Additional COVID-19 testing in Calderdale is now being extended to more parts of the borough to help contain the spread of the virus.

Extra testing continues in the Park, Todmorden and Warley areas, and now, people who live, work or study in Ryburn, Sowerby Bridge, Illingworth or Mixenden are also being asked to get tested due to rapidly increasing cases in these wards.

COVID-19 infection rates are still rising across Calderdale. On Sunday 20 June, the latest rate was 137 per 100,000 – a 33% increase compared to the previous week. The Delta variant, which spreads more quickly, now makes up the majority of cases.

The positive impact of the recent additional testing in Park, Todmorden and Warley can be seen in the latest testing figures. 7,500 people had a PCR test between 13 and 19 June – double the number compared to the week before. Testing is important because half of Calderdale residents that test positive don’t have symptoms, so the testing finds COVID-19 cases that we wouldn’t know about otherwise. We can support them to self-isolate and break the chain of infection.

To build on the intensive work on additional testing and community engagement in recent weeks, testing will continue at sites in Park, Todmorden and Warley, and PCR testing for people without symptoms in Ryburn, Sowerby Bridge, Illingworth and Mixenden is getting started.

For information on additional testing and the location of testing sites, please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/managing/extra-testing

Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council’s Leader, said:

“Calderdale now has the highest COVID testing rate in the region and we’re incredibly grateful to all the residents, schools, workplaces and other organisations which have played a part in this.

“Rapidly increasing case rates in some parts of the borough mean we’re now offering extra PCR testing to people without symptoms in areas with the highest case rates and where there is a high risk of transmission.

“We urge people to keep doing everything they can to help protect themselves and others, including taking up the extra testing in some parts of Calderdale.”

Deborah Harkins, the Council’s Director of Public Health, added:

“We are reviewing COVID case rates and the uptake of extra testing every day, and making changes to the location of testing sites where needed. Please keep an eye on our website for updates.

“If you live in one of the areas where additional testing is taking place, even if you do regular rapid Lateral Flow Tests at home, it’s important that you take a PCR test, regardless of whether you have symptoms. You may want to swap one of your regular Lateral Flow Tests for a PCR test, so that you aren’t doing any more tests than usual but are helping to identify and contain any new variants of concern.”

The additional testing programme in Calderdale includes the following:

• Existing PCR testing sites, which are still being used for people with symptoms to get tested, are now also being used for asymptomatic PCR testing. They are open for walk-in testing with no appointment needed.
• Mobile Testing Units are visiting community venues (determined by feedback from local people about the most appropriate and convenient locations) with no appointments needed.
• Mobile Testing Units are visiting a number of workplaces and test kits are being provided for employees to take home for the people they live with.
• Test kits are being distributed through a number of schools and colleges for students and members of their household.

Extra testing is being supported by:

• Raising awareness of support to self-isolate. Please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/help for details of the range of support available.
• Continued engagement with local communities.
• Action to increase uptake of both doses of the vaccine. The Delta variant spreads more quickly than the Alpha variant (first identified in Kent). Evidence from Public Health England shows that two doses of either vaccine provide at least 90% protection against illness caused by the Delta variant that requires hospital treatment. Local contact tracers are contacting people at highest risk to discuss the vaccine with them and, where appropriate, book vaccination slots for them. Pop-up vaccine clinics continue in trusted and accessible community venues and workplaces.

There are five big things that we can all do to help reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Keep our distance and limit mixing with people we don’t live with.
• Wear a face covering where necessary, unless medically exempt.
• Self-isolate if we test positive or are a contact of someone who has tested positive. A range of support is available to people self-isolating: www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/help.
• Meet others outside where possible, and if not then let fresh air in.
• Book our vaccine when we are invited by the NHS.

For up-to-date and reliable information about COVID-19, use trusted sources such as:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

www.calderdale.gov.uk/coronavirus

It all started with an officer of the Duke of Wellington’s regiment, who in 1887 asked “Anyone for tennis?” Major C Conor was a keen tennis player and his enthusiasm for the sport promoted a move to form a tennis club which, over 130 years later, is a thriving Sports Club providing super facilities for Squash and Tennis as well as having a state of art gym. The club has around 750 members of all ages and abilities.

It was at a special meeting at the Drill Hall in Halifax on February 12^th 1887 that the club was formed and as it was Queen Victoria’s jubilee year the club was called Queens Sports Club.

The annual subscription was 21 shillings (£1.05 ) for gentlemen and 10 Shillings and sixpence for Ladies!

