Happy Valley Pride presents a big Christmas Part broadcast live from The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on Saturday 19 December at 8pm. The free event is open to all.
Thank you to everyone who joined the Mind Your Head panel session on Wednesday 2 December. It was an informative and lively discussion about LGBTQ+ mental health during 2020.
Thank you to our panel
- Moderator – Kate O’ Donnell – Theatre performer,
writer, Artistic Director TransCreative - Carl Harrison – performer, choreographer, and Camp Fit! host
- Malcolm Struthers – Clinical Hypnotherapist at Malcolm Struthers
Hypnotherapy - Lydia Pignataro – Barnardo’s Positive Identities
- Sally Macabe – Occupational Health Therapist
- Sarah Long – Sarah Long Mental Health & Wellbeing
Adapt, reconnect, hold on to learning and practice self-love.
Kate O ‘ Donnell
Get it (worries and anxieties) out your head, get it down on… a bit of paper, a post-it note… even jotting it down on your phone… and that can really help take away a lot of the anxiety.
Malcolm Struthers
Be aware – often we don’t recognize mental health issues creeping up on us
Sally Mccabe
A lot of us think of the mind and body as separate… if people notice their mental health worse you will notice your body doesn’t feel as good either… aches and pains, lethargy etc.
Carl Harrison
Useful Links
- Healthy Minds Calderdale – Calderdale’s local mental health charity, led by people who have personal experience of emotional distress.
- LGBT Foundation – a national charity delivering advice, support and information services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. LGBT Foundation Coronovirus Hidden Figures report.
- The Brunswick Centre – offering a suite of services and projects to various communities in Calderdale and Kirklees.
- Changing The Stigma – Hub of Hope – LGBTQ+ mental health signposting service.
- COLOURS Youth Network – Run by and for LGBT+ people of colour and youth workers in the UK
- More services from key partners
Wellbeing Hints & Tips
- Happy Valley Pride Wellbeing Hints & Tips
- NHS – 5 steps to mental wellbeing
- Malcolm Struthers Hypnotherapy – Simple ways to deal with anxiety
Wednesday 2 December at 7pm
Join us for this special panel session looking at mental health from an LGBTQ+ perspective. As we approach the festive period, find more about how to improve your resiliency, how to stay connected and engaged and how mental health connects with fitness, nutrition and general wellbeing. Hear from a range of experts and champions. Share your experiences and stories. Stay connected and be part of the conversation.
Hosted by Kate O’Donnell, trans performer, activist and patron of Happy Valley Pride.
The panel includes
- Carl Harrison of CAMP FIT, yoga teacher, choreographer and performer.
- Lydia Pignataro of Barnardo’s Positive Identities.
- Occupational Health Therapist, Sally Mccabe of South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
- Sarah from Sarah Long Mental Health & Wellbeing.
- Malcolm from Malcolm Struthers Hypnotherapy.
This event will be BSL interpreted and will be free to attend on Zoom, details will be posted on our Facebook page.
Happy Valley Pride has been lucky enough to partner with all sorts of interesting people over the years. None more so than local artist, Paul MacDonald. Paul has participated in many Happy Valley Pride events over the years and will be a familiar face to many. We caught up with him to find out how this crazy year has been for him and what is on the horizon for him.
There is a lot going on behind the scenes at Happy Valley Pride as we make plans for 2021. Over 5,000 people engaged with our free digital events in the summer (which was amazing) and we will be announcing more very soon.
In the meantime, we are advertising for a Chair of the Board of Directors and a voluntary Artistic Director to help lead the organisation as we move forward.
If you are interested in joining us you can download the job descriptions below.
Please note that applications should be made via email.
‘Happy Valley Pride is one of the UK’s most alternative Pride festivals that’s got bigger and better year on year, punching above its weight with legendary acts and international performers’. Yorkshire Post – 29th June 2020
Thank you to some very messages of support for Happy Valley Pride Digital 2020.
We are very excited to announce a series of exclusive, free to attend, online events from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 July, the week that Happy Valley Pride should have taken place.
Jinx Monsoon – A Midsummer Night Scream – Saturday 25 July, 8pm.
