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The (sci-fantasy)

tale introduces a new perspective on Valentine's Day, revealed in closing sentences.

Typed during several of the dark, dull days following Yuletide, the story (draft five,
revealing a cautious amateur) is probably linked to my reading (and re-reading) the
vivid, action-packed novels of Wilbur Smith in Hartlepool, during the distant seventies
and eighties. Coincidentally, the approach of Valentine’s Day suggested its title.

Despite access to numerous websites during lockdown, access to books
on library shelves and their transfer between libraries is missed.

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The simple fruit cake, based on a small number

of ingredients, was therapy from ironing jeans and t shirts.

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I got out my shuttle and cotton and tattered these pictures .I hadn’t done any for at least 20yrs that’s what Covid 19 taught me  when your stuck indoors.

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BLACK HILL  -  Part of the Pennine Way

On Wednesday 15 th July 2020    (St. Swithins Day)    4 intrepid walkers set out  –  after much deliberation  –  to walk part of the Pennine Way.

The legend of St. Swithin is, of course, to do with rain!

Supposedly if it rains on this date then it will also rain for 40 days!

The day had brightened by the new time of departure at 1.30pm   (originally 10.30 am)

Only a slight chance of rain.

Chris had doubts as we approached the Hill – how high above sea  level ?

Our leader Margaret was in no doubt that we were doing the walk, despite the gloom.

Exercise and fresh air!

So clad in boots, waterproof jackets (hoods up) brollies and 3 of us wearing gloves, off we went.  Oh! Said Margaret it’s an easy walk with only two small ravines. RAVINES said Anne I’m not sure I like the sound of RAVINES.  Margaret just laughed it off – well only small ones.  But Anne questioned the word – which in her mind conjured up thoughts of Mt. Everest or at least The Alps!

The first part, downhill, was reasonably easy with us sceptical as to the possible slippery surfaces of the stones that lined our route.  Sue, as usual, was politely quiet and strode on confidently;

Our leader taking it all “in her stride”;  so to speak.

The view was quite clear and we were able to spot local places of interest.

Digley Reservoir came into view – another possible walk?

The  “ravine” was soon in sight – yes!  I agreed with the word after all!

Sue said her husband Brian had seen cyclists hurtling down – we walked – very steadily, crossing the stream without too much difficulty.  Of course, it’s always easier for those with long legs!

Up the hill we climbed, mostly a good path of huge local stone.  A sign warned hikers to beware of taking the path towards Digley as the stream may be swollen and crossing would be difficult.  Thankfully our path continued upwards but with the wind and then the rain increasing.

Margaret remembered that a plane had crashed somewhere near our path – if only she knew which way.  Sue was unable to find which way was North, East, West or  South

(a good job it was a clear path we were following!)

We continued onward and upward with the wind and rain increasing and visibility de-creasing.

As we neared the top of our climb we were in low cloud with limited visibility.

Margaret assured us it was not far to the trig point and strode on;   (her idea of “not far” is questionable!)     Chris was struggling to keep her umbrella the right way out and hanging onto it with great difficulty – me and her fell behind.

Suddenly there it was with Margaret talking to two young men (probably in their 40’s).

Who good,  thought I,  she must be asking if they knew the whereabouts of the plane  -

we were all agog to see it.  But no!  They were lost and glad to see us, as in the gloom they had taken a wrong path.

Margaret quickly put them right giving them instructions of how to get to Holmfirth.

I asked where they were from ,detecting a slight accent, and asked if they had their passports with them as they said they were on their way to Scotland!  Nicola might not let you in said I.

One guy  suddenly  said ;   “I will take a photo of the 4 of you” as he watched Chris struggling with her brolly – what a good photo it would make.  Sue gave him her phone and he took some photo’s becoming very animated with what he was doing.

I began talking to the other guy who was much quieter.  They were from London but he was originally from Sweden!   (Hence the accent)   But has lived in the UK for 25  years.

After much laughter they set off down with instructions from Margaret.

