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All About Holmfirth and Holme Valley

Holmfirth this May

Welcome to May in Holmfirth. Lovely warm sunshine, listening to the birds in the morning. Ideal for longer walks in and around Holmfirth. See you around!

See you in Holmfirth…

Stuck for an hour or two with nothing to do? Follow the helpful footpath signs and take off across the fields surrounding Holmfirth and see where you end up. There’s always going to be a breath taking view somewhere along the way.

Holmfirth’s Hot Chocolate Moments..

Following a breathtaking hike across Valley hills, call into Holmfirth and treat yourself to a warming hot chocolate and delicious slice of something naughty but nice.

Top Tips for Holmfirth this May

Stuck for something to do over this May? Not for long. Call into Holmfirth Tourist Information Centre, or the library next door, and pick up some ideas.

Head for Digley Reservoir this Spring

Fancy a breathtaking walk this Spring – but nothing too heavy going? Head for Digley Reservoir, park up, spend an hour on the fab circular walk then treat yourself to well-earned refreshments at one of the friendly little pubs nearby.

Getting Closer – the Big Holmfirth Arts Festival

Posted by patrick on May 23rd, 2013

It’s getting closer….this year’s Holmfirth Arts Festival – an action-packed 11-day celebration featuring music, comedy, theatre, storytelling, walks, workshops and family fun.

With just over three weeks to go before the opening event on Thursday, June 13, now’s the time to take a look at their website or pick up a Festival brochure – tickets are on sale NOW!

Fiona Goh, new Festival Director, told the Holmfirth website: “For music lovers we have the true musical one-off that is jazz pianist Django Bates with his Beloved Trio on the final date of their UK Tour. Classical guitarist XueFei Yang will be celebrating Benjamin Britten’s 100th anniversary and the prize-winning Heath Quartet bring you passionate performances in the intimate surroundings of Holy Trinity Church in Hepworth. We ask audiences to get their dancing shoes on for the International Mambo Orchestra on Sunday 23 June, for some Cuban sounds, mambo and salsa.

“We’re delighted to welcome broadcaster extraordinaire Andy Kershaw, whose one-man show explores his colourful and varied career as a DJ and journalist, from the front line of rock and roll to some of the world’s most dangerous countries. Our Festival of Ideas includes debates about what makes Holmfirth and the valley such a creative place, and Holmfirth on Sea, exploring Holmfirth’s links with the creation of the Great British Seaside, through Bamforth’s postcards.

“Comedy comes in the shape of Mark Thomas on tour and committing 100 Acts of Minor Dissent – joyously bad behaviour with a purpose. Mark is followed by singer, comedian, poet and tree impressionist Rory Motion, one of the most innovative and popular performers on the UK national circuit.

“Family friendly days include The Last Resort in Victoria Park on the second Saturday of the festival and the chance to marvel at Holmfirth’s riverside illuminations with a stunning fire sculpture trail on the opening Friday of the Festival. Dads will get the opportunity to go den building in the woods on Father’s Day and younger children can be treated to a special interactive performance by theatre company Tutti Frutti. There are also plans for a packed programme of textile workshops using recycled and upcycled materials. Fair and Funky will also be working with local schools to create a giant postcard trail throughout Holmfirth, using Holmfirth Driftwood. Look out for the specially commissioned festival postbox, too!

“This year also sees the culmination of the Festival’s commissioned Tributaries project, which has gone on to receive international acclaim, and we’re delighted to feature a new exhibition of work from Harriet Tarlo and Judith Tucker, as well as to launch their new artists’ book Sound Unseen, hot off the press and following its appearance at the Venice Biennale. We open the festival with Alison Lock’s reading of Eye of the Heron, based on her experiences as poet-in-residence in 2012, and accompanied by Richard Raby’s photography and Robin Bowles’ music. ”

So there’s a huge amount to look forward to – you can go online to view our festival brochure at www.holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk or pick up a copy at local information points.

A Murder Mystery…at Netherton Moor Road Allotments

Posted by patrick on May 23rd, 2013

Amateur crime sleuths will be descending on a local allotment site to help solve a murder mystery this month (May).

