Pace Egg Madness 2014
This year, with sunshine - more photos

Pace Egg 2014 - More info about the Heptonstall and Calder High Pace Egg performances this Good Friday.

A and E closure: Calderdale councillors, in an extraordinary meeting on Weds 16 April, united in passing a motion asking NHS Trust to withdraw hospital proposals to close Halifax A and E. Read more (17 April)

Whose land is it anyway? Sheila Graham described how parliamentary enclosure shaped the landscape of the Calder Valley to the Local History Group. Read more

Friends of Riverside School raise money with a quiz and raffle, and are now looking forward to some new playground equipment. Read more (6 April)

Three Vacancies for Town Councillors have arisen following the resignation of Cllrs Nader Fekri, James Baker and John Beacroft Mitchell. More info about how to seek election, and elections in May.

Floods consultation with residents, Environment Association and Calderdale Council. A public drop-in meeting was held at Hebden Bridge Town Hall on Wednesday 9 April. Read more

Minibus Review - see HebWeb Forum

Duckmania returns to Hebden Bridge on Easter Monday. Times, how to book your duck and more info.

Why Co-op's still matter, a Yorkshire Post article which features Hebden Bridge's own Valley Organics - takings up a quarter and employment of more people since it became a workers' co-op last year. Read more (10 April)

Tiger Lillies play a one off show at Hebden Bridge Arts Festival. Tickets are to be offered to local festival goers first at a pop up in the Town Hall on Saturday 3 May. Read more

Dancing for joy – as Fox & Goose becomes West Yorkshire's first co-op pub! Read more and see video.

Hebden Royd Big Spring Clean: 29-30 March with community groups from across Hebden Royd. Read more

A and E closure: On Monday, Josh Fenton-Glynn, prospective Labour candidate walked the 20 miles from Todmorden to Huddersfield A and E to highlight the distances local people will have to travel if the closure at Halifax goes ahead. (24 March)

Fox and Goose buyout completed. It is now officially West Yorkshire's first Co-operative pub and it re-opens, Saturday 22 March. Read more about the background to the sale

National Teachers' Strike: The National Union of Teachers has called a one-day national strike for Wednesday, 26th March and Sue McMahon of Calderdale NUT has written to the HebWeb to outline the teachers' case. Read more (20 March)

A day in the life of Hebden Bridge's horse bench. Photographer Steve Morgan has produced a time lapse video to capture "a day in the life of" the bench. More info and see video

Hebden Bridge Business Forum was launched yesterday when over thirty people came to the meeting in the Town Hall. Read more (14 March)

Todmorden Curve, no trains till December? Labour's shadow rail minister Lilian Greenwood today raised in Parliament the ongoing debacle of the lack of available trains to run on the Todmorden Curve. (13 March)

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 (11 March)

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

Calderdale Hospital A and E closure: public meeting launches Action Group and Liberal Democrats call on NHS bosses to explain. Labour's Josh Fenton-Glynn told the HebWeb that people in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden would be dangerously distant from an accident department. Read more - updated 5 March

See our feature on MP Craig Whittaker for his reaction to the proposed closure.

E-petition - over 6000 have signed.

Parking charges at station. The Yorkshire Post (25 Feb) reports that the the Dept. for Transport is seeking car parking charges at 18 stations in West Yorkshire, including Hebden Bridge and Todmorden.

Ban The Burn campaigners mop up outside Natural England HQ in Sheffield to deliver a clear message, Don't Fund Flooding as grouse moor owners continue to receive millions in subsidies. Read more.

Prime Minister challenged on flood relief funding for Calderdale. Labour council leader Tim Swift has written to the Prime Minister asking for a fair flood relief funding deal for Calderdale. More info and links to HebWeb coverage of 2012 floods

Caldervale Line electrification - not any time soon - in spite of £600 million being earmarked for northern rail improvements. Read more and see Forum thread

10th anniversary of Car Club: Hour Car, is going from strength to strength with 65 members and 5 cars, including an electric vehicle. Read more. 29 Jan

Medical Records - concerns continue to be expressed on the HebWeb Forum about the privatisation of doctor-patient confidentiality.

Calderdale Plan: Land for development or protection over the next 15 years. You are invited to have your say at a series of public meetings. Read more

Above: outside Something Sweet, the sweetshop in Bridge Gate. The HebWeb has been informed that part owner Bob Leedham has been killed in a motoring accident while holidaying in Thailand. See his Facebook page. (27 Jan)

Hole in the Wall for sale again. Following the recent successful campaign against closing the cobbled route outside this former pub, the owners have put it on the market for £390,000 - see details

Message in a bottle - from Hebden Bridge. 23 years after Zoe Lemon, then 10 and living in Hebden Bridge, dropped a bottle with message into the sea, it has been found by a Dutch couple in Zealand. Read more (21 Jan)

Tour de France 100 day Cultural Festival: Local communities are encouraged to be part of the Festival. See this HebWeb news item for more info and follow our Tour de France feature page. (16 Jan)

Calderdale plans Council Tax freeze: The budget proposals for the next three financial years will be discussed at a public meeting at Hebden Bridge Town Hall in early February. Read more (15 Jan)

2014 Parade: This year's Handmade Parade will take place on 8 June with organisers hoping to build on the success of last year's record-breaking event. Read more. (14 Jan)

Eastwood Recycling Centre to reopen next week - After major refurbishment, Calderdale and SITA have announced that the Eastwood Recycling Centre will reopen on 20 January 2014.

