The story of Iron People

Photos by Ant and Rhys Robling

The Iron People story…

Since its launch in November 2023, the Iron People project has brought communities together across Calderdale through a rich and inspiring programme of creative events.

The project was inspired by the environmental message in Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man and The Iron Woman books, focusing on Calderdale’s response to the climate emergency. Iron People has celebrated local voices, landscapes, and imaginations – reaching families, young people, and adults through storytelling, art, movement, and performance.

We began in 2023 with a series of Family Creativity Days in Sowerby Bridge, Elland, Mytholmroyd and Todmorden. Families were invited to step into the worlds of The Iron Man and The Iron Woman through storytelling, movement and draw-along workshops led by illustrator Chris Mould. These joyful, hands-on events sparked imaginations and laid the foundation for everything that followed, including the Family Creativity Days that ran in 2024!

In early 2024, we offered adults in Calderdale the chance to connect creatively with nature and literature through free poetry and acting workshops. Led by poet Ian Humphreys, the poetry sessions explored rivers, eco-poetry, and writing for children. Local adults also dipped their toes into performance in a series of relaxed acting tasters. We proudly launched Northern Broadsides’ Park Youth Theatre with taster sessions and a Summer School at Halifax Playhouse, culminating in a sharing of brand-new short performances by young people.

Throughout the year, communities continued to shape and inspire the project. Autumn 2024 saw a deep dive into Sowerby Bridge’s landscape and stories, with mudlarking, sound, art and storytelling workshops culminating in a joyful community celebration. Meanwhile, Park Youth Theatre took root and grew through weekly sessions at Unique Community Hub – they presented their own original protest songs at The Big Green Fun Day in Halifax- an event full of creative, nature-based activities for all the family.

In Spring 2025, Todmorden’s community explored sculpture, music and spagnum moss, culminating in a vibrant sharing event at Gordon Rigg Garden Centre.

We brought Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve alive with Hidden in the Landscape – an audio trail co-created by local actors and writers with professional artists, capturing stories, characters and poems inspired by the site’s natural beauty.

In March, we launched The Writer’s Refuge anthology; a powerful collection of stories, poetry, and diaries from 12 writers from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The launch event was filled with live readings, insightful discussions, and a moving online exchange of poetry with a group of climate refugees from Australia.

From its beginnings to the grand finale performance at Eureka! on 26 April, Iron People has celebrated Calderdale’s creativity, its communities, and the power of nature to inspire us all.