Lantern Parade – Marking the Route

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Parade Route

Parade Route

Here is the route the Lantern Parade will follow on Sunday 15th December, setting off at 4pm from the Park (red marker) – see earlier item for full details.

We are also pleased to announced that Cecil Green Arts, from Bradford (who organized the Lister Park parade earlier this year) have kindly lent us one of their large lanterns, and will be providing a drummer to help with the rhythm of the parade.

Meanwhile, Sian Cartwright will be baking the mince pies and buns, and Richard Slatcher from The Station Pub, will be mulling the drink, both to be consumed at the memorial cross whilst Guiseley Brass Band plays carols.   Richard has also reminded us that the Christmas Market and Craft Fair complete with hog roast,  will be on at the Station from 9am to 1.30pm on Sunday 15th.

Lastly, some residents on the parade route, have offered to light their gardens and houses with lights and lanterns – this will certainly add to the atmosphere: thank you

Lastly,  can we remind you to RSVP to parkinsonspark@gmail.com, so that we can gauge numbers.

Lantern Parade and Carols – 15th December 2013

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Lantern1

Lantern Parade at Ashton. Source Ashton Market

The Friends of Parkinson’s Park  invite residents to come and take part in Guiseley’s first community Lantern Parade, Sunday 15th December 2013, between 4 – 5.30pm.  This will be supported by  Red Nose Community Cash, and be part of the Heritage Lottery Fund All Our Stories project.

amesbury-lantern-parade-03

Lantern Parade at Stonehenge

Lantern parades are becoming popular in a number of towns and cities across Britain during late Autumn, and Winter.  These hark back to older customs around Samhain and Yule, that were built into the Christian Festivals of All Saints/Souls and Advent/Christmas; the purpose of all being to encourage light, warmth and salvation to return again to nourish crops and people – whilst a little ‘misrule’ is in order.

So, to start off what we hope will become a new Guiseley tradition,  meet up near the top copse in Parkinson’s Park at the decorated tree stump from around 3.45pm, and then we will parade with lanterns down to Town Gate and the cross.  There, we will be met by Guiseley Brass Band, who will play a number of carols for us to sing along too, whilst mulled drink, mince pies and Christmas buns will be given out.

Winchester Daily Echo

Advent Lantern Parade at Winchester. Source; Daily Echo

Please,  bring your own lantern to create a display and light the way (ideas for lantern making below), and if children (or adults) would like to dress up to get in the Christmas spirit, it all adds to the ‘misrule’.   All children need to be accompanied by an adult.  The Park can also be a little muddy if it has been raining, so wellies or study shoes would also be appropriate.

If you could email us on parkinsonspark@gmail.com to let us know you are coming and how many people, that would be useful, to help us with planning.  If the weather is wet or very snowy on the day the event will not go ahead,  please see this website for details of cancellation.  Also, please email us if you would like to help decorate the Park with lights on the 15th, and could even lend some outside lights to make a display.  Come and help make a new Guiseley custom for old and new residents, for us to pass on to future generations.

Find 10 lantern making ideas here.

There are also lantern making video’s on YouTube.

All Our Stories – Parkinson’s Park Puts Digital Record on History Pin

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imagesAs part of our heritage lottery fund (HLF) grant, we have to provide a permanent digital record of our All Our Stories project.  The chosen HLF media for doing this is History Pin, and we have just finished setting up the Parkinson’s Park initial digital record.  You can find it here along with other All Our Stories projects.

When you go into the record, or channel as History Pin call it,  and scroll down you will come to tabs with map, list and tours on it.

List view – shows all the photographs we have uploaded to the record, and you can click on each to read the commentary about what we have found out – we will be adding to this as the project evolves.   You can also add your own commentary to the digital record . Continue reading →

All Our Stories – Out of the Mists of Time

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Barbara Winfield and Jennifer Kirkby at Wakefield Deeds Archives

Barbara Winfield and Jennifer Kirkby at Wakefield Deeds Archives

The purpose of the All Our Stories, HLF grant, is to tell the story of the ‘ordinary’ people, who have used the Park land down the ages.

We knew the recent history,  from when the Parkinson brothers acquiring the land in the late 1930’s for a community facility.  We  then established that Kelcliffe House used to be a tannery,  as far back as the 17th century. Then, in August, we got the geophysics report confirming that the Park evidenced many historic phases of agriculture – the earliest possibly being Early Medieval (700AD to 1,000AD); which would be fascinating, as the Guiseley area was laid waste during the Harrying of the North in 1070: which is why it doesn’t appear in the Domesday book of 1086 – there was nothing of value to record.

