Last year I contributed an article to Skircoat Green Directory about Dorothy Wordsworth and her childhood years in Halifax.   This summer I was contacted by Dove Cottage, Grasmere, and asked to record a short video trail around Halifax locations Dorothy would have known, for use with an exhibition connecting with the 250^th anniversary of her birth this December.

You may not have heard of her, but Dorothy’s closest childhood friend was Jane Pollard, who lived just along the street from her in Corn Market, Halifax during the 1770s and ’80s.  Born on 2^nd March 1771, and baptised at Northgate-end Unitarian Chapel a month later, Jane was the eldest daughter of William Pollard, a well-to-do Halifax textile merchant.

In 1786, Dorothy returned from Halifax to live with her grandparents in the Lake District, and then with an uncle.  Finally, in 1794 she was reunited with her brother William. She would remain with him all her life, helping care for his children, but never marrying.

Dorothy’s regular correspondence with her childhood friend Jane Pollard began shortly after she left Halifax.  Usually she addressed her friend as ‘Dear, dear Jane’, and her letters were full of personal concerns, and memories of Halifax days.   There were lighter moments, for example: ‘So you have got high-heeled shoes, I do not think of having them yet’. Dorothy’s letters reflect her spontaneous, warm, sensitive personality.   She kept Jane informed about her brother William’s progressively successful poetry writing, and would later tell her about their move to Dove Cottage, then on to Allen Bank, and Rydal Mount.

Jane Marshall by John Russel (Leeds University)

By 1793 the Pollards had moved into Ovenden Hall, where Jane was soon being courted by John Marshall, a flax mill owner from Leeds who had inherited a drapery business from his father.  This firm he would build into a massive enterprise which would make him a millionaire. Marshall had been educated at Hipperholme, and Jane may well have known him from her youth: both families were Unitarian.  Jane invited her childhood friend to her wedding at Halifax Parish Church in 1795, and Dorothy happily attended. Jane and John spent their honeymoon in the Lake District, then settled in Meadow Lane, Leeds.  As their wealth increased, they rented New Grange mansion, Headingley; a while later buying nearby Headingley House, which they extended to accommodate their growing family – the Marshalls would have twelve children. A house in London was also purchased.  Alongside her many pregnancies, Jane had to manage a large household.

She and Dorothy continued to correspond; the Wordsworths visited New Grange, and the Marshalls went to stay in the Lake District. They exchanged books, and John would advise William on landscape planting. In time, the Marshalls decided to look for an estate in the Lakes as their second home, but before they did so, they consulted Dorothy and William. Finally they bought Hallsteads, overlooking Ullswater. This house still stands, with magnificent views to the lake and mountains; it is now used as an Outward Bound centre.

Three of Jane’s Pollard sisters, Ann, Catherine and Eleanor, well known to Dorothy in her youth, never married. They lived latterly at ‘Old Church’ House near Hallsteads, purchased by John Marshall for them.

From the time that John Marshall withdrew from active involvement in his business in the 1830s, he and Jane spent most of their time at Hallsteads.  Dorothy and Jane continued to correspond, and they could now visit each other regularly.  Dorothy’s later years were plagued by some form of dementia, and the Marshalls appear to have contributed funds towards her care.  John Marshall died in 1845, and Jane two years later; they lie buried close to the north door of pretty Watermillock Church, and Jane’s hometown of Halifax is mentioned on the memorial stone.

Dorothy Wordsworth died in 1854.  She would write to many people over decades, but many consider her intimate letters to her childhood friend Jane Pollard of particular interest.  Fortunately Jane kept that correspondence, and we are grateful.  One of Jane’s great-grandsons was Sir Cecil Spring Rice, author of ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country.’

My thanks to many sources, including the Thoresby Society.

David C Glover            November 2021

I can’t believe that it’s 25 years since I first stepped into a radio studio!

I had been told that there was a new radio station starting up at Dean Clough and why didn’t I give them a call to see if they wanted a Soul Show. I put together a demo using an old-style portable cassette player which I had to record a song into, then record a separate voice link and so on and so forth. If anybody has seen Robert De Niro in The King Of Comedy when he was recording his show reel in the basement, that was me. Although mine was the attic.

