'˜Town won't be whammied twice in a year'

preparing for Todmorden Town Festival are Pam Warhurst, Cynthia Murray, Richard Carlton, Mayor Coun Tony Greenwood, Steph Booth, Lynne Houlden and Sgt Neil Taylor.

That’s the message from organisers of the Todmorden Town Festival as they prepare for the mammoth day of events and activities on June 18.

Organised after the plug was pulled on this year’s agricultural show, the day promises to bring the town together nearly six months after it was hit by flooding.

Todmorden Town councillor Steph Booth (Labour, Central), said: “The point of the festival is not to let our town be whammied twice in one year.

“First by the floods and secondly by the cancellation of the agricultural show. It’s a Todmorden festival for Todmorden folk and we really want everybody to join in.

“We’re going to put bunting up and make it look really jolly. There will be community and charity groups on Pollination Street. There’ll be lots of street entertainment, a flash mob and there really will be all sorts going on in the town.”

Todmorden Town Council has provided a grant of £2,000 to help the festival go ahead and to enable many of the events to go ahead for free.

Councillor Booth added: “The community spirit which got us through the floods will really make this festival and I hope people will come along for a really enjoyable day. The plan is to make the town buzz with energy, optimism and joy and to bring people in to spend money in local businesses, see how fantastic Todmorden is and help the town get back on its feet.”

There will be plenty to take in on the day, with businesses across the town joining in. Water Street will be closed to traffic and the festival will stretch down Burnley Road to the Hare and Hounds where there will be a petting zoo, a marquee with a children’s art competition and a children’s dog show.

Boards will also be put up near Pollination Street, for a graffiti artist to work some magic and create a piece of art to celebrate the festival.

The usual Saturday market will go ahead and it’s hoped that the festival will be able to take over any empty stalls.

During the morning there will be free, guided tours of Todmorden Town Hall and in the evening a free concert with the Ligeti quartet - music specially commissioned for the town.

You can pick up a free map and programme of events on the day or search for ‘Todmorden Town Festival’ on Facebook for more information. Todmorden Tourist Information Centre will also be able to help. To get involved, contact Steph Booth on 07944 171 216.