Cobbles and Packhorse Route Saved as Hebden Royd Town Council voted unanimously this evening to reject plans to close the cobbled area outside the Hole in the Wall. HebWeb report (8 Jan)

HebWeb Review of 2013 - a year when it was announced that the Tour de France will pass through our town, co-ops were formed to run the Fox and Goose and Valley Organics, the Bernard Ingham column in the local paper was ended by popular protest, Burlesque was banned, a swimming pool promised, the Arts excelled yet again and Hebden Bridge was still the "coolest place to live." Read more

Calderdale A&E Closure threat: Parliamentary adjournment debate initiated by Halifax MP Linda Riordan and joined by Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker and Jane Ellison for the Government. (13 Dec)

Tesco's One Stop: Earlier shop sign revealed as the Spar prepares to become a Tesco's One Shop. See FaceBook group

The former Mytholm Works: Calderdale Planning Committee has approved plans for a supermarket and hotel. See Forum thread

 

Small Ads: "Ad posted Monday (11th Nov), lease to be signed Saturday and tenant moving in Sunday. Thanks HebWeb."

Tale of a Tenner was produced to promote the 'Totally Locally' shop local campaign, showing that if you spend £10 in a shop in Hebden Bridge the amount of money that goes back into the local economy could be over £50!

MORE PHOTOS OF BIGGEST HANDMADE PARADE ever

"Unbelievable result Hebweb. So many enquiries in response to the small ad on your site and now have lovely new tenants. What a success - Thank you Hebweb." Message received 6 May.

Small Ads - "I am very pleased to say the response was terrific and both properties are now let." (Less than a week)

Small Ads - "We placed a job ad on the Hebweb recently, intending to keep it there for 2 weeks, but we had to take it down after 3 days due to the huge response generated"

Five hundred words on Hebden Bridge - "Everything in the house was heated by the fire, all the old terraced houses used coal for heat and cooking back then, the valley had a serious smog problem." Read more from Dave Bridges' 500 words.

Jason Elliott's 500 Faces of Hebden Bridge

Small Ads - I just wanted to let you know that through my small ad on your site I found my ideal new home, meeting all my requirements. Thank you very much for such a great resource

Historian Jill Liddington, who lives above Hebden Bridge, spoke on BBC Radio 4 today about the boycott of the 1911 census by suffragettes. Listen now (8mins). More info about Jill's book on the 1911 census. (3 April)

Keep the hospital and A&E in Halifax, say Lib Dems. Calderdale Royal Hospital should stay open with all its services. Janet Battye told us, "Weeks after the so-called Strategic Review Outline Case was published, there is still no news." Read more (2 April)

French elections - updated to include second round results from our twin town, St Pol sur Ternoise. Read more (2 April)

Hebden Bridge Town Hall job vacancies - energetic, hardworking and fun people sought to to join the staff team. More info (31 March)

Trashed, the award winning film narrated by Jeremy Irons has three viewings planned for Hebden Bridge - the first was on Tuesday, 1st April at the Trades. Read more

Hebden Bridge new 2014 Tourism Guide featuring this year's festivals and the Tour de France, has just been published and can be downloaded here

Choirs from across Europe share skills, ideas and a concert with the Hepton Singers at Heptonstall on 6 April. More info (27 March)

Holme Tunnel reopens: trains between Burnley and Hebden Bridge on the York-Blackpool line, should be operational once again today Monday, 24 March. See BBC report

Kerbside Lives On: After it was put out of operation by SITA, it still had some surplus funds, the Kerbside Fund, to provide work and training for the long term unemployed whilst recycling almost anything. Read more (22 March)

National Rat Week was one of the annual events described by Ian Dewhirst in his talk to the Local History Group on Yorkshire Life between the Wars. Read more (20 March)

CROWS reach 'milestone'. CROWS has now repaired 25km of footpaths in the valley. Come and celebrated this achievement at the Trades on Friday, 21 March with Grannys Attic and the Owterzeds.

Remove golliwogs from local shop, urges a petition organised by the Calder Valley Anti-Racist Collective in the runup to March 21st, International Day for the Elimination of Racism.

