Lantern tree goes on display by theatre

LANTERNS WILL be lit up in a tree outside a Huddersfield theatre to mark the first anniversary of the first lockdown.

The light installation, commissioned by Huddersfield Literature Festival, takes the form of a giant metal tree festooned with willow and tissue lanterns and displaying words of hope to inspire the local community as they walk past.

It is on display in the Lawrence Batley Theatre courtyard from now until April 5 and has been created by Huddersfield-based Company, AniMATronics.

Matt Kitchen-Dunn, who created the tree, said: “It’s been an honour to be asked to do this commission. It means a lot to me because I lost my grandma, aged 94, to Covid last year and it’s important that we never forget.”

Performance poet Michelle Scally Clarke read a lockdown poem called Love and Light as part of the installation.

Festival director, Michelle Hodgson, said: “We hope it will serve as a commemoration, a memorial and an inspiration to remind us of the challenges we have faced in the past year and to look forward to more positive days ahead.”

The tree and the courtyard will be lit up every evening, between 6pm and midnight, with lanterns created by Colne Valley artist Angie Boycott-Garnett and children from Holmfirth-based Children’s Art School.

The festival has now announced its March programme, with many free events taking place online for the second year in a row, due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. This year’s online programme has the theme of ‘Escape’ and events will include a range of talks and workshops.