Giant sign is a tour de force

A huge banner designed and installed at Coldstones quarry near Pateley Bridge for the Tour de Yorkshire made a big impression.

The “Nidderdale Welcomes the TdY” sign stood out on the hillside overlooking the route.

“We were approached by Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to see if we could put up something on the quarry bund to celebrate the cycle race,” said Coldstones manager Bob Orange. “It had to be large to make an impression.”

Around 2,000 pegs pinned down the 800 metres of fabric. “It was a far larger job than anyone expected, but worth the effort,” said Bob. “It was drawn out and surveyed by Alex Gannon and Peter Dracup from our Wetherby office and installed by myself and several quarry staff along with a group of 12 volunteers.

”BBC Look North used a drone to fly over the sign, Coldstones Cut and the quarry itself.

“It looked great as the race came past,” said Bob. “There was also good TV coverage from the helicopters during the race – they could hardly miss it.”