We stayed and had a drink (coffee from flasks) – some had chocolate bars as well!!)

I realised that my trousers were soaking wet on the side where the rain had been blowing towards us, so out came my brolly for the downward trek.  To my dismay Margaret suddenly decided to “take off” alone into the gloom to see whether or not she could see the top of Holme Moss Mast which she assured us was a lovely  view!       Alas we only had her word for that.

Fortunately she was back with us within a few minutes – she obviously realised the futility of her task.

We were not alone walking in these conditions and passed two couples on their way up.

A young couple from London who asked, jokingly, if there was a halfway house at the top – his girlfriend was ravenous;  they  had sandwiches but the weather was not conducive to eating lunch outside.  He said he was so grateful to be able to get away from his small box of an apartment with only a view of a yard full of rubbish.  So he was very happy to be out on the Yorkshire hills.

I can’t say that I was in total agreement just at that moment!

The next couple were wearing shorts and had a dog with them.  They were from Scotland and were on “school holidays” visiting her Mother who lived locally – the girl was obviously a local by birth.      BUT shorts?     I suppose it’s easier to dry legs rather than trousers!

As we continued back to our cars I realised just how wet we were.  Chris could actually  “ring out” her gloves!

Passing another couple as we again crossed “the ravine”,   the woman was struggling to cross and saying we must all be mad to go out in this weather.  Then said exactly what I had said earlier “well we won’t melt!”

By this time the others were way ahead of me.

Margaret assessed that it would take me 3 years to do the Pennine Way as I talked to everyone I meet – well I enjoy finding out where folk are from!

(Chris said her husband David is just like me and talks to “all and sundry”).  Margaret suggested that I should write a book – well, not a bad idea.  Simon Armitage has written one   (“Walking Home”) ;  and he talked to everyone and even stayed with folks en-route.

We were all in agreement that it had been an eventful walk and we must do it again sometime!  BUT NOT when it is raining.   We want to see the view next time and find that plane!

As we walked to the gate at the start of our walk a man was approaching;  I assumed he had just finished the walk, but no, he was taking photographs!?  I must have looked surprised, as  he said there were some good views.  I had to agree   -  the clouds were definitely interesting and “moody”.              Those rain clouds were gathering – and how!

BLACK HILL is 1909 ft.  (582m) high     -     But don’t tell Chris!

Anne C. & Brenda  -  you don’t know what you missed

Glad Diane wasn’t with us though!!!

Thank you Margaret   -   we shall long remember our afternoon on Black Hill.

Guess what I am now singing    -   “Take me back to the Black Hill(s) the Black Hill(s) of Yorkshire (Dakota)  to the beautiful Yorkshire  (Indian)  country that I love.”   Not sure if I really mean that.

Sung originally by Doris Day I think in the film Calamity Jane.

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My name is Anne Bradford. I am a retired Keep Fit Teacher with the Keep Fit Association.  Still teaching a small class of women,   some who  have been with me for 40 years .

Because we cannot meet for Keep Fit Classes a few “girls” decided to walk instead.  No more than 6 sometimes only two have been going regularly.

I decided to record where we walked.

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I started a diary at the beginning of the first lockdown and wrote down the figures every day and also put in pictures from the newspapers.

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This is another drawstring bag I made from an outgrown pair of velvet leggings .

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This is a drawstring bag which I made during the lockdown. Made up of patchwork squares of any material I could find.
Hope you like it.

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Bert has missed attending Huddersfield Town Football matches (with many others) and created a Wordsearch based on the Championship 2020-2021 season.

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Healthy lifestyle during lockdown restrictions

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A short story

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Cont.

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Bunty says, 'these are a few donations to the project. I have a bundle of writing that i've created throughout lockdown. Some of it, is based on positive self-talk, a lot about our new way of living, or imaginative creative pieces. Some of it is about myself and how i'm coping.'

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There are fears that the coronavirus could mean the end for many live music venues, and that in future the only sound emanating from them will be a death knell.

