Real Voices of Happy Valley

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 involved in comm...

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

Keith Wilson is a well known face in the Calder Valley and many have seen the results of his skills in stone walling, treeplanting, coppicing etc without realising. Admire his work in the beer garden at The Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge for example. A benefit to the community and environment, Keith is very much a grafter

Ashleigh Cooper has been in Calder Valley for 35 years and has retired from his antique dealer job (mostly). He works at the RSPCA shop in Hebden Bridge and is active in sports for the not-so-young, coaching walking cricket, playing walking football ... and pub quizzes. This Londoner loves The North and its people. The feeling is mutual.

Viv and Dave chat with Cath Baker mostly about her work protecting badgers. There are people who deliberately attack badgers but many are inadvertently injured or killed by cars, people digging or building in places badgers live. The Calderdale Badger Protection Group work with wildlife officers and local vets to help. Have a listen and find out how you can help too. Check out the  Calderdale Badg...

Aid Todd set up Drum Machine to reflect western rhythms and culture. It has grown to be a mainstay of festivals, locally and nationally and many valley residents have been part of it. Meanwhile Aid has been part of several successful bands including Limehouse Lizzy and most recently he has joined the EMF, just back for a tour of the USA. Hear his story and his journey through rock and rave.

Louisa set up Keep Tod Tidy and works closely with community wardens to organise monthly clean up days in the town centre ad around the estates of Todmorden. As ever, she's a lot more than that. Here she chats with Viv and Dave about her community activities, work at after school clubs and an interesting holiday job on the beaches of the Mediterranean...learn more about how to join the clean...

Viv and Dave sit in their garden and chat about their afternoon at Todmorden Country Fair; the animals, charities and displays. Great fun, interesting people.

Viva and Dave chat with Steve Hindle, of the  Bridestones moor community group aiming to restore Bridestones and moorland above Todmorden to its ancient state. This would involve the re introduction of various plant life and the enrichment of the local ecology while maintaining public access and educational opportunities. Yet more local people bring in benefit to the environment and community

Des Horsfall discusses highlights of his career in music: solo and band work, working with Alexis Korner, collaborating with Pete Townshend of The Who and his Kuschty Rye project inspired by the post Small Faces and Faces work of bass player and songwriter Ronnie Lane

Viv chats to Mica May of women's plumbing company Stopcocks about the issues women face in skilled trades and the register of tradeswomen they have set up. More information online at Stopcocks.uk and 08008620010

Outside the Ring O' Bells pub in Halifax Dave chats with Elliot and Andy from Andy's Man Club. The club was set up in response to the self inflicted death of Andy Roberts in Halifax in  2016. It exists to get men talking and supporting each other in dealing with life's issues. You don't have to be in crisis to go to an Andy's Man Club meeting, as one of the guys says: &quo...

Leona Johnson has been involved in a Forest School, Live Wild, a social worker and transformational life coach … among other things. Her mission – her passion - is to connect people with nature and each other. Viv and Dave met up with her in Mytholmroyd and heard about wildings holiday cubs, live wild family activities and fire questing. Have a listen and find out more at www.livewild.org.uk and w...

Dave chats with Ash, Newcastle born Calder valley based artist whose current project sees him exploring his family and his heritage. Ash is doing this partly for himself after the loss of his mother and also for his own children who are also gaining interest in their heritage. Fascinating stories about being brought up in the North East of England in a small but growing Pakistani community and the...

Lucy Illingworth has astonished people all her life with her amazing musicality. She is blind, has serious learning difficulties but took local Facebook pages by storm before appearing on and 'winning' Channel Four TV show The Piano. This has led to concerts at The Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Classic FM, further TV appearances and more. Listen to Daniel talking about her, then list...

Viv and Dave chat with Daniel Bath - officially an 'outstanding citizen' of Calder Valley - about music education, his own live music and how he got Music for the Many into being. Part two will feature his work with Lucy Illingworth, winner of Channel Four's The Piano, against all the odds

Hebdenroyd Swimming Association has long wanted a swimming pool in the Hebden Bridge / Mytholmroyd area. The plans are now for a clean water outdoor swimming pool for the valley. The association is hoping to create a safe, clean pool large enough for swimming, kayaking and even sub aqua use. Sauna, changing area, cafe and nature trail are all in the outline plans they are hoping to achieve. Truste...

Louise Heppleston is a 'dogsbody'. This involves hiding on the moors for an hour or two waiting to be found by dogs as part of their training in finding people lost who need rescuing by Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team - the sort of thing few people know actually happens but essential in training dogs to hep save lives. Louise is also part of the reinvigorated group  aiming to create...

Val Stevens, campaigner for the environment, women's rights and the welfare of older people. She was a councillor and deputy leader at Manchester City Council, councillor and mayor of Hebdenroyd and resident of Manchester, France and now Mytholmroyd. A woman who has spoken her mind and cared for people throughout her life.  A member of the 'silent generation' who has never been sile...

Richard 'Wally' Woodcock and Steve Andrews have been part of the Calder Valley music scene since the 1970s. Wally was with Trevor Beales in Havana Lake, then The Outfit and settled into the Owter Zeds in 2000. He plays guitar with blues band the 844s and records with Steve as Uncle Wally and Uncle Steve. Meanwhile multi instrumentalist Steve Andrews had been in the Zeds earlier in guitar...

Viv and Dave chat with Chris Green, long time resident of Calder Valley who has just returned form a bicycle tour of parts of India. He tells of the adventure of travelling by bike, train and ferry and some of the events that happened along the way. Fun was had, myths were busted and he's enthused Viv so much she now wants to go to India too

Viv and Dave chat with Suzanne Oulton. Suzanne is heavily involved in her community in Todmorden: sports, brass band, church, walking group ... and she was part of the supporters associations that saved Bury Football Club after its financial demise. Suzanne may be the busiest person so far to appear in Real Voices of Happy Valley. 

Viv and Dave chat with Jim Brierley.  He has been a significant part of the music scene in Calder Valley for decades. Drummer with R n B band Mean Business for many years, Jim also set up the Riverside Festival which ran in Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge form 1995 to 2003. With Jane his wife he lived in France - even commuting across the channel for a while and is now back in the area. His late...

Viv and Dave chat with Sara Robinson at St Augustine's Centre, Halifax. The centre provides support for asylum seekers and refugees who have come to the UK after fleeing from their country of origin for a variety of reasons. Generally they have been brought up to see the UK as a place of refuge due to historical links through colonial and commonwealth relationships and Britain's role in...

John Armstrong was in the Calder Valley before the hippies turned up. he performed at Deeply Vale and Rivington Festivals, was a founder member of the Owter Zeds and has produced an Album reflected his world travels. John likes nothing better than meeting new musicians in new places and collaborating with them. He has also written several books about his travels in Asia and taking a fresh look at...