| HEBWEB NEWS in brief - Jan to April 2007 |
Rev Tony Buglass's May Day Open House at Methodist Church
On Tuesday, 1st May, from 7.30pm-9.00pm Hebden Bridge Methodist Church will be keeping Open House for anyone who wants to come in. The Rev Tony has told the Hebden Bridge Web: "May Day is an ancient and modern festival. In Celtic times it was Beltane, when people lit bonfires to mark the beginning of summer and the time of growth It marked the time when Celtic farmers took their cattle from winter shelter to summer grazing. In later times, there have been all sorts of celebrations from dancing round the maypole to jumping into rivers or running into the sea. May Day has also become International Workers’ Day, marked in different ways around the world. It is a time to reflect on the good things which creation can give, the work which is needed to get them, and the justice of enabling everyone to share in the richness of creation. So Hebden Bridge Methodist Church offers an opportunity to take time to think. Come and enjoy the evening." - added 27th April
New technology for 3 May elections
Calderdale Council will be using new technology to assist in identifying postal votes which may be potentially fraudulent. Computer analysis of handwriting samples will be used to screen all postal votes cast in the election. Calderdale Council's Returning Officer and Chief Executive, Paul Sheehan, says: "We take the issue of election fraud very seriously and we would wish to emphasise that each person who has registered for a postal vote should ensure they fill in their own ballot paper. Any votes which fail the screening test will be subject to further investigation and may subsequently be passed to West Yorkshire Police for a formal criminal investigation."
Over 200 people attended the first exhibition by the artists from the newly formed 59 Steps Studio of Hebden Bridge. Right: Artists from the 59 Steps Studio celebrate their first exhibition - added 24 April |
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Robbie Coltrane and the
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Easter Monday Duck Race
- more photos
Jason Boom, Environmental Community Warden having fun in Hebden Water prior to the duck race. "What a rich bounty I found," he told the Hebden Bridge Web. - added 14 April |
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Christine McCafferty MP has told local Labour Party members that she will not be supporting John McDonnell's nomination for the Labour leadership. Several members contacted her following the recent public meeting in Hebden Bridge.
Library repair costs increase significantly
The cost of repairs, alterations and improvements to Hebden Bridge Library has gone up by almost £1 million from an initial budget of £500,000 - 21 March
Anniversary of Iraq War: above, 4 years ago Calder High students walked out and protested on the streets of Hebden Bridge - news and comment from 2003
Town Talk 8 - from Hebden Royd Council - 17 March
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The wavy steps are |
VIGIL: as part of nationwide protest against Trident,
centre of Hebden Bridge. Click image to enlarge. - 15 Mar
Hebden Bridge MP Chris McCafferty to stand down
Chris McCafferty says she will stand down at the next General Election because she will have reached retirement age. She first won the Calder Valley seat for Labour in 1997 and successfully defended it in 2001. She believes that the Labour Government has "made huge progress in improving public services, tackling poverty and disadvantage in this country, and working for peace and justice throughout the world." The Calder Valley constituency is one of the 20 most marginal. - 8 March
Hebweb coverage of Chris McCafferty over the past few years
Citizens' Advice Bureau to close?
Calderdale Council cost cutting has led to plans being drawn up which would mean either the closure of all Calderdale bureaux outside Halifax, or of the closure Hebden Bridge or Todmorden Citizens' Advice Bureau. Courier - 2 March
Sirens
Improvements have been made to the flood warning systemsThere are now eight sirens which will alert the owners of 2,155 properties in Todmorden, 571 in Hebden Bridge and 400 in Mytholmroyd. The siren in Hebden Bridge was tested on 21st February. - 28 Feb
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The newly renamed Bridge |
Wind Turbines
Coronation Power is hoping Rossendale and Calderdale councils will give the green light to wind turbine schemes at Reaps Moss, Britannia, and on Todmorden Moor. Residents around Todmorden Moor would also have the option of co-owning one of the five turbines planned for the site, after Microgeneration Yorkshire, based at Hebden Bridge, approached Coronation about a community investment in the wind farm. - 20 Feb
| Bus routes: Services cut and prices up but Metro underspends its budget by £1m. Labour asks why. - 20 Feb |  |
Power Cut
hit more than 1600 homes in Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Crag Vale areas, between 2.30 and 5 pm this afternoon. - 19 Feb
Walkers Day is a great success |
Light snow falls on the frozen canal - 8 Feb
Phil Hogan in Sunday's Observer (4 Feb 2007) writes of Stuart Maconie's travelogue, Pies and Prejudice, "It's not just southerners who find it difficult to avoid traditional caricatures . . . Hebden Bridge, I discover, is the lesbian capital of Britain."
