Beech Hill School

LIGHT UP OUR LIVES – Black African Culture & Heritage March 21st

/ North Halifax Partnership / Leave a comment

LIGHT UP OUR LIVES – Black African Culture & Heritage STORIES : SONG : DANCE : FASHION“If you do not know where you are from you cannot tell where you are going.”The ‘Light Up Our Lives’ project is a unique and innovative intergenerational project with the aim of inspiring and empowering members of our Black African community here in Calderdale. We have been working with members of Light Up BAHC; learning the importance of cultural heritage in Black African nations. We now want to share that learning with you … to share with the wider community the beauty, reverence and joy of African traditions, identity and cultural expression.

Join us at The Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough Halifax on 21st March 2023 at 1 – 2.30PM

Join members of local charity LIGHT UP BAHC and children from Beech Hill and Holy Trinity Primary Schools for an uplifting celebration with verd de gris arts!

To book contact: Sharon Marsden 07907 822323 or Bola Adams 07550699459

Artwork by: MISKI

Join us as we share the art of traditional storytelling, dance, drumming and song, to learn more about Black African Heritage. We are bringing local children together with community members, and we want you to come and share with us in this exciting and uplifting production event.LightUp Black and African Heritage Calderdale has one of its core aims to protect and safeguard African culture and heritage in Calderdale:“As custodians of Black and African Culture and Heritage BAHC we want to find ways to commission African cultural and social events: to promote and raise the profile of the Black African community in the region, and facilitate a better understanding of African culture and heritage within other local communities. This will include developing ways to help shine light the multifarious aspects of individual countries and people’s culture from precolonial and colonial times.” Bola Adams, Director LIGHT UP BAHCVerd de gris arts works to promote and celebrate cultural heritage in communities across the North of England. We are particularly interested in the ways in which cultural heritage can help minority / marginalised communities respond to community identity, racial intolerance, health and well-being inequalities, social and economic disadvantage.To book contact: Sharon Marsden 07907 822323 or Bola Adams 07550699459Keep up to date with other events as they happen by following our Facebook page Verd de gris arts and on Twitter and InstagramTwitter @verddegrisInstagram @verddegris

Refugee Week 2022 : Halifax Friendly vs St Augustine’s 0-1

/ North Halifax Partnership / Leave a comment

The much anticipated match between Halifax Friendly and St Augustine’s to kick off Refugee Week 2022 ended with a victory over penalty shoot for St. Augustine’s.

There was a good turnout of attendees and there even was a drone filming the match! Emotions ran high both for the players and the support. We saw intense action, passionate play and impressive commitment to the match from both sides!

Though the day was hot, some clouds made it cooler and a breeze helped a little but the game was sizzling!

Halifax Friendly started strong leading the first half with 3-1 but St. Augustine’s stepped up their game in the second half term.

Halifax Friendly FC huddled together to discuss strategy

The game finished 3-3 after 90mins and St Augustine’s won the penalty shoot out 4-3 😊

The winners, St. Augustine’s team

Congratulations to both teams who played their heart out.

We caught up with our very own Dan Marham who played for Halifax Friendly for a brief commentary.

Dan said “It turned out to be a really good event. We lost at the penalty shoot out in the end but it doesn’t matter for such a good cause.”

And we can’t help but agree! Congratulations to St Augustine’s team for their victory and to Halifax Friendly for being such great challengers.

Thank you to both teams for reminding us all that we are one and the same.

 

 

     

Halifax Friendly on the match with St. Augustine’s

Many Voices Project Comes to Beech Hill School

/ North Halifax Partnership / Leave a comment

Ver de Gris recently visited Beech Hill School to chat about a new creative project with Mothers & Girls exploring cultural identity, opportunity and aspiration.

This is part of the 3-year ‘Many Voices’ initiative in conjunction with Square Chapel Arts Centre supported by the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme and the Community Foundation for Calderdale which will provide match funding for the first year of the project.

The project will deliver a wide range of activities with diverse communities in Calderdale, with the aim of bringing people together to build confidence, knowledge, skills and understanding. Working with a range of partners, the project will celebrate the differences between communities and promote the qualities and experiences that all people share, which makes Calderdale such a vibrant and exciting place to live.

There will be a particular focus on working with women and girls, exploring the issues they face, supporting them to share their stories and have a voice.

Michaela O’Sullivan, Head of Audiences at Square Chapel Arts Centre said:

“An impressive range of work has been delivered over the past three years, but as a partnership, we found that the stories and experiences of women and girls in our communities warranted further exploration. It is particularly prescient that issues affecting women are to the fore at the moment and Many Voices is about supporting women and girls from different backgrounds and communities to have a voice and be heard. At Square Chapel, we are very much looking forward to having a further three years to work with Verd De Gris Arts to deliver this new and exciting project in Calderdale. We are enormously grateful to the Big Lottery Fund and the Community Foundation for Calderdale for funding this work and for their faith in our project.”

Both Square Chapel Arts Centre and Verd De Gris Arts use the arts as a tool to bring about improvements in people’s lives and both have strong and established track records in delivering highly successful and effective outreach programmes in Calderdale.

Verd De Gris Arts was established 15 years ago by Directors Jeff Turner and Sharon Marsden. Based in Hebden Bridge, they have established a strong track record of using the arts as a medium to change and improve people’s lives, particularly people with life-changing conditions like dementia and Parkinson’s. Their cohesion work, bringing different generations and communities together, has been ground-breaking, innovative and impactful, with programmes delivered across Calderdale and further afield in Blackburn and Lancashire.