5 of the best
Your guide to events you must not miss
1 The Long Company Mummers Play
Various locations in Calderdale, January 2-6
The Long Company Mummers are an established team of players who delight audiences at pubs around Calderdale each New Year with their unique and mysterious play.
The venues for the plays in 2020 are:
Thursday, January 2 at The Golden Lion, Todmorden. Friday, January 3 at The Fleece, Westgate, Elland. Sunday, January 5 at The Hogs Head, Stanley Street, Sowerby Bridge.
Monday, January 6 at The
Old Bridge Inn, Priest Lane, Ripponden.
The play starts at 8pm and lasts about 30 minutes. There is no charge to watch the play but any donations will be gratefully received and passed to a local charity . Supported by a band of musicians, the players
(King Christmas, Prince of Paradine, St George, Common Jack, The Doctor and Beelzebub) arrive from the dark, clad in fantastic, ragged costumes and tall masks that disguise their identity. They deliver their seasonal play by lantern light outside the pub and then slowly disappear back into the night.
Each performance is followed by a music session inside the pub, featuring songs, tunes and seasonal novelties performed by the assembled company, to which the audience is invited to contribute. www.ryburn3step.org.uk
2 Beauty and the Beast
Victoria Theatre, Halifax, until January 5
This production has all the ingredients for a magical trip to the theatre, with hilarious slapstick humour, plenty of audience interaction, not to mention some fabulous song and dance routines that will delight audiences of all ages. Beauty and the Beast will be sure to make you laugh, cryandfallinlovewitha host of hilarious and hairy characters. To see all the performance dates, visit the
Victoria Theatre website. There will also be a relaxed performance on Friday, January 3, 10.30am. www.victoria theatre.co.uk
3 A Town Through Time
Smith Art Gallery, Brighouse, until April 20, 2020
This exhibition capturing a century of Brighouse on canvas and camera, featuring paintings and photographs from Calderdale Museums’ collections, includes works by Miles Sharp and Stanley Chapman. These works are displayed alongside newly produced photographs by the Halifax Photographic Society, who have recreated scenes from historic artworks of Brighouse to bring up to date the story of everyday life and ongoing change in the town. www.museums.calderdale.gov.uk
4 Ogden Water Practical Day
Ogden Water, Halifax, January 11, 9.45am-3pm
Help with the ongoing management and new projects designed to look after the wildlife and infrastructure of this Local Nature Reserve. Meet Chris Sutcliffe at Ogden Water. The session runs between 9.45am and 3pm.
07769 954956
5 Daisy’s Cafe
Todmorden Health Centre, January 4, 11am1.30pm
The first Daisy’s Cafe of the year will take place on January 4 from 11am to 1.30pm. The initiative, run by Dementia Friendly Todmorden, offers support, advice and information for people affected by dementia and their families and carers. There are also arts, crafts, traditional games and more to go along with a chit-chat. www.calderdale.gov.uk