The HD8 Network turns 11 … today – 25th April 2024!
So it’s 11 years since I (Merewyn Sayers) attended a networking event over in Brighouse, run by the sparkling charismatic Keith Loveday; It was a launch event of networking group, extending the reach from Hull.
I met many people that night with over half the people telling me (including @Tracey Sheldon, @Steph Walker, @Chris Shaw) they had travelled from the HD8 area, like I had also done.
At the end of the evening, while thanking Keith, who I found was also living in HD8; I said “why don’t you set one up by us, in HD8!”.
And as I drove home, I thought “why don’t I do it!”
I finally had the connecting piece. The HD8 … I had been musing on how to shout about the local area, that was between so many catchment areas and until then, I didn’t have a unifying ‘thing’ to create the name. Each village has its own identity and not part of another.
I wanted to build a network to find out about what’s going here in this amazing collection of villages, within the HD8 postcode of Huddersfield – In case you don’t already know where it is, my description is kinda – south of Huddersfield, Kirklees, West Yorkshire … equidistant from Huddersfield, Wakefield and Barnsley, off the M1, Emley Moor Mast, Denby Dale Pies, Skelmanthorpe and the Doctor Who – Shat! and Kirburton ward too …
Not just a networking event.
Not just for businesses.
But for everyone that works, rests or plays here.
It has to be all things to all people, otherwise it doesn’t work at its best – but that’s community.
I wanted to create a network for the community … not a small task. And it has been a long process so far … 11 years in fact.
We are where we are today, with a fabulous local platform, with an awesome events calendar and facility to help you be found online in the HD8 area.
Don’t have the time or skills to do social and digital stuff? Decided its not worth the SEO and Google Adwords costs? Want to be found by local people? And support the local community by subsidising and make it free at point of access for our volunteers and community groups?
Ow and of course, it also works for those that already do their own socials and other marketing, particularly if you and your customers want to be found in the HD8 area.
We were hoping to announce upgrades to in our anniversary celebrations, but development work has been delayed, but we are happy to say they have started … so instead, we announce a future announcement as part of our celebrations! Want to be part of the developments or just have your voice heard, get in touch. We love to chat.
Membership is currently only a fraction of what it is worth.
Filling in forms is boring, but we can happily and easily help you – just chat to us.
Our members say they get found through the HD8 Network and people tell us they found things that they are looking for locally through the HD8 Network.
Help us celebrate our 11th anniversary – there’s many ways that you can …
We have created a list of 11 – it is our 11th birthday if we hadn’t mentioned! (Some are for just members of the HD8 Network).
Anyway, back to Keith. He was a lovely guy and full of support and encouragement and I had many happy occasions with him over the years. However this ended in 2020. We were sharing Co-Working Zoom calls to support each other and collectively we found out, our last call with Keith had been the Friday before. It was an awful time, on top of what was a hideous situation in so many different ways.
This year we would like to give The Bridge Community Hub and Un-do IT Loveday membership as a sign of thanks for their support (as well as a massive thanks to Janene and all the usual suspects). Thank you.
Thanks to 11 years of the HD8 Network!