One Huddersfield-based musician suspects that some venues, particularly those in prime city centre spots, are already being eyed up to be bought as housing redevelopments, thus reducing further the places where artists can play live before an audience.

Now the charity Music Venue Trust (MVT) is urging the government to do more to support those "grassroots" spaces that have traditionally provided a home for musicians to perform.

It said more than 130 venues across the country benefited from the £2.25m Emergency Grassroots Music Venue Fund, receiving grants ranging from £1,000 to £80,000.

But that scheme ended on September 30. The government is now running the Cultural Recovery Fund, some of which may be allocated to music venues.

A decision on that was due on October 5 but was pushed back to October 12.

The MVT says that delay is not helpful to venues which already face "precarious financial situations".

The impact on music venues has been thrown into sharp relief by Huddersfield-based singer, producer and promoter Pat Fulgoni, who says the combination of Covid-19 and government inaction will "finish off" many bands, labels and venues.

He called the situation "plain daft" and said that it would stymie the emergence of new talent in a country that still "waves the Beatles flag" to promote musical excellence to the world.

He said: "If we are not careful loads of venues and clubs will be shut and most likely turned into luxury flats. You can see this a mile off, especially in the cities where they are often in a prime position.

"It could happen up here [in the north] if we are not careful. Developers are circling. It will be very hard to turn back from that. That's why the work of the Music Venue Trust is so important.

"Gone will be the days of acts like my old Huddersfield band Kava Kava of 25 years who gigged all over the country to get a record deal via the traditional route, such as gigging at the Marquee London in front of talent scouts and then touring in support of album releases signed to independent labels."

Like many towns Huddersfield has a handful of dedicated music venues including the Parish, Small Seeds and the Northern Quarter.

But Pat Fulgoni fears such venues "could be gone for good" if they do not receive a much-needed injection of cash.

Aiming his attack at the government, he added: "With the desperate lack of support during lockdown and 2020, its almost as if now the government wouldn't mind if culture became just the hobby of the well-resourced and affluent."

The speed of change brought by the health emergency has seen musicians like Fulgoni forced to change directions.

With a dearth of live gigs during lockdown he opted to provide music tuition for youngsters in Leeds City Region.

The cancellation of outdoor events such as Huddersfield's Marshfest and Colne's Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival meant regular showcases were lost.

Yet there have been some live performances, albeit on a limited scale. In Leeds last weekend Fulgoni played a drum and bass set at the Beaver Works nightclub - his first gig in seven months.

He said: "It was a limited capacity show - 300 people down from 1,500 and running from 6pm to 10pm when normally these raves start at 10pm and end at six in the morning.

"It was fantastic but incredibly strange at the same time because it was a segregated all-seater and there was no dancing. So it was a socially distanced DnB rave.

"But it was a really successful event. I really hope that they have proved a point and that in future events can happen in a safe environment."

The MVT said that in an attempt to control the virus Westminster and the other devolved administrations have been forced to restrict the ability of grassroots music venues to trade.

"Activities are banned. The 10pm curfew reduces trading hours by 50%. Social distancing capacity drops their audiences by 75%. Result: Most venues cannot open. Those that can, trade at 12.5% of their normal income.

"The limitations governments have temporarily placed on those venues present a very real threat that they will permanently close.

"Communities will lose access to live music. Artists will lose the pivotal moment that starts their careers. The foundation stone of a £5.2bn industry, the beating heart of our global reputation for music, may simply disappear and not return."

Fulgoni added: "A lot of these clubs that are threatened are in prime locations. It's almost as if they're being eyed up for development. It's almost as if this government feels that culture is not for the masses.

"The last great town centre venue in Huddersfield was the Black Hole, at the former polytechnic in the '90s. There were regular touring bands. It was fantastic.

"But all that could be gone for good if these venues shut down and are bought up. A lot of artists are struggling. We are facing extinction."

Yet despite the current and ongoing concerns Fulgoni remains an optimist.

"I can imagine that things can get better. I hope so. I do think that we are going to come out of it. It's just got to be soon.

