Activists scale Hebden Bridge Library to fly Pride flag
The 'Dawn Climbers' carried out the stunt in response to Calderdale Council's refusal to fly flag in Pride Month
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.
I hope you’re all having a grand week so far.
In today’s edition, we’ve got a cracking story, one which will really warm the cockles of your heart!
A group of activists, rightly cheesed off at the Reform UK-led Calderdale Council’s decision not to fly the Pride flag during Pride Month, scaled Hebden Bridge Library a couple of days ago to fly it proudly… albeit for a couple of days before it was taken down.
We speak to the group below.
Plus, a couple of nuggets in the Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Calderdale Digest
💦 Calderdale Council is working with partners to deliver water safety “days of action” this summer, following a tragedy in the borough in May’s heatwave.
At least 15 people across the UK are known to have died in open water during that heatwave, according to collated police and media reports.
A 13-year-old Bradford boy, named locally as Reco Puttock, died after getting into difficulty in the water at Leadbeater Dam, a small reservoir near Ogden on the outskirts of Halifax, prompting police and local leaders to renew warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water.
Calderdale Council has posted on its social media outlets that the authority is teaming up with partner agencies including West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to deliver a series of targeted Days of Action at key locations across the borough this summer.
Much of this will be ahead of the summer holidays.
“These days will provide opportunities to engage with the public on the risks associated with open water and how to respond in an emergency if someone gets into difficulty.
“We’ll also be working with local schools to deliver demonstrations and focused engagement sessions to young people,” said the council.
They are also encouraging people to share Royal Life Saving Society UK’s water safety advice during Drowning Prevention Week, which runs this week until June 20.
This can be found by clicking here.
🚗 Ahead of England kicking off their World Cup campaign tonight, drivers are being encouraged to choose 0% or plan another way home if they’re drinking.
The reminder comes as provisional figures show that 1 person died and 39 people were seriously injured in collisions last year in West Yorkshire where the driver was impaired by alcohol.
The legal drink drive limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath or 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres in blood, but is currently under review following the launch of the new National Road Safety Strategy.
Importantly, everyone digests and reacts to alcohol differently so it’s not possible to give a reliable way of knowing when you are legal and safe to drive - it’s best to have none for the road.
The 0% campaign has been created by THINK! and is being supported by the region’s road safety partnership, West Yorkshire Vision Zero.
Activists have last laugh as Pride flag flown proudly at Hebden Bridge Library
By Andrew Greaves
A group of activists scaled Hebden Bridge Library in the early hours of Sunday morning and erected a Pride flag.
The stunt, carried out by a group calling themselves Dawn Climbers, was in response to the now Reform UK-led Calderdale Council refusing to fly the Pride flag from public buildings despite June being Pride Month.
The row has been brewing for a few weeks now with the council leadership under fire for refusing a request to fly the Pride flag in Pride month from any of its other buildings, most specifically Halifax’s Shibden Hall.
Shibden Hall was the historic home of Anne Lister, widely regarded as the first modern lesbian, and inspiration for the Sally Wainwright-penned hit BBC drama Gentleman Jack, boosting Halifax as a tourist destination as a result.
In response, the leader of Calderdale Council, Councillor Dan Sutherland, said the Union flag represents all the people of the borough, and Calderdale continues to be celebrated as a place where everyone is valued.
But the Dawn Climbers decided at the weekend to take matters into their own hand and scaled the side of the building to rectify the decision.
And the group told The Calderdale Lead: “Flag and bunting £10, welcoming minority groups you represent in your constituency, Priceless.
“Seeing a Pride flag fluttering in the breeze on the library is heart warming, let’s hope it warms up the coldness inside the hearts of Calderdale Councillors.”
Pride Month recognises and supports LGBTQ+ people, marking their history and ongoing fight for equal rights and acceptance.
Terry Logan, youth engagement manager of Calderdale’s Happy Valley Pride, said Pride and the Pride flag is also about “remembering the importance of those things, so that we don’t take worrying steps back.”
“But ultimately, Pride is really about a celebration and coming together, so I’m hoping that Reform see sense because I know that, in our community and a lot of people out there, support us,” she said.
Labour Councillor Sarah Courtney who made the Shibden Hall request, said: “What I would say is ‘please reconsider’ – it’s a very small symbol to show inclusion and unity.
“The Pride flag doesn’t exclude anybody but it might just make a difference to somebody who is having a difficult time, questioning their sexuality or feeling that they can’t come out – and all of these things have a really negative effect on people, on their health.
“If they see a Pride flag, it just helps them feel a bit more included, so I would just say to the Reform leader and Cabinet ‘do think again’.”
Cllr Sutherland says that the council flies a flag representing everyone.
“We are proud to fly the Union Flag from Halifax Town Hall throughout the year, to represent all the people of the borough, and we continue to celebrate Calderdale as a place where everyone is valued.
“This is not about banning any particular flags but rather ensuring that all the people of the borough are represented,” he said.
He added that the flag-flying policy will be reviewed at the next meeting of the council’s Governance and Business Committee.
The flag has since been removed with a member of the group saying: “We saw that two days later it had been taken down. Could we have our flag back?”
That’s it for this edition - thanks for reading!
Don’t forget that you can get in touch, for whatever reason, by emailing calderdale@thelead.uk.
I’ll be back on Sunday so until then, have a great week!
Andrew