WELCOME To Yorkshire has announced its “most ambitious” tourism marketing campaign yet.

The organisation wowed its audience of 1,500 at its annual gathering, the Y12 conference, held at the Barbican, with its latest videos of Yorkshire’s landscape, and Brian Blessed singing On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘At, which is to be made into a Yorkshire Anthem, recorded as a rap with school children.

It announced its plans to sponsor television programmes the Great British Taste Tour and Countrywise, as well as a product placement agreement with Emmerdale as the programme celebrates its 40th anniversary in October.

The organisation also launched “Back le Bid”, a campaign to support its bid to host the Grand Depart first stage of the Tour de France in 2016, ahead of a visit by the Tour’s organisers in May this year.

The Yorkshire Regiment also received a standing ovation as soldiers took to the stage to receive their Yorkshire Champions “Y” badges as part of Welcome To Yorkshire’s new scheme to promote the county by harnessing the power of its patriotic people.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome To Yorkshire, said: “I want every primary school in Yorkshire to be able to say when they leave primary school, why they’re proud to be growing up in the great county of Yorkshire.”

He said despite losing Yorkshire Forward funding, the organisation’s 2012 marketing campaign would be its most ambitious in its three years.

He said: “The last three years were an introduction. Now the wheels get put on the bus big time.”

Mr Verity was joined at the event by John Penrose, Minister for Tourism and Heritage, and compère and television presenter Rob Walker. They also launched a marketing campaign targeting London, particularly the revamped Kings Cross Station, and Manchester.

There will also be a David Hockney Trail and the Chelsea Flower Show will feature The Brontës’ Yorkshire Garden.