Track a Tree - Christine Tansey of Hebden Bridge is currently working on a Phd in cooperation with the Woodland Trust. The HebWeb has been approached to encourage local people to volunteer. Read more (13 March)

Trades Club takes on O2 Arena for Music Week's live venue of the year award. The Trades won the nomination to take on 02 Arena thanks to votes from acts who have played the club and their promoters. (12 March)

Calderdale Hospital A and E closure - Lib Dems call on NHS bosses to explain their plans and carry out a full consultation with local people about the proposals. (12 March)

Fox and Goose community purchase: All hands to the pumps this weekend. Contracts are to be exchanged next week and the Fox and Goose will officially become West Yorkshire's first co-operative pub. Read more (11 March)

Martin Parr's iconic photos of Hebden Bridge coming to Bradford Media Museum, including 55 photographs taken by Magnum photographer Martin Parr around Hebden Bridge when he lived here in the 1970s Read more - update: Martin Parr to sign books at The Book Case.

Fast to end hunger: Labour's Josh Fenton-Glynn to fast as part of 'End Hunger Fast' campaign. "We simply shouldn't have queues of people having to rely on food handouts in modern Britain." Read more

 

HebWeb Forum: hot topics currently include parking charges at the station, mountain biking on footpaths, Sainsburys, medical records and the closure of Calderdale's A & E. (3 March)

Local History Talk: Industrialisation and the Calder Valley Dr Stephen Caunce described how the extraordinary way in which previously obscure communities of our area changed the world as the birthplace of industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Read more. (3 March)

Floods petition: calling upon the Government to extend grant offers to areas such as Hebden Bridge who were so badly affected in 2012

Sainsbury's Plans: Over 500 comments were received opposing the development with just 4 comments in favour. See our earlier news item for more info and forum thread (2 March)

Crazy ideas wanted for Handmade Parade spark day: Would you like to see aliens invading St George's Square, Bridge Gate turned into a bug world or Calder Holmes Park becoming a time travel hub? Read more

The Machine that Changed the World was the topic of the latest University of Third Age session, addressed by engineer Barrie Yates. Read our report of the meeting. (25 Feb)

Bad weather bulletin from Calderdale who say that during bad weather, their teams are continuing to work tirelessly to keep communities safe. (14 Feb)

Police Station building - time is running out. See latest comments from the Hebden Bridge Community Association

Mytholmroyd Station building: After many years and hundreds of ideas for the building, the Station Partnership is hosting an Open meeting to discuss its future. Read more (6 Feb)

New look for Arts Festival: The Festival has a new look thanks to design student Anthony Gibson, pictured above with Board member David Burnop. Read more

Local History Talk: David Cant spoke about his many years studying 17th century fine houses of the Calder Valley and using documentary evidence to uncover stories of craftsmen who worked to design and construct them. Read more. (27 Jan)

Street Choirs Festival returns to Hebden Bridge. Hosted by Calder Valley Voices who are looking for people to host a singer or two for the two nights. Read more (23 Jan)

Joseph Rowntree research: Support, help and dependency in Hebden Bridge. This report is based on findings from the first phase of a two-year research project in Hebden Bridge. Read more (22 Jan)

Todmorden Curve: delays to new services in spite of MP's assurances. Read more

Newly resurfaced cycle/walking track between Mytholmroyd Station and Brierley. No more ruts, pot holes or muddy puddles

Buses could be more expensive than taxies. See discussion on HebWeb Forum

Woman's Hour: Chris Green, director of the Mytholmroyd based White Ribbon Campaign discusses men and violence, and feminism, during the first few minutes of this R4 programme (14 Jan)

Living Wage: Hebden Royd Town Council has become a Living Wage Employer. Read more. (14 Jan)

Old Gate: concern continues about the demolition of buildings on Old Gate, following a recent landslip. See discussion. And see photo

 

Good news for walkers: Hebden Bridge Walkers Action has received funding from West Yorkshire Metro to promote the 901 bus to Huddersfield as a bus for walking. Read more

Morning Star Benefit at the Trades raises £800

NUJ Greenpeace Public Meeting report - Steve Morgan and Paul Morozzo gave a talk on 'Reporting Environmental Protest' - Read more

Local MP criticises schools, blaming Labour - see the HebWeb Craig Whittaker feature

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".

CYCLING UP THE BUTTRESS: the hardest and steepest 350 metre climb out of Hebden Bridge took place Saturday 7th September. More photos and News item. And now the YouTube video

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 (3 Sept)

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. (25 March)

HebWeb archive: quickly view HebWeb home pages of the past few years.

Small ads: "We've successfully rented our house. Thanks for an excellent service - I'll heartily recommend Hebweb, as our house was previously listed through an estate agent who didn't manage to get us a tenant in 3 months - through Hebweb we had 4 prospective tenants within a week." (4 Jan)