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2025 Winter Celebration In the heart of Sowerby Bridge, St Paul’s Methodist Church stands as a welcoming community hub where people gather, connect and support one another. On Thursday, 11 December, its main hall became the festive and vibrant setting for the first We’re All Active Calderdale Winter Celebration for Sowerby and Sowerby Bridge. The event brought together over fifty people, including representatives from community groups, clubs, volunteer organisations and resid

What began as a simple request for funding quickly became something far more impactful for Ferney Lee Primary School and Nursery. An initial enquiry about cycle helmets opened the door to a wider conversation about the school’s enthusiasm for cycling and its commitment to helping every child learn to ride. That conversation revealed a set of well-loved balance bikes in daily use, a passionate team of staff, and a clear ambition to build pupils’ confidence from an early age. S

Winter Celebration 2025 On a dark, wet, and wintry December afternoon in Cornholme, Vale Baptist Church offered a welcome contrast, glowing with light, warmth, and conversation. Around forty people came together to reflect on and celebrate the positive changes taking shape locally at the first We’re All Active Calderdale Winter Celebration. Despite the cold outside, the atmosphere inside was upbeat and energising. The event marked a moment to pause, look back on what has been

Name: Sam, Active Travel Coordinator at North Halifax Partnership (NHP) Training: Active Calderdale Walk Leader Training (Free!) First Walk: 5 participants – a dad, his son, a friend, and two colleagues Goal: Make walking more accessible, social, and meaningful in Halifax communities Living and working in Halifax, Sam knew how many barriers people face when it comes to being active. However, through his role as Active Travel Coordinator at North Halifax Partnership (NHP),

CalderGold Health & Fitness was born from lived experience, deep community roots, and a belief that everyone deserves to feel strong, supported, and confident at every stage of life. Founded by health coach Robert McDonald, CalderGold represents more than 15 years of experience in the health and fitness industry, combined with a lifelong connection to the Calderdale communities of Greetland, Barkisland, Holywell Green, Stainland, and the surrounding villages. Robert’s guiding

Children learn an enormous amount during their time at school, with the foundations laid in Early Years education. This formative stage is when cognitive and motor skills develop most rapidly, shaping children’s future learning and overall development. Central to this are fundamental movement skills such as balancing, coordinating, throwing, catching, running, jumping, turning, and anticipating movement within a dynamic environment. Simply put, children need the physical conf

Founded in 2021, Todmorden Makery is a member and volunteer-run workshop built on a simple idea: repairing and making things is good for the planet and good for people. In just a few years, it has grown into a thriving community space with over 700 registered users, many of whom started as visitors and stayed on as active members or volunteers. The Makery is shaped by the ideas and feedback of the people who use it. Its focus is on practical skills, shared learning and commu

Resident A I live in Rastrick and I’m currently living on my own after coming out of a long, controlling marriage. That experience left me isolated from my family and friends, and rebuilding my confidence has been incredibly challenging. Both my therapist and counsellor encouraged me to start getting out more and to be around people again, but taking those first steps felt overwhelming. The Parish Centre at St Matthew’s has played a major part in helping me move forward. It h

I’m Maisy, I’m 18, and I’m from North Halifax. I first heard about the Beechwood Youth Bash on North Halifax Partnership's Facebook page and noticed they were running a free pop-up skatepark. I’d always been interested in skating and wanted to learn, so I decided to go along to one of the Wednesday evening sessions, without really knowing what to expect. I ended up having an amazing time. Hardy, the skatepark coach from Skate It Yourself, was brilliant. He showed me the basi

I’m Ben, I’m 19, and I live in Mixenden. Before the new basketball court was built at Mixenden Urban Park, the old one was basically unusable. The surface was uneven and covered in loose, broken rocks, and the hoops were bent, distorted, and missing nets. Basketball has always been a passion of mine, but this was the only court anywhere near me. Because of how bad it was, I could only spend an hour or so a week practising, and even then, it was hard to get anything out of it.

North Halifax Partnership (NHP) is a community-driven organisation dedicated to improving wellbeing and public services across North Halifax. One of the ways NHP brings people together is through inclusive, family-friendly events held in local parks, many of which have been enhanced through the Active Parks fund. These improvements are already making a difference, creating safer, more welcoming spaces for residents to enjoy and increasing park usage throughout the year. Belo

At Pennine GP Alliance , a small idea is making a big difference to how staff move through their working day. General Practice Physical Activity Champion Hannah Davies spotted a couple of simple opportunities to get colleagues moving more: while waiting for the kettle to boil, and during the lunch break. Her goal? To make movement a normal part of office life, something everyone can do together, without it feeling like “exercise.” To kick things off, Hannah designed a poster

Pennine GP Alliance (PGPA) launched a new pilot project earlier this year to explore how conversations about physical activity can be made a routine part of GP consultations. To help make that happen, a tool called the General Practitioner Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ) was introduced to the Personalised Care team. It’s a simple, validated way to find out how active someone is and to spark a chat about what might help them move a little more.   The idea is to see wh

Halifax Panthers Foundation  are the official charity of the Halifax Panthers RLFC and is dedicated to fostering community unity, wellbeing and empowerment through sport, education and social initiatives in Calderdale. Actions taken and changes delivered With investment secured over 3 years through Active Calderdale, Halifax Panthers Foundation will be developing and expanding inclusive Rugby League opportunities through their  L earning D isability S uper L eague (LDSL),   P

Calderdale’s parks and green spaces are some of our greatest assets, places where people come together to relax, play, celebrate, and get active. The more our parks are used, the safer and more welcoming they become for everyone. That’s why Calderdale Council has been working to make it easier for local groups, charities, and organisations to host events and activities in our parks and green spaces. Breaking down barriers In the past, one of the biggest barriers to organisin

In 2024, Cargodale , a cargo bike delivery service operating across the Calder Valley, received funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority  to establish a community active travel hub. By April 2025, this vision came to life with the launch of Todmorden Stroll and Roll . Encouraging Active Travel in Todmorden Stroll and Roll was created to promote walking and cycling across the Calder Valley, with a particular focus on Todmorden, where the hub is based. The initiative

The North Halifax Partnership continues to champion community wellbeing through meaningful engagement and events. One recent success story is the transformation of community space in Mixenden, where the newly built Mixenden Urban Park  has become a vital hub for local connection and celebration. Previously, the Dodgeholme Tenants and Residents Group had no suitable outdoor space for their events, often resorting to hosting them on the street or on overgrown land by the river.

Noah's Ark is a grant-funded charity whose work includes counselling sessions for 5-15-year-olds. As a frontline service with direct contact with young people and schools, they were identified as an 'Active Partner' to help young people in crisis to find improved mental wellbeing through being physically active. A workshop with 12 practitioners helped identify opportunities for “active conversations” during counselling. Together, they compiled 16 practical suggestions for i

Back in September, 10-year-old Isaac won several medals whilst representing Team GB at the Special Olympics North West Swimming Gala in Blackpool. Since joining the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) swimming lesson programme at Sowerby Bridge Pool, Isaac has flourished into a strong swimmer and was able to start training as a Team GB athlete at a competitive swimming club. Isaac came away with a Gold, Silver, 4th place and a super speeding ticket where he took

Since spring 2023, there’s been plenty of talk about creating a community garden in the heart of Cornholme. After identifying the green space next to Vale Baptist Church as the perfect spot, Active Calderdale worked with landowners Todmorden Town Council to draw up plans that included wheelchair-accessible raised beds, community vegetable growing, improved paths, and better seating. With funding approved in May 2024, Todmorden Town Council developed the space and supported t