Parish Council To Support Canal Festival
The entrance to the Standedge canal tunnel at Diggle.
Saddleworth Parish Council has indicated it’s going to support next year’s bicentenary celebrations of the opening of the first canal tunnel at Standedge. A series of events are being organised by the Huddersfield Canal Society to mark the tunnel’s 200th anniversary.
Two events in particular are being planned for 18 September 2011 at Diggle Tip. A family festival is being organised to be held close to the canal tunnel entrance. There are also proposals for a piece of outdoor interactive theatre involving the Oldham Theatre Workshop, with actors stationed at different points along the canal.
The society is seeking a total of £10,000 funding for those two events. £1,000 has already been secured from Oldham Council, with bids for a further £7,000 due to be made to the Lottery and Pennine Prospects. The Society itself is going to pay £500, leaving a shortfall of £1,500.
At last week’s meeting of Saddleworth Parish Council, councillors indicated they wanted to be involved in the celebrations. However, it’s not clear yet if the council will make a financial contribution.
Aside from the festival and theatre on 18 September, other events are also being organised for the rest of the year.
If you want to read more about the history of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, the Wikipedia page here is as good a place as any to start.
(Editor’s note: I wasn’t able to attend last week’s council meeting, so thanks to Cllr Royce Franklin who passed on this information)
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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