The club was based originally at Craven Lodge, Parkinson Lane, which was short lived as the land was needed for building. The club moved to its present location by leasing land off Savile Park Road with a loan from the Union Bank of £200.  The first World War had a dramatic effect as membership drained away to the western front. At the end of 1916 the club had only 15 men left and they guaranteed to give £5 each to keep the club going.

The club has produced many successful players over the years and is known for its friendly but competitive spirit.

Queens was one of the first tennis clubs to build squash courts with courts opening in January 13^th 1938. There are now 5 Squash courts and 6 outdoor and 2 indoor Tennis courts to play on.

A landmark in the clubs’ history was in April 1996 when the Courtside Gym opened. Not like other gym’s, Queens modelled the gym on being a very friendly and family orientated place to enjoy the facilities that help make our members fit and healthy. Brian Raynor has been involved from the very start and is still seen most days giving one to one special stretching and exercise sessions to lots of members.

Queens also has a lovely welcoming Bar and Veranda from which members can have a nice relaxing drink and watch the tennis below.  Our Club Bar facilities are open to members of the public, for free, should you wish to celebrate a special event.

Watch out for our special promotions at Heath Pharmacy, just below the club and Skircoat Green Post Office.

Our motto has never been more appropriate now as lockdown is soon to be a thing of the past.

GET FIT – STAY HEALTHY – HAVE FUN !

Get in touch today!

[email protected]

01422 360 487

This month we talk to Kate Claughan, the owner of The Book Case in Hebden Bridge and The Book Corner at The Piece Hall in Halifax about the advantages of being an independent bookshop, chat to artist Sue Cordingley about her work that has included the illustrations for the children’s book The Dragons Of Wainhouse Tower(as featured in last month’s podcast) and, to coincide with the start of a new series of Ackley Bridge on Channel 4 and the recent filming of series 2 of Gentleman Jack in The Piece Hall, we revisit our report about ‘Hollyfax’. And, of course, our regular band of film reviewers – which this month has expanded slightly from a threesome to a foursome – cast their eyes over Oscar-nominated Sound of Metal, the Icelandic film A White, White Day, time-bending Palm Springs and the wonder that is Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar.

Introduction to the Kate Claughan interview

After initially working with only the children’s books, Kate Claughan describes taking on the ownership of The Bookcase in Hebden Bridge as quite a risky endeavour. Faced with the joint threats of Amazon and ebooks, the future of independent bookshops was looking dark. ‘It was a very steep learning curve,’ says Kate. Obviously relishing a challenge, she went on to open The Book Corner in Piece Hall three years ago. She now has a very established clientele in Hebden Bridge, with many customer orders, whereas the Halifax shop attracts a wider range of shoppers, including coach parties of grandparents buying ‘posh children’s books’.

The recent lockdowns have added to her challenges. It was difficult to keep up with what was happening in the book trade, and not easy to feed off customers’ interests, when the shops were closed. Kate found herself ‘a bit untethered’. She feels sorry for the authors who brought out books at that time, as their sales possibly suffered. She tried to second guess what the customers would want when the shop doors reopened. Gardening and nature books have been selling well, but fiction has also had a boost. ‘People are looking for a bit of escapism. They definitely don’t want to read about Covid,’ says Kate.

‘A brilliant source of income’ for her over the past year has been Bookshop.org, which  enables local bookshops to sell books online through its storefront. Nevertheless she feels that real live bookshops continue to have their advantages in offering ‘a little bit of headspace’ for customers who have no compulsion to buy but can benefit from the sellers’ informed advice and perhaps find something they never imagined they wanted.

Children’s reading has experienced an upsurge during lockdown too. Long series of books have offered an ideal escape, including Michelle Paver’s ‘Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’; Jessica Townsend’s ‘Nevermoor’ books; Cressida Cowell’s ‘How to train you Dragon’ and ‘The Wizards of Once’ series; and the graphic ‘Dogman’ novels of Dav Pilkey. As for adult fiction, Kate says that Bernadine Evaristo and Delia Owens have been popular authors. Among her predicted future bestsellers are ‘Male Tears’ by Benjamin Myers; ‘The First Woman’ by Jennifer Nansubuya Makumbi; and the paperback editions of Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’, Douglas Stuart’s ‘Shuggie Bain’, Monique Roffey’s ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’ and Richard Osman’s ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. So support your local bookshop now!

Janet Warham

To listen to the podcast, visit halifaxpodcast.com

In response to the very sad news today that His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has died, the Mayor of Calderdale, Cllr Dot Foster, said:

“We are saddened by the news today of the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Philip has played a significant role in the public life of the nation for over 70 years. We will remember him for his many years of public service, for the support he has given the Queen throughout her reign and for his extensive charitable work.

