Haworth Church calendar girls

Haworth Church continues looking for ways to finance the needed repairs (amounting to up to £1.25 million, to which Heritage Lottery recently contributed £115,000). The Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith once suggested opening the Brontë vault, but now the villagers have taken matters into their own hands as the Keighley News reports:

People wanting to help raise the £1.2 million needed to refurbish Haworth’s parish church have hit upon a slightly saucy fundraising idea.
They have announced plans to create a charity Calendar Girls-style calendar for 2012.
When complete, it will feature people either living or working in Haworth. They will be pictured against familiar Brontë Country landscape, all wearing somewhat less than usual.
Haworth woman Sarah Granby, who came up with the idea for the project, said she wanted the “alternative” village calendar to appeal to tourists and locals alike.
She said: “Obviously, it will all be done in the best possible taste!
“So far, we have had volunteers from various organisations including firefighters, bell-ringers, parish councillors, Haworth Main Street traders and other individuals from the village.
“TV reporter Kersti Mitchell, who is a former resident of Haworth has agreed to participate, as has gardening celebrity Steve Thorpe.
“Local resident and national media photographer Paul Barker has generously offered his time and expertise to take the photos.
“He’ll be supported by Haworth photographer Ian Palmer.”
She said firms interested in offering quotes for the production of the calendar should contact Liz Barker, at Worth and Aire Valley Magazines, on (01535) 642227.
People can also support the project by donating money, volunteering to be in the calendar, helping to secure business sponsors, or by providing a venue for meetings. They can also e-mail haworth calendar@aol.com.
Ms Granby added: “The fundraising is extremely important, but it is not just about money.
“It’s also about the community working together in a way that is beneficial to all, and raising the profile of Haworth and the Brontë region in general.
“We also want to introduce a feel-good factor to the village and give people something to smile about for a change.”

And more local news, as The Telegraph and Argus has an article on the traditional 1940s weekend in Haworth, which took place this past weekend.

Chrissy Breen Keffer, author of An American Heir: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre, has written a review of Jane Eyre 2011 for the Brontë Parsonage Blog. Pfangirl reviews the film as well. A Day in the Life is reading the novel. Katie's Book Blog is reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as part of the read-along organised by She Is Too Fond of Books. Life as I Know It posts about Wuthering Heights. And Flange Online reviews Shared Experience's Polly Teale's Brontë.

Categories: Haworth, Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV