The Packhorse Shopping Centre is marking the launch of i ts brand new food court with events over December and January.

The Packhorse has seen a radical £2.5m transformation to include a brand new food court which will feature a Burger King, El Taco Loco and Roosters, a Southern fried chicken offering. Part of the investment also includes the introduction of two new Chinese restaurants and three new pop up shops.

To mark the celebrations of the food court launch in December, Packhorse Shopping Centre is hosting a family-oriented Santa?s Scavenger Hunt, as well as acoustic sessions in the food court aimed at appealing to students and adults alike.

David Heathcote-Smith, Centre Manager for Packhorse Shopping Centre, said: ?We are delighted to mark the opening of our fantastic new food court with events that will please a huge range of people.

?We are excited about the launch of the new food court, as it will provide a completely new offering not seen in Huddersf ield town centre and we hope it will attract more and more people to the Centre to eat, play and shop.

?We look forward to welcoming people to Packhorse Shopping Centre and we hope they enjoy the new offering.?

The Scavenger Hunt, in which children will need to follow clues to f ind Santa, will be hosted on Saturday, December 19th, with the acoustic sessions hosted in January when students return.

The Centre has also launched a new website to coincide with the launch of the food court.

David continued: ?We are delighted to be able to offer something which will appeal to dif ferent audiences ? there is a huge student population in Huddersf ield town centre and we want to provide them with something dif ferent.

?The New Year will see a series of new events to appeal to a whole range of audiences and the new website will help with continuing to enhance our reputation.?

PACKHORSE KITCHEN - COMES TO TOWN!

Huddersf ield Community Trust have appointed Lindley based market ing consul tancy KC Communicat ions to take care of their ful l market ing, PR and social media requirements for The Zone.

Huddersf ield Community Trust is a local registered charity and non-prof it organisation that are responsible for community sports and educational activit ies on behalf of Huddersf ield Town Football Club and Huddersf ield Giants Rugby League Football Club. Under ?The Zone? brand they also deliver a range of other services to the community including the biggest play structure in Yorkshire, a party venue, 3G pitches, a dance zone and Huddersf ield Education Academy for 16-18 year olds. HCT also heads up the National Citizenship Service for Huddersf ield and surrounding areas. The charity uses the power of sport to inspire people of all ages engaging with 60,000 people every year.

To support Huddersf ield Community Trust with generating awareness and increasing the services they deliver to the community, KC Communications have been appointed as their outsourced marketing department and will assume full responsibil ity for the organisations marketing requirements.

Lisa Hewitt, CEO of Huddersf ield Community Trust commented; ?Huddersf ield Community Trust have spent the last couple of years laying good foundations with our marketing and are confident KC Communications will now be able to take us to the next level.

From our init ial meetings with KC Communications, it was very clear they only had their clients? interests at heart, they took the time to listen to our charity?s needs and to understand the business.

It quickly became apparent when KC Communications came to present their business how they could increase our business opportunities I needed to act quick and put the wheels in motion to work together.

The team are a delight to work with. They are extremely enthusiastic, well informed, clearly very experienced and very eff icient.

I am very excited to see HCT and KC Communications working together, seeing new prospects and growing awareness of the charity in the future. We sincerely hope to work with KC Communications for a long time to come.?

Katrina Clif fe, Managing Director of KC Communications added, ?2015 has been a fantastic year for KC Communications and we are absolutely delighted to have been approached by Huddersf ield Community Trust to f irmly cement The Zone

as one of the leading NPO?s in Huddersf ield and beyond. The organisation has a lot to offer the local community and we look forward to helping them deliver that?.

For more information about KC Communications visit: www.kccomms.co.uk

KC COMMUNICATIONS GET IN ?THE ZONE?

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The end of the year is drawing closer and what a year i t has been for the Lawrence Bat ley Theatre. This year the Lawrence Bat ley Theatre begun celebrat ing 21 years of inspiring l ive performance and engaging community work in Kirklees. We marked the occasion with a 21st Birthday Gala on the 25th September featuring both local talent and performances f rom companies such as Opera North, Phoenix Dance and David Brint ley CBE with Birmingham Royal Bal let . It was a wonderful night for the Theatre.

