Guinness World Record to wish Hockney a Happy 80th Birthday

As part of this year’s celebrations for the world famous artist David Hockney’s 80th birthday, Bradford is attempting an official Guinness World Record for the most signatures on a greetings card.

Bradford-born David Hockney, who is considered one of Britain’s most influential artists of the 20th century, celebrated his 80th birthday on July 9.

Officers from the newly opened permanent David Hockney Gallery at Bradford Council’s Cartwright Hall have got together with Bradford greetings card company Hallmark Cards plc, to produce an enormous birthday card with space for over 22,000 signatures.

The Official Guinness World Record for the most signatures on a greetings card is currently held by the Dubai Police force with 13,288 signatures; however an attempt by Staffordshire County Council with around 21,500 signatures is still to be ratified, so Bradford needs at least 22,000 signatures to make it count.

The giant card which is around 180cm tall and 120cm wide, has been designed by Hallmark Cards using inspiration from Hockney’s famous artworks to create the number 80 as a collage, will be available to sign at various events across the summer.

There will be a special signing event at Cartwright Hall on Thursday 10 August from 10am to 4pm.

The card will be at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery on Sunday 13 August between 11am and 3pm for people to sign as part of the gallery’s Martin House 30th birthday celebrations. Children from Martin House hospice and schools across the district will have their Hockney inspired artwork on display as part of the Young Open 2017 exhibition.

Bingley Music Live festival goers will also be able to sign the card in Myrtle Park, on 1, 2 and 3 September.

Pupils at Bradford Grammar School will get the chance to sign the card on their way into lunch on Thursday 7 September.

People will be able to sign the card at The Broadway Shopping Centre Saturday 9 September between 9am and 6pm.

People not able to go to the events can also take part in this amazing record attempt and wish David Hockney a happy 80th birthday by signing the card on-line at https://goo.gl/HFiD92

Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment, sport and culture, said: “We thought that this would be a really fun way to get lots of people involved in celebrating David Hockney’s special 80th birthday.

“The easiest way for people to sign the card is online, but they can also sign in person at one of our events.

“We want as many people from across the district to sign the card and can arrange for groups of people to visit or we can take the card out to groups, work places, sports teams, art clubs or communities for people to sign.”

Kate Van Spall,  Art Director Trends, Hallmark UK said: “As a Bradford based company we were thrilled to be asked to be involved in the creation of a card for Hockney’s birthday. The card is made up of numerous postcard size images reflective of the style of David Hockney that our in-house design team created during a ‘Hockney Power Hour’. It’s been amazing to see all the different designs come together and be part of a World Record attempt whilst contributing to the celebrations of the Bradford artist’s birthday.”

Look out for dates of other events at www.bradfordmuseums.org and follow the museums’ Facebook and Twitter pages @bradfordmuseums

Thackley Primary School’s ‘Save a Heart Day’ campaign welcomes installation of lifesaving Defibrillator

Thackley Primary School has welcomed the arrival of a new life-saving piece of equipment.

Staff at the school received training to use the automated external defibrillator from Yorkshire Ambulance Service last week.

Head of School, Annette Patterson said:

“We are delighted to launch our school and local community defibrillator. This was paid for through our ‘Save a Heart Day’ fundraising event organised and led by the school.

“We recognised the importance of having a defibrillator in school and were driven to succeed in raising enough money to make it happen. We are thrilled and incredibly proud of our achievements.”

The school was also assisted by donations from the local community and businesses and was keen to get a defibrillator on their premises as they understand how important it is to provide early defibrillation when a person suffers a cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest and the earlier a defibrillator is used the better the chance of survival.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services said:

“Congratulations to both the staff and pupils and parents and carers at Thackley Primary School who helped to organise and raise funds for this wonderful, life-saving Defibrillator.”

“Not only will the school benefit from having a defibrillator, but also people in the local community and we hope it will save lives.”

Using Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) alone provides a five per cent chance of survival but early use of the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50 per cent.

The machine could provide lifesaving care for people throughout Thackley and Idle.

Pictured: Headteacher, Trevor Patterson, Head of School, Annette Patterson, Teacher, Kate Bainbridge and Linda Milsom from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Follow Thackley Primary School on Twitter: @ThackleyPrimary

Cliffe Castle park parade

Around 250 children will take part in a costume parade to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment of Cliffe Castle Park, which has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players. The children from six Keighley schools will march alongside Romans, Victorians and the ‘Spirit of the Future’ around the newly restored pond, marble fountains and new planting towards the glass show house on Thursday (29 June). After learning about the contents of a recently recovered Victorian time capsule, the children took part in a workshop inside Cliffe Castle Museum to gain ideas from the exhibits of what to include in a new time capsule. This will be presented to Bradford Lord Mayor Coun Abid Hussain before being buried for 50 years in the domed palm house. The £4.5 million restoration of Cliffe Castle park is due to be completed by the end of next month with further celebrations planned. Bradford Council successfully bid for £3.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s “Parks for People” programme to carry out the work which started a year ago. The project has been designed with support from volunteers in the Cliffe Castle Park Conservation Group. Coun Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Culture, said: “This promises to be a great day for our young people to enjoy the culmination of this amazing project and for the rest of us to appreciate the value of both the museum and park at Cliffe Castle. “They are tremendous assets for Keighley and the wider district. They can both be used by local schools to support a whole range of ways that help classroom teaching. “It’s marvellous to see everything coming together and the whole area starting to take shape in its full summer splendour.” Schools taking part in the parade are: Eastwood Community School, Haworth Primary Academy, Merlin Top Primary Academy, Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary, Riddlesden St Mary’s CE Primary, The Holy Family Catholic School.

Come and join us at the BBC Music Day

Bradford is again gearing up to play its part in the third BBC Music Day, which will be held in City Park on Thursday 15 June.

Bradford is one of a handful of cities taking part in this nationwide celebration which aims to bring people together across generations and communities through their love of music.

Hundreds of pupils from across the district will play their part in the Music Day whilst also taking part in a Guinness World Record attempt involving over 800 pupils who will try and break the world record for the number of people taking part in a Bamboo Tamboo*. The current record is 661 people, and we currently have 800 + pupils signed up.

Entertainment will be provided by Bradley Johnson from Bradford. Bradley was a contestant on the BBC’s Let It Shine programme. He will be performing at lunchtime and then again before the event closes.

The primary-aged pupils will be taking part in workshops throughout the day but secondary pupils will perform for the crowds from 3.45pm onwards.

Tony Johnson, Bradford Council’s Head of Music & Arts, said: “This is a great event for the City and the district. We are delighted that the Third BBC Music Day will be held in our wonderful City Park.

“This is a great opportunity for the hundreds of young people to be involved and the entertainment and performances continue up until 8pm. It will also be a real boost for the pupils and the district if we can beat the Guinness World Record attempt.”

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services, said: “This is an excellent event and we are thrilled Bradford is taking part again. The inaugural Music Day was held in Bradford in 2015.

“We have already had the #LoveBradford Guinness World Record success in City Park so for so many children to be involved in a further attempt is very exciting. We have so many talented pupils and it is good for so many of them to be involved in this event.”

Event timings:  The event starts at 10.00am and finishes at 8.00pm.

Students from Bradford Music Centre Rock School perform at BBC Music Day 2016

@bbcmusic  

@BradfordMusic1

Historic find of Roman Coins on display at Cliffe Castle Museum

A collection of more than a hundred Roman coins believed to be over 1500 years old which were found locally can now be seen in a display at Cliffe Castle Museum.

The collection of Denarii currency was unearthed locally with the oldest of the coins dating back to AD 78 during the reign of Emperor Vespasian.

Initially a few coins were unearthed by local detectors. One of the finders reported the discovery to the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s local Finds Liaison Officer who arranged for an archaeological dig, which resulted in the rest of the hoard being located in 2014.

Because the coins are over 300 years old, they were declared as Treasure under the terms of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and subsequently purchased for Cliffe Castle Museum with help from the Friends of Cliffe Castle.

Maggie Pedley, Bradford Council’s Head of Service for Museums and Galleries, said: “This is an amazing find and we are delighted that one of the detectors, Stephen Auker, brought his discovery to the attention of the Scheme, meaning that a full scale archaeological dig could take place.”

Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Culture, said: “This is great news for the Museum and for the district. We believe this find is part of a much larger find initially made in the 1770s.

“We hope that many people will visit Cliffe Castle Museum and witness these historic coins known as the Riddlesden Hoard.”

Follow us on Twitter:  @BradfordMuseums

Parkside School teenagers host birthday tea for 90-year-old villager

Sixth form students from Parkside School laid on afternoon tea for Jeffrey Roberts, one of Cullingworth village’s oldest residents to celebrate his 90th birthday.

A few days before the event the students assisted Jeffrey’s wife, Audrey, with the preparations for the celebration which was held at Cullingworth Thursday Club.

The students involved in the preparations were Cameron Allatt, Sophie Tankard, Charlotte Burton and Sophie Wood.

Parkside School sixth form has a long connection with the village’s club for senior citizens, and took over responsibility for running it when it was threatened with closure after 50 years. Students volunteer their time each week to help run sessions.

Follow us on Twitter:   @ParksideCulling

 

YO-KAI WATCH Half Term Take Over

 

This February half term the hit franchise YO-KAI WATCH takes over the National Media Museum in Bradford for nine days of FREE family activities (18 – 26 February).

