Outstanding Contribution to the Community of Ripponden
Ripponden Parish Council is delighted to award Margaret Fisher with a unique accolade ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community of Ripponden’ to recognise her achievement at creating, managing and delivering the ‘Falling Poppies’ display and bringing so many members of the community together to work on the project. Her boundless enthusiasm and tireless commitment enthused so many people that over 14,000 poppies were handmade which not only covered the huge poppy net which adorned St Bartholomew’s but also decorated the inside of the church too. The lasting legacy of this project, one which put Ripponden on the map with TV and newspaper coverage, is of friendship, combatting loneliness, civic pride and an image which will be forever imprinted on many people’s memory.
Mytholmroyd Christmas Market and Lights Switch-On
Royd Regeneration and Hebden Royd Town Council hope you will join then this Saturday (16 November) for an afternoon of festive fun for the whole family!
This ever-popular community event will take place in St Michael's Square, hall and down Church Street, Mytholmroyd from 12.30pm until 6.30pm, where you will find a large variety of stalls plus local food and drink.
Celebrate the season with a fabulous market full of Christmas gifts, arts, crafts and local produce.
Free face painting for children, along with crafts and storytelling, live ice carving and a visit from Father Christmas.
Live entertainment all afternoon, local schools, SMAJIC, Bazzmatazz, Hebden Bridge Band and including the fabulous Fat Cat Brass who will be joining us for the first time. The day will conclude with the Christmas Lights Switch-On, a festive firework finale and the amazing Halo-Glow Show!
Hall For Hire
The Millennium Suite, Walsden C&BC, Scott Street, Walsden, OL14 7SX
The perfect venue whatever the occasion for Seminars, Weddings, Parties, Celebration Dinners, Corporate and Family Functions etc.
The Millennium Suite can seat up to 100 for formal dinners or 150 for discos etc. Adjoining the suite is a large fully equipped kitchen.
The suite is fully air conditioned, has a 75 inch smart TV and sound system including phone-compatible Bluetooth connections, DVD?CD Player, USB Port etc. to enable you to listen to your favourite sounds and display your side shows /photos at your function.
The function room is totally private and secure with its own large dance floor and independent bar facilities. The room is equipped with entrance ramps for people with special needs and there is ample free parking within the immediate vicinity for you and your guests.
For further details contact the Stewardess on 01706 813179.
Full details on the club website – www.walsdencandbc.co.uk
KEEP DRAINS CLEAR THIS AUTUMN
Hebden Royd Town Council is asking residents of Hebden Royd to check their drains on or near their property this autumn, to help lessen localised flooding in the area.
Emma Green, Neighbourhood Manager said: “Autumn has well and truly landed and we need your help! If you have noticed leaves and debris starting to pile up in your garden, we recommend that you sweep the leaves away and recycle them in an appropriate manner to ensure that they can’t get blown into your drainage system.
“Not only does this protect your drains, but it protects the drains of other people who live in your area too and helps to reduce localised flooding. A quick sweep of a brush is often all it needs to help the water flow freely away.”
Where drains are blocked residents and businesses are asked to report to Calderdale council on 01422 288001 or at www.calderdale.gov.uk. You can also contact your local flood warden at the following email addresses:
Mytholmroyd - roydwardens@gmail.com
Hebden Bridge - hebdenfloodgroup@gmail.com
For more details simply contact emma.green@hebdenroydtowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01422 842181.
Daisy’s Café
Daisy’s Café will take place at Todmorden Health Centre on Saturday, December 7th.
The café is on from 11am until 1.30pm and is run by Dementia Friendly Todmorden. Everyone is welcome and the group will be offering their usual support, advice and information for people affected by dementia along with their families and carers.
As well musical entertainment, the café will be serving soup, sandwiches, biscuits and drinks.
