The annual Methodist chapel sponsored walk starts at 1.00pm on Sat 13th May from St Thomas’ Church, as the chapel is closed for refurbishment.
It is about 10 miles with a stop for crisps and orange juice at half- way and the chance of a ride back if it has got too much. We also finish at St Thomas’ where there will be the usual “Sunday School” tea. It will probably take about 4 hours.
The new Friends of Heptonstall Chapel and Sunday School has received a grant of £3,000 towards a feasibility study of conversion of the Sunday School from Calderdale Council, plus a further £1,000 from Heptonstall Parish Council.
Although this is not sufficient for a full feasibility study, it is a very good starting point towards the kind of level of detail that would be required for a large Heritage Lottery Grant application. A full study would cost about £6,000, and the group is looking at additional sources of funding.
The Friends group will be spending part of this money on financial projections for a holiday let on the lower floor and public hall upstairs in the Sunday School, and on architect’s sketches for creating this with disabled access to both floors. When these are available they will be made public for comment.
The Friends group is also looking at ways of forging stronger links between the Chapel and community. To this end, with the Church Council’s support, three local textile artists will display their work as part of the Hebden Bridge Open Studios event in July.If the Chapel renovations are not completed by then, they will use the Sunday School.
The group is also hoping to organise a Gala production of an unusual version of Handel’s Messiah to be performed in the Chapel in Spring 2018. This will incorporate Easter sections of the piece not often performed and use young local soloists for a brighter sound than the traditional Christmas version.
The Parish Council planning meeting tonight (Wednesday 15 June) will begin as planned outside Stone Slack, near Drapers Corner, at 7.30pm but will move to Green Slack house, just behind Drapers Corner, if a longer discussion is needed.
The first item on the agenda is plans for two houses to be built on the empty land near Stone Slack. The meeting will continue with discussion about changes to the Heptonstall Methodist Chapel as detailed below. Members of the public may attend.
The nights may be drawing in but there’s plenty of fun events happening in the next couple of months, all listed on our Events page. A few highlights include:
A beer and cider festival at the White Lion on the weekend of 2 – 4 October, with an apple pie competition on the Sunday.
A service of blessing for pets at St Thomas’ Church on Sunday 4 October, followed by a peal of bells.
A concert at St Thomas’ by Hebden Bridge Brass Band on Saturday 17 October.
And then the village gears up for a busy season of Hallowe’en events at the Bowling Club, Christmas fairs at both church and chapel, and much more.
Get in the festive spirit with a Christmas fair at the Methodist chapel on Saturday, November 15. Pie and pea lunches from 12.30pm, children’s games, stalls etc.
The Methodist Church is preparing for its 250th anniversary celebrations and all are welcome. Ellane Male Voice Choir will sing on Saturday, 11 October, at 7.30pm, and the President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Kenneth Howcroft, will lead a circuit service on Sun, 12 October, at 3pm
More dates for your diary include:
Wed, Oct 15, 2pm, Ladies Evening, speaker Mrs Linda Powell. Gifts for stall begin with letter N.
Sun, Nov 9, 9.15am, at St Thomas’, Village Remembrance Service.
Wed, Nov 12, 2pm, Ladies Evening, speaker Revd Christine Perry. Gifts for stall begin with letter O.
Sat, Nov 15, 11am, in the Methodist Sunday School. Christmas Fair. Lunches from 12 noon. Stalls, games etc.
Early Dec, Ladies Evening Christmas Party, date and time tbc.
Sun, Dec 21, 10.45am, Nativity Service at Methodist Church. Children needed. Details later.
Sun, Dec 21, 6.30pm, Village carol service at the Methodist Church.
Thurs, Dec 25, 9.15am, at St Thomas’. Joint village Christmas Day service.
