It's Yorkshire day.
Yorkshire Day was started in 1975 to restore pride in a county undermined by the loss of its traditional industries.
It falls on 1 August to mark the date in 1759 when soldiers from Yorkshire regiments placed white roses alongside fallen comrades on the battlefield of Minden in Germany.
Since its inception, Yorkshire Day has grown in popularity and each year there is a Civic gathering convened by the Yorkshire Society of Lord Mayors, Mayors and other Civic Heads from across the county. Many Cities, towns, and villages in the county also organise events to mark the day with many Yorkshire traditions taking place including Long Sword Dancing, eating Yorkshire Puddings and welly wanging! Yorkshire Day is also the day when many Yorkshire men and women proudly wear the county's emblem of a white rose in their lapel.
On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at (Standard English: On Ilkley Moor without a hat) is a popular folk song from Yorkshire, England. It is sung in the Yorkshire dialect, and is considered the unofficial anthem of the county. According to tradition, the words were composed by members of a Halifax church choir during an outing to Ilkley Moor near Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
I have posted a Spinner's version of this song on my isadoraplays blog, but did you know that someone has written a rival song to oust this classic from its position as the Yorkshire anthem?
Brothers Ian and Paul Wills, of Meanwood, are hoping that their song 'Yorkshire' – an upbeat, feelgood rocker which extols the proud virtues of our county – will be adopted as the White Rose's No 1 anthem for Yorkshire Day on August 1.
Yorkshire
by Ian Wills of The Loose Chippings
The County of the White Rose is where I live,
It's got so much to offer, got so much to give,
With skies of blue and fields of green,
It's as real as it gets but it feels like a dream,
Unspoilt beauty is all around me.
So easy to come by such a pleasure to see,
I sit up on the Chevin I'm drinking a crate,
I'm so far from the anger, so far from the hate.
Chorus;
Yo-or-or-orkshire, I'm Yorkshire 'til the day I die,
Yo-or-or-orkshire, I'm Yorkshire 'til the day I die.
Huddersfield, Bradford, the city of steel,
Leeds, York, Donny and Wakey-field,
Scarborough, Brid, Halifax and Barnsley,
You'll never find a finer pint of Tetley,
Take a walk down our cobbled streets,
A flat cap on your head and clogs on your feet,
Listen to the brass band laying down the beat
And say 'ey up love' to everyone you meet.
Chorus:
There's a foreign country that's surrounding us,
It brings us nothing but trouble, nothing but fuss,
Nothing but grief, nothing but strife,
We just want to get on living our lives,
Don't talk to us about what you've got planned,
Don't take a step on our hallowed land,
Don't even bother lending us a hand,
You foreign country known as England,
Chorus:
I won't be wearing a white rose in my lapel today but I s'pose that t'old man will herald the day in fine style with a pint or two of Yorkshire's finest Tetley's bitter
and as for me a cup of Yorkshire tea
with a slice of fruit tea loaf will do nicely thanks 
Have a nice day.
