HANDMADE PARADE 2009 on 20th June

Update Saturday, 20 June 2009

See Gallery of photos from the 2009 Parade

Update Thursday, 18 June 2009

Colourful community parade even bigger and brighter

Hundreds of people will be taking part in this year’s Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade… creating a colourful community event for all the family.

Hundreds more are expected to line the streets of Hebden Bridge on June 20th to watch the lively event organised by HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre.

This year’s parade is expected to be even bigger and brighter than last year’s event, which brought a fun-filled atmosphere to the town and attracted widespread praise from all involved.

Participants have been busy making colourful costumes, masks and other accessories at a number of community workshops staged by parade organisers…all under the theme of The Glorious Garden Party.

Characters taking part include ladybirds, slugs, butterflies, bees, flowers and garden gnomes.

Parade Artistic Director Andrew Kim said: “We have loads of brilliant costumes, giant puppets and floats on the go, five bands, singing gnomes, dancing bees, punk slugs and giant mechanical bugs. At the Park, there will be a finale performed by Calder High Expressive Arts students, featuring 100 dancers and 20 musicians. Bring your picnic and a blanket, or buy food from local vendors and stay with us for a relaxed programme of music and dance in the park afterwards.”

Starting at 2pm on June 20th, the parade begins at Victoria Road and winds its way through Hebden Bridge via Valley Road and Bridge Gate to Calder Holmes Park where a community picnic will take place. Free acoustic entertainment and local food stalls will be available.

“The Handmade Parade promises to be an absolute rainbow of colour, with hundreds of people taking part and enjoying a great community event,” Jude Wadley, of HEADS told the Hebden Bridge Web. “People of all different ages and generations will be joining in. We’re looking forward to a really great turnout for the Parade and the picnic afterwards.”

A number of organisations, businesses and individuals have generously supported the Handmade Parade and associated workshops, including Arts Council England, Yorkshire, Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales, Hebden Royd Town Council, Calderdale Council Rural Grant, Calderdale Council Community Grant, the Community Foundation for Calderdale, South Pennines Leader Programme, and Pennine Prospects via the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information about the parade and the picnic visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org or contact HEADS on 01422 846060 or info@heads.org.uk

Update Friday, 12 June 2009

Costume capers ahead of Parade

Scores of people attending this year’s Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade have already created their colourful costumes for the event… but there’s still time to get professional help if you’re planning to take part.

Artists are on hand to give tips and advice at open workshops, which are being held on Thursday 11th June from 4pm to 6pm, Saturday 13th June and Sunday 14th June from 1pm to 4pm, and on Tuesday 16th June from 4pm to 6pm and 7pm to 9pm, and on Thursday 18th June from 4pm to 6pm.

Staged at Unit 5, Victoria Works, Victoria Road, Hebden Bridge, the open workshops are suitable for children and adults, and are the perfect place to design and create a weird and wonderful costume ahead of the community parade, which takes place on Saturday June 20th.

Public workshop on 6th June

Debbie McCall, 49, from Blackshaw Head, Hebden Bridge, took part in one of the workshops with her family.

She said: “We have had a fantastic day. The kids have been buzzing and we are really looking forward to the parade. Our family is coming over from Leeds to make a day of it. The helpers have been great and there has been a lovely atmosphere at the workshops.”

As well as the open workshops, which cost just £2 per person/per session, parade organisers HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre have also arranged master classes in stilting, giant papier mache, kinetic sculptures and giant withies sculptures.

Free inflatable parade art sessions are also being held for adults on June 16th and 17th where giant inflatable ladybirds will be created. Visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org for details.

This year’s parade, which has the theme of The Glorious Garden Party, starts at 2pm on June 20th at Victoria Road and winds its way through Hebden Bridge to Calder Holmes Park where a community picnic will take place. Free acoustic entertainment and local food stalls will be available.

“The workshops have been very popular and we’ve seen some fantastic costumes and accessories,” said Mel Rix, of HEADS. “We’re really looking forward to a colourful display when the Handmade Parade gets underway.”

Organisers are still keen to hear from anyone who can act as a volunteer steward on the parade day, or who can donate wheelbarrows, watering cans, wellies, large pieces of cardboard, fabric, old bicycles, or paint for use in the parade.

For more information about the parade, workshops, the picnic, or to volunteer, visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org or contact HEADS on 01422 846060 or info@heads.org.uk

Update Thursday, 21 May 2009

(See below: The Glorious Garden Party

Learn the tricks of the trade ahead
of Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade

Fancy mastering the art of stilt walking? Keen to discover more about the mechanics of kinetic sculptures?

Art classes are being organised to help learn the tricks of the trade ahead of Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade on June 20th.

Participants will discover how to make giant sculptures or be taught to stilt walk and dance, ready for the parade, which has a theme this year of The Glorious Garden Party.

Each master class is led by a professional artist who will help participants create a colourful project to perform on the day.

The advanced skills classes, which are open to adults and teenagers, are being held in stilting, giant papier mache, kinetic sculptures and giant withies sculptures. Four sessions will be held for each class.

“This is a fantastic chance to learn new skills and to create an eye-catching masterpiece for Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade,” Parade Artistic Director Andrew Kim, who will run the stilting class told the Hebden Bridge Web.

The sessions, which have been arranged by parade organisers HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre, start in early June.

Alison Duddle will run the class in giant papier mache sculptures, while Kerith Odgen will lead the sessions on creating giant withies sculptures – made using bamboo and willow.