“Our thoughts today are with the Queen and the Royal Family.

“As a mark of respect, we are flying the Union flag at half-mast at Halifax Town Hall from today until the day of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.”

More public toilets are set to reopen in Calderdale this April.

In line with government guidance, the Council closed its public toilets for COVID-safety reasons during the first lockdown in 2020.

In July 2020, following national advice and the safest local approach, the Council reopened public toilets in each of the borough’s towns, with additional cleaning and people being urged to help maintain the safety and hygiene of the facilities.

From Monday 29 March 2021, some of the national restrictions have been eased, as part of the cautious, step-by-step roadmap out of lockdown. For example, two households or up to six people can now meet outside; outdoor sport and leisure facilities can resume, organised outdoor sport is allowed; and outdoor parent and child groups can go ahead (up to 15 parents).

It is still important for everyone to do all they can to reduce COVID-19 transmission and protect each other (limit contact, wear a face covering and self-isolate if necessary), but as the easing of restrictions means there are more opportunities to get out and about, the Council is reopening more public toilets to support people, especially those with certain medical conditions and parents with young children.

From Monday 12 April, a further five toilet blocks in public parks will reopen, adding to the six which are already open in each of the main towns. This means that public toilets will be available as follows, from Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30am – 4.30pm:

Parks:

• Calder Holmes Park (Hebden Bridge)
• Centre Vale Park (Todmorden)
• Manor Heath Park (Halifax)
• People’s Park (Halifax)
• Savile Park (Halifax)

Towns:

• Brighouse – Thornton Square
• Elland – Town Hall Square
• Halifax – Albion Street
• Hebden Bridge – New Road
• Sowerby Bridge – Wharf Street
• Todmorden – Brook Street

All the facilities are self-contained, individually accessed unisex facilities, helping to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

Additional cleaning and frequent disinfecting are taking place in all toilet blocks. People are asked to help maintain hygiene standards between cleans by following the advice in the increased signage in all facilities.

As always, the most effective ways to maintain good hygiene are to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your face and follow the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ guidance. Public toilets are checked regularly to ensure that soap is always available.

Unfortunately, it has not been possible to make a small number of toilet blocks COVID-secure, so these remain temporarily closed for safety reasons and the Council is exploring options and funding to remodel them where possible.

As part of the Future Council Programme, a small number of more remote and / or less used toilet facilities will not reopen under Council management. Instead, they will be made available to other organisations / groups, potentially for them to manage as additional provision. There will be more information about this opportunity in due course.

Shelagh O’Neill, Calderdale Council’s Director of Regeneration and Strategy, said:

“We are pleased to be able to reopen more public toilets this month to support people to safely get out and about more. Our parks are the perfect place to exercise and enjoy the great outdoors, so we hope the toilet facilities help to make life easier for visitors.

“Safety is always our priority, so we urge people to follow public health guidelines when using our toilets and parks, and whenever they are out. It’s great that restrictions are cautiously and gradually easing, but COVID-19 is still in our communities and we all need to keep playing our part to protect each other.”

Partnership work continues across Calderdale to help control COVID-19, such as engaging with and supporting communities, particularly in areas with high infection rates; increasing and improving access to testing; ensuring that those most at risk from COVID-19 are offered a vaccine; carrying out local contact tracing; supporting people to enable them to self-isolate; engaging with businesses and helping them to be COVID-secure; and enforcing COVID-19 restrictions where necessary.

For up-to-date and reliable information about COVID-19, use trusted sources such as:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus

www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

www.calderdale.gov.uk/coronavirus

Would you like to learn how to bake perfect scones? Are you wishing you had more ideas for making crafts at home? Or are you passionate about Climate Change; Food Poverty; Women’s Health?

Then the Women’s Institute is for you!

We are Halifax’s own answer to the famous Calendar Girls!

Siddal Sisters was founded in June 2015, and used to meet in St Mark’s Church Siddal.  We have been meeting on line via ZOOM through Lockdown, and plan to use the Cricket Club in Siddal once we can get back together again.

Already this year we will:

• Hear a talk from a Marie Curie Nurse
• Have an Easter Bonnet competition and Quiz
• Learn how to make boxes and bows from recycled materials
• Have a masterclass on short story writing – and enter a National WI competition
• And much more!

We have a table booked for a Craft Fair in June, and we will be helping run the Tea Tent in the Halifax Agricultural Show in August.

You don’t have to want to bake scones, be a ‘nifty knitter’ or want to change to world to be a member of the Women’s Institute! Probably THE most important thing we do, is become friends who look out for each other.

