Welcome to the Wakefield District Heritage Network newsletter. This is a regular update on heritage news and events taking place across Wakefield district, including the Our Heritage Our Stories project. If you have news or events that you would like us to share in future newsletters please let us know at: heritage@wakefield.gov.ukIf you missed the previous newsletter, you can catch up on all the news here: Wakefield District Heritage Network - January Update
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George Formby and his wife Beryl at the Reight Neet Aht in 1940. Image courtesy of the Wakefield Council Libraries Photographic Collection
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Castleford’s unique sporting heritage celebrated in new exhibition
Castleford is known for it’s rugby sporting heritage, but did you know that the town also hosted the marbles World Championships from the 1930s to the 1950s? The event, known as ‘a reight neet aht’ was started by local journalist Sid Colclough in 1936. He turned it into an annual charity fundraiser and added other games and entertainment for a full night out. Guests were encouraged to come in their ‘glad rags’ and were offered slices of pie.
The event ran until 1957 and attracted a star-studded guest list, including celebrity singer George Formby who attended with his wife Beryl, who he met in Castleford. A new exhibition at Castleford Museum tells the fascinating story of the Reight Neet Aht, including marbles and prizes created specially for the event by Bagley’s Glass in Castleford along with archive photographs and film. You can even have a go at playing marbles yourself!
The exhibition is free and will run until the end of 2025. For museum opening times please visit their website:
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English Tourism Week logo
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English Tourism Week – March 14-23
English Tourism week is coming up in March. This is an annual event supported by VisitEngland to promote the importance of tourism to our local economies. There is a free resource pack for anybody that wants to take part, and a hashtag for sharing photographs of your favourite visitor spots. The event’s patron, King Charles, has highlighted the importance of our historic and cultural gems, which delight millions of visitors every year, and tourism week is a great opportunity to raise awareness of how important our heritage sites are to Wakefield.
Everybody can get involved by sharing photos of your favourite heritage destinations across the district using the hashtag #EnglishTourismWeek25.
Experience Wakefield are also encouraging you to tag them on your social media photos as part of the week for potential feature on their channels!
Instagram - @experiencewakefield
Facebook - Experience Wakefield
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New look Heritage webpages
Wakefield Council's 'Heritage' webpages have recently been updated with new sections to be explored! Find out more about and download the Heritage Framework, read about the Our Heritage, Our Stories project and watch films showcasing amazing community groups across the district. You can also catch up on past issues of the Heritage Network newsletter, and discover helpful heritage resources. |
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Heritage Project Spotlight |
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200 LGBTQ+ Stories of Railway Pride
As part of the Railway 200 celebrations, and in honour of Pride Month 2025, LonGBoaT Wakefield (Friends of Kirkgate Station) is supporting 200 Stories of Railway Pride, led by Karen Bennett. The project is shining a spotlight on the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in the rail industry, aiming to foster inclusivity and visibility within the sector. 200 stories from LGBTQ+ staff, passengers and allies connected to the railway network will form the basis of a new booklet, and you can get involved.
Whether it’s a story about your job, your coming-out journey, a memorable train trip, a career tale, or even a pride celebration, Karen would like to hear from you! Stories should be 300 words or less and submitted by 31st March 2025. |
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Castleford Civic Society's debut Cemetery Heritage Trail tour
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Castleford Civic Society's Cemetery Heritage Trail
Supported with a Culture Grant by Wakefield Council as part of Our Year - Wakefield District 2024 and hours of volunteer time, Castleford Civic Society have developed a new Castleford Cemetery Heritage Trail. The Society debuted the trail with a guided tour earlier this month.Prime Minister William Gladstone’s 19th century quote: “A cemetery is a history of people – a perpetual record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today” is certainly true of Castleford’s Healdfield Road Cemetery which opened in October 1857. The Civic Society’s Heritage Trail explores the history of the town and the lives of the people who made it. Looking at the graves of seventeen individuals we are given an insight into the life and times of Castleford during the 19th and early 20th centuries and the part its citizens played in local, national and international events. The walking tour lasts around 1.5 hours and the Civic Society have produced a booklet guide for those attending a walk and for self-led trails, which is downloadable from the Society’s website. The website also includes extended information on each of the stories featured in the trail. A video explainer also seeks to encourage interest in the Trail and is QR coded on a plaque at the Cemetery.The group intend to hold further walks in the warmer weather and will also include the Trail as part of an activity during the September Heritage Open Days. Anyone who would like to come along to a future walk, please contact the Society at: castlefordcivicsociety@gmail.comLooking to the future, the group have ambitions to develop a ‘Friends of Castleford Cemetery’ group.
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Blue plaque for Mary Lucy Turner unveiled by Pontefract Civic Society
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Eight new plaques for Pomfretians
Pontefract Civic Society have created eight new heritage plaques in consultation with local people as part of their Plaques for Pomfretians project. The society’s heritage group have researched people with important – but often overlooked - stories connected to Pontefract, supported by staff at Pontefract Library.
