A community has reclaimed a recreation ground once blighted by vandals and turned it back into a hub for community events.
Cliff Rec in Holmfirth has traditionally been used for large celebratory bonfires for major national occasions and it’s now back in community use.
The next event there will be a carol concert this Sunday, December 15, from 3pm featuring music from HD9 Brass along with refreshments and hot drinks from the 1st Holme Valley Scouts. Father Christmas will be in the shelter with presents for young visitors.
It has been organised by The Friends of Cliff Rec set up in 2010 to save the 100-year-old arched stone shelter on the Rec which is on Cliff Road, Holmfirth, HD9 1UY.
Mary Blacka from the Friends said: “There was, at the time, a proposal to demolish the shelter because of anti-social behaviour.
“Our local history research has shown us that this was nothing new. Ever since the rec was formed early last century its semi-isolated position at the edge of Holmfirth has made it the focus for vandalism and bad behaviour.”
One quirky part of its history is that a captured World War One artillery gun was placed on the Rec in 1921 but was removed during World War Two to be melted down and re-used for armaments.
Two Friends’ members, Deborah Wyles and Vivien Aizlewood, did a lot of local history research on the Rec and the surrounding area with the results published in an 80 page booklet called It’s Always Windy Up There in 2014. The last few copies of the booklet are on sale at Read bookshop on Huddersfield Road in Holmfirth.
The Friends encourage local people to feel a sense of pride and ownership of the rec by organising events to commemorate royal and national occasions.
These have included the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, King Charles’ Coronation and the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June.
Cliff Rec has been the scene of many bonfire celebrations over the years, starting with a massive bonfire in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, followed by bonfires for King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902 and King George V’s in 1911.
In 1919 four hours of sports and entertainment were held to mark peace celebrations after the end of World War One the year before.
It featured comedians, conjuring, dance displays and Hade Edge Band with 600 entrants for the sports events. The bonfire was lit at 11pm and spectators could see another 19 bonfires on the horizon.
Celebrations in Holmfirth to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V in May 1935 culminated in an evening of events attended by around 4,000 people on Cliff Rec, including community singing and the King’s Speech played over the public address system thanks to the expertise of Mr H G Heaton, a local electrical goods dealer.
The day finished with a bonfire and spectacular fireworks display funded to the tune of £20 by Holmfirth Jubilee Committee.
Joe Hirst and family threshing corn at Cliff End
There was a bonfire at Cliff Rec for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 but rain forced last minute changes with the entertainment switched to the Drill Hall and fireworks set off in Victoria Park.
Only the bonfire remained at Cliff, probably because at 30ft high it was far too big to shift at the last minute and included 50 gallons of oil and 30 gallons of tar.
In 1953 the scouts were building a bonfire at Cliff to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II but bad weather swept through the whole country on the day and most bonfire and firework displays had to be postponed.
For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 there was a beacon at Cliff, one of the official Jubilee beacons throughout the land. Hade Edge band played and about 200 people attended.
Cliff Rec has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/569778773219926
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.
Main image by: Philip Hack.
