Arts festival makes history as it launches in London

The Festival set up in Kings Cross train station for the day with the aim of spreading the word about the Festival to as wide an audience as possible. During the day over 3000 programmes were handed out to commuters in the capital.

The main target of the day was to reach out to the many people from the North who commute to London or pass through on holiday. “How great to see a little bit of Brighouse in London” was a regular comment.

John Buxton, one of the Festival organisers, said: “We are the first town in West Yorkshire to launch an Arts Festival in London.

“It was a long day, we had to set up at 6am and man the stand for 12 hours, but worth every minute”

Steven Lord, chairman of Arts for Brighouse which runs the Festival on a not for profit basis said “It has taken three years to get here, but it was a proud moment when we set up the stand and saw Brighouse in big bold letters, right in the middle of Kings Cross station.”

Throughout the day Matthew Harrison-Lord, Programme Director, broadcast on social media allowing people to follow the action.

Steven said: “We achieved over 6000 interactions in the day which is almost as many as the number we achieved in the whole of the Festival last year. This shows the immense value of such a high profile launch.”

The stand was supported by the Festival’s principal sponsor Grand Central Rail, who run direct trains from London to Brighouse. Sean English, Grand Central chief operating officer and David Armstrong, Grand Central Customer Services Manager, were there throughout the day.

Richard McClean, Managing Director of Grand Central Rail, said: “We are delighted to support Brighouse Arts Festival this year. As a company, we are closely bound to the communities we serve and always look for opportunities to support them. Art is such a broad and diverse genre, so we hope there is something for everyone at the festival this October for a fun filled and memorable experience.

“Grand Central runs four daily services from London to Yorkshire for passengers to visit, work and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery that is characteristic of the region, and with thousands of customers expected to descend to the Brighouse Arts Festival, we always strive to make our customer’s’ journeys with Grand Central memorable.”

The Arts Festival opens on Saturday October 7 and runs until Sunday October 15.

Highlights include a Gala Night at the Musicals concert with Natasha Harper, a Music and Comedy evening, a Harp recital by Fiona Roberts and the Calderdale Big Band rounds off the week with a concert.

For full details and list of performers are on www.brighouseartsfestival.co.uk

Tickets are on sale now from Harrison Lord and Ryecorn Wholefoods in Brighouse as well as online.

For more information call 01484 711835.