Hundreds of thousands of visitors have turned a modest market town into a magnet for tourism.
Volunteers and business leaders have made Brighouse a destination, boosting the town’s economy by up to £2.5 million a year.
Some 200,000 tourists will have flocked into Brighouse by the end of 2015, enjoying a series of high-profile festivals, events and shows.
The 1940s Weekend, the Brighouse Festival, the Victorian Christmas Market and the Canal & Music Festival see the streets of the town packed with visitors ready to spend.
Take a look at pictures from this year's 1940s weekend below
It is four years since the Brighouse Business Initiative (BBI) set up with the aim of putting the town on the tourist map.
And the group has proved so successful that visitors are now coming from near and far.
One of the organisers Steven Lord said: “We have 1.5 million people living within a 15-mile radius of Brighouse.
“Recent surveys show that a large proportion of our visitors come from outside of Calderdale with many staying over in local hotels.
“Brighouse has the capacity to cope with these huge visitor numbers with over 600 hotel and B&B rooms available. We are seeing ever increasing visitor numbers from all over the UK and even abroad.”
The group’s first venture was a small street market but that soon grew into a two-day festival.
The town now holds five major festivals a year in the town centre as well as smaller events such as film shows, plays and concerts.
BBI chairman Lesley Adams said: “In the four years, through these festivals, Brighouse has become one of the largest tourist attractions in the area.
“What is even more remarkable is that this has all been achieved by volunteers with almost no external funding.
“Visitors often think our events are run by the council but this is far from the case. Whilst Calderdale Council facilitates with some aspects of the operation they charge us over £7,000 per year to put them on.”
To highlight the town’s tourism potential the BBI gave a presentation to councillors, tour operators, coach and rail companies at the Holiday Inn in Brighouse.
Sean English, managing director of Grand Central Rail, and Jennifer Lawton, of Holiday Inn, also spoke at the event.
Former tour operator and BBI committee member John Buxton told the conference that Brighouse could be the ‘hub’ for a family weekend break.
Look back at last year's Victorian Christmas festival!
“Enjoying one day at a Brighouse festival and another touring nearby sights would make a great holiday,” he said.
“Brighouse is so well connected by rail and road that using it as a holiday base is ideal. We are already seeing tour operators catching onto this idea and we believe it has huge potential.”
The BBI is not resting on its laurels and new events are planned. A new Comedy Festival will be held on September 28 to October 4 and a Halloween event is also in the pipeline.
