A Warm Welcome Awaits You At Magpies

Here at Calder Valley Radio, we love supporting a good cause and we know Calderdale that you do too (as we're one of the friendliest places to live in the UK - read all about that here ) so today we're excited to be recognising our very good friends at our local Magpies charity and all the hard work they do. Magpies, based in Halifax, is one of Calderdale's warmest and most essential charities - offering a fun, friendly and safe learning environment for adults who have learning disabilities. The charity offers a range of engaging activities, helping their members to learn new skills, from the essential to the enjoyable and enabling them to live a more independent and fulfilling life. Which I think we can all agree is a cause worth celebrating..!

Magpies focuses on person-centred planning for their members to help them live their life to the fullest and individuals are linked with personal key workers to help offer them support and guidance. The charity can also help people to access mainstream services and join employment programs as well as hosting a variety of fun activities and wellbeing services, examples of these activities include:
• Art/ Sports/ Dance/ Cooking/ Independent Living/ Media/ Music/ Radio/ Woodwork
(We've personally seen some of the Magpies dance classes at a Christmas Light's Switch-On - so we can confirm how much fun they are!) 

Excitingly Magpies have spaces for some new members and volunteers - so if you or someone close to you feels like making some new friends, learning new skills or helping to create opportunities for other people to do so - please visit Magpies on their recently redesigned website: https://www.magpies.org.uk/

Also, if you're still slightly worried about venturing out, please rest assured that health and safety are key at Magpies. During the pandemic, safety measures have been put in place to keep member and volunteer well-being at the centre of the experience, with deep cleaning, the centre operating as safely as possible, hand sanitising and the usual COVID-19 checks in accordance with government guidelines. Some of the other adjustments which have been temporarily made to continue operating and welcome new members as safely as possible include operating in social bubbles, volunteers and some members wearing PPE and carrying out regular temperature checks. 

Magpies comments: “We have received feedback from members on how attending Magpies during these difficult times has really helped with their mental health and wellbeing. We understand how social interaction makes a huge difference to the quality of someone’s life. That’s why our team are doing all they can to meet peoples needs by continuing to provide a service with safety as our main priority.”

Magpies also offer a great outreach service, which can offer support for people at home and help them to do things they usually enjoy doing in the community. Once the current coronavirus restrictions are fully lifted, the outreach service will continue to offer trips out and work closely with community-based partnerships. 

If you or anyone you know is thinking about joining, Magpies are always happy to show visitors the centre and offer free trial days. For more information, please visit www.magpies.org.uk as before, visit their socials on Facebook and Twitter @MagpiesGroup or call 01422 383550. 

So that wraps it up Calderdale, we think Magpies is a brilliant cause worth supporting and visiting - who knows, maybe your next friend or newest life skill is just around the corner!  

Over and out 

By Louise Ann Oldroyd

• 
  Family fun and Calder Valley Radio’s 5th Birthday Party

  Family fun at Calder Valley Radio’s 5th Birthday Party on Saturday 5th of July 2025, at Mytholmroyd Community Centre. Come on down to the Mytholmroyd Community Centre and be part of the celebrations. Starring at the Calder Valley Radio Celebrations are: 
  
  90's Star - 'Lolly 
  Gary Barlow Cover Act -  Mark 
  Three Valley Gospel Choir 
  Lane Shaw Academy
  Magic show with Paul Kazam 
  Plus your favourite Calder Valley Radio Presenters... & Lots of surprises and family fun! 
  
  See you all there, from Midday on Saturday 5th of July 2025  Free Entry at  Mytholmroyd Community Centre. 
  
  https://www.caldervalleyradio.co.uk
  
  Everyone is Welcome!!! 

• 
  Welcome to Calder Valley Radio.

  Welcome to Calder Valley Radio. Established in 2020 with Dave, Guy, Fiona, Tony and Val and the help of Hebden Royd Town Council and comedian, Jon Richardson, we launched in the middle of a pandemic. All our Planning in 2019, could never have prepared us for what happened in 2020, but this was our best training. We didn't miss a broadcast and even through our own health issues and sad times, we carried on. Radio became our support too, in our times of need. We know, from your messages to us, that Calder Valley Radio helped you through too and music truly is a great healer.
  
  As we venture forth, with Tim Morsley as our Programme Manger and a great team behind the scenes, we are so excited to be supported by Calderdale Council. We are looking forward to delivering a wonderful programme of events and shows in the coming seasons ahead.

• 
  We will Miss you Tony!!

  All our thoughts and love to Tony’s Family and Friends in this time. We will miss you very much Tony, we are forever grateful for helping to set us up & being such a core member of our team. Being behind the mic is what you loved doing and it’s how we will remember you. 💗💗💗

• 

  Trevor Simpson was born and raised in Kebroyd, Triangle and spent most of his working life in Halifax. After joining the legal firm of Bearder and Son, solicitors from school, he spent thirty-two years working for them as the agency manager for Abbey National Building Society. When the Abbey decided to open a full branch office in 1990, they offered Trevor the job of Branch Manager, where he worked for several years, before taking early retirement in 1995. 

  A keen sportsman, Trevor played as a goalkeeper in local football and was an avid Halifax Town supporter from the age of seven. An injury in 1966 enforced his change of direction and he became a football referee after learning his craft locally. He progressed through to the Football League where he spent seven seasons (1984-1991) officiating at the highest domestic level (all top clubs except West Ham Utd!). He also had two appearances in Wembley F.A. finals, various European and International matches and as a linesman at a World Cup qualifier. He retained his activity in football working for The Professional Game Match Official Ltd. as a referee coach and later a referee assessor on the F.A. Premier League. Trevor also completed 30 consecutive years as a referee and ambassador at the Dallas Cup International Youth Tournament in Texas. 

  His greatest interest outside sport has always been popular music. An avid record collector since his teenage years, Trevor possessed every No.1 record since the British charts began in 1952. He was viewed by many as a worldwide authority on Elvis, wrote numerous articles about him in various worldwide magazines and visited Graceland several times. Trevor published five comprehensive volumes charting Elvis’s early career which have now sold-out. He researched and wrote two local volumes of ‘Small Town, Saturday Night’ chronicling the 1960s music scene around Halifax. He was also part of the Halifax Music Heritage Trails.

  Trevor was the founder of Radio Calderdale in 1981, the hospital radio service in Halifax. During his time there he did regular shows and helped raise funds for the station. Each year until 2020, Trevor broadcast on Christmas Day morning and took great delight in announcing the babies that had been born that day. He also assisted with live commentary of FC Halifax Town’s matches from the Shay for several years. For the past two years, he volunteered as a presenter at the online community radio station, Calder Valley Radio, where his weekly music show was adored by many listeners all over the world. He cared passionately about the station, helping out with grants and fund-raising initiatives, such as the hugely successful Elvis night in September 2023.

  Following the sad news of Trevor's passing in January, his family have decided that any donations made in Trevor's memory should go to Calder Valley Radio as Trevor really enjoyed the two years he spent with the station and did so much to raise our profile.

  If you would like to donate, here is the link:

  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/in-memory-of-trevor-simpson