I will be running OFFERS throughout the year, so follow my blog, like my Facebook Page, and save my website to your favourites by bookmarking me.  To start you off treat someone to a fabulous Mini Photo-shoot!

Don’t be shy, it’s fun! 8 days only at this brilliant price! See you soon. Ring 07733691615 to  book and have your prints in time for Valentine’s Day!

All images will be published in a private password protected viewing gallery, to select your favourite image, which will then be edited.  You will receive your chosen 2, 10 x 8 prints in time for Valentine’s Day!

With the Festive Fandango now well and truly underway we can see at Heart Gallery that people are making more of a conscious effort to stay local and support the many small independent shops in our great town. Every year I do this as I feel so blessed to have a wealth of choice on my doorstep but this year more and more people are supporting Hebden Bridge businesses which is fantastic to see. Festive Fandango is now in its third year and gathering pace. It’s not rocket science! All you need to do is spend a minimum of £5 in 5 separate Hebden Bridge shops, get a sticker, collect all 5, complete the card and hand it in or post it to our Visitor Centre by the Marina. You are then given a discount voucher booklet for January and entered into the draw to win a £750 hamper of goodies donated by all the lovely shops in our great town.

So many of our fabulous customers are thinking outside the (gift) box this year and I just wanted to share a couple with you that have got our creative juices flowing here at Heart Gallery so thank you to those that planted the seeds for those ideas!

Andy Poplar’s amazingly clever etched glass lab bottles have been bought to fill with home infused damson gin for presents by one very artistic customer who is also a member of our fabulous Hebden Bridge WI. Then this last weekend two guys bought the larger version of Andy’s lab bottle for their bathroom to keep purple shampoo and conditioner in … I will be borrowing that idea too!

I think everyone in our town should bottle a bit of Hebden Spirit don’t you?

The same lovely lady who has been making damson gin all year came back for one of Rosie’s handmade mini wooden chopping boards we have in Elm, Oak, Tulip and Zebrano …. not for cheese but for lemons and limes to go with the gin of course!

So there you have it folks, a few ideas thinking outside the (gift) box and keeping your pennies in the town along with the chance to win a £750 hamper – simples I say!

Things are not completely back to pre-flood status in Calderdale yet. There is still work being done, and sadly some businesses may not return. But the transformation from the mud stained mess that was left behind in June / July is amazing. The community has pulled together in the most remarkable way. Businesses and local government have put in masses of work to repair, rebuild and regenerate, bringing visitors back to the region

Last week saw an amazing celebration of this recovery. An idea put together in an early “Hebden Rising” meeting (of local business owners, citizens and artists,) – for a lantern parade, grew into “Valley of Lights”. This brought together the towns / villages of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd – which were the worst affected by the floods, to tell the story of the deluge and the amazing community spirit which helped get people back on their feet.

Kicking off with the lighting of the Christmas Lights in the Yorkshire / Lancashire border town of Todmorden, the first lantern parade wound around the streets last Saturday. Sadly the good old Pennine rain decided it wanted a look in again, and the weather was absolutely dreadful. Nonetheless, hundreds of people came to watch the people of Todmorden walk and dance with their hand made willow and wax paper lanterns behind illuminated samba and jazz bands. Eventually they gathered in the town gardens for the finale. Well oiled fire dancers whirled and spun with their torches in the rain, paraffin lamps lined the paths.

A moving and evocative soundtrack backed the performance of a lantern play – where the houses, factories and local landmarks were beset by the attentions of lantern clouds with flashing LED rain and lightning, and a magnificent water dragon.

Then, a beautiful shadow puppet performance depicted how people got together to help return the flooded town to normality – hard work, tea and sympathy. Teams of “food angels” cooking and delivering dinners to those whose kitchens were destroyed. Restaurants giving food for free, everyone doing their bit, donating what they could in money or furniture / clothes.

Finally, three fire drawings were ignited, burning off to reveal tableaus of the valley before, during after. All very beautiful and magnificently performed despite the howling wind and rain!

On top of this, illuminated night markets offered local food and drink, and gave a showcase to local businesses which have made it through to the other side. The canal was taken over by brightly coloured exotic inflatables, and music and street performances went on late into the night.

