Todmorden News

Pennine Horizons Invite Residents To Give Their Views

Community organisation Pennine Horizons are inviting residents across the region to a consultation event for a new South Pennines project. The event takes place on Saturday 13th March 2010, from 1pm to 5pm, at the Erringden Room, St Michael’s Church, Mytholmroyd.

The Pennine Horizons project has had several names but a single concept. The Ecomuseum, the Pennine Museum and Pennine Inheritance have been ‘working titles’ for a new community resource and visitor attraction. Themed heritage trails (or walks) will be developed, initially across the Upper Calder Valley, linked through a series of ‘gateway’ sites or visitor centres, offering trail information, exhibitions, learning facilities, etc. The first of these centres will be in Hebden Bridge, based in the former Youth House site in Carlton Street.

Pennine Horizons already has the support of a large number of local groups and individuals and has attracted both Heritage Lottery and South Pennines LEADER funding to help develop the idea into reality. It has been set up as a social enterprise, rooted in the local community, being the story of that community past and present, its relationship with the Pennine landscape and what evolved from that interaction.

It is not the story of just one community, however; once established in the Calder Valley the aim is for the project to extend across the South Pennines area. Many other communities are already showing an interest in becoming sites for future visitor centres, creating links across the region.

Your input is vital. In order to tell engaging and accurate stories input from the wider community is needed. Everyone has a different view and these will be incorporated into the project as far as possible. Pennine Horizons is not aiming to compete with existing projects, but rather to encourage partnership working and collective promotion.

The consultation day will provide:

• Short presentations throughout the day explaining more about the project
• An opportunity for questions, suggestions and concerns to be raised
• An opportunity to volunteer for the project in key roles
• A chance to look at and feed back on designs for the visitor centre
• An (optional) short written questionnaire to capture your views.

St Michael’s Church stands next to the bridge over the River Calder in Mytholmroyd at the foot of Cragg Road. It is 100m from Mytholmroyd Station and 100m from the bus stop. Parking is available just outside the church.