So, we have spent the past months filling in the intervening centuries;beavering away in various archives putting together scraps of information from tithe books, land deeds, manor court records, old newspapers and family history sources. Amongst our finds has been a lovely little map of Guiseley glebe lands from 1724, with hand drawings and the location of Celclif (now the north part of the Belway estate is) which is Continue reading →

Wild About Gardens – by Chris Parapia

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Heather planting on Jubilee Walk

Heather planting on Jubilee Walk

A good number of Friends of Parkinson’s Park turned out on Saturday 26th October as part of the RHS Community Initiative ” Wild About Gardens” week.

We were very fortunate to have received 500 free crocus bulbs from the RHS and 500 free narcissi bulbs from the Groundwork Trust.

In addition we were kindly donated 8 bird boxes by Mr Nigel Jones a local bird enthusiast who also turned out on the day to put them up.

New bird boxes, donated by Nigel Jones

New bird boxes, donated by Nigel Jones

Chris and Barbara focussed on bulb planting at the farmgate entrance, Richard, Josie, Peter,  Heather and Bobby concentrated on Heather, Gorse and Broom planting over at the Jubilee Walk area of the park,  and Nigel and Liakat put up the boxes.

The weather was kind and we received lots of positive comments from local people walking through the park.

Thanks to everyone.

All Our Stories – Building Bridges At The 2013 Children’s Gala

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Key Attraction - Punch & Judy

Key Attraction – Punch & Judy

Parkinson’s Park built a bridge from the past to the future on Sunday, as the first Children’s Gala to be held there in 20 odd years brought out the sunshine, the crowds and the generosity of many organizations and people.

The purpose of the Gala was to revive a Guiseley tradition that has left generations of locals with happy childhood memories.  And, in fact, one visitor on Sunday came along on a ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ quest, after finding out a great  grandmother came from Guiseley.

Crompton Parkinson’s started the annual Gala in Continue reading →

Wildflowers! – by Chris Parapia

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P1010680Summer will be shortly turning to autumn, but the beautiful wildflower area in Parkinson’s Park by the farmgate entrance has been a joy to see throughout the summer. What a transformation of the area from a “dog poo” and nettle infested area, to a spot where bees and other insects and wildlife are in profusion. A mixture of Ox Eye Daisies, Corncockles, Poppies, Cornflowers, Foxgloves and many more have been in constant flower.

Thanks to everyone who has planted, weeded and generally contributed to their upkeep.

All Our Stories – Reviving the Annual Guiseley Children’s Gala

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Children's Gala InvitationCrompton Parkinson’s held their first Children’s Gala in 1949 in the Park.   This became an annual event,  much loved and looked forward to by the children of staff, and local children lucky enough to be have tickets.   The last gala was held sometime in the 1990’s (does anyone remember the exact year?) .   The Friends of Parkinson’s Park are pleased to announce that in 2013, the Gala will be brought back to life – kindly funded by the Leeds Outer North West Area Committee, and Comic Relief Community Cash. Continue reading →

All Our Stories – 80’s Boyhood in Parkinson’s Park

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Barbara Winfield and Adam Perry working on the Audio File

Barbara Winfield and Adam Perry working on the Audio File

One of the next stages in the All Our Stories project is to record some oral history of the Park,  and the part it has played in people’s lives.  To help us do this ‘correctly’, Adam Perry came along from the Media Trust to teach us about ethical practices (don’t let people liable others by letting skeletons out of cupboards), good interview techniques (try not to interrupt the interview with mmmm, mmmm, and ‘yes’ type noises), and then how to edit the recording and turn it into a digital file for storage.

Adam has had lots of experience with Yorkshire Television, and on the radio of interviewing, and sound recording,  and showed us how something that looks relatively easy,  is actually an artform.

For homework,  we have prepared our first All Our Stories digital audio,  which is an edited recording of Mark Kirkby and Paul Tomlinson,  telling us about their boyhood experiences in Parkinson’s Park in the 1980’s.

We will be asking more people to take part in this exercise over the coming months, and the stories are to be lodged with the British Library or the Science Museum.  Please let us know if you would like to be included.