Lots of people celebrating today in the park! Happy Birthday Greenhead Park!

As we prepare to celebrate the closing of the project, there is still time to share your stories so that your memories may be included in the project archive and park audio tours.

We are making a final call for all those who have memories to share.

Have you only a few memories or are you unsure about being interviewed? Then call our Memory Bank on 01484 478 412 to leave a message with your stories.

Would you like to share your stories one to one? Then call and leave a message or email and Chris will come and interview you in person. Please spread the word… every single story can make a difference!

… and what better treat to enjoy on a nice summer’s day than a few good old fashioned scoops of ice cream sat teetering atop a cone? It’s enough to bring back in the kid in any of us… and it’s certainly the start of many conversations I’ve had about the park.

Just about everyone I’ve met has shared a memory or two about Coletta’s ice cream being a special treat in the park.  With all these memories collected, and the Coletta family still operating the cafe in the park it was only right that I sit down with one of their family members to get the inside scoop.

Joan Coletta grew up knowing the Coletta family as family friends and worked for the family for a number of years behind the scenes in the office before eventually marrying her husband Anthony Coletta.

Greenhead Stories was very happy to have her share her memories of Coletta’s and Greenhead Park in the busy (and noisy!) cafe. She told me all about how the Coletta family came from Italy on the train back in the late 1800s and scattered across England and Scotland with their ice-cream talents in tow!

Coletta's original factory and first ice cream van - 1920's

One particularly interesting story shared by Joan, is the story of how the Gold Cross as seen on the War Memorial made it way to Huddersfield thanks to her father-in-law who offered up the Coletta’s ice cream van.

People still queue for Coletta's today!

Today the van’s are much more modern, but decades later people still queue up for Coletta’s in the park.

What an amazing story that through so many years and so many changes in Huddersfield, this local family business is still going strong.

Chris Webb submitted two entries which depicted the aims of his research on the Greenhead Stories project. Both images were created by combining two photographs; one original photo taken for the project and one from the Kirklees Image Archive

Greenhead Stories is proud to announce that the photo ‘The Persistence of History’ took 3rd prize in the contest.  Here is an image of it on display, and scroll down to see the full image along with its description/rationale.

My research seeks to uncover the past through recording stories and exploring present place and space in Greenhead Park. This image depicts the idea that history remains around us whether we acknowledge it or not.  I’ve combined my own photograph with another from the Kirklees Image Archive and treated the result with a watercolour effect, in order to create something which reflects the way in which my research tries to blur the lines of past and present.  The image aims to make the viewer aware of the past, present and future of the space.  While stripes of the archival image give an obvious glimpse of the past, the current image displays the present state of the park including the fences and the construction worker present in the fountain, which hint to the restoration of the park for future generations.  The Greenhead Stories project aims to bring memory to life in the park using a range of mediums including images, interviews, memory exchange events and audio tours.

The Persistence of History

3rd Place Winner - Visions of Research Contest

The Friends of Greenhead Park are also hosting ‘History Hour’ events on the first Wednesday of every month from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in the Greenhead Park Community Room.

April 6th’s event will be hosted by David Griffiths who will give a talk entitled ‘How the Park Began’ and on May 4th, Greenhead Stories will host an event sharing stories and collecting more memories.

Activity Officer Chris Smith is using the online site to spread the news of all the fantastic events happening in the park.  If you already have a facebook account, all you need to do is ‘like’ the Greenhead Park page, and then you’ll get all the news and updates straight in your news feed.

Follow the link below for details.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Greenhead-Park/161013317283083

Linda at the Centre for Oral History Research

As a life-long resident of Huddersfield, day trips to Greenhead Park have been a long-standing tradition in Linda’s family. She recalls being taken there one day a week during the six week summer holidays as a child,  and now enjoys taking her grandchildren on the same excursions  when they visit Huddersfield.

Linda shared some beautiful memories about spending long summer days in the park; starting at the paddling pool in the morning and staying late enough to watch the firework displays after sundown.  She tells us about watching the talent shows in the early evening and seeing the amazing firework shows at the end of the summer holidays.

Linda explains why Greenhead Park became the place of choice for a picnic in Huddersfield when she had her own children, tracing it back to her mother’s memories of going as a child.

Many of the people who have participated in the Greenhead Stories project, have chosen to share their memories of the many live-music events which have taken place throughout the park’s history. From grand summer dances, to small performances Greenhead Park has been home to an amazing array of music!

Ron Berry, who came to the project through the Friend’s of Greenhead Park shared his memories of coming to the park and marching alongside his Grandfather’s brass band called the ‘Scapegoat Hill Band’. His story help us remember what a wonderful history the restored bandstand has been a part of.

Scapegoat Hill Band, led by Edgar Berry

Raymond Prior shares an excerpt from his Aunt Vivien Hirst’s autobiography, based on the reminiscences he helped her gather into a book. She remembers the statue of Rebecca fondly.

Do you have a memory of Rebecca at the Well? Do you remember where she stood, and how long was she there?

Rebecca at the Well

leave a comment or get in touch to share your memories.

Over the course of the project, this blog and website will share some of the stories we have recorded as well as offer a chance for members of the community to weigh in on our discussions about the past, present, and future of Greenhead Park.

Do you have a story you would like to share about the park?

What parts of Greenhead Park’s history matter most to you?

This collaborative project will rely on your input to help shape what we record and how we put the recordings to use!