Todmorden News

Vibrant Parade Flows Through Town

Over 300 participants took to the streets on Saturday for the first Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade. The water-themed community-generated parade, organized by arts group HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre made its way from Valley Road to Calder Holmes Park where it opened the World on Your Doorstep Festival.

“Hebden Bridge has never seen the like!” wrote Chris Ratcliffe on the Hebden Bridge Web. “Seriously illustrates that there probably is nowhere else in England quite like Hebden Bridge.” Blogged Hebden Royd Mayor Susan Press. Led by a pair of musical geese with attitude, the crowds were entertained with fish, frogs, midges, kingfishers, geese and pirates in narrow boat galleons.

“We were so blown away by the fantastic puppets and fabulous energy of the parade. My two friends and I felt quite tearful that our little town has so much talent on offer. We felt so lucky to be living here today.”

The parade was a vibrant mix of costumes made in open community workshops mixed with awe-inspiring giant creatures and floats made by local professional parade artists, including three mysterious water bearer puppets made by Horse and Bamboo associate director Alison Duddle, a majestic heron made by Kerith Ogden, huge cardboard galleons by Jonny Quick, a mechanical swimmer, a big whimsical green creature and a Rain Queen made by Thingumajig Theatre. Rousing parade music was provided by the Peace Artistes, Beatlife (a Cuban/Samba band from Liverpool) and Mbackeh Darboe, a renowned drummer from the Gambia. The parade culminated at the World on Your Doorstep Festival with a song, especially written for the occasion by Kathy Bradley sung by Calder Valley Voice and the parade participants. “I’m blown away by how quickly and whole-heartedly this community got behind the idea of a non-commercial art parade,” said Andrew Kim, stilter and Artistic Director of the Parade. “This area is bursting at the seams with creative people hungry to make art together; we simply provided an opportunity.”

Based on the success of this first year, HEADS and Thingumajig Theatre have already started discussing the possibility of making this an annual event. Please see the parade website for photos, comments and updates: www.hebdenbridgeparade.org. “Superb,” one spectator said, “the costumes were truly wonderful, a much higher standard than I have ever seen at any similar event in Hebden.” While another said: “We were so blown away by the fantastic puppets and fabulous energy of the parade. My two friends and I felt quite tearful that our little town has so much talent on offer. We felt so lucky to be living here today.”

Parade photos by Nigel Hillier, Ian Hodgson and Chris Ratcliffe