Last update: 12 March, 2016 19:54

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News, Features and forthcoming Events

Duck Island saved as Hebden Water dredged: Today Jos Wattam, who is managing the dredging by the Environment Agency of Hebden Water gave a reassurance that the Duck Island would be preserved Read more 11 March

Community Flood Action Meeting - Saturday, 19 March at the Town Hall. Speakers include Mike Potter, Chair of Pickering and District Civic Society. See What's on

Kate RusbyFolk star Kate Rusby to close this year's Arts Festival. As well as hits from a twenty year career, 'The Barnsley Nightingale' will also be showcasing songs from her last studio album Ghost. Read more 9 March

After the floods: Work begins on dredging canal in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd - see Yorkshire Post article 9 March

NHS Bill: Craig Whittaker won't attend the debate or vote for the Bill - There is growing support among political groups in our area for a Parliamentary Bill which aims to fully restore the NHS as a publicly owned service and to reverse 25 years of privatisation. Read more 8 March

DebrisBig Calder Spring Cleanup It's time to put the wellies on again! A series of volunteer events have been organised this March to remove rubbish and debris from the banks of the Calder. Read more 7 March

Pace Egg 2016

Pace Egg Play 2016. Good Friday. More info

After the floods: Hebden Bridge Partnership has called for more transparency in the way the Environment Agency and Calderdale plan flood resilience schemes. Read more 28 Feb

Handmade Parade

Handmade Parade Spark Day: Ideas needed. Parrots amassing in George's Square? Bridge Gate awash with crazy inventions. Calder Holmes a prehistoric hub? Read more 24 Feb

Mental Health Jobs axed in Calderdale: Users of a NHS Art Psychotherapy service in Calderdale are fighting to save it from closure after the therapists were given compulsory redundancy notices over the Christmas period. Read story 23 Feb

Greenwood grave

Co-operative pioneer, Joseph Greenwood sees light of day again. The gravestone of a leading Victorian co-operator, which for many years been lying face-down in thick undergrowth, has now been restored. Read story 22 Feb

Nick Revell

Comedy Club: Old Nick And The Young Pretenders Sunday 13th March sees a Godfather of alternative comedy joined by the cream of the current crop of young pretenders to that very title. Read story 22 Feb

Hebden Bridge Group Practice wins Pride in Practice award: The staff at Hebden Bridge Group Practice had the award presented to them by Laurence Webb and Dale Maskell from LGBT Foundation for delivering fully inclusive health care services to their patients. Read story 19 Feb

Floods Commission public meeting with the theme: upland and countryside management on Monday, 14 March. See What's on.

Scout Road landslide: work to start soon - Work to enable the road and school to reopen and residents to return home at flood-affected Scout Road, Mytholmroyd, moved a step closer as Calderdale approved up to £400,000 of funding. Read more 17 Feb

Hebden Bridge reservoirs to be considered for floodwater storage. See BBC report

Picture House - half term afternoon changes to programme because of repair work - Read more

CND

Calder Valley CND demonstrate against Trident on Thursday, 11 February 2016. Read more

Waites to remain closed. The announcement was made today on their Facebook page. A decision has yet to be made about the Mytholmroyd shop.

Insurance for businesses hit by floods. See this Look North snippet from Wednesday, 9 February 2016.

community wind turbine at Blackshaw Head.Pennine Community Power supports flood victims. The community wind turbine at Blackshaw Head regularly has some of its surplus given to community projects, and PCP has just agreed that £1400 will go to flood victims. Read more 8 Feb

Calderdale Flooding Roadshows - Hebden Bridge, 13 Feb and Mytholmroyd, 27 Feb. See What's on

Old posters discovered at Deli

After the floods: at The Deli on Market Street, Hebden Bridge, these posters were uncovered during refurbishment. They all seem to date from May 1882 - photo thanks to After Alice Project. Click photo to enlarge. 5 Feb

Floods: HebWeb Gallery - 24 photos taken on the morning of Boxing Day, 2015.

Hebden Bridge Market wins Best Small Outdoor Market award:
Hebden Bridge Market has been crowned one of Britain's best markets in a prestigious national competition. Read more 3 Feb

BBC's The One Show - came live from Hebden Bridge, Tuesday evening (2 Feb).