Apart from turning 21 the Lawrence Batley Theatre has been extremely busy and I wanted to take a moment to share with you some highlights:

- 58,161 people attended a live performance at the LBT in 2014/2015, an 11% increase on the previous years.- We had 317 performances over the year, including 12 world premieres- We staged 156 performances by 32 professional and amateur companies based in Kirklees- 5,985 participated in our Let?s Create programme, with 11,919 attendances- We launched our Creative Scene programme in North Kirklees, which has resulted in 6,655 attendances to

participatory sessions and 22,336 attendances to events, exhibit ions and performances

AN AMAZING & WHIRLWIND YEAR AT THE LBT

KirkleesFairt rade

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On Monday 30th November, staf f at Staf f lex teamed up with Sam Watt and her team f rom The Star Inn at Fol ly Hal l to host the second Huddersf ield Movember Awards at Lockwood Park Rugby Club featuring the Big Hairy Shave Of f .

Winner of the coveted Staff lex Movember of the Year Award was Ash Naylor, beating into second place by a close shave, last year's winner, Chris Liversidge of Northlight Physio. Other category winners were:

- 'The Healthiest Mo of the Year' - Robert Mallelieu sponsored by Prohms Occupational Health

- 'The Fittest Mo of the Year Award' - Chris Liversidge sponsored by Brian Stahelin

- 'The Star Mo of the Year Award'- Adam Fazakerley sponsored by The Star Inn

- 'The Mo Teacher of the Year Award' - Jonathan Stahelin-Hall sponsored by Kirklees College

- 'For Those That Can't Mo Award' - Nick Briggs sponsored by Northlight Physio

?The Huddersf ield Movember Awards featuring The Big Hairy Shave Off is a great way of getting lots of people together, in a fun way, for a very serious cause. This year?s event, l ike last year, was hosted at Lockwood Park Rugby Club. Approximately 100 people braved the weather with 10 Mo contenders entering the competit ion to be crowned Staff lex Movember of the Year. Altogether with the raff le and the fundraising taking place throughout Movember at the Star Inn, we raised well over £2,500.

Special thanks go to regulars at the Star Inn and to everyone who donated raff le prizes. Over £2,500 is making its way to Movember UK to help raise awareness about men's health?, says Poppy Stahelin, f rom Staff lex.

Judges included ladies from Prohms Occupational Health, Staff lex, Kirklees College, Inspired Marketing and The Star Inn.

Thanks also to John Steel Photography for taking pictures of the event. Please take a look at the photos here http:/ / bit.ly/1LNR4BU

HUDDERSFIELD MOVEMBER AWARDS PARTY RAISES OVER £2,500 FOR MEN?S HEALTH

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According to cycl ing experts, the creat ion of Farnley Country Park, on land owned by Farnley Estates Ltd, has the potent ial to f i l l a much needed gap in facil i t ies for local cycl ists.

The Estate invited experts and local cyclists, to give their thoughts and advice on the potential for mountain biking within Hey Wood.

While there is a lot of countryside around Huddersf ield, very litt le is accessible for cyclists. According to Dale Casper, a qualif ied Brit ish Cycling Mountain Bike Leader, people from Huddersf ield must travel to Sheff ield for the recently opened Lady Canning trail, or further af ield, such as Gisburn Forest Park and Dalby Forest, to ride properly maintained off-road mountain biking tracks. He said:

?This could provide a valuable stepping stone for people coming into the sport and for those who just want to ride for fun and health benefits.

To have such a facil ity on our doorstep, which will allow families to try the sport in relative safety, would be a real boost for local cycling.?