The Sunday School Anniversary service will be held on Sunday, June 15, at 10.45am. The service will be led by well-known local preacher (and much-loved former pantomime dame) Roger Munday. There will be items by the children and all are welcome.
http://heptonstallchapel.weebly.com/events-and-services.html
Your chance to experience this amazing chamber choir from the Royal Northern College of Music as they perform original music from local Heptonstall composer Katie Chatburn, alongside works by Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, Stanford, Monteverdi, Gesualdo and more..
The Alchemy consort is a close harmony octet which was originally formed to perform in a series of Spotlight concerts at the Royal Northern College of Music. In those early performances they showcased a selection of madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi and Carlo Gesualdo. The group consists of mainly RNCM third year undergraduate vocal students but has recently expanded with members from various years. Since their début in the Autumn 2012 their list of repertoire has expanded to include not only Madrigals or Renaissance choral works but any work for choir or vocal ensemble spanning from the Medieval to the contemporary. They have recently explored the world of Romantic English choral music as well as experimenting with arrangements by modern groups such as the King’s Singers and the Swingle Singers. Having performed many times at RNCM and taken part in the 40th anniversary ‘RNCM in the City’ concert series with a successful concert at St Ann’s, Deansgate they went on to make their Bridgewater Hall debut in a lunchtime concert. They sang an eclectic programme ranging from their signature Monteverdi madrigals, through Mozart, Elgar and American Spirituals all the way to contemporary pop song arrangements. Most recently they premièred David Liggins’ “My heart is like a singing bird” at Didsbury’s Emanuel Church as well as receiving a master-class from The King Singers’ Alastair Hume.
Tickets cost only £5 and are available from the Heptonstall Post Office and on the door. Money raised will be donated to both the Heptonstall Methodist Church and Heptonstall Festival.
The Alchemy Consort Live at the Methodist Chapel
The annual ten-mile sponsored walk and tea starts today (Saturday) at the Heptonstall Methodist Chapel at 1pm.
Lifts are available at the half-way mark for those who feel five miles is enough! The walk is followed by a traditional tea in the Sunday School. Everyone is welcome.
A new exhibition celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Heptonstall Methodist chapel is now on show in the chapel off Northgate, which is open every day.
It includes Victorian photographs of the chapel and its celebrations, as well as pictures from the many popular pantomimes held in the Sunday School until the 1990s.
A new website featuring more pictures and videos has also been launched as part of the celebrations. If you have more pictures or memories you would like to contribute, please get in touch through the website.
This weekend is a busy one in Heptonstall. On Saturday, Christmas trees will be on sale in Weavers’ Square from 3pm, with all proceeds to the Heptonstall Lights and Planting Group.
Hebden Bridge Brass Band will play from 5.30pm for the switch-on of the Christmas tree lights. At 6pm they will move into the White Lion, where pie and peas will be served.
On Sunday, Heptonstall School’s Christmas fair runs from 2pm to 4pm in the school hall, with attractions including Santa’s grotto, games for the children, face painting and many other stalls.
Further ahead, Christmas events include:
Sunday, 15 December, 3pm, Christingle Service at St Thomas’.
Sunday, 15 December, time tbc, a concert of Klezmer music at the White Lion.
Sunday, 22 December, 10.45am, Nativity Service in the Methodist Chapel. Children from the village and school are invited to take part in this enjoyable event. We also need a baby to play Jesus – contact Margaret Coupe on 01422 842550 if you want to put your baby on the road to stardom.
Sunday 22 December 6.30pm, Village Carol Service at St Thomas.
Wednesday, 25 December, 9.30am, Joint Christmas Day Service at the Methodist Chapel.
Mr Jones had recently become the father of triplets. The minister stopped him in the street to congratulate him.
“Well Mr Jones,” he said, “I hear the Lord has smiled on you.”
“Smiled on me!” repeated Mr Jones, “He laughed out loud.”
……………………………………..
Harassed woman to very deaf husband: “Oh I do wish you would wear your hearing aid!”
“But I do lass,” he replied, “I wear it many a time when I’m by myself.”
……………………………………..
