Hebden Bridge News

Summer’s coming…and it’s going to be wearing a squid hat!

Knitted zebra crossings, sheep on skateboards…Handmade Parade is calling for ideas for this year’s Hebden Bridge parade on Saturday, June 11th. And what better way to shake off the winter gloom than by thinking ahead to summer and the streets filled with crazy costumes, giant puppets, music and dance.

The parade team wants people to come up with suggestions for themes, costumes and ways to make the event even more spectacular. Ideas can be drawn, jotted down on the back of an envelope, typed up or even filmed – and there’ll be a collecting box for suggestions at Hebden Bridge library from Friday, February 18, for a fortnight.

On March 16, all the ideas will be brought along to a public get-together at Holme Street Arts Centre, starting at 6pm. Everyone’s invited to come along to talk about their ideas or simply hear more about what’s happening.

“We know we’re in for some fantastic, and utterly weird, ideas,” said organiser Rebecca Dearden. “And that’s just what we want. The 2010 parade was unbelievable. It was a spectacular success on so many levels and for so many people, including nearly 400 who took part in the workshops, 45 who did more extensive skills training in things like stilt-walking and sculpture, 250 who took part through outreach sessions, the 40-plus volunteers, and not to mention the five bands, 4,000 spectators and more.”

Handmade Parade is also hoping people will come up with some fund-raising ideas. So far, Hebden Royd Town Council has made a generous £5,000 grant, but this is only a fifth of last year’s budget.

“Grants are in short supply this year and we know we’re going to have to get even more creative about raising money, materials and other support in-kind. We have to ensure the town doesn’t lose such a fabulous event and such a unique chance for people to get together, make a mess and make marvellous art,” said Rebecca.

For more details about the parade go to www.hebdenbridgeparade.org. You can also send ideas to rd@elsewise.co.uk.