Arts at the heart: ten years of Deighton Carnival

The first Deighton Carnival was planned as a one-off celebration. However, it was such a success that people clamoured for it to become an annual event.

In 2011, the carnival celebrated its tenth anniversary. It has grown over the years and now features all the ingredients of a traditional carnival, such as a procession, cheerleaders, a fun fair and lots of music and dancing. It aims to bring together all the different sections of the area’s multiicultural community and to make sure that people coming in from outside, whether they’re stallholders or the public, feel welcome.

Organiser Howard Belafonte, who was Fresh Horizons’ first employee, believes it has played a crucial role in improving the area’s reputation.

‘A lot of people only ever come to Deighton for the carnival and they can’t believe that a place that has got this stigma has got this positive, relaxed family event,’ he says.

He believes the carnival has helped to forge and strengthen links between people in the community. Each year it has a different theme aimed at celebrating the diversity of the area. These have included ‘Deighton in action’, ‘Deighton through the ages’ and ‘Deighton – community of culture’.

‘The carnival is what everyone looks forward to,’ he says, adding that it has often been a way for newcomers to start finding their feet in the area. ‘The majority of the community get involved and feel ownership of it and part of it.’

Arts and creativity of all kinds have always featured in DBI’s approach to regeneration, with Kirklees’ Council’s arts organisation LOCA being involved in some of the early consultation work.

The Laurence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield has been involved in numerous local outreach and community projects. They have been involved with residents of all ages, running everything from adult training workshops through school holiday circus training to activities with the Playmates nursery.

The recent You Live and You Learn Theatre Project aims to help people overcome barriers to education and employment by taking real life stories from the local community and turning them into theatre. It recently won a national award for excellence for its innovatory and inspirational qualities.

Outreach arts worker Maggie O’Keefe says the DBI funding has made a big difference as it has enabled the theatre to deliver projects over the long term.