This is it ... we have now reached the final category in our countdown to the Examiner Community Awards which is tonight.
Today we focus on the final three shortlisted for Community Event.
Over the last 13 editions of the Examiner you will have read about everyone who has reached the shortlist and will be attending the awards tonight, hosted by ITN newsreader Nina Hossain at the John Smith’s Stadium.
And find out who won in tomorrow’s Examiner.
CUMMINS Turbo Technologies is a global market leader in turbochargers, founded as Holset Engineering in Huddersfield in 1952.
We are proud to continue sponsoring The Examiner Community Awards to celebrate the contributions made by volunteers and recognise the change this can make to the lives of people who live in and around Huddersfield.
Cummins also encourages employees to support local communities in creating a better place to live for everybody by doing various volunteering jobs around Huddersfield.
Our aim this year is to provide over 2,600 hours of voluntary time to support our community partners such as Stirley Farm, Safe Anchor Trust, Denby Dale Parish Trust and Batley Girls School.
REGULARS at a Meltham pub were fed up of reading about successful events run in neighbouring villages.
Then one of them went on a 1940s weekend and came back to the Waggon and Horses to tell his friends about it.
“We could do that,” they thought.
Now, five years on, the Meltham Memories weekend has become the major event in the village’s annual calendar and all profits are donated to Help for Heroes.
It’s an unqualified success which last year attracted some 8,000 visitors from as far away as Kent, bringing a massive boost to local businesses. And this year’s event promises to be even bigger and better than ever.
The two people largely responsible for setting it up are chairman Steve Aldred and treasurer Pam Cox. Every year they and their dedicated committee devote countless hours to organise the most anticipated weekend of the year.
The event has not only put the village on the tourist map, it has brought the whole community together with grandparents, parents, toddlers and schoolchildren all taking an active part.
The 1940s festival transports Meltham back in time for two glorious days. Women with fur stoles, fully-fashioned stockings and vintage hair styles wander through the streets.
They are accompanied by men in World War Two uniforms and children from the village’s three schools dressed as evacuees.
Take a look at Meltham Memories 2012 here.
They watch the impressive cavalcade of military vehicles, which last year took over 30 minutes to pass and the military re-enactment on the school fields.
Tea dances, 1940s singers and bands in every pub, concerts, a dance orchestra, a vintage craft fair, afternoon tea, church services, displays of military vehicles and a Spitfire fly-by are just some of the attractions.
According to Pam Cox, the spirit of 1940s austerity and rationing has touched a chord with people and made them realise how lucky they are.
“Last year the event was massive,” she said. “The butcher ran out of meat and the fish and chip shop ran out of fish!
“We think this year will be even bigger. It’s amazing how friendly everyone is – it’s a lovely atmosphere.”
The sixth Meltham Memories weekend will be held from Friday July 5 to Sunday July 7.
THERE is one event which is going from strength to strength and breathing new life into the town where it is staged.
The annual Mirfield Agricultural Show now attracts between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors into Mirfield and is the highlight of the town’s calendar.
Although it draws in people from as far afield as Wales and the Midlands, it is the show’s impact on the people who live in the town which is its real legacy.
Three years ago the show committee shifted focus to appeal to families. A group of younger volunteers joined and got involved in the enormous organisational task.
The show has now grown into a massive event for Mirfield with hundreds of local people and schoolchildren taking part in the displays alongside traditional showing of animals and plants. Every year young and old turn out in rain or shine to see the best the town has to offer.
And one thing’s guaranteed – there’s something to please everyone.
Past attractions have included helicopter displays, the army parachute team, llama agility and cancan dancers on horseback.
This year the meerkats in the conservationist mini zoo will undoubtable be a crowd pleaser. Other events lined up include rabbit, poultry and floral sections which have now become interactive with hands-on experiences to appeal to younger visitors.
There will be Jersey cows and talks on milking, prize cattle and sheep, horses, puppet shows, Kirklees Youth Band, a soft play area and play beach, a big increase in artisan food stalls, bee-keeping demonstrations and birds of prey.
The community dog show is incredibly popular with 10 classes attracting over 500 entries. Last year, there were so many entries that the Best in Show class lasted for over an hour.
Organising committee member Richard Hartley said: “It’s a fantastic day out and all credit to the really strong team of organisers. We have got a lot of younger people involved and it is great as they keep coming up with new ideas
“This year we have expanded and the show promises to be bigger and better than ever. Our hope is that people come out, have a great day and leave with a smile on their face. If they do, all the hard work will have been worth it.”
This year the show will be held on Sunday, August 18.
THE Stadium Spectacular 2012 musical extravaganza was the biggest event of its kind ever to be held in Kirklees.
Thousands of enthusiastic schoolchildren came together at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium on Friday, June 29 to commemorate the double celebration of the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Stadium fever spread right throughout the district with the result that the evening musical performance attracted an impressive total of 12,000 spectators and participants of all ages and backgrounds.
The musical talent on display from 110 schools was impressive and the event combined three major annual music festivals – Kirklees Primary Music Festival, Kirklees Middle and Secondary Schools’ Showcase and Kirklees Music School Showcase.
Kirklees Music School principal Thom Meredith said: “KMS was delighted to be able to facilitate one of the biggest youth celebrations across the country.
“It was approached in the true spirit of partnership with schools, local musicians, sports organisations and KMS coming together to provide an amazing experience for the young people of Kirklees. With over 5,000 young people involved, this event really rocked the stadium.”
After excellent pre-concert performances from middle and high schools, the concert began with an Olympic-style opening ceremony.
A marching band of over 100 children accompanied representatives from each school carrying banners and flags they had designed.
More than 1,000 instrumentalists performed, the choir was 4,500 strong and a massed Hakka involved 600 dancers.
Host was Kirsten O’Brien and Michael Fish – from Britain’s Got Talent who is a former KMS pupil – also featured. Music was written for the concert by local composer Alan Simmons and secondary school pupils performed their own compositions.
Community groups including Hi Notes (led by Music and the Deaf) and the Sikh Youth Dhol Academy also showcased.
Adding to the mix, students from the Creative and Media Studio School in Rawthorpe designed posters, tickets, T-shirts and the programme.
Heather Wood, headteacher at Almondbury Junior School , added: “This was a fantastic opportunity for children to be involved in a truly memorable event.
“To be able to perform with so many children at such a large venue was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something they will remember for the rest of their lives”.
