Station transformed to celebrate ‘Jack’s’ birthday festival
STUDENTS transformed Halifax railway station in celebration of Halifax icon ‘Gentleman Jack’ Anne Lister’s 231st birthday festival.
Since the historical drama Gentleman Jack premiered in the US two years ago, the fame of Shibden Hall’s most famous resident and one of the UK’s best-known modern lesbians has put Halifax on the map in spectacular fashion.
The BBC and HBO co-production is now on its second series. Set in the early 1830s, it follows Anne’s romance with Ann Walker, with the couple making history as the first lesbian marriage to be recorded.
The Anne Lister Birthday Weekend team and Northern joined forces with Calderdale College students as part of the Halifax Station Partnership to decorate the station ready to welcome visitors as they descended on the town for the April event.
Students from the Creative, Digital and Professional Trades departments at Calderdale College were involved in creating artwork displays.
A display of murals was designed by art and design and creative media students and exhibited throughout the station and two new planters were produced by joinery students.
The festival took place across Halifax in April with hundreds of residents getting involved in events to celebrate the life of the famous diarist.
The college worked closely with Rachel Lappin and Zoe Willows at Calderdale Council, along with Richard Isaac at Northern, to develop a brief that students could work on.
Simon Dunn, curriculum area leader for creative and digital at the college, said: “Providing our students with projects such as this one is a great way for us to show what life will be like after college. It’s been great to grow our partnership with Calderdale Council and Northern with this collaboration. Our students have really enjoyed designing the displays and it’s a proud moment for them to be able to see the finished product in the centre of Halifax.”
Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to the incredibly talented students at Calderdale College whose artwork now has pride-ofplace at the station.”
Rachel Lappin of Calderdale Council added: “Halifax Station has been well and truly transformed. Thank you again to everyone at Calderdale College and, most importantly, the young people themselves for some fantastic partnership working.”