As we prepare to leave Todmorden, I wanted to express what exactly we will miss. This is a town we didn’t even know of its location before being sent here. Cleft in the valley, bordering the famed lands of Yorkshire – God’s own county – and the fabled lands of Lancashire. We were told to get a visa if we needed to exit the town to the south or west.
We recall those first days, of excitement, of staring at the hills with astonishment – what beauty. Actually it has only been in the last few weeks, of lockdown, that we’ve noticed the real detail of the landscape. That beautiful farmhouse on the very top of the hill, the farm and barn nestled on the side amidst the sheep and cows, and that delightful cottage facing down the valley towards Todmorden. These are great memories but not the highlight.
The people of Todmorden are different.
No, wait, hang on.
Kindness
These people seem to know of no boundaries, every one is a neighbour. This is a town where arms are linked throughout, so from Eastwood, from Walsden, through Todmorden, and up until Cornholme and Portsmouth, there’s a connection. The Kindness Centre in the middle of town is a bizarre example of extreme radical kindness. For kindness is the currency around here.
People
The Incredible Edible team met every fortnight (well prior to lockdown). They would clear and prepare seed beds, cultivate, and provide herbs and veggies for anyone to harvest. They’d then meet up again at the ‘Pointy Thing’, the Unitarian Church, to have a fabulous meal. A meal of delight served upon a long set of tables set across the aisle of the church – this is radical hospitality. But even more so are the people radical. I hope I’m not painting a picture of way-out people but those who are centred upon compassion, giving and supporting.
The Healthy Minds team who operate from Halifax all along the valley, including Todmorden. Their monthly meetings, adorned with cheeseboards and fruit, coordinate that effective signposting of the various charities and support groups within the town. They support the weak and bind up the broken. These people also generously offer such support to those affected principally by the floods which have struck repeatedly along this valley since the building of the canal, but far more frequently in recent decades. When we say floods, we mean floods that you typically only see on the TV. But for those viewers, they can turn off, change channel: for the people of Todmorden, they can still smell the effluent, see the sludge.
Nevertheless, the response from the people is to rise above the waters as one community.
Death anyone?
There is the quaintly named ‘Pushing Up the Daisies‘ team. This group have initiated a world wide movement of recognising the pain and trauma in death. They provide opportunities for reflection and consideration before the event. I came upon this group in my first year here, and was struck at the various faith interpretations of death that were entwined within their celebrations. From sending letters to the dead, decorating coffins and intentionally discussing death, they have broken ground few would dare to tread. Their ‘Perennial Daisies’ group which, year around, are willing to listen to anyone who wishes to reflect upon what death means to them is just astounding.
One Community
It was upon our first Christmas here, when people from the Mosque came to prepare the Christmas Day vegetables, that I noticed something different here. On Christmas Day itself, taxi drivers from the Mosque ferried people to and from the Age Concern Todmorden lunch. I was welcomed to the Mosque for Friday prayers. We welcomed refugees to the Todmorden Central Methodist Church. The President of the Mosque, Nadeem Mir, and I were able, with others, to establish links which have forged a strong bond. Presenting a talk about life after death at the Pushing Up Daisies event, listening to different faith groups during Interfaith Week, we have worked closely. The formation of the Todmorden Interfaith Chaplaincy, one of the few Christian/Muslim retail economy chaplaincies in the UK, has been a great success- one which continues onwards. The co-hosted Todmorden Iftar in May was superb!
And we’ve yet to mention Church…