OTLEY'S old Lido site has been specially spruced up for the Tour de Yorkshire.

Friends of Otley Lido have put up hoarding, painted in the racing event's colours of yellow and blue, at the Wharfemeadows Park plot.

The campaign group took the action to ensure the spot looks tidy ahead of Saturday, when Otley hosts two Tour de Yorkshire race starts.

The Friends are hoping to restore the former outdoor pool and bring it back into use, and have a 12-month exclusivity agreement with Leeds City Council to come up with a realistic plan.

Group chairman, Leonie Sharp, said: "We are so proud of Otley and must make sure our town looks as best it can on the day of the Tour.

"Our site at the old swimming pool was, and is, a focal point for our town and cannot be ignored on such a special day."

She added: "Our project to restore the Lido is an enormous challenge we don't take lightly.

"Whilst we get on with the huge fundraising we need to restore the pool, we are doing small things like this to tidy up the site.

"This hoarding has been sponsored by our bun making, community fundraising and a local benefactor, to whom we are eternally grateful."

The Friends are seeking to secure major grants from national bodies like the National Lottery and Sports England.

l See pages five and six for m ore Tour coverage