HEBWEB ELECTION SECTION - candidates answer questions, election links, news, over 150 contributions to election discussion, and more.

HEBDEN BRIDGE HUSTINGS REPORT

Global Wave: On Monday, anti-nuclear campaigners linked up the Calder Valley with places around the world when they took part in the 'Global Wave', to mark the start of the review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty taking place in New York. Read more (29 April)

Calderdale Liberal Democrats launch local manifesto, and to date are the only party to do so. They set out the policies and ideas the party would implement if they were running Calderdale. Read more

Local election candidate statements: So far, five candidates have sent the HebWeb summaries of why they want your vote, and photos. Read them here. (updated 20 April)

Local election candidates: following the close of nominations, the HebWeb is now able to publish lists of candidates for Calderdale and Town Council elections. Surprises include a first UKIP candidate for the Calder ward covering Hebden Bridge, and far fewer candidates for the Town Council. Read more (10 April)

Duck Race: thousands enjoy the Easter sunshine. Photo from Craig Shaw. Click to enlarge

Hope Baptist Church A Heritage Lottery Fund award of £215,000 will enable urgent repairs to this important locally listed building. Read more

Little Park, Victoria Road: More apartments planned. See Forum thread and Planning Watch

HEBWEB ELECTION QUESTIONS: The HebWeb wrote to each of the six Parliamentary candidates, posing six questions, designed to help voters understand the differences between the parties. Each of the candidates has now responded and you can read their replies here, in our Election Section.

Kindliness in Hebden Bridge: Community is key in tackling loneliness - report launched Thursday by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is based on research carried out in Hebden Bridge. Read more 21 March

Eclipse of the sun: Local photographer Bev Manders took this photo from Calder Holmes park. With glasses or filters, the eclipse was visible for most of its duration here in Hebden Bridge. 20 March

Labour candidate refused Blair's Money: in response to the Lib-Dem challenge, the Labour candidate Josh Fenton-Glynn has told the HebWeb, in a forum contribution, that he returned Tony Blair's cheque to the national party. 17 March

Better train services - but not yet: latest information from the Upper Valley Transport Group on electrification and what we should expect from the next franchise holder for our line. Read more 11 Mar

Hebden Bridge features in The Times list of trendiest cities, villages and market towns in which to live. 10 March

General Election: A lively Education Question Time with election candidates took place on Friday 6 March at Calder High. Read report

Hospice Shop needs volunteers. Hebden Bridge's local children's hospice Forget Me Not is calling on residents to show their support and volunteer in their Valley Road shop. Read more (7 May)

Recent news

• Riverside rated good school
• Arts Festival wants more volunteers!
• HebWeb General Election section
• Hebden Bridge Hustings Report
• Pennine Way Loop report and photos

Riverside rated a good school: Staff, Pupils, parents are celebrating after Riverside School was rated good after a tough Ofsted inspection. Read more (5 May)

HebWeb What's On: 45 events so far listed for May. Plant sales in Hebden Bridge and Blackshaw Head, Folk Roots Festival, meetings, spring fairs, Rag Market, Print Fair, Heritage Day in Mytholmroyd, Storytelling. More info about events.

Tour de Yorkshire through Pecket Well - above photo from Jill Liddington: see also, this YouTube video from Jason Elliott. (3 May)

On Sunday, 3 May, the Tour de Yorkshire will pass through Hebden Bridge. Plans are being finalised across the area. More info, maps and links.

Summat a' Nowt: Tod's University of the Third Age heard from Steve Murty about life in Stubb, the township of 17 cottages in which he was born and raised, old ranges with a pot hanging above. Read more (28 April)

Pennine Loop Launch: The launch, Saturday 25 April, of the Hebden Bridge Loop fn the Pennine way was a huge success. Over 200 people joined the series of walks through the day. More info, photos and audio clip from Will Sutcliffe (89) Click photo above to enlarge

I Am Kloot, at the Trades Club, sells out in 48 hours! With thanks to the HebWeb from the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival. Read more (updated 27 April)

Radical History Walks in the Calder Valley - to be launched this Sunday, 26 April. Riots and Protests, Cooperatives and Visions. Do the walks, download the apps. Read more (21 April)

