Introducing the HBA team
As with many community groups, a great deal of time and effort goes on behind the scenes to make sure that Honley Business Association benefits the people who live, work and visit Honley.
The committee are all volunteers, who give their time throughout the year to monitor and run the website and social media feeds, as well as constantly raising funds to help improve our village. Then there are the major events. The Christmas Light Switch-on and Christmas Market, among others, are all made possible thanks to the work and dedication of the HBA team.
Here you can find out a little bit more about the driving force behind HBA and meet the team that put together this website.
Rachel Valli
Chairperson
Rachel Valli owns ReDress Boutique and, with husband Moin, Valli Optometry and Audiology. Through HBA’s collaborative platform she supports marketing opportunities, networking and the opportunity for businesses to give back to their local community.
June McLean
Secretary
A familiar face around Honley, June owns Zebra and was a founding member of Honley Business Association. She helped set up the Community Facebook Group, raised funds for CCTV and works tirelessly for the benefit of our village. June’s also in charge of the Community Facebook Group.
Liz Gill
Vice Chairperson
Mortgage Advisor Liz Gill supports events to help keep our high street and small businesses thriving. She is a firm believer in everyone lending a hand. She is an early contributor to raffle prizes and shows her enthusiasm for events by donning fancy dress costumes.
Philip Lofthouse
Treasurer
Philip, joined HBA as Treasurer in 2013. Owner of Stead Robinson accountants, Philip is definitely not another boring old accountant. With his van and triple-ladder, it’s Philip and his team of willing volunteers who install the amazing village displays and festive Christmas lights.
Oliver and Katie Schofield
Committee Member
Baristas Oliver and Katie Schofield own Wired Coffee and Cake and know how to refuel our team. From providing tea, coffee and cake at community events to organising monthly walking groups, the couple recognise the importance of supporting each other in business and in life.
Laura Hanson
Committee Member
Laura Hanson, a Mortgage Advisor, has children at schools in Honley. She is keen to foster stronger connections between the schools and HBA. Through networking and employment opportunities, the partnership between the two helps to create mutually beneficial support during community events.
Lynne Green
Committee Member
When celebrant Lynne Green started her Creating Memories business she turned to HBA for assistance. Lynne joined the committee to repay the support she had received. She is a key volunteer at our larger events which would not be possible without the tireless support of volunteers such as Lynne.
Nicola Stacey
Committee Member
Nicola Stacey, a physiotherapist at Well North Physiotherapy and Wellbeing, believes in taking a holistic approach to living a healthy and happy life. Her sponsorship program with the school is aimed at assisting teachers, parents and others. She specializes in postnatal physiotherapy and the “active retired” population. Nicola’s dedication extends to the well-being of the Honley community, helping people feel their best and enjoy their lives to the fullest.
Here’s the team behind the website
Sophie Seddon
Copywriter
“Every village has a story to tell and Honley is no exception. I am a people person and I love Honley for its strong community feel. I am privileged to have been asked to write the stories about the friendly people who make this village such a great place to live, work and visit and who make Honley the wonderful place it is to be.” – Sophie Seddon
Sophie is a former journalist and police communications officer and, after taking over from former HBA copywriter Jeanette Dyson, is now the face behind the stories you read on this website.
Whether it’s briefing a senior command team, interviewing household names and leading politicians, or hearing about the wonderful work of local volunteer and community groups and businesses, Sophie has all the tools to spot an interesting story in the people she meets.
After falling in love with the vibrant village of Honley, its cobbled streets, community feel and friendly people, Sophie and her family have happily called Honley their home for the last 13 years.
Sandie Nicholson
Photography
“I absolutely love Honley and the fabulous countryside right on our doorstep. It’s always a privilege to capture our beautiful scenery and the great community spirit of our village life.”
Sandie fell in love with the beautiful landscape of the Holme Valley while walking her dog and, over a decade ago, began capturing the images on film and sharing her photography. Her passion has grown to include community events in our area and she’s the official photographer for the Honley Show. Sandie’s photographs have been used to illustrate Christmas cards by Kirkwood Hospice for many years, and she reached an international audience when her photos of Yorkshire villages were broadcast on ITV during their live TV coverage of the Yorkshire Grand Depart. Sandie regularly gives talks to community groups about her photography experiences, donating her speaker’s fee to Friend to Friend, a group helping to improve the lives of older people.
John Steel Photography
Photography
“I‘m a ‘people’ photographer. It’s people who add personality to a place and there’s certainly plenty of personalities around Honley. It’s what made working on the website great fun!”
John Steel
John admits he never set out to become a photographer, but has certainly found his calling. He describes himself as ‘quite handy with a camera’ – an understatement to say the least. There’s personality shining through each and every photo John takes and his knack for capturing ‘character’ brings his photography to life. There’s a vibrant sense of movement in all John’s photos that makes you want to see more.
John lives and works in the area, and was the obvious person to complement Sandie’s work, capturing the life and soul of our village on film. In his day job he works with people: capturing a couple’s special day with his wedding photography, chronicling a family’s special bond, snapping that perfect sporting moment, or illustrating what makes a company unique, with his commercial photography.
Social Progress
Web build & Project management
“We love being a part of the local business community in and around Honley. We feel very privileged to call lots of the businesses we work with and support in their businesses, friends.”
Janet Bebb
Social Progress are experts at social media and marketing, providing services including social media management and training for clients big and small. Yet there’s much more to their offer as they proved with the HBA website. Using their project management skills, they took John Polley’s branding, Sandie and John’s pictures and Jeanette’s words and transformed them into the fully functioning website you see today.
They definitely know what they’re talking about when it comes to technology but they’re great with people too, translating tech-talk into language that makes sense to anyone. That’s one of the reasons they worked so well with the HBA team!