"Music really does help people's well-being. It helps the town's economy as well, especially when you consider that in 2018 the music industry nationally was worth billions.

"Live streaming is very exciting, but it's strange. You sing to yourself. It's not a gig. There's no eyeball contact. You just get the vibe. It's you and a camera and it's a bit freaky.

"I hope that's not the new normal because it's not a replacement for a real gig.

"Fingers crossed that this is not the end. Once we get a vaccine I think things will start going back to normal. That's my hunch.

"But by then some venues may have disappeared. It's going to be a very different scene, that's for sure. It's very worrying.

"I hope that the government will put money into the music industry to stop that from happening."

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Huddersfield musician says all town's live music venues are under threat

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There are fears that the coronavirus could mean the end for many live music venues, and that in future the only sound emanating from them will be a death knell. One Huddersfield-based musician suspects that some venues, particularly those in prime city centre spots, are already being eyed up to be bought as housing redevelopments, thus reducing further the places where artists can play live before an audience.

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Jane Elizabeth Williams - How to save the world

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Jane Elizabeth Williams - How to save the world

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I am submitting my poem 'How to save the world'. It's about all the amazing people who worked so hard and tirelessly helping others during the Coronavirus Pandemic, and also how the earth started recovering. I wrote it to say thank you to those involved - during my experience of lockdown I tried to focus on the positive things in life. The experience brought out my creativity, i.e, my love of poetry and writing, also photography whilst out walking in our beautiful countryside, which itself was healing during the lockdown.

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I have produced a timeline of the first phase of Covid_19 from March to end of September.  I used photoshop and had it printed on A1 pvc. I thought it would be useful to look back at sometime in the future and when I read it now it seems unreal.  I needed something to do to keep me occupied during the lockdown and keeping up with what was happening seemed to be a good way to pass the time.  I have also asked Kirklees Hospice if they wish to use the timeline to possibly create funds for their cause.

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I've been very happy with the results as they are my first attempts at digital art.

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I used a free online app called ibis x to produce the art

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I didn’t have much art equipment at home but I used the resources that I have to produce digital artwork every day from my somewhat eclectic imagination.

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My friends and I were suffering depression during lockdown. I also suffer from M.E. It was hard to stay positive.  My good friend realising this suggested we do a picture every day to keep depression away.

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This is a Dolly and doggie for my granddaughter

Also done loads of socks for my husband and brother in law.

Just need to keep ourselves busy!

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The beginnings of an ‘eco’ cloth for the communion table at Moldgreen United Reformed church.

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Jumper knitted top down in one piece - no seams

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Masks for my youngest grandson - incase they are needed.

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This is a picture that my children Keira and corey made; The rainbow colours are to represent the 'Thank you NHS and Keyworkers' message.

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Just a few of the things my kiddies have been doing over the last few weeks.

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I also did the challenges set by Huddersfield Art Society and Shelley Art Group.

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I have also been taking part in lots of artistic challenges, the Sky Arts "Portrait Artist of the Week", "Portraits for Heroes"

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Another pop-up card I made.

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I have been making pop-up cards and quizzes for my grandchildren.

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This painting was produced at the start of 'Lockdown' earlier this year. I wanted to produce some art to mark this time.

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Lazy Spring is a poem and song written in response to the extra time I had during the beginning of lockdown. As a result of getting more time to witness the growth of a gorgeous Huddersfield spring I was inspired to write about the return of the cuckoo, the meanderings of moorland sheep, the prowling of foxes and busyness of the bees.
Every night my partner and I would go out into our local woods and listen to and peer at the owls in high branches, watch the fox pups lingering in the buttercups and mark the movement of time in the bursting of buds and the shooting of shoots.
The song reflects on my feeling of laziness during some days of early lockdown but also on the old pagan folk tale of Eostre. It references the local landscape/wildlife – adders, sheep, foxes, owls, moorland – and the indicative elements of spring we all know – dawn chorus, April showers, return of the cuckoo.

