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When tigers roamed Holmfirth When tigers roamed Holmfirth
(7 days later)
Yorkshire villages are the guardians of some extraordinary stories, ranging from the pygmy tribe which lived at Brandisburton to the Japanese chicken-sexers of Cowling.Yorkshire villages are the guardians of some extraordinary stories, ranging from the pygmy tribe which lived at Brandisburton to the Japanese chicken-sexers of Cowling.
Now the top table is being joined by Holmfirth, long imprisoned in the benign shackles of 'Summer Wine Country' which have been good for business but are maybe getting a little stale.Now the top table is being joined by Holmfirth, long imprisoned in the benign shackles of 'Summer Wine Country' which have been good for business but are maybe getting a little stale.
Local people are promoting the remarkable saga of Fenella the Holmfirth Tigress, who really was a tiger rather than some rival to Norah Batty. Led by the Holme Valley Sharing Memories Group (and what an excellent idea that sort of organisation is), they are making her story a centrepiece of next month's Holmfirth Festival of Folk.Local people are promoting the remarkable saga of Fenella the Holmfirth Tigress, who really was a tiger rather than some rival to Norah Batty. Led by the Holme Valley Sharing Memories Group (and what an excellent idea that sort of organisation is), they are making her story a centrepiece of next month's Holmfirth Festival of Folk.
Fenella came to Yorkshire with a well-known local circus family, the Overends, who were given her as a motherless cub in South Africa in 1939 and found that she took to the cosy life of the West Riding Pennines. Members of Sharing Memories recall her pottering round Holmfirth on a lead and being happy to accept cautious versions of the oohs and aahs and stroling which are usually the lot of cats.Fenella came to Yorkshire with a well-known local circus family, the Overends, who were given her as a motherless cub in South Africa in 1939 and found that she took to the cosy life of the West Riding Pennines. Members of Sharing Memories recall her pottering round Holmfirth on a lead and being happy to accept cautious versions of the oohs and aahs and stroling which are usually the lot of cats.
Children at Nabb school got to know her particularly well, as the Overends lived just up the road. There were never any incidents of the kind immortalised in Stanley Holloway's Albert, and Fenella was much-respected and never required to carry shopping, or members of the Overend family, up Holmfirth's many steep hills.Children at Nabb school got to know her particularly well, as the Overends lived just up the road. There were never any incidents of the kind immortalised in Stanley Holloway's Albert, and Fenella was much-respected and never required to carry shopping, or members of the Overend family, up Holmfirth's many steep hills.
She died in 1950 after her tenth birthday, much mourned by sisters Kassie and Meg Overend who had looked after her devotedly. Kassie is now in her 90s and delighted that Fenella is to return to centre stage. She says:She died in 1950 after her tenth birthday, much mourned by sisters Kassie and Meg Overend who had looked after her devotedly. Kassie is now in her 90s and delighted that Fenella is to return to centre stage. She says:
Having Fenella was a wonderful experience although it was quite a tie as we couldn't just go out and leave her on her own.Having Fenella was a wonderful experience although it was quite a tie as we couldn't just go out and leave her on her own.
This being a folk festival, Fenella will naturally get her own song, performed by Sharing Memories members alongside children from Holmfirth Junior and Infant School, as Nabb School has officially become, and Upperthong J&I. It is one of a canon prepared by Brighouse musician Roger Davies, to add to the 'Holmfirth anthem' Pratty Flowers, which is much loved but stately to the point of ponderous.This being a folk festival, Fenella will naturally get her own song, performed by Sharing Memories members alongside children from Holmfirth Junior and Infant School, as Nabb School has officially become, and Upperthong J&I. It is one of a canon prepared by Brighouse musician Roger Davies, to add to the 'Holmfirth anthem' Pratty Flowers, which is much loved but stately to the point of ponderous.
The organiser of the project Sally Brown says:The organiser of the project Sally Brown says:
It has been fantastic.  We have been able to take people's memories of growing up, living and working in the Holme Valley and put those experiences into songs which we can share with the younger generation.It has been fantastic.  We have been able to take people's memories of growing up, living and working in the Holme Valley and put those experiences into songs which we can share with the younger generation.

Davies says:
Davies says:
I have used the writing of Sharing Memories members as the basis for some of the songs. In particular one new song called Beautiful Vale is based on a longer poem by Kenneth Haigh, aged 87, who has lived in the Holme Valley all of his life.I have used the writing of Sharing Memories members as the basis for some of the songs. In particular one new song called Beautiful Vale is based on a longer poem by Kenneth Haigh, aged 87, who has lived in the Holme Valley all of his life.
Here's a fine rendition of Pratty Flowers on Yorkshire Day last year in Keighley, from YouTube. It's quite a long song. The excellent website My Yorkshire has plentiful material on Fenella, including recorded memories by local resident Jean Dyson here, and pictures of the tigress and the Overends here.

There's also more info on the story at My Learning, here.		Here's a fine rendition of Pratty Flowers on Yorkshire Day last year in Keighley, from YouTube. It's quite a long song. The excellent website My Yorkshire has plentiful material on Fenella, including recorded memories by local resident Jean Dyson here, and pictures of the tigress and the Overends here.

There's also more info on the story at My Learning, here.
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