We feel very lucky to live in the small Pennine village of Luddenden and where possible we try to give our time and expertise to some of the many village voluntary groups that make Luddenden such a special place to live and work.

Luddenden won Village category in Yorkshire in Bloom in 2010 and 2012, Best Village award in Britain in Bloom 2011 and Silver Gilt in Britain in Bloom 2013, a tremendous achievement from all involved. Below shows the judging taking place.

There is an annual plant sales in the village car park in late may where plants grown and donated by villagers can be purchased with the proceeds going towards the planting and replanting of areas round the village. This is the main source of income for the “Bloom Group”

There is also a plant table on High Street where plants can be donated by villagers and donations placed in the honesty box, this has proved a very good second income source for the “Bloom Group”. The table until recently had deteriorated badly but thanks to a local villager a new metal top was manufactured and the green powder coat finish applied by another local company free of charge.

After the Boxing Day floods of 2015 which devastated the Calder Valley, Luddenden escaped remarkably unscathed. However much damage was done to trees along the riverbank so volunteers got together to clear the river course and trim back and remove overgrown trees and bushes. This is carried out annually during the summer and helps to increase habitats for wild flowers, insects and birds. It is also useful as invasive species such as himalayan balsam and japanese knotweed can be identified and reported.

The Luddenden Conservation Society holds an open gardens day every 2 years usually in june or july. This has proved extremely popular with increasing numbers of villagers getting involved to show off their properties.

Overgrowing trees trimmed back along the river to reduce damage to supporting walls and improve habitats for wildflowers, insects, birds and bats.

The “Tommy Project” by the cenotaph and some of the wonderful planting carried out round the village.

Storm damage to a tree in “Brigittas Garden” which was cleared up by villagers, the resulting shadeless area wonderfully replanted by Bloom Group members.

The Luddenden Wildlife Trail created in partnership between the Luddenden Conservation Society and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with financial support from the European Union, Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency. Local schools helped to put together and decorate some of the many bird, bat and owl boxes along the trail.

Some of the many willing volunteers who give their time to keep the village car park neat and tidy. Woodchip for mulching the flowerbeds kindly donated by local tree surgeons.