For more information please contact Lisa Candlin at Todmorden Fire Station on 01706 813541 or email lisa.candlin@westyorksfire.gov.uk
Slow The Flow Opportunity Mapping
Slow The Flow Calderdale have worked in the Calder Valley for the last three and a half years to encourage and empower the community and organisations to take action on their own property and land to reduce flood risk on a local level.
Many small‑scale interventions, taken together, can result in a significant amount of water being temporarily stored, or attenuated, during storm events.
These interventions help to reduce peak flows which, together with wider catchment management and traditional flood defenses, contribute to reducing the scale and damaging effects of flood events.
Slow The Flow’s latest project ‘Opportunity Mapping’ is based in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. It provides geographic detail and specific advice for many parts of Mytholmroyd, providing practical suggestions for rural Natural Flood Management (NFM) and urban Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) in Mytholmroyd.
This Opportunity Mapping in Mytholmroyd contributes to the physical NFM work undertaken by Slow The Flow Calderdale with the Calderdale NFM Operations Group partners to address actions in the Calderdale Flood Action Plan. ‘Mapping NFM opportunities’ is an action in that plan.
This pilot project has been grant funded by Hebden Royd Town Council and the Community Foundation for Calderdale.
The mapping identifies realistic locations on a field / street level of detail in Mytholmroyd, where residents, businesses and organisations can contribute to flood alleviation through natural and sustainable interventions, and give indications as to what interventions might be appropriate in those locations.
Interventions include Rain Gardens, Green roofs, Water butts, Swales, Ponds, Detention basins and Tree planting.
Urban locations include public highways, schools, public parks and other Local Authority / publicly owned sites. They could also include commercial properties, car parks, residential gardens & driveways including opportunities for neighbours to work together. Opportunity mapping should also be used in the development of sites identified in local plan.
By making this mapping publicly available - www.slowtheflow.net/nfm-suds-opportunities/ - Slow The Flow Calderdale hopes it will encourage and enable the suggested rural NFM and urban SuDS actions to be reviewed, considered and undertaken by the householder or landowner and will serve as an example for other communities to take on similar schemes. Slow The Flow is looking for funding to extend the opportunities mapping throughout the Calder valley.
CAFÉ CULTURE
Join us on 5th December we have a hotly anticipated talk about Anne Lister of Shibden Hall.
Hebden Bridge Arts Festival Presents: CAFÉ CULTURE
Thursday 5th December:
Anne Lister of Shibden Hall by Pat Osborne
Doors open 2pm for tea and cake
£5/£3 @ Waterfront Hall, Hebden Bridge Town Hall 01422 417373
Neighbourhood Team Update
Its been a busy time for the team...
Barkisland residents joined Zoe and Simon from the Upper Valley Neighbourhood team in conducting a speed session in the local area. Some of the group used the speed gun on Saddleworth Road and the rest used the new speed indicator device on Stainland Road. During the session, more local residents showed interest and will be joining us on our next session.
Here they are again in Ryburn Ward with the new Smiley SID (Speed Indicator device) in action.
Zoe and Simon undertook a joint litter patrol, litterpick and checking vehicles on the Fairfield Estate, Hebden Bridge – they picked up two sacks of litter, spoke to several residents and identified the owner of a vehicle that had been left insecure.
They undertook another litterpick at at Booth Wood a few days later.
the Upper Valley Community Wardens conducted a speed session on Keighley Road in Hebden Bridge. The speed limit for this section is 20mph and we recorded vehicles that were travelling up to 35mph ! The results will be passed on to the local Neighbourhood Policing Team to take further action.
A regular complaint we investigate is cars bocking pavements to such an extent that people are forced into the street. Here Simon and Zoe were giving out Road Safety Notices to drivers of cars that were completely obstructing the footpath on Church Lane in Hebden Bridge after a complaint from a wheelchair user.
During the October holidays, residents of DoddNaze along with the Upper Valley Neighbourhood team took part in a Community litter pick. The two young boys said they enjoyed it so much that they’d bring their mates along to the next one ! We managed to litter pick 11 bags of litter which were kindly removed by the Upper Valley Safer, Cleaner, Greener team.
the Upper Valley Neighbourhood team took part in a Community litter pick around Ashenhurst estate in Todmorden. During the session we were joined by more residents and their children. We managed to pick about 12 bags of litter which were kindly removed by the Upper Valley Safer, Cleaner, Greener team.
Then the team undertook a door-knocking exercise in and around Rooley Heights. Members from the Upper Valley Partnership carried out a doorstep survey of the streets in and around Rooley Heights, Sowerby to consult with local people about issues that concerned them. We spoke to almost 28% of the households, of those 80% said they liked living in the area and almost 92% felt safe with over 77% of those we spoke to having no concerns that they wanted to report.
the primary issues raised were to do with drugs in the area and issues with youths and young people in the area. The consultation Team on this occasion included Calderdale Officials and Community Wardens.
In addition to asking you for your views, we also offered referrals to the Council’s Staying Well programme, the Fire Services’ Safe and Well programme where appropriate as well as replacement recycling and waste containers where requested.
Calling All Disabled People
Do you identify as disabled, deaf or have a long-term health condition? Do you experience barriers that stop you from fully accessing life in the Hebden Bridge area? Getting out and about can be challenging for many reasons: mental health issues, chronic illness, autism, hearing or mobility impairments, communication difficulties. Whatever your personal experience of disability, we at Hebden Bridge Disability Access Forum (HBDAF) would like to hear from you.
There are many ways you could get involved:
- Tell us what difficulties you have accessing any aspects of local life – places, work, housing, education, care & support services, transport, information, advocacy...
- Join our google group for members' discussion of access issues
- Come to our meetings, third Monday of each month at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, 2.30 – 4.30pm
We're a hard-working, action focused, disabled-led group, formed in 2016 to improve access for those who live, work or visit Hebden Bridge, as well as celebrating good practice and finding positive solutions. Our achievements are numerous and include:
- Producing a step-free access map of Hebden Bridge
- Giving out 14 portable ramps to town centre premises
- Increasing Blue Badge parking spaces at Hebden Bridge station
- Consulting on plans for housing, development and flood alleviation
- Publicising issues about chronic illness and invisible disabilities
We're a working group of around thirty members and we encourage more people to get involved. Tell us about the most important issues affecting you locally. Much of our work has, and will continue to, tackle the more obvious, physical barriers people face. We'd like to concentrate more on raising awareness and creating better access for those with mental health issues and other invisible disabilities. This is a broad demographic that would include people with learning differences or dementia and Autistic people. If you have lived experience of any form of disability or support those who do, please get in touch.
Contact us on sechbdisabilityaccess@gmail.com or phone us on 01422 844 914
Canal towpath diversion at Brearley
From Tuesday 29 October 2019, the towpath on Rochdale Canal between Moderna Way and Brearley Lane, Mytholmroyd will be closed for approximately 26 weeks during our works. A signed diversion will be in place.
The diversion is necessary to allow us to construct a canal spillway as part of Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme. The spillway will allow flood water from the canal to re-enter the River Calder in a controlled manner. We apologise for the any inconvenience this disruption may cause and we will endeavour to reduce the towpath closure if possible.
If you have any concerns, questions or feedback please come and talk to a member of the team at the Red Acre site office, or at our surgeries on Friday mornings - 9am to 12pm at the Community Centre. Alternatively, you can contact us by email - mytholmroydFAS@environment-agency.gov.uk
Developing Calderdale to become a more inclusive place for all!
Accessible Calderdale Project offering FREE access audits available to voluntary and community groups.
- Would you like to develop your community group venue to become more accessible to people with disabilities?
- Are you considering re-locating your group and would like to ensure the proposed venue is inclusive and accessible?
Our experienced & skilled auditor will provide a full access survey and report. Groups will have the opportunity to apply for funding through the Community Foundation for Calderdale to support recommendations for access and inclusion.
The Accessible Calderdale Project can also deliver a FREE half day session in disability awareness to organisations who have received an access audit.