E mail:  [email protected]; Find us on Facebook Siddal Sisters WI; Follow us on Instagram: siddalsisterswi.

Our Main Meeting in on the 3^rd Wednesday each month at 7:30pm, currently on ZOOM.  Then there are other interest groups, talks and opportunities throughout each month for you to join.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Amanda Rosewell

President of Siddal Sisters Women’s Institute.

Most charities rely on word of mouth and acts of generosity to ensure they can deliver their vital services. One of the most creative charities in our area is Overgate Hospice who touch an incredible amount of people’s lives and do such a tremendous service.

This month, Richard Durgan from Zenith Independent Wealth Management, who is known for his generosity to local causes and sports, decided to get a little creative too. Richard has included his latest leaflet with this month’s magazine and when we discussed what was featured we noticed that the back of the leaflet would be blank. As quick as a flash, Richard agreed it would be a great idea to be able to “donate” that space to a local cause so they could benefit by reaching 8000 homes and almost 20,000 readers for free.

‘I know lots of charities are struggling at the moment, the pandemic is making fundraising a massive challenge for so many’, said Richard ‘I chose Overgate Hospice as I understand how many people really need their services for both inpatient and day care services, every day of the week’.

Becki Marren, Business Partnerships Manager at Overgate Hospice was over the moon with the donation ‘this is a huge help to us we are really wanting to reach people with our campaigns at the moment and are struggling!’.

As a regular advertiser your monthly community magazine, Richard understands the rewards of boosting the visibility of his successful business, with leaflet distribution.  It’s a great way for new and regular advertiser to share new information and raise the profile of his financial management company. The A5 double sided leaflet will be designed, printed and delivered to 8000 homes by Skircoat Green Directory.

To find out how you can support Overgate Hospice visit www.overgatehospice.org.uk/get-involved/our-events or

The following article was discussed and written by Alex Abel during the Halifax Arts Podcast 25/05/2020:

The artist that created ‘British Pond Life’ is Kenneth Barden and the murals are specifically 2 imposing designs that are in the diving area of Halifax pool. They are floor to ceiling height. The whole pool is tiled throughout but it is the 2 designs have captured the imagination as they are striking in brown, green, blue and white and depict strong shapes and block forms based on nature.

I loved these images from the first time I saw. I have swum in the pool since I was 24 years old and moved to Halifax to work. I would swim lengths each week at the pool and marvel at the images as they cross tiles and form a backdrop to the activity of the pool. I also watched my sons swimming lessons from 2009 as a spectator and that gave me an even better vantage point to fully appreciate the designs. As an ex-Art student, I love them and am glad that they are getting some attention online.

The swimming pool itself dates from1964-1966 and has become part of a recent online conversation on Twitter as Dr Otto Saumarez Smith raised the question of what would happen to the distinctive mural and garnered many responses and conversations.

Lots of people clearly were unaware that within the grey, drab building there was housed such artwork. There remains a question about whether the whole building is now too run down and expensive to keep, but a beautiful set of pictures of the mural do raise the question “why was the artwork not considered important enough to save?”.

Kenneth Barden – the artist has created other artworks of interest and was part of a movement that included an explosion of murals in the 1950’s and 1960’s in civic buildings. The majority of mural designs featured stylised images relating to the commissioning body, with restaurants, cafeterias and bars being popular locations; abstract works were relatively rare so what we have unique to Halifax.

Kenneth Barden himself was born in 1924 and passed away in 1988, he was primarily inspired creatively by the 1930’s designs and that is demonstrated in the shapes and colours on the wall in ‘British Pond Life’.

Other artists of this period worked in concrete, mosaic and mixed media include Alan Boyson whose mural (1962) at Cromwell Secondary School in Salford (Greater Manchester) was listed Grade II in 2009, before the rest of the school was demolished – its quite interesting that Calderdale Council have not considered this as an option in relation to Pond Life.

Crucially, mural artists of this era who frequently worked with developers were very flexible; they could be relied upon to solve design problems and were capable of working in almost any medium.

Barden has other artworks that demonstrate this in the UK– mainly the Seaward and Harbour Towers in Gosport, Hampshire. The pair of 16-storey tower blocks overlooking the harbour were clad with abstract unglazed mosaic murals made by Carter’s of Poole and running the whole 135 feet height. Hugely impressive due to their scale.