Happy Valley Pride has established a reputation for bringing world class acts to the area, and following this tradition we are thrilled that international drag superstar Jinkx Monsoon will perform an exclusive show created especially for us. One of the biggest stars to come from the Netflix mega-hit TV show Rupaul’s Drag Race, Jinkx won season five and has gone on to tour worldwide.
‘A drag queen at the artistic genius end of the spectrum of sassiness’ – ★★★★★ Attitude
‘Straight or gay, everyone leaves this show with sides aching from laughter’ – The New York Times.
Kirsty’s Poptastic Piano Singalong D*I*S*C*O Special and After-party – Friday 24 July, 8pm.
Kirsty Newton will lead another of our hugely popular singalong events, this time we’re hitting the dancefloor and singing classic Disco and pop anthems. The singalong will be followed by an after-party with ‘Legendary’ (BBC 6 Music) DJ Red Helen, who will play a set from her sell-out Trades Club night D*I*S*C*O.
Writing Anne Lister: An LGBTQ+ History – Thursday 23 July, 7pm.
Writer and academic Dr Jill Liddington, whose research into the diaries of Anne Lister inspired the BBC/HBO series Gentleman Jack, will provide an insight into the life and times of the iconic Anne Lister ‘the first modern lesbian’. This talk was originally due to take place back in March just before lockdown hit, the event will take place live and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Happy Valley Pride’s Chair, Tim Whitehead says
“We’re pulling out all the stops with very limited funding and resources to create something special for our wonderful community in a very challenging year. Even though we can’t get together in person it’s important to still show our Pride.”
Be Here, Be You, Be Proud!
In 2015, shocked by a piece of homophobic graffiti in the town, four strangers from Hebden Bridge met in a pub to brainstorm ideas. Happy Valley Pride was born and the strangers became a team.
The brief was simple: promote equality through art and education.
Word spread fast, and the team of volunteers grew bigger and bigger. People travelled from Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Halifax and even further, to give their time and passion creating something truly positive for the community. I had taken on the role of volunteer coordinator, and I was overwhelmed by the number of applications from people wanting to help – and by the vast array of skills that people had to offer.
The first festival took place in the summer of 2016 and there was so much momentum we were able to get local hero Sally Wainwright to cut the ribbon. Over the years, our team has grown and grown. Some volunteers joined the Board, some help out during the festival, and some are ready to lend a hand whenever it’s needed. I hope that because of what we do people feel supported, connected and part of something truly unique and special. I certainly do.
Alongside the hard graft of putting on the festival, many friendships have been formed. Happy Valley Pride is entirely volunteer led and run, and every single person who has ever been involved should be immensely proud of what they have helped to create. This Volunteer Week we want to say thank you to every single one of you, you are truly amazing.
I can’t wait to work with you all again soon. I miss you all dearly, especially at the moment.
With lots of love,
Darren
She’s back! Due to popular demand, Happy Valley Pride presents Kirsty’s Poptastic Singalong – Back to the 80s Special!
On Friday 5 June at 8pm the ‘enormously talented’ (BBC), ‘musical powerhouse’ (Chortle) Kirsty Newton will be back to lead us all in a life affirming singalong party, and this time we’re going back to the 80s!
The event will take place online, we’ll be singing some of the biggest 80s anthems as chosen by you. Kids are welcome too!
The last singalong attracted over 100 people, so save the date and more details will follow shortly.
Despite lockdown, the world is getting ready to mark once again International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). Created in 2004, IDAHOBIT draws the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. This year will, of course, be quite different, but by no means any less vital. The pandemic affects every single person, however the LGBTQ+ community may be experiencing increased discrimination and are disproportionately impacted by the wider healthcare and wellbeing implications of the current situation.
Manchester based LGBT Foundation has reported a huge spike in calls to their crisis line during the lockdown. Calls include those in isolation experiencing violence or discrimination with abusive or unsupportive families. More people are concerned about not being able to attend sexual health appointments. Many just need someone to talk to.
They have a number of services to help support vulnerable members of the LGBTQ+ community during this time including a Coronavirus Hub. It provides a range of tools and resources to support the LGBTQ+ community during this time.
Did you know – May 17 was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.