TYKES across the broad acres are preparing to celebrate Yorkshire Day on Friday.

Taking centre stage as usual will be the region's capital, York, where a Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity will be read out at the City Walls.

In fact, four declarations - in Latin, Old English, Old Norse and Modern English - will be read out at the four principal bars: Micklegate, Bootham, Monk and Walmgate, with the first reading at Micklegate at 11.28 am.

The Modern English declaration states that "Yorkshire is three Ridings and the City of York, with these boundaries of 1,128 years standing."

It also claims that the addresses of all places within the Ridings is "Yorkshire", that all people born or resident in and loyal to the Ridings are "Yorkshire men and women," and that any person or corporate body which deliberately ignores such matters should forfeit all claim to Yorkshire status.

Similar declarations will be read out at Goole's market square, where an East Riding dialect version will also be declared. The same five declarations will be read out on Saturday at Burnby Hall, Pocklington, during a meeting of the East Riding Dialect Society.

In York, shoppers can also visit a Yorkshire Day market today and tomorrow in Parliament Street, at which one of the stalls will be selling plastic white roses to tie on the front of cars. The roses will cost £1, with proceeds to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Out on the coast at Scarborough, the Yorkshire Tourist Board is getting in the swim by holding its annual Yorkshire Day event outside the Harbourside Tourist Information Centre in South Bay.

"The fun and festivities begin at 11am with stilt walking, clown and children's entertainer, traditional seaside Punch and Judy, face painting for the children and give-aways galore," said a board spokeswoman.

"There will be refreshments for all, including complimentary Wensleydale cheese and Yorkshire wine as well as Yorkshire Tea samples and special T-shaped biscuits courtesy of Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate."

Board chief executive David Andrews said: "Yorkshire Day provides us with a great opportunity to celebrate all that is great about Yorkshire, and you don't get much more traditional Yorkshire than a day out at the seaside."

Bulmer Village Stores in Ryedale is offering free samples of delicious Yorkshire fare on Yorkshire Day, including King Richard III cheese, a Wensleydale cheese made to a pre-Second World War recipe, Mrs Bell's Blue Yorkshire Feta and Langthorne's Smoked Buffalo Cheese, and also Yorkshire sausages and bacon.

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Society's civic parade and church service will be held at Halifax.

Updated: 08:38 Thursday, July 31, 2003