Following a successful 2012 performance attended by 300 people, Netherton Moor Road Allotments site in Netherton will be hosting a new Mikron production next Friday, May 31.

”Beyond the Veil” is a murder mystery featuring characters from the previous play ‘Losing the Plot’

DCI Mark Starkey thinks he’s got a quiet patch in sleepy Thistledale, but all that is about to change dramatically when there’s a sudden, unnatural death on the local allotment…

The grisly discovery down by the beehives is only the beginning for Detective Starkey. To unmask the murderer he must first uncover an altogether less savoury side of life in Thistledale; the bitter grudges, thwarted passions and murky pasts.

And then there are the bees.

The life of the honeybee might be described as one of great sweetness and harmony, punctuated by sudden, desperate, acts of violence. The same could be said for Thistledale.

Detective Starkey soon realises that the more he knows about bees, the closer he gets to the killer!

The performance will take place at Netherton Moor Road Allotments, Netherton, HD4 7JE at 7.30pm.

Bring your own chairs and picnic (please note the show will be performed on a hard surface) and refreshments will be available. Warm clothing will be needed as the performance will be outside. A collection will be taken after the performance.

For more information, please contact 01484 843701 or follow the link: http://www.mikron.org.uk

New Mill Male Voice Choir @ Cornwall

Posted by patrick on May 23rd, 2013

By Holmfirth writer David Walker

Over 60 choirs, 4 of them from Huddersfield (including our very own New Mill Choir), 3000 singers in 50 events at 40 locations across Cornwall. Great weather for a change. Comfortable coaches for a lot of travel.

The Cornish pasties I ate had too much pastry and were dry, but too iconic to refuse.

The narrow lanes and high hedgerows hide the countryside from the lowly car traveller. A restricted view maybe, but at least you get there. A tight-fitting higher, longer and wider forty-seater coach can get stuck and you have to get out and walk.

One guest from the choir took the kettle to reception because it didn’t work. A polite enquiry as to whether she’d located the keycard in its slot next to the door solved the problem.

Another of our party ordered vegetarian breakfasts, with sausage, bacon and eggs on the side.

Friday evening: St Andrews Church, Redruth. Edwina Currie is President of Tideswell MVC in which her husband sings. We were discreet about eggs and John Major. They did a great version of He Ain’t Heavy, originally by The Hollies. The church was full, half audience and half Harmony Lindenholzhausen, a 75-strong German outfit who took 15 minutes to get on stage and took the prize for the most flagrantly outrageous conducting. Four Lanes MVC, the hosts, did a great piece, if a bit long, sending up the male voice choir genre. St Petersburg Boys’ ‘Alleluyah Chorus’ was stunning.

Saturday morning: competition for 40 voices and under; The Hall for Cornwall. Some of us had heard the eventual deserved Finnish winners during a Friday lunchtime event. 24 year old singers who also study music. We got the sympathy vote when our secretary’s blood pressure fell below bottom C. Deathly white. Many a corpse looked better. Geoff Gill was on hand, a true trouper, continuing to sing as he held on. Hon Sec eventually had to go and sit down, with a request to lose weight from Geoff ringing in his ears. All ended well, albeit prize-less.

Saturday evening: St Pol de Leon Church, Paul. A short walk from a stuck bus, followed by a great welcome from hosts St Buryan MVC. They did a super novelty piece – ‘Little Tommy went A-Fishing’. Sydney Male Choir was given a loud cheer which they carried on. Soft was not in their repertoire. The pick was a small group of tight harmony experts, The Falmouth Glee Singers. ‘Calm is the Sea’ was spot on. During the afterglow in The King’s Arms, they continued as a tight group, singing in a circle, not overly concerned whether anyone listened. The hosts held sway in the front room. A lot of people in small spaces. Most had more then one drink. Christmas had come early for the landlord.

Sunday: Eden Project. Relaxed in polo shirts, but not our best set. We were followed by the S Wales Gay Men’s Chorus, who were terrific, especially in ‘Stand by Your Man’. The Eden Project is all green, an large moral growth. Easy to walk and enjoy the gardens. Massive biodomes shelter rainforest and Mediterranean countryside.

