Hopes high that Calderdale’s film and TV success will help our tourism industry to flourish once again

Last week, the Courier reported that tourism figures showed 2019 was the best year ever for the borough’s visitor economy.

And hoteliers in the area are hoping that visitor numbers will rise again once life starts to return to normal thanks to the numerous attractions Calderdale has to offer.

Philip and Adele Hopkins have owned Hough House for nearly 15 years whilst working in the hospitality business for over 20 years, previously owning and running successful restaurants and pubs in the area.

After semi retiring in 2019 and not wanting to move away from their children and grandchildren, they decided to convert their family home into bed and breakfast Shibden Hall View.

“We only opened last year and the business we got through Shibden Hall was amazing, probably 70 per cent of our bookings were because of Shibden Hall and Gentleman Jack,” said Philip.

“That was part of the reason we decided to open.

“We’ve got quite a few bookings already this summer, I don’t know whether they’ll materialise, from America, throughout July.

“I’m just hoping and praying we’ll be open for them.

“The filming of the second series is helping as well.

“We’re pretty much full in July, we’ve certainly got two or three weeks’ worth of bookings that month, again about 70 per cent of those from the States, so it’s just whether they’re going to be allowed in the country, that’s the big problem.

“If we don’t get something this year it’s going to be very difficult.

“Last year, when the lockdown ended, we could open in the first week of August, so we had August, September and some of October and then we shut down in November, and haven’t been able to open since.

“So we’ve only really had three months of trade in 12 months of our opening.

“I think people are unsure about the travel passport, the vaccine and whether they’re going to take the risk to book abroad, or they may just think ‘right, let’s just stay in this country’.

“Obviously that’s what we’re hinging our hopes on.”

Jamie Le’scot, manager at The Queens Hotel in Todmorden, said: “The pub was owned by a company that had no love for it, and has recently been bought by somebody else who’s putting money into it and trying to get things back to how they used to be.

“We’re just hoping that people are going to come back. Are people going to want to come to a pub again? Have people got used to drinking at home?

“I know people who have built their own bars at home.

“We’re hoping more people will go on walking holidays and holidays with family locally and in the country, because of the cost of going away and the quarantine afterwards.

“We’ve got nine rooms available and we’re building a family apartment, hoping that will take off.”

Jamie believes Calderdale is extremely well-placed to attract tourists again after lockdown.

“We’re very diverse, we’ve got a lot of culture in the area, there’s something for everybody.

“I’m just hoping people come back to the area. I see no reason why they wouldn’t, it’s a beautiful area, we’ve got some lovely walks, some lovely places to go and see.

“I’m hoping when all this begins to lift, that tourism will take off because Hebden Bridge has always been known for tourism and it does filter through to Todmorden.

“There’s enough business for everybody, it’s just about getting the business back.”

Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, CEO The Piece Hall Trust and Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire’s Recovery Taskforce, said: “With the vaccine roll-out continuing at tremendous pace, there now appears to be a very bright light at the end of the tunnel for us all and we should have significant cause for optimism. Though life may not immediately return to the ‘normal’ we knew before - we will soon be able to enjoy a lot of the things we love again. We just need to dig in a little longer.

“Thanks to the incredible hard work of the Trust team, tenants and Board and the support of our funders and wonderful customers, we are in a stable position and there’s a lot to look forward to.

“Working with Welcome to Yorkshire to chair their Tourism Recovery Taskforce, I have been able to witness first-hand the enormous effort being put in by the organisations and individuals in Calderdale and across Yorkshire. I will continue to celebrate the efforts being made and ensure Calderdale’s success can help in Yorkshire’s success.

“Going forward, we’ll carefully study the Government’s roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions and work closely with our tenant community, Council and Public Health colleagues to enable a safe re-opening.

“We have used the time during the current lockdown to continue to stabilise the business, support our tenants, plan and re-plan for 2021 and conduct a thorough deep clean and repair of the building ready for the return of visitors.

“Our tenant community have also been working incredibly hard and can’t wait to re-open their doors to all once again. Many are still offering a comprehensive online service either independently or through our dedicated Piece Hall online ‘shop’ and I urge customers to continue to support them if they can.