Books for schools

Books for Schools success: Di Seymour and Michael Prior had little idea when they asked children's bookø publishers for help restocking flooded schools just how many they would get. A couple of hundred? They've now received more than 2500. Read more 1 Feb

Record buyers save local music shop

Record buyers save local music shop: Record buyers from across the north converged on a one off record fair in Hebden Bridge raising £5000 to save Muse Music that was facing closure after the devastating Boxing Day flood. Read more. 26 Jan

Floods meeting

Above - Floods Public Meeting: Causes And Solutions, 21st Jan, Birchcliffe Centre. Follow the discussion on the HebWeb Forum
Photo: Geoff Tansey

Floods funding

Hebden Bridge is Open for Business - see video of shopkeepers, café owners and more, filmed by Jason Elliott on Monday, 18 January, telling us they are back open for business.

Books for flooded schools

Books for flooded schools: National publishers of children's books have responded to an appeal for books for our flooded schools. Hundreds of new books will be delivered to local schools over the next week. Read more. 17 Jan

Boxing Day Floods - photo:HebWeb

Council launches Floods Commission: Calderdale Council is launching a Floods Commission in response to the unprecedented flooding on Boxing Day 2015. Read more

Briony and TimAfter the floods at the Town Hall hub: "This is a community building - your town hall - and your efforts have shown what can be achieved when a strong community works together." Read more 12 Jan

Sarah Millican, Rory Bremner and Justin Moorhouse to play at Halifax's Victoria Theatre for a Flood Benefit on 8 Feb. See What's on.

Guardian article: "When we opened the (Town Hall) doors on the 27th we just weren't expecting the sheer volume of people wanting to volunteer. We thought maybe we'd be able to provide hot drinks and somewhere for people to charge their phones… it soon became apparent that it was going to be much, much bigger than that." Read full article 11 Jan

Craig Shaw

The Guardian used this photo from Craig Shaw for the above article - see more of Craig's photos of the floods aftermath and cleanup

Boxing Day floods

The Impact of the Boxing Day Floods on Hebden Bridge's Economy: the Hebden Bridge Partnership have produced a report seeking to raise the profile of Hebden Bridge in the clamour for flood funds, showing that 80% of town centre shops, cafes, pubs, services were hit by the flood. More info and link to report

After the floods: Lloyds ATM back

No Parking charges for the rest of the month All pay and display charges in Council car parks and on-street parking will be lifted until the end of the month to help alleviate pressure for residents and businesses in floodhit areas. Read more 7 Jan

Support for flood-hit businesses: A grant of up to £2,500 per business is available to help them open up and start trading again. Read more 6 Jan

Crowdfunding for Flooded Businesses: if you are involved you stand to share in the funds collected. Each Business will get an equal share. Read more 6 Jan

Apartments over the river by The Little Park. The Environment Agency has told a Waterside Fold resident that the developer has agreed to cease work and review the planned development in light of the flood. See forum thread.

Bridge Gage on Boxing Day

Flood Recovery: Public Meeting: The Hebden Bridge Partnership has called this meeting jointly with the Town Council and the Business Forum - Sat. 16 Jan. Separate meeting on flooding causes & solutions Thurs, 21 Jan. Read more

Hebden Bridge Bounces Back: List of shops back open or about to open in the coming week. 3 Jan

THE FLOODS - AFTERMATH.
Funding for residents and businesses, Army on the streets; video of Town Hall hub co-ordinating support; businesses needs support; help from Halifax mosque; George Monbiot - "warnings disregarded"; message of support from twin town, and more. News and photos updated 3 Jan

eBikeseBikes in Old Town?: The Alternative Technology Centre arranged a session to find out whether Old Town would benefit from eBikes. See What's on for more info

Sainsburys' latest court action thrown out. See court ruling here. The High Court has dismissed Eshton Gregory's/ Sainsbury's judicial review challenge to the Planning Inspector's refusal to grant an appeal to Calderdale Council's refusal of planning permission 30 Dec

Ian Macmillan

After the Floods: Ian McMillan to re-open The Book Case, on Wednesday 16 March. Ian said, "A bookshop is the social and cultural heart of any town and I'm proud to be able to declare the Book Case dried out, spruced up, and ready to delight the Calder Valley and beyond by purveying fine volumes!" See What's on

A Real Junk Food Café is coming to Hebden Bridge: a 'pay-as-you-feel' Café, opening in April, will work with local food producers and retailers, using products that would otherwise go to waste, turning them into healthy, nutritious meals. Read more 10 March

Hebden Bridge Parnership seeks new Chair, to take over from our current Chair, Bob Deacon - details here 10 March

Happy Valley PrideSally Wainwright to help launch Happy Valley Pride, the brainchild of 4 local residents who were shocked and outraged by a piece of a homophobic graffiti they saw in Hebden Bridge in the summer of 2015. Read more 9 March

After the floods: Deadline lifted for funding to protect your home or business. Read more 9 March

Waites not re-opening: we reported a month ago that the Hebden Bridge shop would remain closed. An announcement on Waites' Facebook page says that the Mytholmroyd shop will not re-open either.