Monday. Tate St Ives. With Basingstoke MVC. A small covered auditorium overlooking the beach and great sets from both choirs. They did a great He Ain’t Heavy. No one was over concerned that the arrangements went south, with no piano and no audience and no lifeboat gig. It all came out right in the end. Great beaches, sunshine and a cornish lunch on the roof of The Tate. Can’t be bad. We easily won the prize for best applause.

The expedition was a bit like a concert. Some good things, some things could be better, but the overall performance hung together. Singers and fans were in their comfort zone, relaxed, well looked after, entertaining and entertained.

One Step Away from The O2: Holmfirth’s Lily Green

Posted by patrick on May 16th, 2013

Lily Green, a pupil at Holmfirth High School is now just one step away from playing within The O2 in London after impressing the TeenStar judges yet again! Lily aged 14 has now made it through to the Area Finals so is one good performance away from playing within one of the greatest live music venues in the world.

TeenStar is an exciting brand new national talent competition for teens and pre-teens which searches for the UK’s best singers, singer-songwriters, rappers and vocalists of all genres. TeenStar, is being brought to you by Future Music who already produce other national competitions including the hugely successful Open Mic UK competition. Such acts as Jahmene Douglas, Birdy, Hatty Keane and Lucy Spraggan, who have all come through Future Music competitions.

Chris Grayston, Events Coordinator for TeenStar comments “We are looking to find an act that has something unique to offer, another Birdy or Lucy Spraggan that can go all the way, with both the ability to deliver a strong live performance but also potential to become a professional recording artist. There is so much talent out there I’m sure we can find that star again!”

The competition is divided into age categories; ‘Late Teens’ (16-19), ‘Mid Teens’ (13-15) and a special category searching for the stars of tomorrow; the Pre-Teens! All types of singers, vocal performers, groups and acoustic singer/songwriters are invited to enter TeenStar.

The TeenStar singing competition has music industry judges attend every stage from auditions to the National Grand Final. You can expect to see judges from BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, regional press and record labels, with judges getting more prestigious as the singing competition progresses. Past judges for Open Mic UK include Radio 1 DJs Ras Kwame and Annie Nightingale MBE, KISS FM’s Charlie Hedges and Ivor Novello award winner Mark Hill who was one half of Artful Dodger.

If you know of anyone wanting to get involved in auditioning for next year and for more information on the competition go to the website www.teenstarcompetition.co.uk or better still come down and support your local talent performing in the Area Final and see who makes it to Grand Final! You can purchase tickets on the door subject to availability or from Lily Green.

Heckmondwike 16 Honley 8: Latest Petangue Score..?

Posted by patrick on May 16th, 2013

By Local Writer David Walker
It looks like a rugby result, but it’s actually Petanque. A French game, originally from Marseilles, where people throw one and half pound balls of metal (the boules) at a small one inch wooden jack(the piglet) about 20 feet away. Presumably we acquired the game from all those French holidays and second homes.

Honley play outside the village hall every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning throughout the year, weather permitting. They were recently visited by Didier, a petanque champion, friend and neighbour of a Honley resident who partly lives in France. Despite the arctic conditions, he gave a masterclass. Our subsection comes from an outpost in Netherton, courtesy of Ann and David Tallboys, who own property in France. We meet alternate Friday afternoons when the hosts are in the UK. David is also the U3A petanque tutor. Many of us haven’t played since Autumn 2012. Heckmondwike practice regularly and have a fixture list which includes venues such as Lightwater Valley.

The pitch can have a big say in match outcomes. Waste ground is all that’s required. Exposed rocks and tree roots can be quite sporty. Most boulodromes are level at least, covered by your choice of dirt and gravel. The smaller the particulate matter, the more predictable the game, except for the odd swampy bit in which your boule simply sinks and dies. Reminiscent of beach cricket and sandy games of plastic petanque. Bigger stones and your accurately thrown boule can do a leg-break.