To request an expression of interest form please contact:
Lorraine@visitsunlimited.org.uk or call 07596 707795
Are you paying too much VAT on your Energy Bills?
If charities don’t keep a close eye on utility bills, they could very well be missing out on money that could be better spent in other areas of the organisation.
Every year, charities may be paying more on their gas and electricity bills. Staff may not be aware that there are simple small changes these organisations can make that mean big savings on energy for charities.
Despite these rigorous reporting structures, charities are often overcharged for gas and electricity, unaware of VAT reductions, exemptions and rebates.
Who qualifies for the reduced rate?
• Over 200,000 charities who are registered in the UK
• Smaller, unknown charities with an income below £5,000
• Not-for-profit organisations such as community centres, village halls, sports clubs, free schools, self-catering accommodation, Scout and Guide groups, care homes, Women’s Institutes etc.
Why are charities being overcharged?
• Energy suppliers treat charities like small businesses, and often neglect to put charities on their correct VAT rates by default
• Charities are unaware of the relevant exemptions and reductions
• Organisations are unaware that they can claim back on overpayments from up to four years ago
• Along with a lack of knowledge is a lack of action, since the onus is on the charity organisation to apply for the discounts (read on to find out how to do this)
• Shopping the market for the best rates is time-consuming for finance and admin teams who are likely already stretched
How much extra are you paying?
The normal VAT rate on energy is 20%, but charities should have a VAT rate of only 5% for gas and electricity used for ‘non-business ’purposes. Charities are also exempt from the Climate Change Levy (CCL), further reducing energy bills by 5%. These reductions can represent significant savings for the organisation.
What your charity can do?
First, dig out your energy bills and check your VAT rates. If the VAT rate is the standard 20%, you should take action to claim the correct VAT rate going forward. The good news is that you are also able to claim a rebate for money incorrectly charged for the last four years. This means that you can claim back on VAT overspend on your energy bills from as far back as 2014. This money can then be channeled back into the organisation and the causes you support.
And Finally...
- Funding
Youth Social Action Grants - Deadline: 29th November
Grants of £5k are available to enable young people to take practical action in the service of others to create positive social change that is of benefit to the wider community as well as to the young person themselves.
More information: http://www.cffc.co.uk/grants-funding/i-will-fund/
COMMUNITY FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - Food For Life 'Get Togethers' - Local Commissioning Partnership (up to £10,000). Deadline 12pm on 29th November 2019
Food For Life (FFL) are seeking applications from individuals, organisations and groups to partner with our FFL ‘Get Togethers’ 4 year Lottery Community funded programme. Get Togethers aim to bring people from different generations and backgrounds together through good quality food. The application deadline for this first round of funding for up to £10,000 is 12pm on 29th November 2019.
We are looking to test innovative new approaches or to support development of existing initiatives. We are seeking partners who can demonstrate an in depth understanding of their communities who may be able to use food as a tool to bring people and their community together in a sustained, meaningful way. We are particularly interested in partnering with people, groups and organisations who already work with diverse and/or socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Eligible partners would include, for example: not for profit settings such as community groups, nurseries, schools, care homes, community health and social care settings, housing associations, charities and local groups.
Application form https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/get-togethers/get-involved/local-community-partners
Biffa Award Welcomes Applications
Not-for-profit organisations located near landfill sites in England can apply for funding for projects that improve the quality of life in their community.
Managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, Biffa Award is part of the Landfill Communities Fund, and it offers funding through its Main Grants programme for work that benefit an entire community.
Applicants will need to decide which of the following themes is most relevant to their project as there can be no crossover between themes:
- Community buildings – improves community buildings such as village halls, community centres and church halls to act as mechanisms for community involvement. The grants can be used for building refurbishment and internal fit-out costs, kitchen replacement (including white goods), internal furniture, window and door replacement, central heating systems and roof replacement.
