Engaging Communities & Bringing History to Life
Engaging communities and bringing the history of The Piece Hall to life are at the core of The Piece Hall Trust’s mission.
This is done by delivering events and learning experiences for local people of all ages which are collaborative, creative, inclusive, and entertaining. Many of these are free or heavily subsidised.
The Piece Hall’s iconic courtyard is regularly animated with impressive diverse and multi-cultural events, often led by the community, including celebrations for Pride, Eid, Diwali and the opening of the South Asian Heritage Festival.
We also host a number of charity initiatives including the annual Big Sleep Out and Calderdale Lighthouse Christmas Wrap which get a huge amount of support.
Explore some of our community projects…
A few case-studies here shine a light on the breadth and depth of work delivered by the team and the community.
The Great Get Together
The Piece Hall’s courtyard was brought to life with delicious world foods, live music and family activities at The Jo Cox Foundation’s Great Get Together.
This free event aimed to bring people together to celebrate kindness in line with Jo’s ethos that we have more in common than that which divides us, and was part of The Piece Hall’s wider programme of post COVID engagement to support the community in recovery, building friendships, and reducing isolation.
Eid ul-Fitr
The Piece Hall hosts a celebration for the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Fitr, which occurs on the first day of the month of Shawal in the Islamic lunar calendar.
The Heritage and Learning team work alongside the Muslim community local to Halifax to plan and run this event offering visitors a range of attractions and experiences to mark this special time.
The Big Sleep Out
The Piece Hall was proud to support Calderdale SmartMove for their biggest fundraising and awareness-raising event of the year.
People got the chance to sleep out under the stars in the iconic Piece Hall to raise money for the homeless and vulnerable of Calderdale.
Calderdale Pride
Almost 22,000 people came together to celebrate diversity and LGBTQIA+ love, support and friendship when The Piece Hall hosted Calderdale Pride for the first time in 2022.
Eight hours of on stage entertainment from local national and international stars was compered by Dame Shirley Bazzey. There were tribute acts, drag queens and pop acts, including 2 noughties chart toppers Liberty X and Drag Race UK star Divina De Campo.
Calderdale Lighthouse Big Wrap
The Piece Hall is really proud to support Calderdale Lighthouse. Throughout the year, the 100% volunteer run charity based at Dean Clough distributes essential items to vulnerable and disadvantaged families throughout Calderdale and the surrounding areas. This includes things like clothing and shoes for new-borns to teens, bedding, toiletries, toys and books.
Platinum Jubilee
The Piece Hall turned red, white and blue as 50,000 people enjoyed four fun-filled days of free culture and creative activity to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The iconic courtyard was decked out with flags and bunting as communities across the UK came together to mark this significant milestone with a diverse programme of music, song, dance and spectacle. Civic and ceremonial tradition took place alongside creative, participatory, innovative and intergenerational cultural activities. Partnerships with local artists, organisations, charities, volunteers and community groups were at the heart of the event.
See our upcoming events
Hallmark – The Joy of Christmas
November 29 - December 23