The only short-term broadcast from Spark FM took place between the 1st to the 28th of October, 1996 in the space next to Crossley Taxis. Five years later Phoenix was born not, as many thought rising from the ashes of Spark although poetically that would have worked. It was because Phoenix in my mind was phonetically close to Fax. I was scratching my head thinking of a station name that would link to the town and I remember a conversation with a friend who suggested Sweet FM. Genius but rejected by the Directors.

Twenty years on, Phoenix Radio has become an integral part of the community, in some ways we have had to educate people to what we are. When we first launched many radio listeners were used to hearing the slick voices of the BBC or Commercial stations. What we offered was a chance for the community to have a voice and eventually we succeeded.

The same critics who joked about it sounding a bit “Nah then” came on board. Even more recently someone who has worked in the Commercial Radio world for thirty years emailed me and criticised our output. Naturally I waited rather than have a knee jerk reaction, always wise. I replied and said that I understood the comments, having been involved in commercial radio for such a long time but pointed out that that wasn’t us. If we were a little ‘rough round the edges’ then the community we represent can be too. We seek professionalism but will never reach perfection. Phoenix gives voice to many who would not have the opportunity elsewhere.

Over twenty years Phoenix has been a family to many and we have suffered our losses as well as celebrated our achievements. In the past we have been told that radio is dying and yet it has outlasted other methods of communication, re-inventing itself to modern times.

We continue to develop and look for new ways to support our community. One of our latest projects is the Night Shift. Up until now our overnight output has been a mixture of music, jingles and repeated shows but we are now ready to launch ‘The Night Shift’.  This service offers overnight support by broadcasting advice, support lines and positive stories embedded in the station’s overnight broadcast. If anyone would like to contribute to this, contact Howard on 01422 365923 or email [email protected]

Thank you to all those who have supported Phoenix in the past and here’s to the next twenty.

Howard Priestley

A borough-wide system for cashless parking payments in Calderdale will be introduced from early November.

Cashless payment options are available across all pay and display on-street spaces and car parks in the borough, with Halifax town centre spaces currently using a system called AppyParking and the rest of the borough using APCOA Connect.

 The two-year initial trial with AppyParking is now coming to an end. To simplify the parking process from both a customer and operational point of view, the Council has made the decision to continue with just one cashless provider across the borough and this will be APCOA Connect.

The Changes

APCOA Connect allows payments to be made using a mobile app, similarly to AppyParking, and still allows payment periods to be extended remotely, although it does not use the sensor technology to show real-time availability or to start a parking session by connecting to a sensor. The APCOA Connect system does however have the additional benefit of the option of payments being made over the telephone.

Users are required to enter a unique location code which will be displayed on sides of the pay and display ticket machine. They will select the length of time they want to park and then pay using a credit or debit card. A convenience fee will still apply, but borough-wide use of this system has allowed this to be reduced to 8p per transaction (currently either 15p or 30p depending on system used).

Clear signage and instructions on how to use the cashless payment system will be provided on pay and display machines.

Cash Options Available

Those wishing to pay with cash will still be able to do so, and blue badge and permit holders are unaffected by these changes and should continue to display their permits/badge.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, Cllr Jane Scullion, said:

“Unsurprisingly, we’ve seen the use of contactless card payments for our parking becoming increasingly popular. Since November 2019, there has been a 75% increase in the number of cashless transactions and there’s no sign of this changing any time soon, as people use cash options less frequently.

“As our trial with AppyParking is coming to an end, we need to make a decision about how we continue to offer cashless options. To make the process simpler and consistent across the borough, we’ve decided to extend the use of APCOA Connect parking to include Halifax town centre, meaning there’s just one system in place right across the borough.

“Traditional cash payments will still be accepted at our machines, but we know that people want to have the flexibility to pay in different ways. The cashless option also allows the duration of parking to be extended remotely, allowing people to enjoy the borough at their leisure.”

The system will switchover to APCOA on the weekend of 6 and 7 November, details will available on pay and display machines. The APCOA Connect parking app is available for both IOS and Android from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

A pop-up allotment event is coming to Halifax Borough Market this half-term, with entertainment, interactive performances, workshops and prizes.