The new plaques celebrate Barnbow munitions factory worker Mary Lucy Turner; Pontefract’s first and only female mayor Violet Pritchard; the Pontefract liquorice lasses; the Perfect family, market gardeners and fruit tree growers to the great country houses of Yorkshire; Charles Pears the first elected president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists; author JS Fletcher; politician Barbara Castle (nee Betts); and nine of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantryman who were awarded the Victoria Cross.
The plaques will all be unveiled by the end of February. The project was funded by a government grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
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Wakefield Council Culture Grants logo
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Culture Grants for creative local communities in 2025
Wakefield Council Culture Grants have launched for 2025!
Culture Grants Small provide support of up to £2,000 to constituted community groups, charities, CICs and other VCSEs based in Wakefield district.
The grants support groups to co-produce creative and heritage projects by Wakefield communities. Whether you want to run arts workshops at your community gala, create a new film inspired by local heritage, or improve health and wellbeing through creative writing or performance. Wakefield needs your ideas and passion to help make a lasting impact and inspire your community.
Application deadlines for Culture Grants Small are:
- Round 1 – Monday 31 March 2025
- Round 2 – Monday 19 May 2025
- Round 3 – Monday 14 July 2025
- Round 4 – Monday 15 September 2025
- Round 5 – Monday 17 November 2025
Find out more at an introductory session online or around the district:
- Thursday 13 March, 12-1pm – Online via Microsoft Teams
- Monday 17 March, 12-1pm – Airedale Library
- Tuesday 18 March, 12:30-1:30pm – Ossett Library Community Room
- Wednesday 19 March, 12-1pm – Wakefield Library Learning Zone
- Thursday 20 March, 12-1pm – Normanton Library
- Thursday 20 March, 6-7pm – Online via Microsoft Teams
- Friday 21 March, 11:30am-12:30pm – South Elmsall Library
Book your place at a session here: Wakefield Council Culture Grants event tickets from TicketSource.
Apply now! For more information on how to apply, and to find helpful guidance, visit: www.wakefield.gov.uk/CultureGrants.
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Grants for historic places of worship
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Heritage Network promotional image
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Heritage Network consultation events Have you booked your free place on one of our Heritage Network consultation events yet? Building on the Heritage Framework that was adopted in 2024, we want to hear from local groups involved in heritage activities (big or small) about how we can all come together to support each other and heritage across the Wakefield district.- Wednesday 5 March, 4-6pm – Pontefract Library - Saturday 8 March, 10:30am-12:30pm – Wakefield Kirkgate Station- Wednesday 19 March, 6:30-8:30pm – Online Session- Thursday 27 March, 10am-12 noon – Queen's Mill, Castleford - Thursday 3 April, 10am-12 noon – South Elmsall LibraryPlaces are free, but please book in advance, so we can keep a track of numbers. Book your place here.
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Coal mining heritage inspired artwork at Wakefield ExchangeWakefield Exchange has opened with a fantastic free exhibition of artwork inspired by Wakefield district's coal mining heritage.
Studio Vertigo’s Sentinel light sculpture is inspired by the canaries that played such an important role in the district’s coal mines and saved many lives by warning underground workers of deadly gases.
Coal Lines is an immersive sound installation which will surround Sentinel and invite visitors to explore, play, and move around the space, whilst exploring the area’s rich mining heritage.
The installation references the 34 collieries that were located in the Wakefield district and the people who worked there.
Revealed: Triptych is a rich digital visualisation with striking imagery and compelling audio that combines film, Augmented Reality and a video game celebrating local mining heritage. Inspired by the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike to the present day. Revealed: Triptych has been produced by One to One Development Trust.
These artworks and installations have been supported as part of the Our Stories, Our Heritage project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and are on display until Sunday 2 March.Find out more at: What's On | Wakefield Exchange
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Heritage cycling tours with Cycle Wakefield
Heritage adventures on two wheels! Whether you’re dusting off your bike for the first time in a while, or you regularly spin the wheels, Cycle Wakefield have a range of different guided rides for people of all abilities, including rides that take in some of the district’s best-loved heritage and cultural sites. The next wonders of Wakefield ride is on 2 March 10am-1pm.
Find out more at: Cycle Wakefield - Wonders of Wakefield - Sunday Steady Ride - Cycle Wakefield
For more details on future rides, visit: Home - Cycle Wakefield
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Our Heritage, Our Stories - A Heritage Framework for Wakefield District front page
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Our Heritage, Our Stories Civic Society talkOur Heritage Development Manager Tegwen is giving a talk to the Wakefield Civic Society on Thursday 20 March, 7:30pm at Wakefield Town Hall.
The talk will introduce the Our Heritage, Our Stories project and the work the project is doing with heritage groups across the Wakefield District, helping more people to get involved in telling the unique and diverse stories that make Wakefield what it is today.
Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite: Our Stories, Our Heritage with Tegwen Roberts Tickets, Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 19:30 | Eventbrite
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If you have any heritage events or opportunities that you would like other groups to be aware of, please let us know!
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Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. The Wakefield District Heritage Network is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.
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