PEOPLE are being urged to set up street parties, design their own land art and help communities welcome the UCI Road World Championships this September.

Cllr Jim Clark, Chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, urged councillors to make the most of the opportunity to showcase their area to a global audience, in an address to full council at County Hall in Northallerton.

He said: “I would urge all members to get involved in the UCI championships. I think this is a great opportunity for the council to show itself to the world.”

The council chairman said he will be supporting projects including the creation of land art by Harrogate High School, whose artwork will be created from recycled components and which will highlight cycling and recycling.

Cllr Clark recalled how iconic North Yorkshire locations such as the Yorkshire Dales made some of the most memorable images and television footage during the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire 2014, when he was mayor of Harrogate, and said September’s championships would be reaching an even broader audience.

He said: “While the championships impact on certain areas more than others, it does take in the whole county and should be a celebration for the whole county. We should let the world know what a wonderful place North Yorkshire is.”

Richmond, Northallerton, Ripon and Harrogate will be key locations for the event with time trials and races starting and finishing in the towns between September 22 and 29.

The Championships are returning to Great Britain for the first time since 1982 and millions of fans are expected to line the county’s roads for what organisers are aiming to be the most inclusive, innovative and inspiring Championships ever.

British Cycling chief executive Julie Harrington said: “We want to ensure that this once in a generation event provides every child with the opportunity to ride a bike."

Individual rider/nation start times for the time trial events will be announced in the weeks before the event.