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Collaborating to create an online Gospel music service

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Collaborating to create an online Gospel music service

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This Gospel Music Collaboration Video was made with members of Huddersfield New Testament Church of God, and friends from local communities, and it was made as positive response to the current pandemic situation.

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ONLINE GOSPEL MUSIC SERVICE (ft. Huddersfield New Testament Church of God and friends) [ep]

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Turn Up The Music (track 10)

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Turn Up (The Music) (Red Bull Symphonic)

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In other lockdown news, I have a few lead VOCALS over the 80 piece "Red Bull Symphonic" LP out now. Camo & Krooked's biggest tracks reworked by
Kolonovits who has collaborated with Pavarotti, Conchita Wurst, Scorpions! If any of you know the original "All Night" from clubbing or the Celebrity Big
Brother finale (seriously), this is different! Also check out "Turn Up The Music" given the Kolonovits / Max Steiner Orchestra treatment on this album. -> All
Night (track 4)

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I’m a singer and producer. During lockdown I have been delivering more online music biz tuition with Cloth Cat, Leeds. I've also provided a few clips for
their channel. This has just been uploaded. DIY music synchronization tips for film & TV / Pat Fulgoni. Beginners Guide To The Music Biz. Term 2. Cloth Cat
Studios (Lottery funded) provide FREE music sessions for kids across Leeds City Region aged 11-18, once a week for 10 weeks over 7 terms

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Term 2 Beginners Guide to Music Business

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Term 2 of the GYAT (Get Your Act Together) Beginners Guide to Music Business sessions run by Pat Fugoni. You will find here a selection of pre-recoded videos...

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Along with many others I’ve been helping to hype various initiatives designed at securing more support for the UK’s music industry such as
#saveourvenues #letthemusicplay and #lightitinred. This follows on from the regional development work i have done in the past for Yorkshire music at
events like SXSW (USA) and MIDEM (france) conferences see www.musicyorkshire.com

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I painted this at the very start of lockdown. I am an abstract artist and work on feelings. I painted the large canvas black and then painted the blue swirling brush strokes on top of this, giving the impression of the image coming out of the darkness.  There was certainly a feeling of dark foreboding at the start of lockdown. The feeling with the blue paint was of wildness and a sense of being somewhat out of control.  The colours I instinctively chose were dark  and of a limited palate with minimal highlights.  This caused the image to almost disappear in certain lights, giving the painting a very deep and moody feel, with a sense of something being hidden.  This is most certainly the feeling at the time as there was an uneasy sense of something we couldn’t see causing depression and uncertainty in our minds.  In the end when I stood back and looked at the painting it reminded me of a tornado. This is really how I felt at the beginning of lockdown, as if we were all battening down the hatches not knowing what the ensuing tornado would bring.

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I love the idea that this could be a family heirloom one day. I hope in the future when I'm looking back on these strange times, I'll look at the quilt and remember all the silver linings and the warmth with which people came together.

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It's also given me the opportunity for some down-time hand-sewing as I'm using the fabric and paper paper scraps to make a patchwork hexigon quilt, using a technique known as English Paper Piecing.

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It really took off and it's been a pleasure to provide a colourful, earth-friendly alternative to something which has now become part of our daily lives.

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Pocket Clothing - Adapting a new independent business

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Pocket Clothing - Adapting a new independent business

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My name's Holly and I'm a slow-fashion designer-maker. I founded my clothing label, Pocket, in July 2019, working from a studio in Bates Mill, Huddersfield. I'd been working away on lots of behind the scenes stuff in preparation to launch an online store during Fashion Revolution Week at the end of April. But when lockdown hit, I couldn't go through with the photoshoot I'd been planning and had to pack up my studio and prepare to work from a box-room at home. I make everything on an industrial sewing machine (which is not at all mobile!) so I was quite worried about how I could continue to work without the piece of machinery I rely upon for my livelihood. Luckily, a friend kindly lent me her domestic machine so I was able to work from home.

