Local Democracy Week is an annual celebration of the difference that citizens are making in local places across Kirklees. It’s a way of helping people to get involved in their community, learn about democracy and have a voice in the decisions that really matter for our everyday lives. There are activities and events throughout October, including opportunities to share your story and to say how you feel about getting involved in your community.
How do you feel about life in Newsome? The Newsome Centre and our local councillors want to find out what really matters to us all in Newsome. Please take part in Newsome Voices from 20th May to 20th June 2023 to share your experiences and ideas. It’s an opportunity to say what you hope Newsome will be like in the future and to be part of creating a plan for our area, based on what really matters to local people.
You can take part online or look out for the team of local volunteers, councillors and council staff who will be out and about at local events.
We’re an Art Group and a diverse bunch of friends. We welcome all, from complete beginners and hobby painters to experienced artists. Although we don’t provide any structured tuition, there’s always someone to help and advise. We generally meet every second Tuesday at Hall Bower Chapel in Newsome. It’s free to join and everyone is welcome.
If you’d like to find out more, simply come along to the next meeting. We hope to see you soon.
Fortnightly art club on a Tuesday morning for new and experienced artists – all welcome.
Tuesdays 10th March, 24th March, 7th April, 21st April, 5th May, 19th May, 2nd June and 16th June 2020 from 10am at Hall Bower Sunday School, High Lane, Huddersfield HD4 6RL.
16th June is the last of the season. Re-starting after summer, on 8th September 2020.
Volunteers‘ Week is a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. It takes place in the first week of June every year and is an opportunity to celebrate volunteering in all its diversity.
Here are a few ideas for how you can volunteer locally this June
Growing Newsome are looking for more volunteers to join in at their friendly Community Allotment. Could you help for an hour or two each week with digging, weeding or sitting down sowing seeds? Or can you help out with a one-off task such as driving to fetch some compost?
Berry Brow Carnival rely on volunteers to help get ready for the carnival, look after people on the day and tidy up afterwards. Could you help by baking a cake or doing some stewarding?
River Holme Connections are busy mapping the river’s catchment area, to help with nature conservation. Could you help to survey birds, invasive plants and water features along the river? Continue reading “Volunteers’ Week 2019”
A major conservation project to map the River Holme catchment has begun – and volunteers can get involved in helping to survey the river.
River Holme Connections have appointed Ryan Lloyd, a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) student at Sheffield Hallam University, to map the River Holme. The student placement is expected to last until September 2019. It will involve Ryan using his mapping skills to build a clear picture of the River Holme catchment and the plants and animals that inhabit the river. This will help with future conservation projects.
Simon Hirst, River Holme Connections River Steward, says: “This project will transform the work we do at River Holme Connections. It will pinpoint native animals and plants, as well as identifying outfall pipes and barriers to fish migration. It will also identify the exact location of invasive species and allow us to target our conservation work more accurately and effectively.”
Ryan already has a great deal of work experience to his name, having worked for the RSPB as an assistant warden and project officer. He now lives in Meltham and is looking forward to giving something back to his local community. Ryan says: “I believe learning more about how the wildlife and people interact within this key habitat is an important part of managing the river network. I’m looking forward to working with our volunteers on this exciting project.”
Ryan is looking for volunteers to help him map the River Holme. Anyone who is interested in taking part in the project should email Ryan on GIS@riverholmeconnections.org or call 01484 661756.
Ryan’s appointment is part of the charity’s Our Holme project. Funded by Cummins Foundation, Our Holme aims to educate local communities about the river environment and the role we can all play in keeping our rivers healthy.
Are you interested in becoming a Reading Friend for a local school? Hillside Primary School, Newsome Junior School and Berry Brow Infants School are looking for new Reading Friends.
Reading Friends is a paired reading project which involves adult volunteers giving up an hour of their time per week to read with pupils in Kirklees schools. During the hour, volunteers will support two pupils for the duration of a term (on average, 8 to 10 weeks).
Training is available, which generally takes place across 4 weeks (one morning per week). Volunteers will also be given advice about how to complete safeguarding courses online.
The training is free to participants who are aged 19+ and who are not employed by the school.This includes parents, relatives and community members.
If you’re interested in putting your name on the list for training please contact Helen Scally at Castle Community Hub:
Email: castlecommunityhub@kirkleeseducation.uk or call 07578 044989.
The training will go ahead if 10 people volunteer.
Volunteers from Newsome Ward Community Forum have been busy clearing ground at Hey Green so that we can plant some more trees.
Hey Green is a community orchard and nature site in Lowerhouses. Join us on Saturday 23rd March 2019 from 10am to 12 noon to help plant 90 Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Dog Rose tree saplings that have been provided by the Woodland Trust. Meet by the steps at the entrance to Hey Green (on Lowerhouses Lane, about opposite the nursery) or by the plaque just above. We are also looking for volunteers to plant wildflower seeds from Grow Wild.
Let’s get together to help voters!
Thursday 4th April 2019 from 6pm to 9pm at The Media Centre, 7 Northumberland Street, Huddersfield HD1 1RL
Want to do something practical to improve our local democracy? Join Democracy Club’s volunteers to help gather and publish better information about who you can vote for, ahead of the 2019 local elections in England and Northern Ireland.
We all need to know who we can vote for. But it’s not always easy to find out about your candidates.
At this event, we’ll be taking candidate lists that councils publish and turning this information into useful data that anyone can use.
The information that we gather during the event will then be available to voters via a website called Who Can I Vote For? and via many other websites and apps.
You don’t need any technical knowledge or experience to take part, just a laptop.
Drinks and snacks provided. Drop in at any time.
Little ditty by Fred Raine:
The Hall Bower Art Group was formed some years ago
To provide a place for local people to go
To share the joy of painting
A joy we hope never ends
But what is more important
It allows us to make friends
The Art Group runs every two weeks until 18th June 2019 when it finishes for the summer break. People are welcome to come along, enjoy painting, and meet like minded people.
Venue: Hall Bower Sunday School, High Lane, Newsome
Newsome Grapevine 