Dave Young will be teaching participants how to produce kinetic sculptures by crafting giant, moving creepy crawlies using found and recycled materials.

The parade, which sets off from Victoria Road at 2pm on June 20th, is likely to feature a stunning display of garden-related characters, including insects, gnomes and flowers.

Family workshops are also being staged to help participants grow their own costumes, masks, banners and puppets for the parade, which will end in Calder Holmes Park with a relaxed picnic, free acoustic entertainment and local food on sale.

“The Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade is a great community event, and the master classes, as well as the workshops, that we’ve planned should help to get lots of people involved,” said Mel Rix, of HEADS.

Masterclasses and workshops take place at Unit 5, Victoria Works, Victoria Road, Hebden Bridge. Space has been kindly donated by Setbray Properties Ltd.

Sign up for the master classes, which cost £25, at www.hebdenbridgeparade.org Places are limited, so early booking is recommended. Pre-registration is not necessary for the workshops.

The stilting master classes, for those aged 12 and above, take place on 4 June from 7-9pm or 6 June from 5-7pm (half the class will start on 4th, other half on 6th), 11 June from 7-9pm, 13 June from 5-7pm, and 18 June from 7-9pm. (The Handmade Parade will lend stilts and stilt costume to class participants at no cost.). Sign up by May 31st, as stilts must be prepared in advance.

Giant papier mache master classes, which are open to those aged 14 and above, take place on 3, 4, 10 and 11 June from 12:30-2:30pm, while the kinetic sculptures classes, for those 16 and over, will be held on 3 June from 7-9pm, 6 June from 5-7pm, 10 June from 7-9pm and 13 June from 5-7pm.

The giant withies master classes, which are open to those aged 16 and above, will be held on 3 June from 7-9pm, 6 June from 5-7pm, 10 June from 7-9pm and 13 June from 5-7pm.

For more information about the master classes, parade, workshops, and the picnic visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org or contact HEADS on 01422 846060 or info@heads.org.uk

Theme: The Glorious Garden Party

Monday, 11 May 2009

Grow your own costumes, masks, banners and puppets for the 2009 Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade.

That’s the invitation going out to people who’d like to join the parade on June 20th which has a theme this year of The Glorious Garden Party. Parade organisers HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre are hoping for a rainbow world of giant insects and dancing plants. 

And they’ve set up workshops with professional artists ahead of the parade to help people create their own colourful costumes and accessories.

The first, which is open to families, adults and children, will be held on Tuesday June 2nd at Unit 5, Victoria Works, Victoria Road, Hebden Bridge, from 4-6pm and from 7-9pm. They will also be held on a string of other dates in June.

Organisers have also arranged master classes to teach advanced skills in activities such as stiltwalking and making giant papier mache sculptures, which are open to teenagers and adults. Visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org for details.

This year the parade is based on the theme of the Glorious Garden Party and there will be a relaxed picnic with free acoustic entertainment and local food on sale in Calder Holmes Park at the end of the route, which winds its way through Hebden Bridge from Victoria Road, starting at 2pm on June 20th.    

Jude Wadley of HEADS told the Hebden Bridge Web: “The parade will arrive for The Raising of the Sun which will be a community performance to celebrate the Summer Solstice. This pageant will feature a dance and music extravaganza created by Calder High Expressive Arts and imagery by the parade’s lead artists. “Join us for a picnic afterwards with live music and delicious food and drinks from local vendors. It promises to be a great afternoon for all the family.” 

Last year’s Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade was a stunning success – creating a lively community event.

This year the parade is likely to feature garden gnomes with musical instruments, a giant rolling sun, gardeners with painted wheelbarrows growing whimsical sprouts, children in flower pot hats, slug and snail costumes blowing bubbles, a giant slug, lady birds, giant kinetic spiders made from bike parts and reclaimed junk, bees and butterfly costumes, giant flower costumes, a giant dancing queen bee, sunflower stilters dancing, and drumming with the Handmade Samba Brigade.

The open workshops to create costumes, masks, banners and puppets cost £2 per person per workshop or £7 for unlimited entry. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Space for the workshops has been kindly donated by Setbray Properties Ltd.

The first events on June 2nd are followed by sessions on Thursday June 4th from 4–6pm, Saturday June 6th from 1-4pm, Sunday June 7th from 1-4pm, Tuesday June 9th from 4-6pm and 7-9pm, Thursday June 11th from 4-6pm, Saturday June 13th from 1-4pm, Sunday June 14th from 1-4pm, Tuesday June 16th from 4-6pm and 7-9pm and Thursday June 18th from 4-6pm. 

Andrew Kim, Parade Artistic Director, told the Hebden Bridge Web, “This year we will also be offering advanced skills classes for adults and teens to produce projects which they will perform on the day of the parade. There will be sessions in stilting, giant papier mache sculptures and withies sculptures. People can even come along to our kinetic sculptures class and build a mechanical bug!”

Each class is four two-hour sessions and costs £25. Visit the website for class descriptions, schedules and for registration details.

Offers of help with stewarding and in-kind support from local businesses and individuals have already been made, but parade organisers are still looking for more volunteers to help with the parade and during workshop sessions. The team is also keen to hear from more dancers who’d like to take part. Please contact HEADS if you’d like to get involved!

For more information about the parade, workshops, art classes and the picnic visit www.hebdenbridgeparade.org or contact HEADS on 01422 846060 or info@heads.org.uk

See also: Hebweb photos of 2008 Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade