St Stephen's Centenary Celebration & Grane Heritage Bank Holiday Weekend

Over the Bank Holiday weekend 24th-26th May, we joined forces with Friends of Haslingden Cemetery to aid in hosting a community weekend of history and celebration. Judging by the feedback that we received from people that had come from far and wide, it has to be said that it was enjoyed by all.

However, at the last minute we had to make the difficult decision to move the location of the picnic from the Holden Wood Tea Rooms to the inside of the chapel, across the road. Although the weather had been glorious for the entire week, the skies had started to become overcast and a little gray. We felt that it was too much of a risk to continue outside, nobody would enjoy a picnic whilst sitting in the rain! This did in the end work out very well and visitors could sit upon the pews and enjoy watching the band, many enjoying a picnic box as did.

We had a fantastic heritage photographic exhibition from previous Grane Tea Parties with several people commenting that they either recognised ancestral relations or recognised themselves as children in a few of the photos!

The Haslingden and Helmshore Band are a real treat. Everyone delighted in the uplifting music provided by the band concert. The picnic boxes were supplied by Holden Wood Tea Rooms and people enjoyed further refreshments up at the Chapel.

Our raffle was a success; a kind member of the public helped us draw the raffle and ticket no. 121 was the lucky winner! Over the weekend the weather was kind although a wee bit wet and windy at times.

Friends of Haslingden Cemetery (FOHC) and Grane Residents’ Association (GRAss) were delighted that everyone enjoyed the weekend and would like to thank the public for their continued support.

Special thanks to RBC and Tesco Community Champions, Wendy Howarth and Emma Bailey, for providing a community grant and the second hand book sales money respectively to make this event possible for the Haslingden and Helmshore communities.