If you live in Calderdale or just love stories, art, and the environment, then Iron People might be right up your street. It’s not a play, not a protest, and not just a festival—it’s a little bit of all of that, mashed together. At the centre of it all is a message we can’t ignore anymore: we need to look after our planet. And Iron People is doing that in the most creative, hands-on way imaginable.
A new kind of community celebration
This isn’t just another artsy project. Northern Broadsides, Halifax’s beloved theatre company, has flipped the script on what local arts can be. Over the course of 2024 and 2025, they’ve turned Calderdale into a buzzing hive of workshops, performances and wild, inventive events under the banner of Iron People.
It’s all part of CultureDale, a year-long celebration marking Calderdale’s 50th birthday (yep, it’s been five decades since the borough came into being on 1 April 1974). The team took inspiration from Ted Hughes’ iconic books The Iron Man and The Iron Woman, reimagining their strange, powerful stories as community-driven events with a big environmental heart.
The finale at Eureka! – puppets with a purpose
The big finish? Iron People @ Eureka! on Saturday 26 April 2025. Picture this: three enormous puppets, designed by local school kids from Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge, and Park Ward, rising up from rivers, hills and streets. These aren’t your average puppets—they’re brought to life by Thingumajig Theatre and accompanied by the booming sounds of Elland Silver Youth Band, playing brand-new music created just for this event.
These creatures aren’t just for show. They’re part of a performance meant to make people stop and think. Their message? It’s time to act on climate change. Loudly. Creatively. Together.
Not just a one-off event
While the finale is the big moment, the Iron People journey is packed with free activities leading up to April. And when we say “packed,” we mean it. Here’s a glimpse at what’s happening:
- 8–9 Feb 2025: Future Flow – Build wild sculptures at Todmorden College
- 15 Feb 2025: Song of the Valley – A music-making workshop
- 22 Feb 2025: Mytholmroyd Family Creativity Day – Crafts, stories, and fun
- 22 Feb 2025: Capturing the Flow – Underwater sound workshop
- 1 March 2025: Mastering the Flow – A community showcase
- 22 March 2025: Big Green Fun Day – Cook, plant, perform and eat together
- 29–30 March 2025: Hidden in the Landscape – Explore Cromwell Bottom with headphones on a story-filled audio trail
Each event builds on the last, helping people connect with Calderdale’s natural spaces, its history, and each other.
Connecting past, present and planet
One of the most unique parts of Iron People is how it blends old stories with new voices. Like the Hidden in the Landscape trail at Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve—you walk through one of Calderdale’s wildest spots while hearing voices from its industrial past, present communities and environmental champions.
Another gem? The Big Green Fun Day, where families get stuck into growing food, cooking meals, making crafts, and sharing stories. It’s a massive feel-good moment with an eco-twist—and the launch of a new book from the Writers’ Refuge group too.
Why it matters
Northern Broadsides could’ve just toured a few shows and called it a day. But they didn’t. They dug deep into their roots in Calderdale and created something with real staying power. As their artistic director Laurie Sansom put it, the finale is more than a celebration—it’s a “powerful call to action”. And executive director Ruth Cooke says it’s helped the company finally create their first-ever youth theatre.
They’ve teamed up with a bunch of organisations to make it happen—Calderdale Council, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England, and more. This kind of support isn’t just about funding—it’s about belief in what culture can do when it’s community-led and bold.
Why you should care (even if you don’t live in Calderdale)
Because this is what the future of culture looks like. Not something you sit and watch, but something you build, shape, and live inside of. Iron People shows what happens when kids, artists, activists, and neighbours come together. It’s messy. It’s playful. And it makes a point.
So whether you’re an eco-warrior, a parent looking for something cool to do with your kids, or just someone who misses the magic of real community events—you’ll want to keep an eye on this one.
You can follow the whole thing at northern-broadsides.co.uk/iron-people or check out the trailer here.