‘Let’s Grow’ is a free two-day event for families on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 October 2021, it’s produced and brought to the market by the co-creator of the award-winning TV series, ‘Mr Bloom’s Nursery’, Ben Faulks, along with his wife, Mimi.

The festival hub will be inside the Albion Street entrance to the market and the event will see spaces in the heart of the historic Borough Market transformed into fruit and vegetable gardens. Families will be able to explore the ‘Let’s Grow’ pop-up allotment with its charming family of baby fruits and vegetables, along with their friendly ‘Vegetable Nannies’.

There’ll also be interactive and engaging performances, street art, games to play, and family workshops. In addition, families will be able to follow a treasure trail to be in with the chance of winning Shop in Halifax gift cards.

As part of the event, urban street artists will also be transforming stall spaces into giant market murals, this will also coincide with celebrations for the national Love Your Local Market fortnight campaign.

‘Let’s Grow’ producers, Ben and Mimi Faulks live in Calderdale and have toured their theatre shows such as the ‘Pop-up allotment’ and the ‘Vegetable Nannies’ throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Canada for over 15 years. Ben said of the event:

“It’s a thrill to be back delivering festivals and events with the Let’s Grow team after such a long time. As a family, we love coming to Halifax for shopping and socialising and it’s such a privilege to be able to be serve the community on our doorstep, in the valley we’re proud to call home.

“We want to help encourage folk back into the town and we’re looking forward to meeting people to start planning and planting ideas, growing together towards the 50th anniversary of Calderdale coming up in 2024.”

Calderdale Council and its partner organisations are harnessing the power of our unique culture and heritage to revitalise town centres, rebuild the economy and celebrate the borough’s identity. The ‘Let’s Grow’ event will form part of the launch of a two-year community art project and includes the opportunity for people to share ideas for the borough’s Year of Culture in 2024, to coincide with Calderdale’s 50^th anniversary.

The ‘Let’s Grow’ event has been organised by Calderdale Council, utilising grants from the Government’s Welcome Back fund, which is supported by the European Regional Development fund. This is aimed at supporting high streets and tourist attractions to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and welcome back shoppers and visitors.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, Cllr Jane Scullion, said:

“The Let’s Grow event will be a wonderful opportunity for families to come together this half term and enjoy exciting and engaging activities, which will also educate about gardening, food and nature.

Photos By Louis

“It will be great to see the space at Halifax Borough Market used in this innovative way, increasing footfall within the market and through the town centre. We hope to hold many more cultural events in this space and throughout the borough to revitalise our high streets and encourage visitors back to our towns after one of the toughest times in the sector’s history.

“We’re lucky in Calderdale to have exceptional local creative talent and we’ll also be looking for ideas to make the most of cultural opportunities as we progress towards our Year of Culture in 2024.”

For more information about the ‘Let’s Grow’ event at Halifax Borough Market, visit www.letsgrow.org.uk

To find out what else is happening in Calderdale over the October half term go to www.visitcalderdale.com or look out for updates on Facebook, twitter and Instagram #visitcalderdale

Schools in Calderdale are being advised to consider additional public health measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Rates of COVID-19 in Calderdale are higher than they’ve ever been throughout the pandemic and unfortunately this is causing severe pressures on health and social care services.

Although the fantastic uptake of the vaccine in Calderdale has weakened the link between high numbers of cases and serious illness, it hasn’t broken it all together.

Local hospitals are continuing to see high numbers of patients with COVID-19.  The virus still poses a threat to individuals and communities and so we need to do all we can to protect NHS services and slow the spread of the virus.

Overall case rates in Calderdale have never been as high. Cases are currently highest in secondary school-aged children, followed by those of primary school age, who are coming into contact with COVID-19 at school. The virus is then being passed on to family members and spreading through the community.

To try and bring the situation under control, the Council is advising secondary schools to consider asking staff and students to use face coverings and advising all schools to consider how they can limit mixing between groups and limit visitors. 

Any measures would be introduced and implemented by schools who know their communities best and understand which measures would be most effective. Throughout the pandemic, the Council has worked closely with schools to keep children and staff as safe as possible and will continue to support them to reintroduce measures if they wish to do so.

