Around the Ward – #6 – Looking back on 2021

Every couple of months we’re going to hand over the blog to one of Pudsey’s Local Councillor’s so they can update you, the people of our community, on the things that are happening in the area or things that are soon to come. In this edition, Trish will talk a little bit more about what has happened in 2021 and what to look forward to next year.

As we approach the end of 2021 I thought I’d talk about some of the positive things that have happened or are going to happen around the Ward. After the extremely hard and uncertain start to 2021, it was extremely heartening to see the optimism and positivity rise as the months rolled on. Through the Spring / Summer and even Autumn we had some beautiful weather that really added to some of the fun and excitement in the town.

I first thought I would mention some of the events that took place. As a community, we managed to revive the Pudsey Feast for a one off fantastic event on Queens Park, standing in for the Pudsey Carnival which due to COVID uncertainty couldn’t be held. Swinnow Community Centre held “A week at the Seaside”, which saw kids and adults come from all around the ward to enjoy activities such as a bouncy castle, outdoor games, hook a duck, a barbecue and much more besides.

More recently we saw the return of the Scarecrow Festival, after a year’s hiatus due to the Pandemic. The Scarecrow Festival was a tremendous success and the entries and all the people who volunteered were brilliant. Just a couple of weeks ago we also saw the return of the Pudsey Christmas Lights Switch-on Event too after a year’s hiatus. It was utterly brilliant to be around the event stewarding, talking to the residents of our town and business owners about how fantastic things are going at the moment.

November also saw the return of the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade. A massive thank you must go to the Pudsey & Farsley Royal British Legion for arranging this event, and of course a thanks to Pudsey Parish Church for their support. Our wonderful local community craft group also did an amazing job in ensuring the surrounding areas looked stunning for such an important day. It was extremely heartwarming to see our Veterans, schools, youth groups and residents / business of the community come together to mark this special day.

Each month also saw traders take to Pudsey Market to sell their wares at the Pudsey Produce & Craft Market. The regular Pudsey Market saw a number of new traders grace our stalls. I was also over the moon to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the Pudsey Lottery that I helped found and support earlier this year. Pudsey Lottery since its inception has paid out over £16,000! that can only be spent within Pudsey, and has given a shot in the arm to our high street and market traders.

On the MyPudsey front, we’ve had a tremendous first year posting about and promoting local businesses and events. We also held a couple of Pudsey Cemetery Tours, and more recently our team successfully planned, advertised and ran 4 Pudsey Spooky Tour nights. Our Pudsey Spooky Tours saw over 80 people join us for a walk around the Chapeltown area, learning about some spooky goings ons from the town’s past. With the help of those people, we raised a tremendous £375 for Pudsey Community Project.

In other local news, we managed to get all 3 Trim Trails finished and the 3 Community Orchards planted, we planted thousands of trees to help combat the Climate Emergency, we’ve put plans in place to refresh & refurbish many of our playgrounds since we all value our parks and green spaces more than ever now, Tyersal had the disused tennis courts turned into a MUGA for all year round use and so many other really positive things happened.

So, what will 2022 bring? Well, right now it’s impossible to say as nobody knows what tomorrow holds. One thing you can be absolutely certain of is that we will be here working hard for all of you, supporting you in your ventures and also planning and running events to help raise a smile.

Despite difficulties and uncertainties, there has been so much to be thankful for and we are forever grateful to each and every one of you for the support you show both us and our community. We are so lucky to have so many great community groups making everywhere look and feel loved and welcoming and we thank you all. Pudsey is a wonderful place to live, work and visit, hopefully 2022 and beyond will only reinforce that.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a healthy & happy new year.