Useless sandbagsCraig Whittaker, 'The Useless Made Useful' : A Hebden Bridge exhibition drew attention to our politicians' apathy regarding the recent and devastating floods. Read more 4 March

Magna CartaCalder Valley Connections to Magna Carta: David Cant explained to the audience at the Local History Society, the charter was basically a peace treaty, broken within months. Read more 4 March

Funding boost for festivals: Calderdale Council is offering grants of up to £5000 for local voluntary and community groups organising festivals or events after the Boxing Day floods. Read more 3 March

Calderdale Budget: Council Tax rise and a flood recovery and resilience fund worth £3 million. More details 2 March

Ellan BridgeFlood Recovery Art Auction: Friday, 4th March, Trades Club. Over 150 pieces from all over the world including "Elland Bridge" by Kate Lycett. Pieces may be viewed throughout the day on Friday Read more 1 March

Arts FestivalHebden Bridge Arts Festival opens up. The Festival is holding two open events to find out what they can do to help the town's recovery during the festival week: June 24 to 3 July. Read more 1 March

The Manchester and Leeds Railway: 175th Anniversary - 1st March 2016. Read story (PDF) from Friends of Hebden Bridge Station.

After the floods: this coming Saturday in Blackshawhead, Nick Wilding is screening footage of the Boxing Day floods, part of an unfinished film entitled 'Floods Again'. See What's on

After the floods: Overgate Hospice shop in Crown Street is re-opening on Thursday, 10 March at 11am.

Piano FestivalPiano Festival Programme launch on Saturday, 5 March at the Town Hall, with live music and the chance to buy tickets for the Festival. Read more 28 Feb

Flood Fundraising Writing Competition: The Watermarks Writing Competition (on the theme of water) has been organised by Bluemoose Books, Helen Meller of Hebden Bridge Arts Festival and Anna Turner. Read more and how to enter 25 Feb

Craig says yes to Europe: Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker has said on his website that he will be voting to stay in the European Union. 24 Feb

Panto Time again: Corbyn Hood and His Merry People at the Trades Club this Sunday. See What's On.

University of Third AgeUniversity of the Third Age: report of the latest talk, entitled "In the Footsteps of Norbert Carteret" with speaker Professor Ian Barclay. Read story 22 Feb

Job Vacancy: one / two casual duty managers at Hebden Bridge Picture House. Click here for full details about the position and how to apply. 22 Feb

Flood fundraiser single'The Flood' Fundraiser single available 1st March. A quickly assembled alternative band 'Johnny Powell and the Happy Valley' will release a single called 'The Flood' on 1st March: all proceeds go the flood relief fund. Read story 19 Feb

Flooding the valley with musicFlooding the valley with music: The Folk for Floods fundraiser at the Trades Club was organised by folk singer Steve Tilston. Clare Latham, right with Steve and the guitar she won. Read story 17 Feb

HB signal boxRailway Roundabout: Paul Kenny, by profession a signal-man (including at Hebden Bridge) is also a keen photographer, and shared slides and his stories with the Local History Society. Read more 16 Feb

Job Vacancy: one / two casual ushers at Hebden Bridge Picture House. Click here for full details about the position and how to apply.

After the Floods: Alternative Christmas Day

Alternative Christmas Day

On 25th June 2016, there is going to be an Alternative Christmas Day, 6 months after the floods, showing that our area is Back Open. Read more

After the Floods: Progress at the Picture House. The waters claimed all of the stalls seating and wrecked the basement boiler room, and damages the under-stage area, toilets, foyer and kiosk. However, the flooding has provided some great opportunities. Read more

HebWeb Feature on the Boxing Day Flood, gathering together many of the articles, news, links, photos and videos. Updated reguarly.