As the risk of the virus spreading further is greatest within households, the Council is also asking children and young people who live in a household where someone has COVID-19, to stay away from school for 3-5 days, get a PCR test and only return to school if they receive a negative PCR test result. Calderdale parents and carers will soon receive a letter explaining the measures.

The introduction of these measures will help reduce transmission of the virus within schools and subsequently households and wider communities. They will also limit the amount of disruption to young people’s education. As children aged 4 and under are currently less likely to catch and spread the virus the additional measures are not advised for early years settings at the moment.

Calderdale Council’s Director of Public Health, Debs Harkins, said:

“As we all learn to live with COVID-19, we need to find the right balance between minimising the risk of infection, reducing disruption to our lives and ensuring our health and care services aren’t overwhelmed.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing real pressures within our hospitals at the moment, due to the extremely high numbers of COVID-19 cases in the borough. Contact tracing data shows that the high number of cases is being caused by the virus spreading in education settings, and we need to bring the situation under control.

“To prevent COVID-19 transmission within schools as much as possible, we are advising that additional public health measures are introduced. The specifics of these measures will be led by schools who know what will work best for them. However, we will continue to support schools in any way we can and offer our advice to help them make the best decisions for their school and community.”

The Leader of Calderdale Council, Cllr Tim Swift, said:

“Schools have been working incredibly hard to protect pupils, staff and the wider school community and we want to support their efforts as much as we can. Work is also taking place within schools, delivered by the NHS working in partnership with the Council, to ensure 12-15 year olds are offered their first dose of the vaccine. We know how disruptive the pandemic has been for schools and we want to minimise this and keep as many young people in school as possible.

“The introduction of additional measures will support this by reducing COVID-19 transmission both within schools and wider communities. This will in turn also minimise pressure on our already stretched health and social care services as we head into what’s likely to be a very difficult winter period.”

We can all protect ourselves, loved ones and health and care services by doing the five big things:

• Give others space
• Wear a face covering in high-risk places
• Get tested and self-isolate if notified to do so
• Mix outside or let air in
• Get both doses of the vaccine if you are eligible, and the booster when available

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 you should book a free NHS test as soon as possible. You can also phone 119. Stay at home until it is time to take your test.

We have a special offer for you in the magazines this month!

One of our advertisers is sharing a leaflet with 6000 of our 16, 000 readers and letting you know more about their Halifax based heritage business.

They’re also sharing with you, the chance to enter a draw to win a £150 voucher to spend with them!

Read on to find out how to enter the draw…

Tell us about yourselves….

We, Mike and Hannah, both grew up in Halifax and started our textile business, ‘From the mills…’  several years ago, manufacturing and selling locally-made wool blankets and tweed.

What do you love most about your job?

Hannah:  Buying yarn!!  Looking at a handful of different bits of coloured wool and imagining what could be done with them…  I also feel proud to be a part of something so integral to our local history.

Mike:  In my opinion, customer service cannot be valued too highly and it pleases me ensuring our products and service are top notch.  I am proud of what we have built and enjoy meeting interesting characters.

Where do you work?

Our blankets and fabric are woven in Huddersfield, but we are based in Halifax, a town that used to be home to more than 50 wool textile businesses.  We are currently moving from Phoebe Lane Mills to the weaving shed of Shaw Lodge Mills.  We love the history of old mills and it has been fun in both mills finding scraps of coloured wool left from decades ago –  a lovely reminder of Halifax’s woolly heritage.

How do I enter the £150 Voucher Giveaway draw?

To be entered into a draw for a £150 voucher to spend on our website, tell us your favourite colour blanket or something about Halifax’s textile history!

Email li[email protected].co.uk OR enter a comment on our competition post @skircoatgreendirectory on Instagram.

Deadline for entries is 18^th October.  Winner to be drawn on 22^nd October 2021.

Local history and art: People of All Souls

Since 2019, as part of the 160^th celebrations, the small volunteer team at All Souls, Haley Hill have been gathering fond memories through stories, photographs and video clips from people with emotional ties to the church which closed to a congregation in 1977.

Jackie and David Butterfield wedding 1970’s

So many memories shared of weddings, family christenings, tales from the Sunday school, the amateur operatic society and the award winning bell ringers bring the building to life. If you have any memories to share please do bring them along.

