• We supported the Exhibition of paintings by Ken Taylor ‘Drawn to Sport’ in Tolson Museum.
• The Tea & Cake meetings continue at 2.00 -3.30 on the 2rd Wednesday each month. The bowling green is available for use of ‘Friends’.
• The ‘Friends’ book club at the Tea & Cake meeting was launched with a gift of a trolley to display our books
• The Tour de France Competition ‘Create a Bicycle’ winning item is displayed in the Transport Gallery
• 21^st June. Friends stall at Huddersfield Histories
• 28^th June. Friends stall at Ravensknowle Gala
• 15^th August. Friends stall at Bark in the Park.
• 14^th September. First ‘Classic Motorbike Show’. Entertainment was provided by the Concertina and Accordion Band.
• 20^th September. The play ‘Troupers’ was put on by Mikron Theatre.
• 23^rd November. Christmas Fair. At this event we local authors Cyril Pearce, John Rumsby, Betty Woodcock and Julie Houston talking about their latest publications. The musical entertainment was by the Concertina and Accordion Band.
• 28^th February. First meeting of the FoT&R Gardening Club
• 15^th March. Cream Teas were served on Mothering Sunday
• 21^st March. We held the Tolson ‘Great Bake Off’ This was judged by Stephen and Tracy Jackson of T&CAKE
• 25^th March First of the spring lectures in conjunction with Huddersfield University.
• 21^st & 28^th two further lectures.

About Friends of Tolson & Ravensknowle

The Committee of Friends of Tolson & Ravensknowle meet once a month to plan the programme for the local community and support the work of the Museum. We look after the Heritage Memorial Garden. We would welcome any one who is interested in working with us.

For more information please contact Volunteer Ann, Friends of Tolson & Ravensknowle. m: 07803159506 email: secretary@friendsoftolson.org

In October on the afternoon of the second Wednesday, the first of a monthly ‘Tea & Cake’ event was held.

A wreath was laid in France at the at the graves of Lt Robert Huntress Tolson and Lt James M Tolson by Jenny Salton on behalf of Kirklees Council and Friends of Tolson & Ravensknowle.

A letter goes to the Examiner in support of Tolson Museum.

The Friends have a stall at Ravensknowle Gala and Bark in the Park.

On Heritage Weekend, the Committee, plus other Friends walk the Heritage walk starting at Tolson, through Almondbury to Castle Hill, with a visit up the Tower and returning down through the woods.

In September 2013 a bid is made to Heritage Lottery for funding for a Heritage Memorial Garden to the rear of Tolson Museum. Friends and Kirklees officers are invited to view the plans for the Heritage Memorial Garden in the newly refurbished rooms in the museum. On show were items that will feature in the proposed First World War events in 2014.
In October on the afternoon of the second Wednesday, the first of a monthly ‘Tea & Cake’ event was held.

At the Victorian Christmas event on 17th November ‘Friends’ dressed in Victorian dress and served refreshments. There was a variety of stalls. There was entertainment with music played by Hammonds Youth Brass Band and by readings from pupils of Moldgreen Community School. Father Christmas arrived in his vintage car.

Entered the Examiner ‘Wish’ Scheme

January 2014

Heritage Lottery agreed to fund the Heritage Memorial Garden at Tolson Museum. The Friends of Tolson & Ravensknowle learned that they had been awarded £97,000 to create a memorial garden to remember those men and women of Huddersfield who died whilst serving their Country, in conflicts from 1914 to the present day. The ‘Friends’ had to raise a further £5000.

The Ravensknowle House, now Tolson Museum was given to Huddersfield by Legh Tolson as a memorial to his nephews Robert Huntriss Tolson and James Martin Tolson.

The award of this money meant that could develop the theme of a Memorial.

As part of the project, the Friends are collecting the experiences of people and their families, from Huddersfield, who have served in conflicts since 1945. They are collecting the memories of people who lived through the Second World War in Huddersfield.

An artist is working with young people, local community groups and the ‘Friends’ to create three pieces of art in the garden. The ‘Friends’ and local communities will also be involved in helping to build the stone walls and planting the beds in the garden.

The ‘Friends’ are undertaking research into the original layout of the gardens of Tolson House. There will be interpretation panels in the garden to illustrate findings from our research.

A unique part of the garden will be the space that is for small outdoor drama and musical events. This space can be used for events that illustrate the theme of Memorial or any other suitable creative events.

The ‘Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle’ were thrilled that the application had been successful. It would provide a wonderful memorial to local people who have died in service of their country and add a new dimension to a visit to Tolson Museum.

On 12th January a public consultation meeting was held at Tolson Museum regarding the Heritage Memorial Garden. There was also a consultation meeting with Kirklees officers.

See details of the development of the Heritage Memorial Garden project.

At the ‘Tea & Cake’ meetings it was planned that at the start of each meeting a museum curator would talk briefly about an item from the museum. This is an opportunity to hear an expert explain the importance of some items of our heritage.

See the ‘Tea & Cake’ meetings for further information about these events.

The ‘Friends’ agreed to work to achieve the following projects:

• Disabled access at the front of Tolson Museum.
• Installing of signage for the Museum and Park on Wakefield Road.
• A circular footpath from Tolson Museum to Castle Hill and back.
• The installation of a ‘Trim Trail’ in the park.
• To engage the local community with a monthly ‘Tea & Cake’ afternoon in Tolson.
• To create a ‘Memorial Garden’ in the park.

The Friends put together an information stall with a banner and bunting. With the stall, they attended events in Ravensknowle Park to celebrate Yorkshire Day, Ravenknowle Gala and the Bark in the Park. A quiz was put together. They also took the stall to Almondbury Children’s Centre and on Heritage Day to Beaumont Park.

On the weekend of 11th-12th August a refreshment stall at the Kirklees Flower and Produce Show in Ravensknowle Park was organised by the Friends.

With a donation of £500, the ‘Friends’ supported the Arts Council Bid by the Museum Staff for improvements inside the museum. The proposal was that the current Library and neighbouring room should be turned into one room (as in the original house) with new flooring, repairs and doors and ceilings and redecoration.

At the ‘Friends’ meeting in September there was a ‘Demonstration of a collection of curious antique medical instruments’ by Wilf Lunn. Wilf brought an eclectic selection of curious antique medical instruments to impress and delight an intrigued audience with his knowledge. He had a bizarre selection of devices from phallic shaped inhalers, blood letting instruments including fleams, fleam cases, cupping jars, through poisons, such as antimony administered as a laxative, to instruments of torture that were attached to a baby’s arms to inhibit thumb sucking.

The ‘Friends’ collected tokens for the Examiner ‘Wish’ Scheme raising £53.19.

The ‘Friends’ Christmas event was held in the Transport Gallery and the Victorian School Room (the two main rooms in the Museum being re-ordered.) Joanne Harris, local, national and international author, read a story and we were entertained by a choir from Dalton Junior School. There were several stalls and Father Christmas arrived in his vintage car.

At the AGM in May 2013 John Rumsby, former curator and expert on military history gave a talk entitled ‘Our Soldiers slighted’ the story of army veterans.

The ‘Friends of Tolson and Ravensknowle’ become a member of the British Association of Friends of Museums.

Plans for the memorial garden were drawn up and letters written to local groups asking for financial support.