Real Voices of Happy Valley

The u3a is an organisation that brings retired people together to share their interests and skills. People can continue to pursue interests and/or develop new ones. There are people in their 80s able to play badminton and cricket in safe environments, there are people studying languages, philosophy and history. There are scrabble and board games groups. This is not ‘sit around wh

Keith Crabtree, born in Cornholme, lived in Todmorden all his life, worked for Environmental Health at Calderdle council and became a flood warden on his retirement. Now a flood volunteer, Keith has views on the lack of maintenance that contributes to floods up and down Calder Valley through Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Walsden and places in between. He uses his local kno

Nicola Warren is a popular as a School Crossing Patrol getting children and parents safety across the road to their school. There is so much more to her life than that as people who cross roads every day of term times realise. Listen to Nicola about her role and her views on the strange goings on in the valley

Madeleine Brooks is a singer songwriter living in Todmorden. She runs an open mic at The Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge and, ‘cut her teeth’ on the stage at Hebden Bridge Trades Club – a real voice of happy valley. After playing gigs, running nights at Nelson's Wine Bar, supporting some of the best musicians to visit the valley and being nominated at Leeds Music Awards, Madelein

Catherine Shelley, is kept busy by being vicar of St Mary’s Todmorden, St Peter’s, Walsden and St Michael’s, Cornholme. Catherine, originally from Manchester, gave up a career in law to follow her faith. She’s been chaplain at Birmingham University, worked in Southwark, south London and is now settled in Todmorden. She is heavily involved in many aspects of the valley commu

Episode 54 features Jill Robinson talking about her Berringden Brow books - and the life and adventures of Jess, a single mother in a Pennine town. It’s not quite autobiographical, but everything in the books has happened to someone, including Jill. Discover the importance of observing people, the things they say and how that turns into believable stories on the page

Episode 53 of Real Voices of Happy Valley is a chat with Natalie George of Big Tree which now runs the Oddfellows Hall, next to Todmorden Market. The building has a long history as an entertainment hub and now features a ground floor café Branch Out and several spaces available for functions, workshops, club nights and a gig venue. Community minded Natalie is looking for people to

Claire Convallaria interested Viv with her work on projects encouraging and enabling girls into science education and careers. Like so many we speak to on Real Voices, she does far more than that. Claire also advises on business sustainability – how businesses can be socially and environmentally as well as economically sustainable. This requires her to be up to date with current

Mark Simmonds has advised many communities on saving community assets like shops, pubs, skate parks and much more, generally by creating community co-operatives. This means investing in your community rather than for profit - though dividends can be paid out. Heptonstall Post Office and the Fox and Goose pub are juts two examples of community assets saved in this way. Mark is also

Alison Redfern created a scarecrow festival to help raise funds for St Peter's Church. Seven years later Walsden Scarecrow Festival is part of the local calendar, brings the village together with people from further afield, funds local community activities and brightens up the village for a weekend every September