On Wednesday 2nd December, local groups once again got together at Brambles in Holmfirth, to receive grants from the Longley Farm One Community Fund.

This year was particularly special, as more groups than ever applied for and received funding, and we were able to give out bigger grants than last year. A total of 12 local groups were awarded funding (7 more than last year!) for projects as diverse as musical concerts and trekking tents.

We also got a chance to hear a bit from those groups who had received funding in the past, to find out just what an impact the funding has made.

Here is a run down of this year's recipients:

1^st Holme Valley Scout Group were awarded £720 to buy 4 new trekking tents to use on expeditions and in harsher terrain. Luke Gosney and Iona Fleming, from Holme Valley Scouts attended the awards evening to accept the grant, and told us about how previous camping trips had been hampered by old tents struggling under poor weather conditions. The new tents will give more flexibility for providing the outdoor experience for Scouts and Explorer Scouts, encouraging them to take part in more activities.

Hade Edge B Band is an off-shoot of Hade Edge Band set up within the past year with the aim to encourage young players in Holmfirth into brass banding. They received a grant of £1000 to go towards buying waterproof jackets with the band logo. Trustee Robert Turnbull talked about how the jackets would allow the new band to participate in more outdoor engagements and give the band its own identity. Players from the main band, Joel Kirk and David Smith also came along to give a quick demonstration on the instruments bought with the money received in last year’s round of grants.

Friend to Friend is a local group that brings older people together in order to combat loneliness, enhance friendships and improve quality of life. They were awarded £877 to allow them to continue singing lessons with local musician Louise Curtis from Hot Banana. The aim is to work towards doing another concert with the pupils from Holme School at Holmfirth Methodist bright hour, and also to take the choir into local residential homes. Shirley Simmonds from Friend to Friend received the award, and talked about how members had been reticent at first but how singing is now one of the group’s favourite activities.

Staying on a musical note, Holme Valley Singers received a grant of £950 to help with their 40^th Anniversary concert in October 2016 to be held in the Picturedrome. The HVS is an award winning mixed voice choir who sing a wide range of choral music for their own pleasure and wellbeing and by performance to foster public knowledge and appreciation of music. 

Holme Valley Orchestra also received a grant of £500, to go towards a concert they are planning to put on in collaboration with local junior schools. However, unfortunately the awards evening clashed with their Christmas concert so they were unable to attend.

Holmfirth Arts Festival is an annual multi-arts event with a strong emphasis on free and participatory events, and events which celebrate the unique build and natural environment of the Holme Valley. The festival received a grant of £2000 to help with the running of next year’s festival in June.

Holmfirth Festival of Folk is another landmark festival on the local calendar which has received funding for the second year in a row. This year they received a grant of £1000 which will help defray the costs of running the festival. One of the groups from the festival, the Ribble Beck Band performed at the presentation evening, playing a variety of traditional folk tunes.

Holmfirth Enterprise and Development (HEAD) received funding towards the 11^thHolmfirth Food and Drink Festival which will take place in September 2016. The weekend, delivered in a festival atmosphere in the open air, will feature local offerings providing a platform for showcasing the best of Yorkshire produce and the beauty and amenities of the area.

Holmfirth Film Festival received a grant of £1000 to go towards the production of a film about the locally and nationally known artist and illustrator Trevor Stubley (1932- 2010), to be shown at the 2016 Film Festival.

Holme Valley Sharing Memories Group is a group of older people (all in their 70s,80s and 90s) who meet weekly to learn new art skills with the help of two established visual artists. They have received a grant of £1000 which will be used to stage an exhibition at the LBT in Huddersfield. Prior to this members will be taught glass making skills and work with children and adults with learning disabilities / mental health issues at Lydgate School, Bridgewood Trust and  Enfield Down.

Huddersfield and District Woodturners, a Wooldale based group, received £1016 to go towards the purchase of two new lathes which will allow them to further expand their hands-on sessions which have grown in popularity over the past year. As previous recipients of grants, the Woodturners took the opportunity to present Jim Dickinson with a specially turned bowl, with an interesting history. This bowl was started by one of the woodturners, who unfortunately passed away before he could finish it. The bowl had been started, but the wood had been left to age before it could be finished. The woodturners took on this part-completed bowl and finished it collectively in his memory, before presenting the beautifully finished piece to Mr Dickinson.

Holme Village Residents Association also received a grant of £1000 to fund the running costs of the public toilet in Holme, thus allowing them to use their limited fundraising in fulfilling the other objects of the association.

Paul Johnson, from One Community, said: “It is very pleasing to see how the Longley Farm Fund has developed over the last five years. It was one of the first funds in Kirklees to be established, and it is now making a real difference locally, supporting some fantastic projects and activities.

“One Community now manages a growing number of charitable funds that benefit communities across Kirklees. Donors know that their funds are being professionally managed and responsibly invested, and that the income is being put to excellent use as it flows out to community groups.”

For more details of funding available for voluntary groups across Kirklees, please visit the One Community website www.one-community.org.uk or call 01484 468397.