Celebrating 50 years as a National Park Brian Blessed and Sir Jimmy Saville boarded a train from Leeds to Ilkley to take part in a special day to mark the Park's half century. The famous Yorkshiremen were joined by Yorkshire Dales National Park members and guests. Current President of the Council for National Parks and larger than life actor Brian Blessed said, "I shrink if I don't come back to Yorkshire regularly. "My heart is here, I adore the county. In my mind, Malham Cove and Tarn are the centre of the earth." Launch underway Guests were welcomed as they arrived at Ilkley railway station by town crier Chris Richards and Ilkley parish council chairman Kate Brown. A group of music students from Ilkley Grammar School performed their own arrangement of 'On Ilkley Moor Baht 'At'.
After tea and cake, around 60 of the guests braved the elements for a walk along a stretch of the Dales Way to Bolton Priory.
 | | Just walking in the rain .... |
Here celebrations continued, and concluded when a giant fire sculpture was lit.  | | Peaceful river view, Near Bolton Priory. |
Park aim for younger audience Cathy Bennett, 50th Anniversary Coordinator at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said, "This year we're aiming to 'reach out' and attract a broader and younger audience.
 | | The grand finale to the launch |
"To avoid congestion we also want to encourage everyone to use public transport. "Thanks to train operator Arriva, everyone attending the launch arrived by rail. All were pleasantly surprised just how quickly they were able to travel to the heart of the Park using public transport," added Cathy
More celebration events. .If you've got a Dales event planned for this year, drop us a line and tell us all about it. Send e-mail to northyorkshire@bbc.co.uk. | 
The Yorkshire Dales was designated as a National Park in 1954.
