moray Watson ) playing
7548-410: The route. In 2018 the stage 2 finish line was at the Cow and Calf rocks, its first ever summit finish. Ilkley town centre is a tourist attraction with a high number of small independent shops. Of particular note is Lishman's of Ilkley, an award-winning butcher shop whose owner, David Lishman, became one of Rick Stein's superheroes in 2003. Ilkley is one of five towns to feature a Bettys tearoom and
7650-644: The shorter journey to Trafalgar Square to worship at the effortless shrine at the thing itself? How many Arts Council grants have sustained Mr Rix's company? How many Evening Standard awards went to Dry Rot ? How many theses have been written on the art of Colin Morris, John Chapman and Ray Cooney? The time has come surely to fill the gap. Despite being described by Harold Hobson in The Sunday Times as "The greatest master of farce in my theatre-going lifetime" and numerous other plaudits from critics and audiences alike, no theatrical awards were ever forthcoming. Rix
7752-530: The situation and became involved with charities campaigning on the issue. Among these roles, in the early 1960s, Rix became the first Chairman of the Special Functions Fundraising committee at the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults , later known as Mencap. Both his personal experience and his leading position as a fundraiser in the field finally led to Rix applying for
7854-404: The south) and to 540 feet (160 m) across Middleton Woods in the north. The river runs through the northern extent of the town from west to east, and is crossed by four bridges, in order: a 16th century three-arched stone bridge, now closed to road traffic; a 19th century single-span wrought-iron bridge; a suspension bridge for foot traffic only (a set of concrete stepping stones) and
7956-646: The theatre and on TV. The Whitehall was particularly small and cramped and Rhoda's designs overcame the most difficult of obstacles. In 1967, Rix moved on to the Garrick Theatre after the Whitehall Theatre lease expired. The larger stage gave him the opportunity to try his repertoire scheme. This was a similar idea to the way plays were presented at the National Theatre – that is several productions, each one being played on different days or weeks, thus giving
8058-603: The town centre along the A65. As a direct consequence of the success of the Tour de France its organisers, ASO, established the Tour de Yorkshire . Ilkley features in Stage 3 of the inaugural Tour, with the race set to enter from the west along the A65, before turning to climb up past the Cow and Calf. The annual Tour de Yorkshire which is a spin-off from the 2014 Tour de France includes Ilkley as part of
8160-550: The town centre and Bini Brew Co a modern craft brewery near the town centre. According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 18.8% property and business services, 14.8% retail and wholesale, 13.4% education, 13.1% health and social work, 9.6% manufacturing, 5.7% finance, 4.8% construction, 4.8% public administration, 4.4% hotels and restaurants, 4.2% transport and communications, 0.6% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, 0.1% mining, and 5.2% other. Compared with national figures, Ilkley town had
8262-574: The town's links with English naturalist Charles Darwin . The Green features a maze, whose design was influenced by the Swastika Stone carving, and includes monuments with an evolutionary theme. Ilkley is home to the largest and oldest literary festival in the North of England , the Ilkley Literature Festival . The 1984 British comedy film A Private Function , written by Alan Bennett ,
8364-437: The two local relay transmitters (Wharfedale and Addingham). Local radio stations are BBC Radio Leeds on 95.3 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Harrogate & The Yorkshire Dales on 107.1 FM, Capital Yorkshire on 105.6 FM, Heart Yorkshire on 107.6 FM, Drystone Radio on 102 FM and Rombalds Radio, a community based radio station that broadcast online. The IIkley Gazette is the town's local weekly newspaper. A free school
8466-401: The villages of Addingham (3.1 miles (5.0 km)), Burley-in-Wharfedale (3.8 miles (6.1 km)) and Menston (5.4 miles (8.7 km)); and the towns of Guiseley (7.6 miles (12.2 km)) and Skipton (8 miles (13 km)). The town is within the travel-to-work radius of Leeds and Bradford . Leeds is 18 miles (29 km) away and Bradford 15.6 miles (25.1 km) by road, with
8568-476: The world of learning disability, when in December 1951 the first of their four children was born. Their daughter, Shelley, was diagnosed with Down syndrome . There was no welfare support for the children affected and little education. The only offering the state made was a place in a Victorian era , run-down hospital where patients were left to their own devices for hours at a time. The Rixes were determined to improve
8670-634: Was 16 (and after the war for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the Stage and the Lord's Taverners ). When he was being educated at the Quaker Bootham School , York, his ambitions changed. His elder sister Sheila became an actress during his school days, and Rix himself developed the same ambition to go on the stage. All four Rix children had become interested in the theatre because of their mother, Fanny, who ran an amateur dramatic society and
8772-672: Was 18, on deferment from service with the Royal Air Force , with Donald Wolfit 's Shakespeare Company. After only four months as a professional actor, he played Sebastian in Twelfth Night at the St James's Theatre in London. His deferment was extended and he gained his first weekly repertory experience with the White Rose Players at the opera house in Harrogate . From there he went into
8874-784: Was Headmaster until his death on 5 November 1922. Formerly an all boys School, Ghyll Royd has been a co-educational preparatory school since 1999, accepting children from two years old until they leave at eleven in Year 6. Ilkley also has one secondary school , Ilkley Grammar School . In 1975, David Gayle founded the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars which brought distinguished names in dance, like Alicia Markova , to Ilkley College of Education. In 1978, Ilkley College of Education merged with Bingley College of Education to become Ilkley College. In 1982, Ilkley College merged with Bradford College to become Bradford and Ilkley Community College. In 1999,