The weather was kinder on Thursday, when Valley of Lights came to Hebden Bridge. The format was the same – though the parade was longer, with more local lanterns (including one of the Packhorse bridge) and the crowds much larger as several thousand people, and TV crews came to see the valley brought back to life.

This time our fire drawing was the water dragon symbol used to advertise the festival.

Thursday also saw the “Illuminated bike ride” of 200 cyclists riding from Todmorden, through Hebden to Mytholmroyd – to coincide with the re-opening of the Dusty Miller pub.  More markets and glowing canal creatures, and more music and magnificent creations, along with late night opening in most of the shops which have worked so hard to keep going through this difficult year.

And finally Mytholmroyd had its turn on Saturday 1^st December. Christmas lights switched on by local paralympian Karen Darke, another parade, markets and canal boats – and another pub open, the Shoulder of Mutton, which had been out of action all year. I’ve never seen Mytholmroyd so full of people, with so many smiles despite the cold.

It’s been a difficult year no doubt. And I still look forward to welcoming back those places whose recovery is not yet complete. But life is back in the place, and the insurance money has given some places a refit or rethink that they might never have been able to manage without it. People are working together on creative and innovative partnerships – pop-up shops, bars and restaurants in otherwise unused spaces while their own premises are repaired. Great use has been made of our new Town Hall to provide a community hub – new events have been added to the calendar which will hopefully make a comeback next year, bringing in more visitors and an even greater vibe to our valley. We can’t help the weather, and people are campaigning hard to try and get the flood defences and infrastructure improvements which might reduce the risk of repeat occurrences – but we have had our faith in our community restored, and the future looks bright in our Valley of Lights.

World Aids Day aims to raise awareness of HIV and dispel some of the myths about the virus.

Although HIV is not curable it is now treatable and people who are tested and diagnosed early can live a normal life with treatment.

The Brunswick Centre, provides sexual health and HIV services in Calderdale and Kirklees

The number of diagnoses of HIV is increasing and worryingly the numbers of people being diagnosed late with HIV is high. Recent Health Protection Agency figures show that 38% of cases are diagnosed late. People who are diagnosed early enough respond more quickly to treatment options.  The availability and range of HIV treatments today means that it is vital to get tested early.

Condoms remain the most effective barrier to preventing HIV when used correctly and are widely available to buy or from services such as the Brunswick Centre. They provide a ‘condoms-by-post service’ for those at increased risk of HIV.

In addition anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to HIV can now benefit from the availably of PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis). PEP is available from the sexual health clinics or A&E and should be taken no later than 72 hours after exposure to HIV. The Brunswick Centre has a PEP information sheet which can printed off and taken to A&E or the sexual health clinic. This explains what they need to do and allows them to discreetly pass it to the receptionist so they don’t have to state, in a busy setting, why they are there.

If you are worried about your sexual health or just have some questions, talk to your doctor or make an appointment at your local contraception and sexual health clinic.

There are a number of clinics across Calderdale and they offer free, confidential advice on contraception and sexual health. Call Calderdale sexual health clinics on 01422 363541.

Sexual Health Clinics:

• Laura Mitchell Health Centre, Halifax Genito Urinary Medicine: 01422 305553
• Brighouse Health Centre: 01484 712515
• Allan House Clinic, Sowerby Bridge: 01422 832063
• Todmorden Health Centre: 01706 811100
• St John’s Clinic, Halifax: 01422 341611 (A Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali speaker available)
• The Information Shop for Young People provides free and confidential advice and support for young people up to the age of 25. Staff are fully trained to provide a fully comprehensive and extensive range of sexual health services. Information Shop for Young People, (inside Careers Service) 16 Alexandra Street, Halifax, HX1 1BS

Oxana Poberejnaia at Trades Club

I am honoured to have read my poetry with frame drumming at a Benefit Gig “A Future that Works” in the Trades Club, Hebden Bridge. The organisers and the audiences were incredibly supportive. The goal of the gig was to raise funds to send a coach to London’s march, 20 October.