Jackie and David Butterfield 2021

Owned by the Churches Conservation Trust it is generally closed to the public but the volunteers always give their time to open the doors during the September Heritage celebrations and take part in the Halifax Heritage Trail.

This year they hope to welcome visitors 10-4pm on 11^th, 12^th, 18^th and 19^th September.

The rich heritage of this church designed by renowned architect Sir George Gilbert Scott originates with Colonel Edward Akroyd, marked by his statue alongside. A man before his time he built Akroydon and Copley Village for his mill workers which were two of the first model villages in England. He was an MP, one of the founders of the Yorkshire Penny Bank and donated his manor house that became Bankfield Museum. A visit to the museum is a must to find out so much more.

The church itself is spectacular but we also offer local history walks and refreshments at the old Sunday school as well as the fifth solo exhibition of paintings by local artist Jane Austin.

The exhibition ‘Feast for the Eyes’ will include all Jane’s local heritage prints, the Shibden Collection and many new paintings which fully reflect the range of her work. Commission is donated to All Souls c/o The Churches Conservation Trust.

Make sure that you don’t miss out in September on the rich heritage of our town, full details of all events listed at www.discoverhx.com, VisitCalderdale.com and the Discover Halifax Hub at Woolshops.

Connect with the volunteers at www.facebook.com/allsoulshaleyhillcommunity Artist at www.janeaustin.co.uk

The original art of Jane Austin features on our front cover this month.

The Piecemakers are branching out with a new exhibition at the Halifax Minster this September. Their textile response to the Celtic Ogham Tree Calendar has been years in the making and the display was originally planned for April 2020 but was unfortunately delayed by the pandemic.

The 21 individually designed panels, each measuring 100 x 60cm, reflect the mythology, folklore and distinctive features of the native trees of Great Britain as depicted in the Celtic Ogham, an ancient alphabet and calendar including trees such as the Oak, Apple, Willow and Ash.

Vintage fabrics and donated materials were used to showcase a variety of traditional techniques including embroidery, goldwork, applique, patchwork and 3D creations, utilising the individual creative and artistic skills of the Piecemakers as weavers, stitchers, embroiderers, quilters, painters and printers.

The Piecemakers Artistic Lead, Annie Lancaster said  ‘Each panel depicts one tree featuring the letter and number of the tree plus details relating to mythology, history, botany, pharmacology and religion of that tree and also highlights the importance of bees in pollination. Join us during the weekend of the Heritage Festival (11^th/12^th September) to add a few pieces to our large Tree design rag rug when you visit the exhibition!’

Outreach Workshops

The group have worked with the local community, sharing associated knowledge and skills at various pre-pandemic events.  The huge rag rug has had many people contributing, including visitors to the Shibden Hall Heritage exhibition 2 years ago ago and people attending the group’s outreach workshops.

The Piecemakers built relationships with various external groups including Calderdale Countryside Service, local primary schools and the Churches Conservation Trust through tree identification projects and craft activities.  Pre-pandemic, a holiday club for adults and children during the summer break was organised and run at Copley St Stephens, thanks to support from the Churches Conservation Trust. In addition, a series of sessions at Ogden Water for adults and an after school club at Copley Primary school also took place.

These activities allowed community engagement with participants of all ages and abilities and gave the group opportunities to pass on traditional skills.

Funding

Over the last 4 years, the group has raised funds for the project, selling postcards of their work and handmade items at Shibden Hall Winter Festival, Calderdale Industrial Museum and the Calderdale Visitor Centre. Funding was gratefully received from the Calderdale Council, Skircoat Ward Forum, the Staying Well team, Norland Scarecrow Festival and this was used to pay for the room hire, artistic workshops and materials.

The 2021 Exhibition

The group recently displayed the panels at The Crafty Owl in Elland and were delighted to show the work to renowned Yorkshire based artist Kate Lycett, who kindly visited the shop/studio where the group regularly meet.

Kate Lycett said ‘Meeting you all was just lovely! I loved the work, and stories woven into it. I loved that you’d included long saved treasures; bits of embroidery and fabric and student sketches saved for decades for just this very project. It’s just the kind of thing that I do; I have drawers of colour sorted inky scraps, tiny, but too precious to discard. You made me feel like I’d found my tribe!’

