THEY were destined for the scrapheap.
But five old pianos have been given a new lease of life – and a starring role in Holmfirth Arts Festival.
The pianos have been given a lick of paint and placed in strategic locations all over Holmfirth for people to play.
And festival organisers hope that members of the public will be tempted to join in on the old joannas.
The Holmfirth Street Pianos project is one of the early highlights of the Arts Festival, which kicks off officially tomorrow and runs through to June 26.
Several musicians and choirs have already pledged to take part in the street music event and many more are expected to have a go.
Festival spokesman Jonathan Best said: “We have been given the old pianos by local people and we have given them a new lease of life.
“It is a project we have set up with the Fair Traders Co-operative and we hope they will provide a lot of entertainment over the next two weeks.
“It is very much a project aimed at everyone. There will be choirs and musicians and piano teachers, but hopefully anyone who is in Holmfirth may fancy joining in”.
The pianos have been sited outside Sid’s Cafe, in Norridge Bottom, in Holmfirth Methodist Church garden, in Victoria Park and at the Fair Traders Co-operative.
They have been decorated in different themes – including a Brazilian coffee farm and a banana plantation.
Sophie Bebb, of the Fair Traders Co-operative, said: “We have had a lot of volunteers working to decorate the pianos.
“This is an exciting project and I hope a lot of people will have a lot of fun with them.
“Hopefully there are a lot of budding musicians out there.”
