For many of us 2016 has felt like a roller coaster of news, politics, celebrity deaths and upheaval.
But what has the year meant for Huddersfield? We’ve looked back over the last 12 months and pinpointed 10 defining moments that shaped 2016 in our town.
From life-changing moments - like the birth of the Hands Off HRI campaign, and the shocking, tragic death of Jo Cox - to the overnight celebrity status of Felix the Huddersfield Station Cat, the arrival of the controversial town centre bus gates to massive changes to Huddersfield’s landscape, it’s been an eventful year.
Here are ten moments from 2016 - from the dramatic to the daft - that we’ll always remember.
1. Proposal to close Huddersfield A&E announced - and Hands Off HRI campaign born
It has been arguably the biggest issue of 2016 for Huddersfield - the proposals that threatened the future of the A&E at Huddersfield General Infirmary (HRI) and even the hospital itself.
On January 19, Barry Sheerman told the Examiner he had seen documents detailing plans to shut down HRI’s A&E and move everything to Calderdale Royal Hospital - and thus began months of meetings, petition-signing, consultation, protests, marches and a fight to save Huddersfield’s A&E - and save lives.
While in October the Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale CGGs unanimously approved the Right Care Right Time Right Place plans, the fight is not over - Hands Off HRI are gearing up for a legal challenge, and health chiefs have to flesh out the proposals and address concerns raised. The future of Huddersfield’s A&E is sure to dominate the headlines in 2017 too.
2. Jo Cox murdered
The shocking, brutal attack on Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox devastated people across Kirklees and around the world. The mother-of-two was stabbed and shot by Thomas Mair, who was jailed for life following a trial in November.
Jo, who was just 41 when she was killed, was described as a ‘great star’ by then Prime Minister David Cameron, and thousands lined the streets of Heckmondwike and Batley to pay their respects as her funeral cortege passed in July.
On the day of Mair’s sentencing, Jo’s widower, Brendan Cox, said: “We hope the country will take something from this. That Jo’s death will have meaning. That those in politics, the media or in our own communities who seek to divide us will face the unassailable wall of British tolerance and the articulation of Jo’s belief - that we hold more in common than that which divides us.”
Rest in peace Jo Cox.
3. Huddersfield Sports Centre demolished
A Huddersfield landmark was reduced to rubble this year.
Huddersfield Sports Centre, opened by Princess Anne in 1973 - was demolished by South Yorkshire-based firm Demex following the opening of the new Huddersfield Leisure Centre in May 2015.
And it wasn’t just the sports centre that was torn down - the Lonsbrough and Ibbotson tower blocks, named after Olympic swimmer Anita Lonsbrough and top athlete Derek Ibbotson, were also torn down as part of the same site clearing project.
4. Bus gates go live in Huddersfield town centre
February saw the introduction of the bus gates in Huddersfield town centre - and £60 fines dished out to motorists who broke the rules.
Bus gates are now active from 8am to 6pm around Westgate, Kirkgate, Market Street and Railway Street, and 10am-4pm on High Street, near Huddersfield Town Hall.
But furious campaigners from Huddersfield Town Centre Action Group are blaming the gates for a 22 per cent drop in the number of shoppers in the town centre compared to 2015 - and are petitioning Kirklees Council to scrap the bus gates.
Meanwhile, the council has reaped around £442,000 in penalties since the bus gates fines began - meaning roughly 15,000 motorists have been caught by the cameras.
5. Felix the Huddersfield Station Cat takes the world by storm
It all began with the news that Felix had been given a purr-motion to the role of Senior Pest Controller.
Now an oil painting of the beloved moggie hangs proudly in Huddersfield’s train station, there’s a book deal and she’s even been featured on CBeebies.
The launch of her 2017 calendar broke the internet, crashing the order page, and her Facebook fans (all 99,000 plus of them) come from around the globe.
Our April Fool’s joke about the famous feline being taken to Leeds Rail Station caused uproar - never fear, Felix is now a Huddersfield institution!
6. Kirklees votes to leave the EU
The start of the summer was dominated by EU referendum debate across the UK, with remain and leave campaigners battling to secure votes and pundits predicting what life outside the European Union could be like.
On June 23 Kirklees went to the polls - and by 5am on June 24 it had been announced that 55 per cent of Kirklees voters had chosen to leave the EU.
Local politicians expressed their shock, and in a room full of councillors and campaigners only a small group of UKIP supporters raised a cheer as the result was announced.
It was later revealed that more than 80 people in Kirklees had tried to vote for BOTH leave and remain in the referendum - a further 95 left their ballot papers unmarked.
7. HD1 and Kingsgate plans to transform town centre
While 2016 saw the old Sports Centre demolished, it also ramped up the excitement surrounding two new developments for Huddersfield town centre.
The HD One leisure scheme, including a ski slope, bars, restaurants, a Radisson hotel and Hollywood Bowl, hopes to transform the area around the John Smith’s Stadium, with an aim to begin the two year construction phase in 2017. Restaurant chains Nando’s, Five Guys and Zizzi are set to open at the multi-million pound complex.
Meanwhile a £100m extension of the Kingsgate centre has been given the green light - and could be completed by Christmas 2019, with a new entrance on Cross Church Street, a multi-screen cinema, restaurants and leisure facilities in the plans.
8. Fire breaks out at former Hunter Group tip in Lockwood
Tonnes of rubbish left to fester at a site on Queens Mill Road in Lockwood set ablaze in August, causing weeks of agony for local residents plagued by a constant stream of smoke, air pollution and the stench of burning rubbish.
Credits must be given to our fire fighters, who spent days at the site watching the blaze and keeping it from damaging nearby buildings.
Kirklees Council have lodged an injunction hearing against former waste disposal group Hunter Group, and when owner Sam Hunter turned up to Huddersfield County Court, our reporter was greeted with a two-finger gesture when asking him if he was prepared to foot the clean up bill.
9. Harold Wilson turned 100
March 11 would have been the 100th birthday of Huddersfield’s most famous son: Harold Wilson.
Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson was leader of the Labour party and led the country from 1964 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1976.
The University of Huddersfield led the celebrations, taking the Wilson family on a tour of Harold Wilson’s birthplace, the site of his old primary school, a memorial service at St Peter’s Church and to the University’s annual Harold Wilson lecture, which was delivered by Labour MP Alan Johnson.
10. Historic Newsome Mill demolished after suspicious fire
It's a building that's been as much a part of the Huddersfield landscape as the rolling hills and valleys, so when it went up in flames in November, there were strong reactions of horror, shock and devastation.
The Mill's main building had to be demolished following the huge blaze, which police are continuing to investigate as suspected arson. The iconic clock tower has remained standing, and a Facebook group called Save The Clock was set up to fight any plans for it to be bulldozed.
Kirklees remain in talks with the building's owners over the Mill's clock tower, while the future of the site and what will be done with it still unclear.
