Textile and Industrial Heritage - Garforth Colliery Barge

Just returned from Hartlepool, where the Tall Ships have been docked over the weekend. A really impressive sight and a great opportunity to catch up with friends who've also left the town. This photograph, though not too good, is included for health and safety issues

Another tenuous link - Leeds may not have the sea but in the past sails may have been seen in the area. Today's offering is Garforth Colliery Barge.

Sir Thomas Gascoigne planned a canal to Tadcaster, to ease transport from his colliery, and even acquired an Act in 1774. Realising that such a navigation would open the Wharfedale market to competing collieries, Sir Thomas abandoned the plan. Presumably, this is an illustration from his scheme of 1774.

The embroidery was hand stitched on printed fabric by Joyce Maynard.

Community Spirit - Youth at Risk

The logo was hand stitched by Joyce Maynard (5 hours)

The two boys above were hand stitched and appliqued by Hilary Thurlow and the group below were hand stitched on printed fabric by Myra Turner (13 hours).

Youth at Risk is another community programme to help young people, quoting from their website

Youth at Risk is a charity dedicated to young people whose reality has become
crime, exclusion from school, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse and
other self-harm. We support them.We encourage them to choose to get back
on track and give up the habits which are holding them back.

Beyond hope’, ‘no future’ – these are phrases we don’t entertain. We believe,
passionately, that our approach, which is sometimes challenging, will prevent
them from exclusion from school, being benefit-dependent, imprisonment,
alcohol/drug abuse and suicide. There are no “ready-made” solutions. Each
and every young person who comes to us is different. We deal with them
individually. Some are already hardened, others are on their way to being
so.

We respect them. We help them find out what makes them tick, and why they ‘tick’
the way they do.

Textile and Industrial Heritage - Holbeck Bonfire

I've been sorting through 'stuff' and came across a book called "Swaps" printed by Yorkshire Art Circus, a publisher working to increase access to and for local communities.

Included is an article about Holbeck Bonfire and Carnival. Apparently this event was organised to celebrate the end of the Great War in 1918 and the first Bonfire was officially lit by the Lord Mayor Joseph Henry, a man locally known as 'The Uncrowned King of Holbeck'. The event was also a fundraiser for the local Nurses Home and in the first year £90 was raised.

The event was obviously held regularly for some years, the author mentions Amy Johnson lighting the fire one year and at another the bonfire was made up of over 100 pianos donated by local businesses.

There's no indication in the book about what time of year this event took place and neither is there any reference to when, or if, the event ceased. I can't find any reference to it on the internet either, is it still going, has it changed its name? Has anyone out there any more information about it?

Hand stitched on printed fabric by Joyce Maynard (20 hours).