House of Commons - adjournment motion on flood insurance for business, where Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley, took an active part. Read Hansard report of yesterday's discussion. 9 Feb

Repairing our flood damaged pathsRepairing our flood damaged paths: CROWS have a list of paths they need to repair, but need the . They've introduced a new simple system for people to contact them. Read more 8 Feb

High Street

Ghost houses of Hebden Bridge. Can they be brought back to life? Public meeting and consultation being held at the Town Hall to discuss resurrection of the High Street, once crowded with early nineteenth century terraced houses. Read more 7 Feb

BBC's Anne Robinson wants to hear from parents with strong opinions about raising children - are you laid back, bossy or best friend? Read more 4 Feb

Handmade Parade

The 9th annual Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade will be on Sunday 26 June, the opening weekend of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival, promising to once again bring celebration, colour and spectacle to the streets of our town. Read more 3 Feb

Paul CobbbingCouncil appoints flood expert to chair Commission: Calderdale Council has appointed Paul Cobbing as the Independent Chair of the Calderdale Floods Commission. 2 Feb

Support still needed by scores of Hebden Bridge businesses. People are urged to donate to the various crowdfunding sites. The appeals end soon. Read more 1 Feb

Liz and The White Swan is a short video of how the Boxing Day floods affected The White Swan. Interviewed by Jason Elliott, Liz tells what the Boxing Day floods did to her pub.

Environment Secretary Liz Truss promises flood prevention measures. It has been announced that new flood defences will be built in Mytholmroyd and possibly Hebden Bridge and a new flood prevention plan for the whole Calder Valley will be drawn up, and work started in October 2016. Read more

BBC Look North reports on the floods in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd, one month on.

Floods Petition: Mr Cameron – Where are our flood schemes? Initiated by Anthony Rae of Calderdale Friends of the Earth.

Hebden Bridge Flood funds - donations needed: there are now many different funds raising money for those affected by the floods. Thousands have been given, but thousands more are needed. Read more. 20 Jan

Camper Van retrieved from river

Camper Van retrieved from river to playground of Riverside School. See more of Craig Shaw's photos of the floods aftermath and cleanup. Click photo to enlarge 19 Jan

Packhorse WayTales along the Packhorse Way At this recent talk, John Billingsley, author of six books on local folklore, told the Local History Society of places passed along the Long Causeway, a 'bleak and comfortless road.' Read more 18 Jan

Calderdale Royal Hospital

Big support for Calderdale Royal Hospital junior doctors' strike: There was strong support for the Calderdale Royal Hospital Junior Doctors' strike on Tuesday. As well as a junior doctors' picket, NHS campaigners and members of the public turned out, and busy passing traffic honked support. Read more

Tim Burgess' Telling Stories fundraiserTrades Club flood fundraisers get off to a flying start: The first in a series of Trades Club flood relief fundraisers got off to a flying start as three events last weekend raised a grand total of £4130. Read more 13 Jan

Valley OrganicsOrganic co-op pops up in mill: Valley Organics lost stockroom shelving, three fridges, till, scales, scanner, card machine and a van. Like most Hebden businesses they were unable to obtain flood insurance. Read more 12 Jan

Mytholmroyd floods

The Floods in Mytholmroyd. A selection of remarkable video footage from Raphael Pavel. Click here to see.

In response to the recent devastating floods across the area, Hebden Royd Town Council held an Extraordinary Meeting at 7:30pm on Tuesday 12th January, in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall, Hebden Bridge.

Council announces fund to prevent future flood damage: Up to £5,000 can be claimed for work that will help to protect buildings against future flooding. Read more 11 Jan

After the Flood: Hebden Bridge Library - Library services are getting back on their feet after the Boxing Day floods caused over £100,000 of damage to books, equipment, fixtures and fittings. Read more 8 Jan

Funding for residents affected by flooding: The Council is providing grant funding to support residents affected by flooding with a £500 hardship payment to householders who have been severely affected. Read more 6 Jan

Flood volunteers

The real story of the Calder Valley floods: restored communities and faith in humanity - Eight days on from the devastating Boxing Day floods that swamped Calder Valley, the real story is that people came together and have been magnificently supported by a wide range of groups from all backgrounds, some of whom have travelled long distances to help. 3 Jan

Flood disruptions latest: FAQs on what schools are opening; road closures; volunteering, donating, insurance and more. Updated 6 Jan

Crown Street on Boxing Day

Town Hall flood services Hebden Bridge Town Hall flood services are being driven by Hebden Bridge Community Association, Calderdale Council, the Environment Agency and the goodwill of local and far flung volunteers. Read more 2 Jan

Calderdale Way to get a make-overCalderdale Way to get a make-over: Preparing for its 40th anniversary of The Calderdale Way, a plan is in place to make sure it is in a condition to welcome a new generation of walkers. Read more 3 Jan

Floods Christmas 2015

See HebWeb Forum thread for floods discussion.