Paul Sykes, Director Farnley Estates Ltd, said: ?The Tour de France il lustrated the popularity of cycling in the region and there is a real demand for safer places to cycle. If we are given the means to create Farnley Country Park with off-road cycling routes, designed with conservation in mind

and sympathetic to the environment, it could be of huge benefit to Kirklees.?

FARNLEY COUNTRY PARK COULD PROVIDE A ?BOOST FOR LOCAL CYCLING?

AN AUTUMN STATEMENT REVIEW

Opportunity for al l , rebuilding Britain? lots of st rong words, and at f irst not at al l clear where the money was coming f rom. But a few signif icant tax changes highl ight how the numbers might now add up? here are the key points we noted f rom the speech.

As always the devil will be in the detail to follow and we are told that the main substance to the tax changes will only be revealed on L-Day (Legislation Day) which will be on 9 December.

- CGT on residential property disposals to be paid within 30 days of the completion of the disposal from 2019 ? this is t imed to coincide with the full introduction of digital accounts

- New Stamp Duty Land tax premium of 3% from April 2016 on second homes and buy to let properties, further consultation to follow on the detail including a possible exemption for corporates and those owning more than 15 properties? yet another attack on private residential landlords !

- Government also to consult on changes to the administration of stamp duty land tax including the reduction of the payment and f il ing timescales from 30 days to 14 days ? timescale 2017-18

- 3% supplement on the benefit in kind charge on diesel company cars to remain until 2021 rather than going in 2016 as originally planned? not surprising bearing in mind current VW / Audi issues

- Creation of further 26 new enterprise zones with tax advantages

- 3 mill ion apprenticeships by 2020 with a new body to set standards, money raised via a 0.5% payroll levy ? however an allowance will be introduced at the same time so that only employers with payroll bil ls of over £3 mill ion will pay.

- 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds from 2017. This is available to parents working a minimum of 16 hours per week and where family income is less than £100,000

- Further crack down on specif ic anti-avoidance including disguised remuneration and further strengthening of GAAR (General Anti-Avoidance Rule) and further new penalties introduced

- Digital accounts progressing, further investment of £450 mill ion being made. Every individual and company to have digital account by end of this decade

- Devolution of income tax powers to Wales without referendum and lower corporation tax rate for Northern Ireland? as released last week

- Diverting VAT on women?s sanitary products (so-called ?tampon tax?) to women?s health charit ies? a creative way of getting round EU restrictions on zero-rating! Also interesting comment that scope for extending the zero-rate is to be discussed at EU level. If this succeeds, it could pave the way for further campaigns on other products perceived as being unfairly taxed.

- Extension of Academy status to 6th Form Colleges? a very welcome announcement. The additional VAT recoveries colleges will be able to make will signif icantly boost their budgets.

- Extension of the ?right to buy? (RTB) to housing association properties could result in a knock-on VAT benefit. Where the HA originally constructed these homes, their disposal will be zero-rated, thereby potentially improving the HA?s ability to reclaim VAT on costs.

For more information about the Autumn Statement 2015 contact Lesley Sutton on 01484 538351 or email taxchat@revellward.co.uk.

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Christmas is almost upon us... so here are a few concerts to get you in the mood and f i l l you with fest ive cheer!

Come along to the beautiful town halls of Huddersf ield and Dewsbury and enjoy a fantastic variety of world class music right here on your doorstep.

LUNCHTIME ORGAN AND CHAMBER CONCERTS

Reasonably priced pre-concert lunches are available from 11.30am at all our lunchtime concerts? the perfect opportunity to take a break from the Christmas shopping, have a bite to eat and a natter with fellow concert-goers before sitt ing back, relaxing and enjoying the wonderful music on offer. Tickets are a snip at only £5.50 each (£4 for concessions).

- Nigel Ogden

Monday 14 December, 1pm at Huddersf ield Town Hal l

For over 35 years, Nigel Ogden has been the presenter of BBC Radio 2?s popular programme The Organist Entertains. He has appeared many times at Huddersf ield Town Hall and, in a programme looking towards Christmas, you can be sure of some bril l iant Ogden arrangements of well-known songs.