With everything feeling incredibly uncertain and the shop launch on hold, I started to pick up on the rising need for sewers prompted by the PPE shortage. Inspired by fellow sewists using their skills to help make scrubs and hospital gowns, and worried about the increase in use of plastic-based disposable masks, I started to work on making reusable cotton face coverings.

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I am pretty sure my husband and I had Covid_19 right at the start of Lockdown in March 2020 although we could not get tested at the time. Normally I spend a lot of time embroidering and creating textile art at my studio in the Byram Arcade but it took just over two weeks before I had the energy to do anything. I found some scraps of fabric at home and pieced them together with some stitching to create a little patch to remind me of the experience I was going through. I cross stitched a Daffodil as I could see out of the window they were all coming up and I stitched the symptoms I had on and off over nearly four weeks in the end. My sense of taste and smell took much longer to return. I know we were very lucky indeed with our symptoms but it is not something that I want to experience again if I can help it!

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Many people have also rediscovered their own locality and I have gone back to walks I did many years ago when I spent my spare time filling sketch books for college.

The day these paintings were produced we were blessed with lovely weather and started the day today with an outside breakfast and doing on site drawings from our garden tubs and the shrubs in the garden.I really enjoyed this work and the fresh air.I have come to appreciate my garden much more over the last few months.

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Art, and for that matter, any creative hobby really becomes important now as certainly with painting you can escape into your own little world and especially if you are painting from your own reference

photographs you can travel beck to anywhere in the World you have visited in your mind whilst painting.

I have been able to finish many half finished pictures as I always have several on the go at the same time. I even took one off the wall which was above my call taking desk to do a bit more work on it .Good job

that it wasn’t behind glass.

I had an exhibition booked in Ilkley, postponed now until next year but I carried on and finished these pieces anyway and also returned to my sunsets as I needed some virtual sea air.

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The restriction on one walk a day actually meant I was out more than I did before and I have re

discovered many local walks which inspired many of my sketching subjects in my school and college days.

Painting wise I had many projects on the go ready for the start of the exhibition season which of course

is now postponed until next year and I will miss the contact with the various art groups that I used to

visit and demonstrate for .Some of these groups are adapting themselves to do a lot more on line and

are also embracing Zoom meetings which was also new to me.

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Matthew Evans: Landscapes take you anywhere

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Matthew Evans: Landscapes take you anywhere

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I am one of the vice presidents of Huddersfield Art Society and was very interested  to hear about your project WhatsApp message. I would like to contribute some examples of some works that I have produced during lock down. I have spent the lock down period working on several art projects and finishing in progress works mainly landscapes and I have enjoyed playing with scale producing small works and some larger ones too.I often say that art can take you anywhere in your mind and you can escape into another world and if using your own reference photos you can travel back in your mind to those places and relive experiences.

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I created this poem during the height of the pandemic as I wanted to say thank you. I felt our refuse collectors worked very hard and continued to collect our waste during a difficult and challenging time which had a positive impact on the community.

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The piece of work I have submitted is a short prose poem inspired by the regular online ‘meetings’ on Skype/Zoom/FaceTime etc that suddenly became popular when lockdown was announced. When we started meeting our friends on FaceTime we were scared, shell-shocked, and apprehensive at first, but as the weeks went on we became angry with the lies and incompetence and misinformation. I wanted to juxtapose that changing, unsettled state of mind with the comforting normality we tried to create with our trivial quiz questions about sit-coms and James Bond themes.

(Before lockdown was announced I asked to be allowed to work from home, but as soon as it was set up I was furloughed, and today I am going into work for a redundancy meeting, as my workplace is being closed down. So there’s no going ‘back to normal’ for me.)