- Recreation – generally covers projects which will benefit people within their free time. Examples of project costs that can be funded include play equipment; landscaping including boardwalks, trees and shrubs; skateparks; woodland walks; nature trails; outdoor gym and building work within wider community areas of sporting clubhouses, e.g. communal space, kitchen and toilets.
- Rebuilding Biodiversity – supports a variety of living things and includes all species of plants and animals and the natural systems (or habitats) that support them. Preference will be given to projects that have a strong element of public access or inclusion, such as volunteer involvement. The grants could be used for habitat improvement works, tree surgery, scrub removal and the purchase of plants, seed and trees.
Biffa Award provides grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 as long as the total project cost does not exceed £200,000 inclusive of VAT. Third-party contributions of 10% are required. More information and to apply: https://www.biffa-award.org/
Food For Life Get Togethers - Deadline: 29th November
‘Food for Life Get Togethers’ will use the power of good food to connect people of all ages through growing, cooking and eating together to strengthen communities and tackle loneliness and unhealthy eating.
Not for profit organisations can apply for up to £10,000.
They want to work with partners in new and exciting ways within their local communities to achieve the following:
- Different generations have stronger connections with each other in communities through cooking, growing and sharing good food leading to a happy, healthy relationship with food and improved health and wellbeing.
- Improved understanding of how to support and engage disadvantaged and diverse communities in cross-generational food activities
- Organisations and settings supporting different generations across the UK have increased knowledge, confidence, networks and resources to sustain cross-generational food activities.
- People of different generations have a more positive attitude to ageing in society as a result of being more connected through food.
- Increased impact and learning by ensuring project sustainability and embedding activities within communities.
More information: https://www.foodforlife.org.uk/get-togethers/get-involved/local-community-partners
- Opportunities
Independent Custody Visiting Scheme - 'A Volunteering Opportunity like No Other'
- Are you interested in what goes on behind the scenes in police custody?
- Do you have a flair for bringing people together to make a positive difference?
- Do you want to gain unique experience like no other volunteering opportunity can offer?
West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson is looking for community focused compassionate volunteers to join his Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) scheme.
Custody Visitors have an independent role, checking that people held in police custody (not yet convicted of any offence) are being properly treated.
When a person is arrested by the police, they are taken to a custody suite where they are detained whilst the details of the case are investigated. To promote transparency, and provide reassurance to communities about the treatment of detainees, an Independent Custody Visiting scheme is in place.
ICVs are volunteers, over the age of 18, from a variety of backgrounds and different communities, all whom live or work within West Yorkshire who have broadly based interests in the local community. ICVs can enter a custody suite unannounced, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and are expected to make at least 24 visits spread evenly over a 12 month period.
Visitors speak directly to detained people to ensure that detainees understand their rights and entitlements whilst in custody, and check on their general feeling and welfare. Visitors can also check around the cells, and some areas of the custody suite, for example the food preparation area. They are volunteers and completely independent of the police service.
- Access to police custody 24/7
- Direct conversation with detained people
- Ongoing support and training
- Ultimate flexibility- volunteer with a fellow ICV at a time that suits you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Visits are always conducted in pairs, and visitors report only to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Issues raised by ICVs are dealt with anonymously by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and are taken up directly with West Yorkshire Police; custody visitors remain independent of both the detainee and the police. Being an ICV is a responsible and rewarding position, anyone who is successful in application will receive relevant training and ongoing support from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
For more information and to download an application pack please visit:
https://www.westyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/custody-visiting/recruitment.aspx
A short video on Custody Visiting in West Yorkshire: https://youtu.be/_snD2qDS-_Q
History and landscape of Calderdale and the South Pennines survey
Are you interested in the history and landscape of Calderdale and the South Pennines.
If so then the Pennine Heritage at the Birchcliffe Centre in Hebden Bridge would like to hear from you. They’re asking for views on how the centre should be used in the future and if you complete their online survey you could be in with a chance to win a mounted print from the Pennine Horizons Digital Archive, an online collection of over 40,000 images. Click here to take the survey
