Newly refurbished Norwood Chapel and Retreat Centre celebrates night of folk music

The Lower Norwood Road premises celebrated its new look, following months of work, with a concert last week.

The first half of the evening concert saw Heather Woodhead, of East Leeds, take to the stage, regaling the audience with a number of traditional folk songs from her extensive repertoire, including North Country Maid, The Snow It Melts The Soonest, and Blooming Heather.

After the interval came the Summercross Band, from Otley, led by former MP for North West Leeds, Greg Mulholland, and accompanied by Jim Caswell on guitar and mandolin, and Mary Huby on violin. Their repertoire included Last of England, about the demise of public houses throughout the country, Up Nont Sarahs, about travellers going over the Pennines before the

building of the M62, Irish Fields about the Irish population who emigrated from Ireland and settled in Otley, and No Boats On The River. about the time the boats on the River Wharfe were removed.

The band finished with an encore, My Northern Heart - the title song of their debut album.

A number of future dates are already in the diary at the Chapel and Retreat Centre throughout the rest of the year. The first is today, with Bank Holiday refreshments, organised by the Friends of Norwood. There will also be a coffee morning on July 19 at Otley Methodist Church to raise funds for the centre, and a summer BBQ on August 3, from 3pm onwards.

There will be another chance to enjoy Bank Holiday refreshments, on August 26, organised by Otley Methodist Church, and a concert by ‘Two Voices’ on September 14.

On September 21, there will be more refreshments when the women’s road race in the UCI Road Cycling World Championships passes the Church and Retreat Centre, as the cyclists climb the notorious Norwood Edge from Lindley Wood Reservoir up to Bland Hill.

Visit yorkshirewestmethodist.org.uk for details on upcoming events.