8976-667: Was a significant departure from his previous position; in 2006 he had voted against the Assisted Dying Bill. He died on 20 August 2016 at Denville Hall in Northwood , London. Rix was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1977 Birthday Honours , and knighted in June 1986 for his services to charity. On his 68th birthday, 27 January 1992, he was created
9078-587: Was able to open (succeeding the Leeds Playhouse) with vastly increased capacity. Meanwhile, the number of touring companies, which had been falling before his arrival, increased from 22 to 33. In 1993 at a retreat at Woodstock , the Council agreed that the Drama budget should be disproportionately reduced in the face of across-the-board cuts to the Council's budget and the money allocated to other less popular art forms. In
9180-429: Was also a castaway on Desert Island Discs on two occasions. The first was with Roy Plomley on 16 May 1960, which was also the first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening. His second appearance was with Kirsty Young on 1 March 2009. In August 2016, Rix announced that he was terminally ill, and called for the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia for those dying in severe pain. This
9282-475: Was always philosophical about his lack of recognition, accepting it as the fate of so many low comedians before him. Nevertheless, Rix and his company broke the record for the longest running farce team in London's West End . In 1961 he gave a glass of champagne to every member of the audience who had watched Simple Spymen . The drink was served by many of the popular actors who had been with Rix in one of his productions – on stage, on television and in films – and
9384-485: Was an urban district , a type of local government district. Ilkley Urban District Council shared local government responsibilities with the West Riding County Council . The Local Government Act 1972 dissolved urban districts and in 1974 Ilkley adopted its current status as a ward of the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford . Services provided by the urban district council are now run centrally by
9486-699: Was announced that a stretch of the River Wharfe at Ilkley would become the first river bathing place to be added to the list of designated bathing places in England under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 , which hitherto included coastal sites and lakes. This followed a campaign by the Ilkley Clean River Campaign . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and ITV Yorkshire . Television signals are received from one of
9588-570: Was born with Down syndrome, and her father began to use his public profile to promote awareness and understanding of learning disabilities . Shelley died in July 2005 in Hounslow , Greater London . Elspet Gray died on 18 February 2013. Rix became a radio ham at the age of 13 and became a life vice-president of the Radio Society of Great Britain in 1979. His call sign was G2DQU. He was also president of
9690-517: Was delivered through Panel and Council. Such willingness to take on the establishment marked his term of office. A constant champion of the interests of drama companies and theatre-workers, Rix's seven-year term of office meant that, even in a period of Thatcherite public-funding stringency, no theatre building for which he had responsibility was closed while the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds
9792-529: Was filmed in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding. The town was also one of the locations used for the 2003 British comedy film Calendar Girls . The BBC programme Psychoville is set, in part, in Ilkley. The Ilkley Gazette is the town's weekly newspaper. A complementary medicine festival has been held in Ilkley since 1988 and is currently held twice a year, attracting 2,000 visitors. Since 1969 Ilkley has been twinned with Coutances in France. In December 2020 it
9894-476: Was first established in Ilkley by a Mr Marshall who in 1608 bequeathed £100 for its endowment. Current schools include four primary schools , All Saints' C of E Primary School, Ashlands Primary School, Ben Rhydding Primary School, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Ben Rhydding; three preparatory schools , Moorfield School, Westville House School, Middleton, and Ghyll Royd School and Pre-School. Augustus Wooldridge Godby founded Ghyll Royd School in 1889. He
9996-643: Was involved as chairman and president of Friends of Normansfield, President of the Roy Kinnear Memorial Trust, chairman and founder (with Dr David Towell of the King's Fund ) of the Independent Council for People with a Mental Handicap and was patron of RAIBC – the charity working for radio amateurs with disabilities. Rix also campaigned against smoking; having been a smoker for ten years, Rix gave up smoking on Boxing Day in 1950 when he lost his voice during
10098-509: Was low compared with the national rate of 3.3%. The City of Bradford has a relatively low proportion of people who were self-employed compared to the whole of England, but Ilkley's rate of 11.9% was well above both the district and national figures. Ilkley bus station is the focal point for services to Keighley, Leeds, Leeds Bradford Airport, Skipton, Grassington, Malham and Otley . The main operators are First Leeds , Keighley Bus Company and North Yorkshire County Council . Ilkley lies on
10200-526: Was the lead soprano in the local operatic society. All her children performed in the plays and two of them, Brian and Sheila, became professional actors. Sheila Mercier, as she became known, played Annie Sugden for more than 20 years in the Yorkshire TV soap opera Emmerdale Farm having worked regularly with her brother in the Whitehall farces in the 1950s and 1960s. Rix became a professional actor when he
10302-488: Was to celebrate the Whitehall Theatre team passing the record held by the Aldwych Theatre team. The Aldwych farces ran for 10 years, seven months and four days, while Rix went on for another 16 years. Rix also had a particularly long and fruitful relationship with the director Wallace Douglas and with the set designer, Rhoda Gray (Elspet's sister), who created the setting for practically all of Rix's productions, both in
10404-509: Was used as part of the Leeds Classic, which was part of the World Cup series of events. In both 2005 and 2007, the town hosted stages of the Tour of Britain race, with Ilkley Moor being a categorised climb on each occasion. In 2014, the town had its biggest cycling moment to date when the Tour de France passed through. The route approached the town on the A65 from Otley and passed through
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