Visitors will be able to design and use their own cardboard game controllers, meet character Jibanyan who’ll be making daily appearances at the Museum, and play the latest game for Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo 3DS.

And every child who completes the Yo-kai trail during the Half Term Take Over will receive a FREE toy Yo-kai Watch to keep! (subject to availability*).

YO-KAI WATCH, a hugely popular animation and video game series originating from Japan, tells the story of Nate, Katie and the mysterious Yo-kai who wander around our world and are actually invisible to most people. Usually Yo-kai have no bad intentions, but when something goes wrong in everyday life it’s often because one of them is making mischief.

Anyone wearing a Yo-kai Watch can find hidden Yo-kai, befriend them, interrupt their mischief, or call upon their powers when they need their help.

February half term at the National Media Museum sees a host of free activities and events inspired by YO-KAI WATCH, including a Nintendo 3DS gaming area, the chance to hunt hidden tribes in a Yo-kai trail, play along in a 3DS pop-up quiz, and take part in creative activities the whole family can enjoy together.

The Museum will be split into zones relating to Yo-kai tribes: ‘Heartful’, ‘Mysterious’, ‘Charming’ and ‘Brave’, each offering its own set of activities: creating a 3D paper character head to take home in the Heartful zone; designing a cardboard game controller which can be used with the ‘Makey Makey’ programming kit to control characters on a computer screen in the Mysterious and Eerie zones; taking a break to read, draw or relax in the Charming zone, or trying out Nintendo’s YO-KAI WATCH on the Nintendo 3DS and chatting to gaming experts in the Brave zone.

Georgina Cooke, Programme Developer at the National Media Museum, said: “YO-KAI WATCH is a huge hit with children around the world, and given its popularity it’s fantastic to have the video game take over the Museum for February half term.

“We’ll be giving away toy Yo-kai watches and there are other big prizes form the YO-KAI WATCH universe to be won, in addition to activities for the whole family to enjoy. Discover the Yo-kai tribes, play the latest game and watch episodes of the TV series on the cinema screen. And best of all, it’s all free.”

www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/yokaiwatch

#YokaiWatch

Nathan from Yo_Kai

 

#YokaiWatch

Community Award for Shirley Manor

Pupils at Shirley Manor Primary Academy were rewarded for their Community Project following the support they provided to people in a local care home suffering with Dementia. 

They won the Young Active Citizen Award in the Telegraph & Argus’ Community Stars Award at the end of last term. 

The school’s Year 4 pupils (now in Year 5) had been taking part in the Archbishop of York scheme which required them to do a Community Project.  This coincided with a visit to the school from Dementia Friends who taught the children about the effects of the condition and how to help sufferers. 

Following the visit one of the pupils, Jake Lee, discussed this with his mum who works in a Dementia Care Home.  Mrs Lee asked school if they would assist Rastrick Care Home with its Doll Therapy Scheme for Dementia sufferers – a non-pharmacological intervention aimed at reducing behavioural and psychological disorders in patients who are institutionalised.  

The children originally chose to collect dolls and donations of money in order to buy some dolls for the home’s Doll Therapy scheme.   

The School’s Learning Mentor nominated the class for the award which was presented to them by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Geoff Reid and Lady Mayoress, Chris Reid. 

Follow us on Twitter:  @Sh1rleyManor

Tour de Yorkshire Roadshows starting in Bradford

The first of four Tour de Yorkshire roadshows in the Bradford district will take place at Bradford City Hall on Thursday 2 February from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

The roadshows give local residents and businesses everything they need to know to make the most of this year’s race.

Bradford Council is working with Welcome to Yorkshire to run the roadshows to share information on how to get involved, build excitement and maximise the benefits of the global media coverage.

Stage Three of the Tour de Yorkshire starts in Bradford city centre and goes through the district on Sunday 30 April.

Other roadshows in the district are at:

• Ilkley King’s Hall on Tuesday 28 February from 6pm to 8pm
• Victoria Hall in Saltaire on Wednesday 1 March from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
• Victoria Hall in Keighley on Monday 6 March from 2pm to 4pm.

Details on road closures, the annual sportive and Welcome to Yorkshire’s various cycling legacy projects will all be discussed, along with ways people can become an official Tour Maker or take part in the popular land art competition.

Friendly St Matthew’s

Pupils and staff at St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School in Allerton have been recognised for their commitment to supporting the speech, language and communications development of every child.

The school has been awarded the “Friendly School Status”, by the ELKLAN Group a specialist in speech and language.

In order to gain the accreditation, four staff gained formal qualifications in supporting speech, language and communication needs.  The training was then disseminated to all teachers and teaching assistants at St Matthew’s, enabling them to support pupils both in the classroom and the playground.

For further information on the work of Communication Friendly Schools contact St Matthew’s via email admin.office@stmatthews.ngfl.ac.uk