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Huddersfield Art Society: Members own Lockdown Challanges

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Huddersfield Art Society: Members own Lockdown Challanges

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Huddersfield Art Society: 30 Day Lockdown Challenge

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Huddersfield Art Society: 30 Day Lockdown Challenge

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Huddersfield Art Society: Portrait Group Challenges 

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Huddersfield Art Society: Portrait Group Challenges 

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Huddersfield Art Society: Saturday Challenge

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Huddersfield Art Society: Saturday Challenge

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To help our members stay connected with each other during the lockdown period, when normally we would have had a number of meetings each month, the leadership team set members a number of short challenges to inspire people with ideas, to keep people in touch with each other and to share work produced on our facebook pages and a new web site developed by one of our members, which has given an extra boost to members involvement.

1)      There has been a weekly portrait challenge including self portraits, ear and hand studies, poses in action and some more experimental approaches to portraiture.

2)      A fortnightly challenge replaced our usual Saturday meetings and covered topics such as abstracts, scenes from a holiday, a house portrait, reflections in glass, flowers, and personal responses to Covid -19 issues.

3)      There have also been a couple of 30 day sketchbook challenges covering a range of topics to help develop observational and quick sketching skills.

4)      The above challenge response has also encouraged members to share their own personal challenges on the web site.

These are 4 montages relating to each category above showing some of the wide range of people’s work.

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I am working on this project in partnership with the West Yorkshire Archive Service.

Upon completion, this project will be gifted into the care of West Yorkshire Archive Service and Kirklees Council to preserve in perpetuity as a record of the history of the Kirklees area and will be accessible to the public for research purposes.

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Cont.

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Cont.

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Cont.

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My submission is a set of three textile art bobbin scrolls.  These were made as part of a ‘Soul 4 the Soul’ project by Anne Brooke.  Anne is a friend from an embroidery guild.  She offered a weekly challenge to include various stitched elements over several weeks and supported this through videos.  The community grew quickly under the Instagram hashtag #sew4thesoulhannemade and there are a number of ‘community’ videos showing the work made across the world.

I am a textile and mixed media artist myself, but like so many, I found myself feeling anxious at the start of the pandemic.  This was not primarily because the situation but because staying at home exasperated anxiety about some flood damage we had experienced the month before.  This project allowed me to work towards a small goal which kept me busy and I found it extremely therapeutic to have something to pick up and add to especially in the evenings.  I was fortunate to work at home as a key worker but my job was stressful and having a minute or two here and there to stitch was relaxing. The scrolls are made by piecing fabric onto cotton wadding before adding hand-stitch and additional elements.  They are all backed with calico and can be displayed in a variety of ways.   I dyed many of the threads, materials and notions myself, and spent a long time designing the colourways so that they were visually pleasing and celebrated three of the plants that grew in my garden over the period: hellebores, bluebells and honeysuckle.

Since completing them, I have returned to my own work but I look back at them very fondly as three positive little pieces that ‘kept me going’ through Spring 2020.

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I created this piece as it was the day of my final chemo treatment on the 1st of May, after a long 6 months chemo plan for Hodgkins Lymphoma. Whilst on treatment I’d been on partial lockdown anyway, as many chemo patients are due to the treatment vastly reducing your immune system capability and so you have to be very careful.

This then became even more of a problem during in lockdown and people like me had to go into shielding. It felt like a cruel blow as you are always aiming for that end date, to then hopefully start living normally again, but during the time I finished treatment, I was still required to shield and so normality was out of the window! Infact this continued until the 1st of August, so another 3 months on top of when it all started for me in November! So I created the poem to mark the end of treatment, yet still the shielding situation.

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During lockdown, it’s hard to keep up the motivation and not feel the pressure to ‘make the most of the time’. We don’t have to make the most of our time, we can just be. There are more birds around and less car noises, we can just sit and listen. There is a lot of pressure to keep working and fight through which is not good for my mental health. It’s been important to keep up the creative things that I don’t sell or post on social media like colouring books and dance.

We have all had to get creative in the ways we connect with friends. I have been doing regular-ish watching parties with a friend where we press play on a YouTube video from Cirque du Soleil at the same time then talk on FB messenger through it. (That’s a good thing about lockdown that theatre and dance shows have been streamed on YouTube for us to watch at home) I have also tried playing cooperative board games over Skype, which was really fun if harder than in person board games. A few of my favourite dance teachers have been doing streamed dance classes which have been great. This type of creativity is hard but very needed! We need to feel connected to other people.