FLOODED AGAIN!  More video added.
Worse than 2012 - see our news page with more photos and info. Offers of help are being co-ordinated by the Calder Valley Flood Support Facebook group. At least two Sunday papers have Mytholmroyd on their front page. Read and see more 26 Dec

'Calder Valley under water: Sacrificed to indifference and political ideology': an open letter from Calderdale Friends of the Earth to Craig Whittaker MP challenges the actions, inaction and political ideology that contributed to the floods. Read letter 27 Dec

Sunday 27th: Picture House is appealing for people to help. Bring a headtorch as no electricity. Free gas check offer. See our flood news page

Flood Sirens went off at 9.30pm Christmas Day in Hebden Bridge and again throughout the length of the Upper Valley at 7.30am Boxing Day morning. Updates can be found on the Calder Valley Flood Support Facebook group. An Environment Agency flood warning is in force. Main roads remain closed, Boxing Day, 8.30pm.

Hydro-power scheme in Hebden Bridge

Hydro-power scheme in Hebden Bridge: Situated in the Colden Valley, Jane and Bede Mullin's Water Turbine installation will produce enough power for 40 houses. However, recent cuts in government subsidies for renewable energy means that similar projects in the future would no longer be economic. Read more. Updated 20 Dec

Arriva awarded Calder Valley rail franchise with the promised of the phasing out of Pacer trains, new services and routes, better stations, smart ticketing, free wifi and air-conditioned carriages. The new franchise has been welcomed by the Sustainable Transport Group. Read more. 9 Dec See Forum message

Gibson Mill

Gibson Mill celebrates 10 years, OffTheGrid - not connected to the National Grid, all energy comes from wood, sun and water, and all waste is recycled. More info here

Fair for Youth: how it changed me. A personal account by Alex Kostyakov of his involvement with Fair for Youth, now that he has stood down as its Chair. Read more 26 Oct

HebWeb Quirky Small Ads:
As well as services, and houses and homes offered and wanted, recent ads have included Jewellery workshop, bycycle maintenance classes, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Voice tuition, Hawaiian massage and Mindfulness. See our Small ads page.

Hilary WainwrightHappy Valley writer loves Calderdale. "Hebden Bridge is vibrant; there's a lot going on artistically and it's also got great galleries, pubs and restaurants." Sally Wainwright talks of our "dramatic and awe-inspiring" landscape and the influence of local historian Jill Liddington's Anne Lister book. Read her Guardian article

Clear up

The big clear up began in earnest yesterday (27th) with hundreds of helpers all over town. Photo of Market Street: Sara Robinson.

Carols in the square

Carols in the Square: Our town square was overflowing on all sides as hundreds congregated for the annual Christmas Eve carol singing.

eBikeseBikes on the Hill Tops: The Alternative Technology Centre is buying a dozen Raleigh Motus electric pedal-assisted cycles, or 'eBikes', for hire in communities and tourist accommodation. Read more 15 Dec

Flood siren went off in Hebden Bridge just before 4pm, Sat 12 Dec. Road and rail problems reported along the valley. See Facebook group, Calder Valley Flood Support for latest info. Market Street was flooded again but was clear later in the evening.

"Many thanks Hebweb, the Small Ad asking for Volunteers to cook and help at Wadsworth Lunch Club has already had success. We now have someone coming to help cook. We'd still welcome a washer up, and occasional helpers please."

Camera Club winner

Camera Club Annual Exhibition winning pictures: visitors were asked to vote for their 3 favourite images in order of merit. Read more and see the 3 winning photos.

TwitterHebWeb on Twitter - The HebWeb now has over 2400 followers.

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

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

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"

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

"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."

HebWeb also available on the slightly shorter hebdenbridge.uk as well as hebdenbridge.co.uk

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

HebWeb uses Google ads to help cover its costs and they vary for each user. This has worked well for many years. However, please let us know the url of any ad thought to be inappropriate. If we agree, the ad will be blocked.

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.

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'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."

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More from Hebden Bridge Web

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  • Archive - news and discussion going back to the mid 90s
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  • Contact info
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  • Emails - a directory of local email addresses
  • Events: a selection of local events
  • Features
  • Five hundred words on Hebden Bridge - one of the 500 years of the Hebden pack horse bridge projects
  • Green Pages
  • Hebden Bridge info - some basic information about Hebden Bridge with links to some features which have been written about our town.
  • Hebden Bridge 500 - celebrating 500 years of the bridge
  • History pages - links to local history websites, together with a selection of articles remembering times past.
  • Lives Remembered - thoughts and comments on the death of a selection of local people
  • Mailing list
  • Maps - several maps of the town and area, including Google maps.

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Please e-mail us to report dead links, inaccuracies, suggestions and comments. Thanks. The Hebden Bridge Web (Hebweb) is published by Pennine Pens and started in the summer of 1995.

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