THE first sign welcoming people to Yorkshire has been unveiled in the county.

The sign has been set up on the A60 Worksop Road, south of the village of Tickhill, and was funded by an online campaign set up by Andy Strangeway from Full Sutton in East Yorkshire.

Eric Pickles MP supported the Yorkshire Boundary Sign Project, and said: “I’m delighted that the historic county boundaries of the Yorkshire Ridings are being recognised and congratulate Mr Strangeway on his sterling work to promote the counties of England and their distinct identities.

“Our pride in our home county runs deep. This sense of pride and shared identity is one of the things that binds communities together. No amount of administrative tinkering with boundaries can change that.”

Andy Strangeway said: “Yorkshire Day, August 1, 2014 will go down in history as the day Yorkshire erected its first ever boundary sign.

“Finally, after over 1,100 years in the waiting, we welcome visitors to our great county in the same manner that all other counties have done for decades.”