- Gordon Stewart (Kirklees Borough Organist ) with Huddersf ield Boys? and Girls? Choirs and Adam Finchet t (percussionist )

Monday 21 December, 1pm at Huddersf ield Town Hal l

Gordon is joined by the 70 voices of the Huddersf ield Boy?s and Girls? Choirs and the bril l iant young percussionist Adam Finchett. The programme will be a mix of Christmas music old and new with organ music by Bach, Daquin and Cockroft and carols for audience, choir and organ.

- Gordon Stewart with Tom Osborne (Trumpet)

Monday 11 January 2016, 1pm at Huddersf ield Town Hal l

Gordon is again joined by the Halle Orchestra?s co-principal trumpeter Tom Osborne in a programme which stretches from the glory of the Baroque to an arrangement of Rachmaninov?s beautiful Vocalise, and the virtuoso world of the cornet in Arban?s Fantasie Bril lante.

KIRKLEES CONCERT SEASON 2015/16ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS

Our orchestral concerts are also fantastic value for money with tickets starting from just £9 (plus concessions). 13 or under? Experience the extraordinary power of a symphony orchestra for just £1 when accompanied by an adult.

- Orchestra of Opera North ? A Joyful Christmas

Thursday 17 December, 7.30pm at Dewsbury Town Hal l

The Orchestra of Opera North will be joined by the combined voices of the Chorus of Opera North, Opera North?s Children?s Chorus and Youth Chorus in a joyous concert that will f il l you with festive cheer!

- Orchestra of Opera North ? Viennese Whirl

Wednesday 30 December, 3pm (NOTE TIME) at Huddersf ield Town Hal l

Be swept off your feet and into the New Year by this afternoon of Viennese classics. One of the season?s highlights for many, so do book early as this ever popular concert regularly sells out!

Please note there are no ticket concessions at this concert, t ickets are priced at £15 in all areas.

Tickets for all concerts can be booked by calling the ticket hotline on 01484 223200 or by visit ing the website www.kirkleestownhalls.co.uk or in person at Dewsbury Town Hall Box Off ice or Huddersf ield and Holmfirth Information Centres.

To see the ful l Kirklees Concert Season go to - ht tp:/ /www.kirklees.gov.uk/ townhal ls/documents/ ConcertSeasonBrochure.pdf or pick up a brochure f rom Kirklees Town Hal ls and Informat ion Centres.

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THE LAWRENCE BATLEY THEATRE PRESENTS TELL TALE HEARTS AND PIF PAF

SNOW WHITE - Friday 11 ? Sunday 27 December

A lonely child with an eye for adventure. A wronged stepmother. A magical mirror. A poisoned apple. A brass band of musical miners? This playful and hugely imaginative take on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is set in our own Yorkshire landscape, with a pit wheel doubling as a musical stage for a group of trumpet-toting miners, and the scorned stepmother recast for the celebrity age as fading diva Mystique Stardust

Following national acclaim for The Snow Queen, the LBT?s resident children?s company Tell Tale Hearts return to our main stage in a playful, dynamic collaboration with maverick visual theatre pioneers Pif-Paf, weaving aerial feats, l ive music and comedy into an unforgettable Christmas treat for all ages. Members of HTCPL are entit led to £2 off t ickets for SNOW WHITE. To quote, call the box off ice on 01484 430528 and quote ?Huddersf ield Town Centre Partnership?

Tickets: £15 - £10

THE PERFECT PERFORMANCE THIS CHRISTMAS !

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LIGHTS, BARRETTS, ACTION!Rural Pol ice Of f icers responded to a 999 cal l at Barret ts, Honley. The report of men on ladders, thought to be burglars. Pol ice Dog requested, Pol ice Hel icopter requested.

On arrival, three very nice chaps were found, all putting up the Honley Village Christmas lights! (The lights look great by the way, lads!)