White Ribbon Benefit The first White Ribbon Campaign Benefit took place at Hebden Bridge Trades Club in January with the band “Mean Business”. Over 100 people attended and £450 was raised. The money will be used to pay for the new Music banners to start off the music campaign. The local Amnesty International group also had a stand at the event. - 6 Feb
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Future of bowling club is threatened
THE future of a bowling club is being threatened because of the state of its battered public green. Margaret Gunnill, president of the Hebden Royd Bowls League, said she feared Hebden Bridge Bowling Club could fold because of the state of the green, which has been the target of anti-social behaviour. The bowling green at Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge, has bald patches and bumps, damaged by people playing football, golf and riding bikes. From Halifax Courier - 2 Feb
Asbestosis kills another
Jean Greenwood of Luddenden came in contact with the clothes of her father, Norman Ashman, another victim of the same disease. Norman Ashamn worked at Acre Mill above Hebden Bridge for two years from 1951-3
- 31 Jan (See Hebweb feature)
Residents gather signatures for a petition and to raise awareness about the appeal inspector's public inquiry about the land behind Linden Mill on February 20th at Halifax Town Hall. See previous Hebweb news and discussion - 27 Jan
Only 2,000 Christmas trees
were handed in throughout Calderdale to be recycled back into mulch or soil improver by the Council. After Christmas residents were invited to take their unwanted real Christmas trees to designated collection points - see below. The shredded trees are now being blended with autumn leaves. Calderdale Council estimates that nevertheless around 1,000 tonnes of material has been processed which would otherwise have gone to landfill. - 23 Jan
Picture House
The proposed Calderdale Council budget revealed last week includes putting on more screenings at Hebden Bridge Picture House to raise an extra £5,000. - 23 Jan
Flood sirens - 9 am. The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd - 18 Jan
Hebden Water at 9.45 Thurs, 18 Jan
See short video clip
Homes and businesses in Hebden Bridge and Colden were still without electricity 48 hours after the storms plunged them into darkness. The New Delight Inn, Colden, served Friday night's drinks by candlelight beside wood and coal fires. Laura Pennington, who runs the pub with her partner Dan Tasker, said the pub was heaving with customers who had fled their powerless homes. She added: "The electricity came back on at around 9.30pm. Everyone cheered but people at one side of the pub asked us to leave the lights off because they liked it. It was very atmospheric."
Hebden Bridge example used in The Indy
If you are lucky enough to have plenty of land (or large garden), why not sell it to your neighbours or a developer? You can then use the proceeds to either substantially reduce your debt burden - or pay it off completely. How the figures work: If you are in a sought-after location and have already got planning consent in place, you could be on to a winner. For example, a plot measuring 50ft by 120ft with outline planning permission for a four-bedroom house recently went on the market in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, for £170,000.
The Independent, 17 Jan
Should Red Squirrels be |
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New Children's Centre
to be established at the Hebden Vale Centre. The centres will provide early learning for children up to five, family support and outreach services, child and family-health services, advice and information for parents and opportunities to work and train. The centre will be one of nine across Calderdale is being funded largely by £4 million of Government cash. Calderdale Councillor Megan Swift said: "The children's centre programme brings together key services to help young children in less-advantaged areas get the best possible start in life. - 18 Jan
Air-quality management zone given as reason for planning refusal
S. B. Homes Ltd wanted to create four flats above the former Barclays Bank in Town Hall Street. But Calderdale Council refused because the main road has become an air-quality management zone. The amount of slow-moving traffic means nitrogen dioxide levels exceed safety levels, especially at peak times. Similar zones have been created around Market Street, Hebden Bridge (14 Jan)
Attack victim contracts MRSA at Calderdale Royal
The student attacked outside The Albert on the Friday before Christmas has awoken from his coma to be told he has MRSA. Adam Doherty is believed to have contracted the hospital super bug while he was being treated in Calderdale Royal's intensive care unit. He is now on a general ward but has been isolated from other patients. His visitors have been restricted to close family. (12 Jan)
High winds and torrential rain caused problems along sections of the A646 Burnley Road between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge which were left under two feet of water as the River Calder struggled to cope. Cars tried to battle through the floods at Eastwood and Charlestown but at around 8am Calderdale Road Traffic police took the decision to close the road until the water was cleared. (11 Jan)
Thingumajig Theatre of Hebden Bridge has been given £5,000 from Arts Council England to help create a wordless mask and puppet play. The play, Want, with original live music has been inspired by Balinese clowning masks and will be the company's first full-length play in the UK (11 Jan)
Recycle Christmas Trees
The trees will be mixed with leaves, which were collected during the autumn from the street cleaning section and mixed together to make compost by Calderdale Council. Trees may be taken to Calder Homes Park, Station Road entrance, on the following dates: 6, 7, 13, 14 January (4 Jan)
Did Francisco Montez kill Lindsay?
A new book alleges Lindsay Rimer was killed by the same man who murdered schoolgirl Caroline Dickinson at a hostel in France: Francisco Montez. The information is believed to have come from a retired policeman but author Wensley Kingsley would not confirm which force the officer had worked with. He was also unable to confirm whether he had concrete evidence that Montes was in Hebden Bridge on the day Lindsay disappeared. But he said the convicted killer had visited York while working as a waiter at a London hotel. Despite this, The Predator: Portrait of a Serial Killer alleges Montes travelled from London to Hebden Bridge on November 7, 1994, and spotted Lindsay. Mr Kingsley claims she got into Montes's car after he offered her a lift. More info | Hebweb feature - 4 Jan
News in Brief: June- December 2006
News in Brief: January - June 2006