Jean’s story – Campaigning to keep Oakenshaw on the map

Like many people first moving to a new place, it took me and my husband a while to get to know people in the community, but this changed when we began going along to the Oakenshaw Community Choir. Over time you get to know more people and become part of the community, which is what led me to get more involved in local life. This resulted in me becoming a member of the Oakenshaw Residents’ Association, and in the last few years part of the Oakenshaw Monument Preservation Society.

Oakenshaw is a small village on the very edge of Kirklees, part of which crosses the border into Bradford. Because the village is on the outskirts it often feels like we’re a little forgotten about. Despite there being some quite large industrial units and the motorway nearby, the rural aspects surrounding the village are beautiful.

Along with some other people in the village, I’m most concerned about the issue of the Grade 2 monument, Oakenshaw Cross, and we’re campaigning to get it re-installed to its natural place, at the junctions of Cross Street and Wyke Lane. Sadly, the cross had been hit by 2 HGV’s damaging the steps. Kirklees Council deemed it unsafe and removed it with the promise that it would be restored and returned. What we’ve been left with is basically an excavation site in not very good condition, with concrete barriers to protect it from being hit by traffic.

It means our campaign is a twofold process. We want the restoration of the Cross carried out and it returned to its original place, as recognised by Heritage England. However, we’ve been told this is unlikely to happen before 2025 and we’re also aware of the financial difficulties the council finds themselves in. What we’d like to achieve in the meantime, is that the concrete blocks are painted and that we can get some planters installed so at least it will look nice when the flowers are in bloom, rather than it being an eyesore. We also want to raise awareness of the local history associated with the Cross and to engage with younger people.

We’ve worked closely with the Spen Valley Civic Society to get some funding from ward councillors, to help with this. They’ve been really supportive and obviously understand the Cross’s local importance. They are also helping us to design and erect an information board of the local history, with a focus on the Cross, which will sit close by on Wyke Lane.

I worked in local government and the NHS for a long time, so I’ve been able to use my knowledge to find and work with the right people in Kirklees Council. I also understand the difficulties of getting things done sometimes, and that these things can take time. I know it makes things even more difficult when funds are scarce, but it’s also important to keep plugging away, making sure they know you’re there and not forgotten about, whilst at the same time building a good relationship.

I learned a lot about building those good relationships from my father, who was heavily involved in his community. He always encouraged me to get involved, to volunteer, and I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager.

And we’re making some small steps of progress, trying to get more people involved as well as local businesses. We’ve a couple of site visits coming up with the Highways Service, to look at improving the site, so we’re hopeful something positive can be achieved.

A new and quite large business has recently come to the area, who’ve acknowledged that they know this can cause some disruption, but they’ve been very supportive of our village and helped fund the tidying up of our small garden of rest. It’s nice to be part of building that relationship with them and that they want to be supportive.

I’m proud to be involved in the Oakenshaw community and to work with others in a team. It gives me a sense of purpose and means I can stay mentally active. Of course, this isn’t possible to do on my own. There are other committed people in the village, who run or take part in different groups. We have a new Vicar at St Andrew’s church, who wants to make better use of the facilities for the community. And there’s always those people who may not be part of a specific group, but they’re proud enough to pick up litter as they go about their daily lives. It all counts to making the village a better place to live.

Find out more

Social media

Friends of Oakenshaw Cross Monument  (Facebook)

Spen Valley Civic Society (Facebook)

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Thank you to Jean for sharing this story through our ‘Share your story’ page on this website. Do you have something to share about getting involved? We’d love to hear your story.