This is just a reminder that it is essential that you call the police if you see something suspicious.....it could be something criminal ongoing or it could be something nice! It 's the Police's job to f ind out what's going on, and they happy endings as in this case. Happy Christmas!!!!

One Community, the Kirklees Community Foundat ion, exists to raise funds for local voluntary and community groups. Now it is appeal ing for donat ions to support the many local organisat ions who are working with vulnerable migrants in Kirklees.

There are at least 15 voluntary groups working locally to support migrants. Services typically offered, include: one-to-one advice sessions, signposting to other agencies, provision of food and clothing parcels, family support, meals, and English language lessons. The Foundation has today (Friday 4th December), launched an appeal for cash donations that will enable these local groups to do more to help those in real need...

Sir John Harman, Chairman of One Community, said: ?Our area has a long and proud record of offering a helping hand to people f rom other countries and cultures who have been uprooted from their homes and forced to take refuge here. That was true 100 years ago when we gave sanctuary to Belgian refugees in the First World War, and it is true today when so many local groups are doing what they can to help families and individuals caught up in the latest wave of forced migration. One Community?s mission is to f ind funds for the volunteers in our local community who provide a huge range of service, from lunch clubs for the elderly through to sports activit ies for the young, and the needs of migrants are now a signif icant factor in our locality.

?The demand for advice and help has grown exponentially and groups working with migrants urgently need our support. We are appealing for cash donations, which can be distributed and util ised quickly to assist vulnerable migrants and their families.?

Cllr Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Resources and Community Safety at Kirklees Council said: ?We have a long tradition of really welcoming and supporting people who have come to Kirklees to escape all kinds of horror at home. Since we announced refugees would again be coming to Kirklees, we have had many offers of support. I hope those offers are now realised by people making donations to this fund so that people who, through no fault of their own, have been through unimaginable torment, can start to rebuild their l ives in safety.

?I am very proud of the level of public support we have received f rom the residents of Kirklees, who have once again

demonstrated their support for those less fortunate than themselves.?

To make a donation, visit the Foundation?s website: www.one-community.org.uk and make a donation online, or send

a cheque, made payable to ?One Community? and return it to: One Community, 13 Railway Street, Huddersf ield, HD1 1JS.

One Community stands in sol idarity with local groups working to support migrants, for more details of the appeal , please cal l

(01484) 468397.

KIRKLEES VULNERABLE MIGRANT APPEAL

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You could be suf fering f rom SAD ? that is - Seasonal Af fect ive Disorder

People living in the UK we are more susceptible to SAD as we are situated in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. As a result, we experience large changes in light levels between the summer and winter. We also experience periods of dark, gloomy weather which can reduce the amount of l ight we receive and therefore have a profound effect on our body clocks. The periods of darker days, poorer weather and hectic l ifestyles, can result in dramatic effects on our circadian rhythms and as a direct consequence, more people than ever before are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Local mental health charity S2R, are offering a unique opportunity to shoppers in Huddersf ield through December and January, to take a break from all the hustle and bustle and visit Create Space in the Packhorse Shopping Centre, Huddersf ield, to try our

version of a ?Light Lunch?

Sad Light Boxes are Easy to use

- There is no need to wear special clothing.

- You can do other things whilst you are exposed to l ight therapy eg, reading

- 30 minutes of exposure a day can return noticeable well-being benefits

- For best results sit between 18 ? 24 inches away f rom the box, not looking directly at the box but

occasionally glancing at the light.

- Spectacles may be worn but contact lenses should be removed before light sessions.

An example of SAD Symptoms includes:

- Lethargy, lacking in energy, unable to carry out a normal routine

- Sleep problems, f inding it hard to stay awake during the day, but having disturbed nights

- Social problems, irritability, not wanting to see people

- Depression, feelings of gloom and despondency for no apparent reason and anxiety, inability to cope

- Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, leading to weight gain

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FEELING SAD? DON?T KNOW WHY?.FED UP OF WINTER ALREADY?

Huddersf ield based IT support special ist , P2 Technologies, has pledged its support to the Town Foundat ion; the of f icial registered charity of Huddersf ield Town.