How Hebden Bridge was nearly Lost: a new film from Nick Wilding, 2 May at the Picture House, tracing 700 years, and the role of the Civic Trust in preventing further demolition. The film also reveals 1960s plans to demolish extensive parts of Hebden Bridge for a flyover and big named national stores. Read more (updated 18 April)

HebWeb reader Andrew Bibby has told us that Roy Palmer, whose obituary is in The Guardian, as well as being the author of some inspirational books on folk music and working class song, was also for a time a teacher at Calder High and a Calder valley (Colden) resident. (20 April)

My Convict Ancestors: Todmorden University of the Third Age member Sue Hayter made no apologies for having convict ancestors when she spoke at the March general meeting, in a talk entitled My Convict Ancestors - A Genealogical Journey. Read more (12 April)

Town Centre 1965 'photographic gallery' opens As part of marking the 50th anniversary of the Pennine Way and the launching of the new Loop, HB Walkers Action and Pennine Horizons have put together an exhibition of photos of the town from the 1960s. Read more (11 April)

Pace Egg Play 2015 - read more
More photos

Hebden Bridge Business Forum: the Social on 25 March at Old Gate was attended by 30 people who had the opportunity to network and hear about the new auto-enrolment pension scheme. Read more 27 March

Parking chaos at Sainsburys in Mytholmroyd - YouTube video from Jason Elliott 25 March

Calder Ward Forum grants relaunched for 2015-2016. £5,000 available grants for activities and projects that benefit Calder Ward. Read more 19 March

Mytholmroyd Station Partnership bring together schools and local industry. Read more 19 March

Gruelling Experiences - in the workhouse: Peter Higginbotham's researches enabled him to to recount a complex and fascinating story to the Local History Society. Above: former workhouse: Stansfield View, 2-3 miles from HB. Read more 16 March

Election: Labour candidate challenged over Blair Donation: Alisdair Calder McGregor is asking Josh Fenton Glynn "if he has accepted Blair's Blood Money to fund his campaign". Read more 13 Mar

The After Alice Project, a new group devoted to non-digital photography, named after Hebden Bridge's most famous photographer Alice Longstaff, is encouraging experienced and novice photographers alike to have a go at capturing images on good old fashioned film. More info 11 Mar

Schools rebuilding: Craig Whittaker secured an adjournment debate in Parliament on 9 March over the need to rebuild Calder and Tod High schools. He got short change from the Education Minister. See Parliamentary report 10 March

Above: Internation Women's Day Flash Mob in the square, Hebden Bridge. Click here to see more of Craig Shaw's photos of the event. Click here for a video of the event.

Town Council Elections - Every four years, elections take place for the whole of Hebden Royd Town Council. This year, they coincide with the General Election - Read more 6 Mar

HebWeb election section: for news and discussion of the May 2015 General Election in the Calder Valley

Victoria Road residents complain about McCarthy and Stone: residents have contacted the HebWeb after 15 months of "living on a building site". The development of 32 apartments was due to be finished in January. Read more 2 Mar

Fox and Goose's Co-hoperative beer to toast co-operative pub's first birthday. It will be unveiled at the pub in Heptonstall Road, Hebden Bridge, on Friday 27th from 7pm, kicking off a month-long programme of celebrations. Read more 26 Feb

Calderdale Budget - Council tax freeze confirmed, praise for ambitious energy target, Lib-Dems criticise Labour for not supporting energy reduction target, Labour say council statement glosses over cuts. Read more 25 Feb

Walking with History: E-trails from Pennine Horizons provide walkers with an opportunity to explore the area on foot and having information about the landscape, ecology or history at your finger tips. Read more about the walks and apps. 23 Feb

Fair for Youth 2015 will be held on Saturday 30th May on Calder Holmes Park, showcasing the talents, abilities, interests and skills of local young people. Read more

School funding scandal: Labour warned last year that Government funding for schools was in doubt. Read more 16 Feb

General Election: transport
The Sustainable Transport Group has asked candidates standing in our Calder Valley constituency a series of questions about transport policy and fare rises. The candidates have all replied. Read the questions and replies

Calder High loses out again in new school building programme. Labour's Josh Fenton-Glynn has expressed disbelief that Calder High has yet again been overlooked by the Government. Read more 10 Feb

Use libraries to access wifi: Although the Hebden Bridge Library has had wireless access for some time, visitors to other libraries in Calderdale will soon be able access their laptops, phones and tablets using free wifi. Read more 9 Feb

Register to vote: To be sure you can vote in May's General Election, you need to check you are registered by Monday 20 April 2015. More info and links to register online.