A sunny windy day over at Heckmondwike’s boulodrome. A couple of pitches that comfortably fit ten or so matches. Our first throws were pretty good. But the nearer we got, the more skilled they seemed to get, not with dramatic aerial bombs, but gently knocking us aside. They never let you off. They’d been there and done it regularly and it makes a big difference. In addition, they didn’t seem to get as many bad ‘kicks’ as we did. The closeness meant neither of the teams scored more than one per end, which lead to a long encounter. Quite tiring after 4 matches in 3 hours, pushing us beyond the comfortable traffic zone and into the rush hour drive home.

When we played a daft shot, like knocking one of their boules nearer the piglet, a couple of them said ‘Thank you’. It may sound polite, but it is irritating and can be interpreted if your losing and that way out, as condescending and gamesmanship. They didn’t do it again. It’s all about where you learned your sportsmanship and how you react to losing. Games are great ways of sussing people out.

Incidentally, I thought boulodrome was a made-up word. It isn’t. It’s in the French version of Wikipedia.

Free Marketing Workshop at Holmfirth’s Old Bridge

Posted by patrick on May 10th, 2013

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Make a note in your diary for a free marketing workshop run by Pennine Prospects for Holme and Colne Valley businesses on Tuesday 4 June 10am – 12noon at the Old Bridge, Holmfirth.

The event is all about improving your marketing really quickly – no matter how small your marketing budget. Find out:
• What you need to say to make an impact.
• What you need to say or write to convince customers.
• How you can stand out from the crowd.
• Which marketing methods will get the best results and how you can prioritise.
• What ideas you could use to get publicity

Local business people can sign up at the South Pennine website.

Honley Library Stars are the Tops

Posted by patrick on May 10th, 2013

Hats off to Honley Reading Stars! Honley Library has just finished hosting an exciting seven-week reading project with 28 Year 5 children from Honley CE (VC) Junior School.

Between February and April this year, the children have walked to the library to take part in a National Literacy Trust initiative called ‘Premier League Reading Stars’.

Each week the children have participated in a variety of different football related tasks and challenges aimed at developing their reading skills and interests. In addition to choosing books to take home each week, sessions have included word games, reading exercises, story writing, book reviews, a visit from local poet Craig Bradley and a penalty shoot out!

The children who were not already library members have been joined up and there has already been a noticeable increase the children’s reading interest levels. It is hoped that the children will now become regular visitors to the library as a result.

Holmfirth’s A6024 Improvement Go-Ahead

Posted by patrick on May 10th, 2013

The major A6024 Huddersfield Road through Holmfirth is earmarked for major improvement work, announced Kirklees Council as part of a £23m project which will see facelifts for a number of Kirklees routes.

The overall plan includes road resurfacing, street lighting, structures, road safety, encouraging walking and cycling, drainage, traffic signals, car parks and public transport provision, however no specific details have yet been released in respect of the A6024.

Other local routes due for improvements include the A616 Huddersfield Road, Honley, and the A6024 Woodhead Road, Honley. The work is due to be carried out over the next two years.

Nearly Here – Holmfirth’s Big, Big Festival of Folk

Posted by patrick on May 4th, 2013

It’s here again and only days away – Holmfirth’s big, big Festival of Folk this coming Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10, 11 and 12th of May.

With its rousing music and busy, bustling venues, the Holmfirth event has been described as a small, friendly festival which aims to involve the local community as much as possible.

A spokeswoman told the Holmfirth website: “We realise our limitations and try to work within them, offering a mixture of dance, concerts and sessions in a variety of settings to cater for all tastes.

“There are folk club type events, formal concerts, workshops and less formal performances in virtually every pub, bar and restaurant in Holmfirth and the majority are free! We have always taken pride in the quality and variety of dance performers and street entertainers at Holmfirth and every year it seems to get better.”

Big events at the Picturdrome are Lau on the Friday 10th May 7.30pm tickets £15.00, Show of Hands – Saturday 11th May 7.30pm £18, and The Churchfitters – Sunday 12th May 1.30pm £7.50

This year, the popular and atmospheric Cellar 88 has been welcomed as an important festival host for the first time, with Roger Davis performing on the Friday, and an open-mic afternoon in the afternoon.

Full details, check out the packed Festival website.