And now to the news items:
Thanks for things past: the sponsored walk and tea in May raised £1,480, and the Sunday School Anniversary in June, led by Mrs Susan Watson and her puppets, raised £975. A coffee morning at the home of Mrs Jessie Breeze raised £150, of which half went to the Forget-me-not Trust, the rest being used for chapel funds. Many thanks to everyone who supported these events.
Looking ahead: The new Methodist minister, Mrs Christine Perry, will be leading the Chapel Anniversary and Gift Day on Sunday, 13 October, at 10.45am.
On Monday, 14 October, at 2.30pm, there will be a Ladies’ Evening in the Sunday School, with speaker Leah Coneron on her visit to China. Gifts for the stall should begin with E or F.
Sunday 10 November will be the Village Rememberance Service at the Methodist Chapel with superintendent minister Rev Alistair Newton.
Monday, 12 November, 2.30pm, Ladies Evening in the Sunday School. Gifts for the stall should being with G.
Saturday, 23 November, 11.30pm. Kick off the Christmas fun at the Fair in the Sunday School, many things for children, various stalls, lunch served from 12.30pm.
Sunday, 15 December, 3pm, Christingle Service at St Thomas’.
Sunday, 22 December, 10.45am, Nativity Service in the Methodist Chapel. Children from the village and school are invited to take part in this enjoyable event. We also need a baby to play Jesus – contact Margaret Coupe on 01422 842550 if you want to put your baby on the road to stardom.
Sunday 22 December 6.30pm, Village Carol Service at St Thomas.
Wednesday, 25 December, 9.30am, Joint Christmas Day Service at the Methodist Chapel.
Sunday, 5 January, 10.45am, Covenant Service at the Methodist Chapel.
Looking even further ahead: It is the chapel’s 250th birthday next year and we are hoping to have a number of events to celebrate this.
A Sunday School anniversary service will be held in the Methodist Octagonal Chapel on Sunday at 10.45am.
Below, Fay Fielding shares her memories and photographs of previous services, which were traditionally a big event in the chapel year. Check out our current parish clerk Roger Greenwood, third from the left on the back row of the Christmas play! What a set of darlings!
More videos about the Chapel heritage will follow in preparation for their 250th anniversary next year.
fay fielding methodist from Amy Binns on Vimeo.
If you want to prepare your baby for stardom, a leading role is available in the Heptonstall Methodists’ traditional nativity service.
A baby is needed to play the part of Baby Jesus on Sunday 23 December at 10.45am. Willing candidates can be held by Mary or can chill out in their car seat next to the manger, depending on the parents’ preference.
Any other children who would like to join in as angels, shepherds etc are very welcome to attend.
Rehearsals are being held at 10am on Saturday 15 December and Saturday 22 December at the Octagonal Chapel. Anyone interested can contact Margaret on 01422 842550 or just turn up to a rehearsal.
The Rev Tony Buglass has kindly forwarded a copy of the latest Methodist Church Newsletter, which can be seen here.
The Rev Tony Buglass has kindly forwarded a copy of the latest Methodist Church Newsletter, which can be seen here.
Sunday at 10.45am -Village Remembrance Service at Methodist Church.
Monday 14th. November at 8pm – Ladies Evening in the Sunday school – speaker Roger Benn on travel and holidays.
Saturday 19th. November – Christmas Fayre in the Sunday School 11am with lunch served from 1pm. A slight change from the bazaar with more things for children but still some traditional stalls. Note new time.
Sunday 18th December at 10.45am – Nativity Service in the Methodist Church. Children from the village and the school are warmly invited to take part in this enjoyable event.
Sunday 18th December at 6.30pm – Village Carol Service in St Thomas` followed by tea or coffee and mince pies.
Sunday 25th December at 9 30am – Village Christmas Day Service at the Methodist Church.
Sunday 1st January 2012 at 10.45am – Annual Covenant Service at the Methodist Church.
Heptonstall Parish Website 