On Friday night (the 3rd of December), I saw a miracle happen. I want to share that miracle with you, so here’s the Harehills Winter Welcome multimedia extravaganza for day 6 of the Harehills Good News Advent Calendar.
There are a few corrections from the original version, which I’ll summarise here so you don’t need to read through and check your notes for what I missed:
Morrisons kindly donated tonnes of mince pies, (pretty nice ones, had a couple myself), local resident Aisha made the pakora’s, (really nice, had a couple myself… might be a theme there), Ruth from Leeds City Council provided the gift bags and some of the contents. Genuinely, credit where it’s due, and my apologies for missing all you wonderful people that helped bring this event together in the first version.
Lastly, partial credit for the poem A Way to Welcome New Arrivals is also due to Adam Aslam. You can find Natalie’s original on the FB group hART in Harehills (you may need to join the group to read it)
We don’t hide our corrections at the bottom, or the bottom of another unrelated story weeks later (08/12/2021)
Harehills Mobilised
With very little time, an event was pulled together for the people of Harehills, it was advertised, acts and speakers organised, food and drinks prepared, goodie bags made up, and all of a sudden, it was happening, right here in Banstead Park in the heart of Harehills. The Harehills Winter Welcome.
The Picture of Success
It was a tremendous success. We had circa 150 people attend, the weather was lovely and mild, not a raindrop in sight, FoodCycle’s hot chocolates, vegetable soup, pakora’s and mince pies went down a treat, Lokesh from Fever FM compéred the event, there was music, there was singing, and there was poetry from gifted youngsters in the area, local poets. Our MP Richard Burgon even brought the Tennyson.
Lokesh was the perfect host bringing energy and volume, tempered by passion which you could see when he supported and encouraged the kids. Even as we lost the sound system, Lokesh kept up the passion and kept the event moving, bringing us all in close to listen.
Volunteers handed out the most lovely goodie bags filled with a Getaway Girls book, a copy of Natalie’s poem, and just a smattering of sweets for the touch of extra joy and magic.
Speakers to the Heart of Harehills
Councillor Salma Arif and MP Richard Burgon (fresh from a return from Parliament) spoke about how fantastic it was to see people coming together, our sense of community and the exceptional groups, kids, volunteers and talent we have is so inspirational. We defy the doomsayers in the media in our diverse and welcoming community. Richard’s going to take away the lovely poetry and his experiences of the evening to his colleagues in Parliament.
Poetry and Singing Galore
The biggest highlight in my memory of the night (among many highlights) was the kid’s poetry. We had poetry from Breaking Down Barriers and other young talents from the area. With thanks to Adam Aslam and Natalie Tharraleos for getting permission for me to share the poetry because it was about the season, about the area about inspiration, and I could continue to wax lyrical; they have done it so much better than I can. Hence, as we go on, there will be poetry interludes to experience them for yourself.
We had fantastic performances with a Mother and Daughter duo performing Andra Day’s Rise Up and a stunning rendition of Hellejuah on the acoustic guitar and sang by 13-year-old Lillia T.
The Talent in Harehills will blow you away if you stop in to experience it.
An Ode to Gledhow Valley Woods, poem
Boy,
Isiaih’s poem ( age 12) An Ode to Gledhow Valley Woods
Running, Singing,
laughing,
Tree swaying from boys
speed
Rats!
Boy likes to feed.
We Can Overcome All Challenges
The night wasn’t without its hiccups. The generator went about half an hour in. No one gave up though, we all just gathered closer so we could hear the fantastic poetry and speakers. Nothing was going to spoil our night together. We were there for each other.
Even the weather was on our side, a week ago we’d seen snow, in the week leading up there’d been rain, but on Friday night there was a beautiful sky, it wasn’t too cold and no rain. This is amazing as Saturday morning it rained quite a bit. Good things happen to a community that comes together, even weather 😉
Moss On A Rock, poem
MOSS ON A ROCK.
There are rocks in the sea for a reason
Though they damage and break
Cry and ache
When their souls in a quake
They like time remain rooted
To the tapestry they can’t escape
Until they dust to dust
Fly away.
Emitting secrets and forgotten pain
Take me to the sea
Help me on my rock
Hold me as the tide whips my balance
Cling to me like moss
Let’s thank the joy
That we are withstanding her nature and her wrath
Feel the power of her glory
So small are we not?
Down amongst the deepest waters
We all have to go
We are the silk in which we swim
In the rhythm of breast-stroke
Appreciate how the sun hits the soul
How it beautifies and glows.
Thank that u are loved by some
If not all
Find in you the rock
Place your feet on sanded neutral floor
Let the water baptise your thoughts
Feel the joy of being nothing
But small.
Moss on a Rock © Michelle Scally Clarke.
Michelle Scally Clarke is a local poet who has helped people with their well-being, fundraising – follow her at https://www.facebook.com/Michelle-Scally-Clarke-1417948795116854/)
A Way to Welcome New Arrivals, poem
A Way to Welcome New Arrivals by Natalie Tharreleos (with some editing and additions from Adam Aslam)
-if the embed doesn’t load, click the link to see this wonderful poem:
Spirit of Harehills, poems
Voices of the Spirit of Harehills, a selection of poems from young women supported by Breaking Down Barriers (if the embed doesn’t load, click the link to read this moving three-part performance of winters past, present and future and a selection of poems that speak to the soul):
An Incredibly Warm Thank You to Those That Made it Happen!
We have a lot of people and groups to thank for coming together to shine a light on Harehills as we welcome winter, in no particular order:
- Natalie Tharraleos,
- The generous spoon of project Food Cycle, (who are new to the area but have gotten stuck into the community)
- Morrisons who donated a lot of mince pies
- Aisha who cooked some amazing pakoras
- Master of ceremonies duties provided by Lokesh our compére, in fine and cheerful style
- The goodie bags were provided by Ruth from Leeds City Council, with some of the contents, along side a book from the Getaway Girls, it’s called HerStory in the Making which covers 24 young women from Getaway Girl’s experiences of lockdown and their hopes for the future in prose, poetry and images)
- There were volunteers from Getaway Girls and the Junior Sports Hub
- Support from Harehills in Bloom under our Ben Greaves and Katie Bee
- Breaking Down Barriers project supported the young performers who lit up the event, and Adam Aslam
- Support from Leeds City Council
The Future
This isn’t the end of the Harehills Winter Welcome. This is just the start. There is a spirit and passion in the air to bring it back bigger and better next year. This year was conceived and put together in such a short amount of time. Next year the planning starts early.
And I’m so excited for that future event. I think next year, we’ll need several posts to encompass the awesome, the depth of community spirit, the compassion and the shared joy.
I realise this has been a long read, but I was so moved by the event that I wanted to share the experience with you all.
All the organisations involved in pulling together this fantastic event are also featuring in their own Good News Advent Calendar entries, so check them out as they go live, or you can see the ones already posted in the link to the calendar below. Also, check out the organisations themselves. There really is something for everyone, no matter how you are, and that, as they say, si the very definition of Harehills, the most welcoming of places.
Final Poem
Finally, I would like to end with the poem that Richard Burgon read for us, it’s Aldred, Lord Tennyson’s Ring Out, Wild Bells
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.Ring in the valiant man and free,
Ring Out, Wild Bells, Alfred, lord tennyson, 1850
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
I particularly like the lines “Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweet manners, purer laws”, but the whole poem is a call to end the worst the world presented in the previous year, and at the New Year ring in a more just, a happier world. Whatever your faith, I think that’s a sentiment we can all agree on – and Harehills has shown it has much good to build on in the New Year.
You can find all the released Advent Posts here: Harehills Good News Advent Calendar 2021
Harehills ❤️ Love 
Leave a reply to Advent Day 5: A Joyful Cacophony at the Winter Welcome – Harehills ❤️ Love Cancel reply