Calderdale Save Our Services took over 40 local people by coach to the TUC’s ‘A Future That Works’ demonstration in London on Saturday 20 October. In addition, the campaign put supporters including a wheelchair user in touch with each other so that they could travel to the demonstration together by train from Halifax. (Calderdale Save Our Services)

Alice Mahon, a trade unionist and a politician who quit Labour Party and said she “totally disapproved of everything Tony Blair was doing” delivered a factual and motivating speech on the policies of the current government aimed against the most vulnerable and what we can do about it. Alice Mahon was too kind to me. She stepped on stage after I left  and said: “How do you follow that?”

I would re-direct this praise to my favourite poet and a constant inspiration and haven, Vladimir Mayakovsky, as my last poem was about him. The man, the poet, shone so much sunshine at the beginning of the 20th century that it is enough for me now at the beginning of the 21st century – to create, to deal with day-to-day and existential issues life presents.

And, obviously, Mayakovsky was an anti-capitalist herald, a person who spent much of his priceless poetic gift on outlining the horrible realities of capitalism, such as inequality, war, disease, lack of education, racism, and to point the way forward to the free, creative and happy world where all people live in peace.

Yesterday marked the 95th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, 1917. What better reason to check out Mayakovsky’s poems Good! and Conversation with Comrade Lenin.

The Love Your Local Market and National Markets Day were described as the best markets events in a generation with 1500 new traders and 400 markets involved. Amazingly, this had been achieved by Nabma with a budget of less than £25,000.

The president also spoke of her delight at the recognition of markets in the new Planning Policy Framework. Delight was also expressed at the continuation of the Government Retail Markets Group Working Party and also the wide support for the Mary Portas Report on the High Street and Nabma working extensively with Portas Pilot teams.

Looking to the future, the President confirmed that Nabma cannot rest on its laurels. It is clear that financial restraints are going to continue for the foreseeable future, but the agenda of Nabma is exciting with new members coming on board.

The President offered to visit any authorities and their markets in the next twelve months, where possible, to promote Nabma and its agenda.

She was joined on her Presidency team by Councillor Kevan Wainwright (Halton), taking the position of the President Elect and Councillor Mick Barker (Derby) taking the roll of Vice President.

At the Gala Awards Dinner at the Nabma Conference in Harrogate, the Blachere Awards for Market Officers, Team and Innovation of the Year were presented.

Graham Wilson OBE, Nabma Chief Executive, acknowledged that there were many deserving individuals in this year’s list of candidates. Many Market Officers did tremendous work supporting the Love your Local Market and National Markets Day as well as for fulfilling their normal duties.

It was explained that the judges had a difficult task in awarding the Market Officer of the Year in a period when so many markets have achieved notable results. The judges sought to make sure the award went to a person who had the respect of the markets industry. The Market Officer of the Year award was therefore presented to Robert Nixon of Stoke on Trent City Council. The judging panel confirmed that, “Rob goes about his business in a quiet and reassuring manner and he has the respect of people throughout the market industry. He readily gives up his time and expertise to help others. He has given help with Nabma’s interactive forum, he has been willing to go to other markets and provide guidance and help, and he has been as assessor in the Diploma in Markets Administration.”

Also at the event, Nabma Chief Executive, Graham Wilson OBE, paid tributes to the Market Place Exhibition and also to the Nabma corporate sponsors.

Particular thanks were extended to Groupé Geraud the headline sponsor of Nabma and the main Conference promoter.

Nabma Chief Executive, Graham Wilson OBE, confirmed, “without the support of Groupé Geraud and other sponsors, then it would be impossible for Nabma to pursue the agenda that it has in terms of markets in the UK and Europe and certainly without that support then the success of the last twelve months would have been extremely difficult to achieve.”

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You can apply for the service if ill-health, disability, age or frailty prevent you from visiting one of the static Calderdale libraries and you don’t have anyone who can go on your behalf.

You could also be eligible for the service if you’re a carer and unable to visit your local library.

The Home library Service provides a free three weekly delivery service of books, large print and talking books available to loan.

If you or someone you know would like to apply for this service, please contact the Home Library Service on 07712 869866 or 01422 288062.