A water taxi took some of the party to the tunnel end

Our 2011 Annual General Meeting took place at the Mechanics Institute, Marsden, on Saturday 14th May.  It was attended by 36 PLACE members and 20 guests and hosted by one of our partner organisations, the Huddersfield & Halifax branch of the Geographical Association.  In the morning, we heard two fascinating talks: the first by Tom Lonsdale explored the history of Marsden and the Colne Valley, where the Luddite movement began.  The second, by Alan Stopher, introduced us to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which we visited in the afternoon with a 30-minute boat trip into the famous Standedge Tunnel.  Our AGM was held in late morning, at which two existing trustees (Barbara Hickman and Steve Watson) stepped down, two trustees (David Maughan Brown and Michael Hopkinson) were re-elected, and two new trustees joined the Board (Hilary Moxon and Brian Walker). A full report of the day will appear in the next newsletter.  Meanwhile, here are some images to show those who did not attend what they missed. 

The party boarding the boat for the trip through the tunnel

All aboard for the tunnel boat trip

Heading through Standedge Tunnel

Passengers on the back of the boat in the tunnel