A BIT OF YORKSHIRE SPICE

A BIT OF YORKSHIRE SPICE

Did you know that in Yorkshire, historically, we have always called sweeties 'spice'?!

Join local people from all walks of life to discover some amazing ‘local and global’ historical stories and to unearth some of the accents and dialects, spices and stories that have shaped Huddersfield and the north of England!

Hear from experts on:

- Life of Robert ‘Reschid’ Stanley 1828-1922

Robert Stanley was an ordinary working-class northern man - an every day grocer who cared about his community and who developed an interest in both national politics and international trade. He became a Muslim at the age of 69 in 1898 and was Vice President of Britain's First Mosque in Liverpool. But his descendants had no idea of his extraordinary life...! Now featured in an Al Jazeera TV series, come and hear his ancestor and biographer, historian Christina Longden outline his incredible life and times.

- Lockwood & Huddersfield history

During the pandemic, Ian Stevenson (Chair of Huddersfield and District Family History Society) created a 'virtual tour' of Lockwood. Many people are not aware of the fact that Lockwood was once a famous Victorian spa town! Ian will be encouraging folks to 'look up' at the buildings of Lockwood and the surrounding areas on this side of Huddersfield and will explain the relevance and rich history of the area.

- Fatima Cates, plus the 1904 Somali Village of Bradford

Yahya Birt is a well-known and highly regarded community historian in the UK. He will talk about two important pieces of research - the life of Fatima Cates, a young working-class woman who overcame great strife and forged her own directions in life. He will also talk about his most recent research on the astonishing 'Somali Village' of 1906 in Bradford, as featured on BBC News.

- Sharing Yorkshire Accents and Dialect

Rod Dimbleby is a familar face on the TV - most recently on the BBC's 'Countryfile' and 'This Morning' where he champions not just the Yorkshire accent, but also a very rich and sometimes hard to fathom (to 'offcomders) dialect! As President of the oldest dialect society in the world, Rod will explain how the Yorkshire accent and dialect varies across the north of England and how, regardless of background - it is truly a unifying aspect for all of us to celebrate!

This event marks a truly unique chance to gather with others from different backgrounds as we connect our past to our present, have a good natter and enjoy some great (FREE!) grub.

Yahya Birt, author of 'Our Fatima' and co-researcher of the Somali Village project, Bradford

Ian Stevenson (Huddersfield & District Family & History Society)

Rod Dimbleby, President of the Yorkshire Dialect Society

Christina Longden, author of 'His Own Man - Life and Times of Robert 'Reschid' Stanley' and Writer in Residence, Kirklees Libraries 2020-23, featured in Al-Jazeera TV series.