The charity?s remit is to improve the lives of children and young people in the local community and it will now put P2?s donation towards projects such as he hugely successful ?Early Kick-Off? Breakfast Club init iative.

P2 will not only be providing a monetary donation but members of the team will also dedicate their t ime to the charity by volunteering at local breakfast clubs and getting involved in the charit ies regular fundraising events.

To mark their ?Foundation Friend? status, P2 attended the launch of the 18th Breakfast Club at Dryclough Junior and Infant School.

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P2 TECHNOLOGIES DIG DEEP TO SUPPORTLOCAL CHARITY

Martin Page, Director at p2 Technologies commented:?We are delighted to be supporting the

Huddersf ield Town Foundation. As a Huddersf ield based business, improving the quality of l ife and

placing a smile on the faces of children and young people in our region is something which is very

important to P2.? The Town Foundation?s Fundraising Manager Mandy Taylor, added

: ?On behalf of the Town Foundation I would like to thank P2 Technologies

for their incredible support. Business donation such as this

one allows charity to undertake its work and improve the lives of

youngsters in our area; an incredibly worthy cause.?

The Town Foundation now serves up to 1,000 healthy breakfasts to local

children every day through the ?Early kick-off? project.

The money donated by P2 Technologies will enable them to continue doing this

successfully.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW WITH P2!!!P2 Technologies has agreed a further three year contract with international transport company Whittle Eastern Europe Logistics Ltd, following three successful years of managing their IT systems.

Whittles specialise in logistics to and from central and Eastern Europe and works for some of the World?s best known blue chip companies and household names. The f irm prides itself on being f luent in 24 languages and its commitment to quality is recognised.

through its ISO 9001:2008 accreditation As IT is a crit ical part of Whitt les business process and to ensure smooth IT operationsP2 are trusted to deliver managed IT support and strategy guidance, 24/7 remote monitoring, high quality and responsive helpdesk both remote and on-site all provided by experienced and accredited engineers. Since the relationship began in 2012 the IT has remained stable, however f lexible and secure, safe in the hands when help is needed P2 are able to respond.

Martin Page, Director at P2 commented: ?We are thankful and very pleased to have renewed our contract with Whittles.

P2 Technologies work with its clients to continually improve their business IT, the professional team forward plan and meet regularly with clients to keep abreast of technology and deliver robust IT strategies to deliver the best results.

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WHY JOIN THE

PARTNERSHIP?As a not for prof it organisat ion, the Huddersf ield Partnership does its best to facil i tate the development of the town by working with Kirklees Council , businesses and communit ies within the area ensuring that together, Huddersf ield can be a great and safe place to l ive, work and do business.

Previously focusing on the town centre, the Partnership now has a wider remit to support Huddersf ield as a whole. The Partnership has diverse membership of businesses and organisations from across Huddersf ield. Through the f inancial contribution of our membership, it enables the Partnership to offer businesses and stakeholders specif ied benefits and services. All of our prof its are re-invested back into the town and local businesses through the organisation of events, crime prevention activit ies and promotional activit ies.

- All members have the opportunity to promote their businesses every month via the Inside Huddersf ield Newsletter (database email)

- All members have the opportunity to attend regular network meetings and open evenings.

- All members are included in our on-line Membership Directory with a link to their own website.

- All eligible members can benefit from signif icant discounts for membership of the Radio Link Scheme and DISC Intranet to that aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

- All members can benefit from a discount of 20% off membership fees if they introduce a new member.

- All members can take advantage of signif icant member to member discounts and offers.

- All members benefit from being part of an organisation that acts as one voice in our town.

- All eligible members can benefit from a 10% discount off bookings for Huddersf ield Food and Drink Festival

- Access to ?inside knowledge? about what is happening in the town before it actually happens.

For more informat ion visit : huddersf ieldpartnership.co.uk or email :info@huddersf ieldpartnership.co.uk

JOIN TODAY!