Craig Whittaker's Wikipedia page edited anonymously from the House of Commons. A reference to our MP's arrest for allegedly assaulting his son outside a petrol station was deleted, along with his claim to not know about the future of A&E. See the Wikipedia edits and this page from The Political Scrapbook (26 Jan)

One woman protest in the Square - Christine Drake explains to HebWeb readers why she is there - "in solidarity with the Palestinians" - and recounts some of the abuse she has suffered during her 6 months of demonstrating. See HebWeb Forum thread 21 Jan

Green Party Information stand yesterday in Hebden Bridge - click photo to enlarge. Photo thanks to the new After Alice Project using non-digital photography. (CC BY-NC, by 'H' Gregg) 8 Mar

Buried at Sandy Gate: Two long-forgotten graves of leading 19th century co-operative figures have been made accessible to visitors, thanks to efforts taken by a community-based co-operative - CROWS. Read article in Cooperative News

House prices: "Often seen as the poor relation to its trendy neighbour, Hebden Bridge," Todmorden has registered the biggest house price rise in Yorkshire over the past six months. See Yorkshire Post article 14 Feb

Local History Society report: Nigel Smith spoke about Patterns in the Landscape: the evolution of settlement and enclosure in the Upper Calder Valley. And revealed the origins of some local place names. Read more 5 Feb

Alternatiba Todmorden! Musicians needed to play at a small one-day Festival of Climate Alternatives on Sunday 3rd May 2015 Read more 26 Jan

Car Co-op makes motoring cheaper and greener: Hour Car offers an efficient, low cost alternative to private ownership: car sharing, manager Kevin Hogan tells the HebWeb. Read more.

Tour de Yorkshire - the route was announced today; it passes through Hebden Bridge on Sunday 3 May. More info and links

Beer and Cider Festival at the Town Hall to coincide with the Tour de Yorkshire. Read more

Street lighting update: following complaints about street lights not working (cable along Keighley Road has been stolen) Calderdale Council apologise and promise to improve their condition, reliability and energy efficiency. Read more 19 Jan

Australian View of Hebden Bridge: from The West Australian - "This once-dying mill town reinvented itself as a beacon of alternative living; a quirky commuter hub where artists, writers, hippies and new-age gurus rub shoulders with teachers, estate agents and earthy Yorkshire folk". Read the article. 16 Jan

Town Council write to French twin town re: Charlie Hebdo. The Mayor of Hebden Royd, Cllr Jonathan Timbers expressed the area's commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of France. Read more.

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Above: Stoodley Pike photographed by Craig Shaw of Blu Planet Photography, capturing the first real snow of winter.

Happy Valley tops Radio Times critics' poll. The magazine's TV editor Alison Graham called the Yorkshire-based programme (filmed in Hebden Bridge and upper valley) "bitingly raw" and said its writer Sally Wainwright and lead actor Sarah Lancashire had "never been better". See BBC news item

Council Minutes - latest minutes of the Hebden Royd Town Council meetings are now online.

NatWest Hebden Bridge branch closed on 24 February. NatWest blame falling numbers and say the cash machine will remain for now.

The 'Handmade Parade' of 90 years ago. See 2 min video of the 1924 Hebden Bridge Carnival from Yorkshire Film Archive, together with background info.

Guardian Northerner: What the UK can learn from Hebden Bridge? The BBC's Mind the Gap asks how London's success can be replicated elsewhere: Claire Donnelly argues that our small town could have the answer. Read more

Hebden Bridge, the UK's second city, BBC article by Evan Davis. "Hebden Bridge is an inverted city with a greenbelt centre and suburbs called Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool." Read the article

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Hebden Bridge: more plaudits - Last year's Valley of Lights won APSE's best community and neighbourhood initiative, and the Old Gate pub restaurant is Yorkshire Post's "Pub of the Week".

Britain's favourite market town? Hebden Bridge has been shortlisted in the 'Britain's favourite market town' category in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2013. Read more

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Guardian Northerner: Hebden Bridge the UK's coolest place? The Yorkshire Paradise has won its fourth accolade in a decade. Born, brought up and living here, Rachel Pickering is loyal, but has one or two cautionary thoughts.

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