“So much is going on in Halifax!” says Canon Hilary Barber, vicar of the town’s minster where this year’s Summer festival is about to start.
The massive building, which seats 850, will host a range of events until Saturday, July 29, including arts, concerts and poetry sessions.
“The town is now a clear heritage destination in Yorkshire and beyond.
“We’ve got the famous Piece Hall opening on August 1 after a £19 million restoration and also the Square Chapel Arts Centre annexed to it, which cost £6 million,” Hilary said.
“And in the minster we’ve re-ordered the front of the nave with a new floor to make a flexible space.
“Seeking God, Sharing Faith and Serving Halifax is our vision statement and that means having a ministry of invitation, going out into the public sector and bringing people back to the minster.
“Most people we contact say ‘we’d love to come’ and that means everyone from the Rotary Club, to the Halifax Bank or primary schools.
“In the nine years I’ve been there, our Christmas numbers have gone up from some 4,000 to 14,000 and two weeks ago we had 120 people in the minster for a business conference where Paralympian Hannah Cockroft was the guest speaker.
“We also have a really good relationship with Calderdale Council and work closely with them on lots of projects.
“This year’s festival should be fantastic, with concerts by our choir, the Black Dyke Band and on Thursday, July 7 we have Calderdale Senior Citizens Orchestra with a performance focused on tackling dementia and isolation.”
Full details of the Halifax Minster Summer Festival are available to download below.
Halifax Minster Summer Festival 2017_0.pdf