The Halifax Minster team have kindly waited for the pandemic restrictions to be lifted and are excited to have the Panels displayed during the national and local Heritage Festival celebrations.   The Mayor of Calderdale is attending the official opening of the Exhibition on Friday September 10^th. The Piecemakers will have booklets available to purchase, explaining the exhibition. The public are invited to participate in the heritage craft of Rag Rugging, within covid guidelines.

Halifax Sailing Club extends a warm welcome to new and old members. Formed in 1959, as a predominantly dinghy racing club, it welcomes many types of water activity, including dinghy sailing, board sailing, canoeing and kayaking.

It has thriving training, youth and racing sections which enjoy the uninterrupted winds at the highest sailing club in the UK at Warley Moor Reservoir, Wainstalls, Halifax.

Funding

Over the past four years £60,000 has been raised through donations, grants and fund raising activities to allow a massive investment to take place, to ensure the club is in a healthy position and to make the facilities as welcoming as possible. These improvements include new training boats and sail boards, a floating jetty, new generator, improved water and gas supplies and internal club enhancements, including showers.

The club heritage goes back 60 years and has present and past members who have won National, European and World titles, boasting two Olympians who have started at the club – one winning a Gold, who can trace her sailing lineage back to Halifax Sailing Club.

Training

Training is provided by RYA qualified dinghy and sailboard instructors, in club owned boats, which are available for newly trained members to use until they have their own boats. Training takes place on weekday evenings and weekends.

The Saturday Club for youth and novice sailing is thriving. It is run as an informal training session, but with the focus on having fun in a safe environment. Short practice racing is organized, with prizes.

Racing

Dinghy racing takes place on Wednesday evenings and Sundays – but the water is open for casual sailing too whilst racing takes place.

So, if you want to try a water activity, after a long lock down, or introduce your family to a healthy outdoor activity right on your doorstep, then make contact with the club via face book, our web site or simply come along when we are open.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

www.halifaxsailingclub.org.uk

Traditionally, funeral directing has happened behind closed doors creating an air of mystery about the profession and everything surrounding it. As a modern funeral director, we encourage more open conversation about funerals and funeral directing. To help with this, we’re sharing a typical day for one of our funeral directors (this may differ for other services).

Looking after people who have died

After someone has died, we go to the place where they have died and bring them into our care (and usually look after people until the day of their funeral).  Depending on the circumstances and the wishes of the person who has died and their family, this may involve delivering personal care, dressing someone, or doing their nails, hair and makeup.

Sometimes people also need some care which is exclusively for people after death.  This depends on specific circumstances, and we would always try to facilitate a family being involved in these decisions (gently and only if they want to).  Most people have heard of embalming, which is an example of such a procedure.

Supporting people to make funeral arrangements

We spend much of our time helping people to understand what is possible and then creating time and space to support them to work out what works best for them.  We start by trying to understand what is important to the person who has died and their family and friends and then expand on these ideas by structuring the decisions that need to be made and sharing ideas.

This might include needing to do some research about new options, places, or people so that we can suggest things which are specific to that individual.

Once the decisions have been made, then it is our job to pull everything together.

Support on the day of the funeral

On the day of the funeral, we are there to make sure that the event is as the family and friends wanted it to be.  In many cases, this involves ensuring that all the carefully prepared plans and timings are adhered to.  However, sometimes that also involves navigating the unexpected and being able to make quick judgements and decisions about how to adapt the plan in response to unforeseen circumstances.

Pre- and post-funeral support

As funeral directors, we are well placed to support people to understand and write down their own funeral wishes or purchase a pre-paid funeral plan.  We know the benefit of people leaving funeral wishes and see how consoling it is for people to be able to gift the fulfilment of these wishes after someone has died.

Similarly, because we support people who have been bereaved, we are well-placed to share helpful information about bereavement support. We also run a peer bereavement support group.

We believe that the more people know about funerals and choices, the better.

Please visit our website for more information www.fullcirclefunerals.co.uk

Full Circle Funerals, 1 Westbourne Crescent, Crossley Hill, Halifax HX3 0PJ