While plans have been put on hold during the Corona Virus Pandemic – Calderdale Council did plan to demolish the whole building and create a bigger sports complex at North Bridge that would include a swimming pool. At the time I write,  the decision is on hold but as comments grew online this has culminated in the Twentieth Century Society (who campaign to save outstanding buildings and design) announcing that it is applying for listed status for the building effectively to save the artwork. [ED: sadly it was turned down, find out why at https://c20society.org.uk/news/disappointment-over-refusal-to-list-halifax-swimming-pool-and-murals]

This all brings to mind questions of the value of art/culture and the societal and commercial value of art in our home town.

I am personally pleased that someone has taken the time online to argue the case for the artwork – it reminds me of the struggle’s councils face with Banksy artworks appearing on buildings scheduled for demolition that have greater significance once they are part of a wider conversation. Councils often find to their cost that demolishing artwork results in bad press and can be very costly when delays are factored in.

British Pond Life can still be seen through the side windows of the swimming pool if you look. The artwork deserves to be celebrated and given recognition.

Alex Abel

https://player.fm/series/the-halifax-arts-podcast

Some of younger population are struggling with the lack of contact with their peer group and the general buzz of school life and the daily interactions associated with going to schools, colleges, university or their place of work.  The support services recommended in the attached reference sheet can be accessed via the QR codes or the details on the page.

To see the page in full, visit www.skircoatgreendirectory.co.uk and turn to page 65

For more information and support please visit www.openmindscalderdale.org.uk

On a snowy day this January, I went to visit the grave of a remarkable man at Mount Tabor.  The 20^th February 1921 sees the centenary of the death of Whiteley Turner, who, although he lived on the outskirts of Halifax all his life, and rarely had any spare cash, had become well known to the whole West Riding of Yorkshire, and much further afield.  His masterpiece was a book published in 1913 as ‘A Spring-time Saunter round and about Brontë-land’.  Today, copies of this work are still well known, and highly prized.

On 17^th April 1865, in rented accommodation at Higgin Chamber, Sowerby, a third son was born to Robert Turner, wool-sorter, and his wife Elizabeth, nee Whiteley.  Given his mother’s maiden name as a forename, his boy­hood was spent at Midgley and Ludden­den.  He had little schooling, and at the age of eight, was sent to work at Peel House Mills, to help towards earning his family’s daily bread.  After four years he transferred to Solomon Priestley’s woollen mill, and there on Tuesday, 12^th November, 1878, a tragedy changed his prospects for ever.  That day, the young worker’s right shirt-sleeve got caught in the cogs of a carding engine, the next instant his arm itself was drawn in, resulting in the limb being terribly mutilated up to the shoulder.  He was taken to the old Halifax Infirmary in Blackwall, where the damaged limb was amputated. Having made a remarkable recovery from this trauma – and be­cause of his plight – he was admitted to Luddenden National School as a free scholar.

In due course, he took up a job selling weekly Halifax newspapers, and on the advice of his teacher, added the sale of tea to that of papers.  His schoolteacher generously gave the boy the capital to buy his first stock.  Soon, young Whiteley Turner had a wide round, including Luddenden, Booth, Jowler, Mount Tabor and Wainstalls.  In due course, the tea business required his expanding his route considerably, and he would visit Keighley, Queensbury, Stainland, Southowram, and other places far from his home at Hainsworth Row, Mount Tabor, entailing remarkable journeys, all by foot.  Every weekday for forty years – sometimes in pelting rain or blinding snow – Turner trudged on his way.  Indeed, in 1921 someone computed that he must have covered around 20,000 miles on foot in his time!  In 1896, he married Emma Mann of Wainstalls, and they settled down to married life at Prospect Place, 57 Mount Tabor, close to their place of worship at the local Wesleyan Church.

It was in 1885 that Whiteley Turner sent in his first literary composition to the Halifax Courier, and this was followed by many others.  As well as having to plod many miles for his work, he derived great pleasure from roaming at leisure, and had a great eye for detail, be it Nature, people or buildings. And he wanted to share the joy of rambling with others.  Titles of his newspaper articles included ‘A Winter’s Day Outing to Walshaw Dean and Hardcastle Crags’, and thousands of readers were – through his writing – able to enjoy what he delighted in, even if unable to undertake such saunters themselves.  ‘A Spring-time Saunter,’ which originally appeared as a series of articles in the Courier, was intended to awaken among the local public the joys of healthy walking outside industrial Halifax, on the moors and in the dales nearby, with which Turner had become intimately familiar through his excursions.  The work was published in the columns of the “Courier” from 1904-7.  It was the culmination of his efforts, and the vividly-described Pennine characters and wonders of nature helped add to its charm.  The great popularity of his column led Turner to consider that the articles might be put together in book form.

David C Glover – January 2021 – to be continued next month