MYTHOLMROYD

From Thursday, June 25 to Saturday, June 27 the drama group at Southgate Methodist Church is presenting the farce “Dry rot” by John Chapman. Tickets are on sale at Bramley’s Estate Agents in Victoria Road priced £6 upwards. Tickets bought for the May performance will be honoured. On Saturday, June 20 Overgate Hospice Choir Summer Concert will be held at All Saints Church at 7pm. The concert will feature music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and will include a complete performance of Trial by Jury featuring favourite soloists and other Sullivan music. Tickets are £12. On Sunday, June 21 Overgate Hospice will be holding its annual garden party from noon to 4pm. Last year the event raised £17,000. Elland and Sowerby Bridge Rotary Clubs are supporting the event and will be bringing a pig race, human fruit machine, barbecue and bar. Also on Sunday, June 21the hospice is staging a mountain bike challenge at 9am starting at the recreation ground in Hullen Edge Road. The 26- mile course is a testing terrain around some of Calderdale’s best bridleways and tracks. Entry is £15 in advance or £20 on the day.

Historical Society

Twenty-seven members and friends enjoyed an evening trip to Heptonstall Methodist Church. The first half of the evening was a talk by Amy Binns on the History of the Heptonstall Methodist Chapel, which is the second oldest in Britain and has been in continuous use since it was built in 1764. The octagonal shape of the building was fashionable at the time and reflects the figure of eight, regarded as the ecclesiastical figure of regeneration. John Wesley first preached here in the unfinished shell of the chapel and again in 1766, after the roof was added. During Amy’s talk Roger Munday appeared in the guise of Benjamin Rushton, the Chartists Leader and Methodist Preacher and gave a sermon from the pulpit. Following this the singing group gave a concert in the chapel, singing both church and secular music from times around the beginning of the chapel and the audience were able to join in some of the hymns. The singers were: sopranos: Margaret Collinge, Marianne Pollard, altos: Marjorie Donegan, Evelyn Graham, baritone: Rodney Collinge. Rodney Collinge thanked Amy and Roger. There will be a day trip to Ellesmere Port and Chester on Saturday, August 8. Contact Julie Wild to book a place.