I decided to post some calm photos on Instagram to help. These haven’t been popular on Etsy yet but they were good for mine and others mental health. I will let ideas for selling my photographs grow at the pace they need to.

All these photos are from walks. I am a fan of water and clouds so often feature those in photos. I think they both have a calm feel!

This Crafty Octopus is a textile artist selling mini crochet earrings and much more. Find hats, washcloths and LGBTQ pride hearts. Many designs have patterns to make your own.

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This purse was created as a workshop for @sunflowerskillsclub on Instagram who have been doing tutorials during lockdown. Its been really interesting to see how different organisations have been finding new ways to carry on their work and I have enjoyed joining in with the Sunflower Foundation to continue their fundraising efforts when they can no longer carry on in person events. I wanted to do a workshop teaching basic mosaic knitting because it’s a beginner friendly colourwork technique and you don’t see many tutorials for it.

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After making the rainbow for my window I decided to add rainbows to my mini crochet earrings collection. These earrings are popular. I love using recycled items and the blue beads are from a charity shop. I am looking forward to charity shops opening again so I can have a good browse. One nice thing about having time is being able to develop collections all at once. Putting all the mini crochet earrings up at once was really satisfying.

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Where it started - Local Pandemic Creativity

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Where it started - Local Pandemic Creativity

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I found myself doing lots of embroidery to help me deal with the pandemic as lockdown first hit. I couldn't help but notice how there was an explosion of creativity locally and nationally and wanted to capture how we have responded locally to dealing with our circumstances and/or supporting pandemic efforts. The main thing that has struck me is the diversity of what creativity is to people and I am very passionate about exploring localised creativity and exactly what appeals to Kirklees residents as we move through this story.

I spread the word using my social media channels (https://linktr.ee/Nicolatwynham)

Please explore how the Kirklees Community have used creativity to support themselves and others throughout the pandemic to date. This will be updated as residents and organisations submit examples and this story will exist here for a time and upon completion of the project will be adopted by the West Yorkshire Archive Service and will become part of the national public searchable records so that generations to come can learn and see our experience.

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Jane submitted these posters that she made. Jane says:

'I live in the small village of Clayton West. Early on in lockdown I noticed a proliferation of teddy bears in peoples' windows in the village. I decided to draw them and create trails around the village for the local children. I put them on a local Facebook group to share. I've had great feedback!'

Instagram: @artyjaneh

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Poster 2 from Jane

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Poster 3 from Jane

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We created this salt dough family handprint as a family to remember the time we finally had time to make a salt dough family handprint.

Ewan aged 5, Mummy aged 35, Craig aged 40
Lindley, Huddersfield

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When the lockdown started, I found life as musician initially very difficult as I was unable to perform and write music with others. It also meant I had limited access to recording equipment in order to make my own music. I created a small set up in my bedroom with a laptop and a singular condenser microphone which captured my guitar and voice. I hit record and performed each of the six songs live. No edits or overdubs. - you hear the closest thing to a true live performance from the start to the end. By the end I had a unique, stripped back set of songs which do their best to articulate my mixed feelings during an incredibly strange time. My musical influences for this project were artists such as Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and Alex Turner.

I hope when you can listen you too can appreciate these songs and perhaps relate to my own experiences and stories which are told.

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A collection of raw and honest originals I have put together during the lock down. I hope you all enjoy x

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I quickly got on board with putting a rainbow in my window! This one is made from crochet which is a great craft for creating sculptural items. I really liked the idea of making someone smile and I have been enjoying seeing everyone’s rainbows when I am walking. The act of walking has become so much more important to be able to see sky and birds.

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Hi, I’m Frances! I am the owner of This Crafty Octopus. I live in Huddersfield and work in various crafty spaces in the local area! The global pandemic has made me spend a lot more time on my craft business. It’s been good to work on lots of the projects that I have been developing.