Holme Valley Vision is a loose network comprising 60 individuals and groups who care about their place. It gathers and distributes information to nearly 1,000 emails, responds to consultations and provides a forum for collaboration. It initiates projects, gave birth to River Holme Connections, the Conservation Group and Holmfirth Forward and helps other groups get going, including Holmfirth Tech.
Holmfirth Tech is a community benefit society which runs The Tech: the place to go for arts, education, enterprise and wellbeing. The building re-opened in 2018 after being mothballed for years and was finding its feet when the Pandemic caused closure. During the lockdown, it co-ordinated community support and ran the Emergency Hardship Fund. It also organised events such Caring4Carers and Random Acts of Kindness.
Activities have resumed and new ones are starting. The Tech’s purpose is to provide space for people to join together in meaningful activities and have fun. Activities are wide-ranging and include the Carer’s Café, the Gaming Group, Weight Loss and the day-time disco. There are craft and art classes, music groups and space for local organisations to meet. The first floor contains a coworking room and two for commercial rental. One is shortly to be taken by a new enterprise providing support to new parents.
We have good links with GPs and are working together to address post-Pandemic issues, particularly mental health and loneliness. Provision for young people needs improving and the Hardship fund will re-open to provide grants to people facing financial emergencies.