“There are plenty of exciting events planned at The Piece Hall, from the summer onwards, and pending Government and Local Authority guidance, we very much hope to deliver those, providing a big boost for the community and local businesses. We have established that our events not only provide income which contribute toward the Trust’s sustainability and enable us to remain a free to enter venue, but also bring wider investment, income and significant footfall to the area. Perhaps most importantly, we will all need a big dose of fun this year!

“Whatever happens, we have learned how to operate a safe and welcoming Covid-conscious space and we will continue to be responsive and agile in our thinking around what could be possible to keep people smiling as we did last Summer and again at Christmas.

“It was very encouraging to see the 2019 Tourism Report from Calderdale Council, which celebrated the tremendous impact cultural tourism had made on the local economy and outlined a truly positive future for the Borough. We were experiencing a Calderdale renaissance in previous years and there’s no reason to think we can’t do that again. Let’s make 2021 the year to put the strong foundations in place for our recovery and renewal.

“As the catalyst for the Boroughs regeneration, The Piece Hall stands ready to continue to play its role in enabling recovery in 2021 and our continued growth. We are so fortunate to live in a place which has such a rich seam of heritage and cultural gems and talent - all of which remain in place to dust down and shine once again. The report demonstrated the power of that collective and how that distinctiveness can really change our fortunes.

“Calderdale has what it takes to be a world-class, world beating destination. With our ingrained resilience, grit and creativity we can make this a reality once more. We look forward to seeing you all again in soon.”

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategy, Coun Jane Scullion, said: “We look forward to welcoming visitors back to the borough and will announce our plans for reopening our tourism sites as soon as we’re confident this can be done safely and as always, in line with government guidelines.

“Calderdale has some fantastic attractions, such as ROKT climbing gym, the iconic Piece Hall, historic Dean Clough, Eureka children’s museum and the much-loved Victoria Theatre, to name just a few. In addition, we have an extensive rural offer with landmarks such as Wainhouse tower in Halifax and Stoodley Pike in Todmorden, not to mention our award-winning market towns. We’re ready to support visitors with any enquiries about these fantastic attractions once plans for reopening are announced and working in partnership with other local organisations and our tourism businesses, we’ll be doing all we can to attract visitors back to Calderdale when the time is right.

“Gentleman Jack continues to inspire interest in Shibden Hall and with the second series currently being filmed, we expect this to increase. Although it isn’t possible to visit Shibden in person at the moment, thousands of people have been enjoying our fantastic free virtual tour, featuring our expert guides. The tour allows you to move freely around the main house, gardens and 17th century aisled barn, all from the comfort of your home. If you haven’t experienced this already, visit https://museums.calderdale.gov.uk/visit/shibden-hall/virtual-tour.

“There has been a lot of interest in our outdoor activities during the pandemic, with information about walking and other outdoor attractions regularly being the most visited pages on VisitCalderdale.com. This is likely to continue after the pandemic and subsequently increase visits to our stunning landscape and our many walking routes of varying difficulty.

“There’s much to be optimistic about for the future of the visitor economy in Calderdale. The record value of tourism to Calderdale just before COVID-19 brings real hope for the sector’s recovery from the pandemic. New events are already being planned to add to Calderdale’s award-winning programme of events and festivals, such as the Festival of Halifax, scheduled for 2022: https://www.visitcalderdale.com/the-festival-of-halifax.

“There’s also lots of exciting investment planned in our towns that will help support the recovery from COVID and make a huge difference to our visitor offer. This includes funding through Future High Streets for Elland and Halifax, Sowerby Bridge Heritage Action Zones and Town Investment Plans for Brighouse and Todmorden, all of which will help us to create a vibrant future for the borough.

“We all want to start to be able to start to do more of the things we enjoy as soon as possible, so it’s important that everyone continues to follow the COVID restrictions in place. Keep doing the three big things to prevent the spread of COVID-19: stay at home and avoid contact, wear a face covering unless you are medically exempt, and self-isolate if you test positive or are a contact.”