Blog

Halifax Boxing, Sports and Fitness Club is a fantastic community asset located in Ovenden, one of Halifax's community-led areas. More than just a boxing gym, the club offers a welcoming, affordable space with a fully equipped gym, boxing area, exercise class facilities, and a café.

The Active Calderdale Community Led Approach – engaging and involving communities in creating, shaping, and making decisions about what can support them to be active in their neighbourhood, began in Mixenden in May 2023. As part of the preparation phase, community engagement was carried out using a variety of methods and approaches to connect with local organisations and residents. This involved delivering workshops to residents and community assets, attending existing events and sessions hosted by organisations in Mixenden, conducting surveys, and walking around the area.

Mixenden was a throng of excitement on Saturday, 21st September, as hundreds of residents came together to celebrate the grand opening of two brand new community spaces: Sunny Bank Playground and the Urban Park. Dubbed "Mixenden Party in the Parks," this action-packed activation event marked a major milestone for the area, with local partners pulling out all the stops to deliver a fun-filled day of activities for everyone.

Ever since Emma Carter, Active Calderdale’s Community Project Manager, began working in Cornholme and Portsmouth in May 2023, the local buzz was all about one thing—a community event to bring everyone together. Fast forward to March 2024, and the village’s dream of a large-scale event began to take shape with the help of local Active Champions Rebecca Slaven and Natasha Lancaster.

Noah’s Ark was established in 2000 to serve the locality of Ovenden, expanding over recent years to cover the whole of Calderdale. It offers counselling and money advice services and was built by the community, for the community, to improve users’ mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing.

Invictus Wellbeing is a charity providing wellbeing and mental health support to children and young people in Calderdale, Bradford, and Kirklees.

They provide one-to-one and group interventions to young people who are referred to the service by external agencies or via self-referral. These interventions help young people to work through their issues in a safe and supportive environment, promoting positive change and developing coping strategies.