Hebden Bridge’s Pennine Heritage thrives thanks to KTP with University

Hebden Bridge's Pennine Heritage thrives thanks to KTP with University

People around Hebden Bridge are connecting with the heritage and history of the area thanks to the success of a three-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) that is nearing its conclusion.

The KTP between the University of Huddersfield and Pennine Heritage has enabled the organisation, based in the town's renowned Birchcliffe Centre, to evolve from a small scale, part-time and volunteer-led organisation to a professionally-led and fully staffed 'Heritage Enterprise'.

Since the start of the KTP in November 2021, Pennine Heritage has increased its team of enthusiastic local volunteers, allowing greater access to the South Pennine Archives, and giving more scope to local adult learners, including adults with learning disabilities, to discover more about the area's storied history.

Discover more about studying History at the University of Huddersfield

Dr Andrew McTominey is the organisation's Heritage Manager, a position created as part of the KTP, and along with his predecessor Dr Francesca Elliott he has helped to connect people in the area through events and greater awareness of the centre.

The culmination of the KTP is also marked by the release of a new book, End of the Roll, which showcases the work of renowned local photographer Alice Longstaff. Recently discovered, the 40 images have been painstakingly restored by Pennine Heritage trustee Alex Taylor.

"Thanks to my predecessor Francesca, we have had some direct connections with the University through the Hands-On History Module," says Andrew.

"Students have used the centre to put on an exhibition about Standard Fireworks, which were based in Huddersfield for many years, and this year they told the history of the Birchcliffe Centre in a series of zines.

"Our Heritage Open Days over the weekend of the 14^th and 15^th September will showcase their work, as well as offering people the chance to see more of Alice Longstaff's iconic photos and other parts of the area's history that we hold in our physical and digital archives."

Bringing history and heritage to life creatively

The development of the KTP over three years has also allowed Pennine Heritage to forge stronger links with partners such as St Anne's Community Services, the Yorkshire-based charity that gives support and learning opportunities to the vulnerable.

"Every month we welcome four people with learning disabilities, two of whom are non-verbal, and engage them with local heritage and history in creative ways. Taking inspiration from walking with us in the local woodlands, they have used leaves and plants as a basis for moulding clay and making ceramics.

"We've had baking sessions to connect to how important food has always been to churches, church halls and chapels like the Birchcliffe Centre throughout its history. There will be more sessions like this for the rest of the KTP, and they will continue afterwards."

Find out more about KTPs with the University of Huddersfield

The release of End of the Roll, curated by the University's Professor Rob Ellis, has also come about thanks to the increase in activity by Pennine Heritage allowed by the extra capacity given by the KTP.

"Longstaff was very well known in the Hebden Bridge area, but the book will bring her to a larger audience," adds Andrew. "She was very influential, and we discovered some unknown shots literally at the end of rolls of film we had in the archive. With film, you had to use up all of the available shots on a roll and Alice did that almost as an afterthought, and these are the shots that we have discovered and that Alex has restored in such detail. What may have been an afterthought can tell us so much about life in Hebden Bridge during the twentieth century."