It’s fright night at Woolley Hall

This weekend on Sunday, October 30, why not head down to Woolley Hall to celebrate Halloween with your family and children?
Hear some spooky tales from our resident Victorian story teller or join in the Woolley Hall Ghost Walk.
At 5.30 join us in the Woolley Hall Music Room where spooky children’s ghost stories will be told by our Victorian story teller. Children can then join in a pumpkin hunt in the hall and grounds. Fancy dress optional and prizes awarded to the scariest costume.
This event runs from 5.30pm to 7.00pm and tickets cost just £5.00. All children must be accompanied by an adult. This event has proved very popular in the pas so advance bookings are advised.
Later at 8.00pm we will be hosting Fright Night with a ghost walk accompanied by ghost stories of Woolley Hall. This 17th Century Manor House has many tales to tell from its distant past of lovers tragedies to its more recent history of student Ouija Board games leading to an exorcism. Defiantly not for the faint hearted.
Runs from 8.00pm to 10.00pm and includes a pie and pea supper - all for just £12.50. Pre-booking is essential and it’s advised you bring a torch and sturdy footwear. Suitable for over 15s.

Get crafty this Christmas

Christmas might seem a long way away but if you want to stock up on some unusual and original Christmas gifts or buy some materials to make you own head over the Christmas Craft Fair at Ossett Town Hall on Saturday, October 29.
There is no entrance fee and you will get access to a wide range of stalls selling all sorts of festive goodies. The doors open from 10am to 1.30pm.

Chimes Restaurant Christmas Lunches

Did you know that Wakefield Town Hall has its very own restaurant? If not come down and enjoy a special Christmas lunch with friends and colleagues throughout December.
Join us in the elegant Victorian Chimes Bar & Restaurant for a sumptuous three course lunch with all the festive trimmings. It’s the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit with friends and work mates.
Enjoy either a traditional roast turkey, chipolata sausage, stuffing and roast gravy, tuna steak with lime & chilli salsa or, if you are a veggie, broccoli & cream cheese bake. All of the above served with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Followed by traditional Christmas pudding and brandy sauce, chocolate & orange tear drop torte or Baileys and toffee cheesecake and tea, coffee and mince pies
All for just £10.95 per person!
Call 01924 305830 to book your place. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Some wedding pictures from Woolley Hall

Ossett hosts weekend of music

This weekend - on Friday, October 14 and Saturday. October 15 - you can come down to Ossett Town Hall to hear The Elizabethans’ Chorus host an evening of music and laughter with some adult humour, including songs from the 50’s and 60’s. Doors Open at 6:45pm and the performance will start at 7:15pm.
Tickets are available from Cakes and Favours, Town End, Ossett or Ticket Secretary 01924 263618.
Meanwhile, at the end of the month (Friday, October 28), fans of The Rolling Stones are in for a real treat when tribute band Its Only Rock and Roll take to the stage as part of their UK tour.
The show features the music from every period of The Rolling Stones’ 50 year career including tunes such as ‘Not Fade Away’ to ‘Paint it Black’ from ‘Satisfaction’ to Little Red Rooster’ and all the hits and more are featured in this great show.
Doors Open at 7:00pm and the show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are £13 and are available from the Box Office at Ossett Town Hall (01924 302999) or Ella Coffee Shop (07592 015047)

Come and see us at The Ridings this weekend

The Wakefield venues team will be at The Riding Shopping Centre in Wakefield this weekend (15th to 16th October) to show off our wonderful wedding venues.
There will also be an opportunity for a sneak preview our new wedding brochure – watch the slide show above - which showcases wedding venues like Woolley Hall and the town halls of Wakefield, Pontefract, Ossett and Castleford Civic Centre.
As well as managing some great wedding venues in Wakefield, our team also provides a full-wedding co-ordination services brining you the best deals on specialist wedding suppliers from florists to photographers.
We can even arrange a special wedding marquee at Woolley Hall for your big day; get the best hotel deals for you and your guests reserving places for friends and family; and sort out your luxury bridal cars.
More than 30 of the region’s top suppliers will be on hand at The Ridings offering everything you need to make your wedding magical.
The Real Radio patrol team will also be at The Ridings and there's a chance to win £1,000 worth of wedding rings, courtesy of Beaverbrooks on both days.
For further information about our special wedding service call 01924 305830 or email eventsandfunctions@wakefield.gov.uk

Hold your Xmas party at Wakefield Town Hall

You might think it’s a little early to be thinking about Christmas but you need to get your skates on now if you’re planning a Christmas party for you company.
If you are organizing a Xmas do you’ll be delighted to learn that Wakefield Town Hall is opening its doors this Christmas to companies looking for a special venue in which to hold their festive celebrations.
There is no finer choice for your company to run your Christmas party than Wakefield Town Hall, a prestigious grade I listed venue of immense character and charm.
With its majestic Victorian architecture, this splendidly elegant and truly unique venue, with its comprehensive suite of staterooms and Old Court Room, is an outstanding choice for your wedding or celebration.
Wakefield Town Hall is the ideal venue to add a touch of prestige and style to your company Christmas celebrations and a great excuse for staff to dress up to the occasion.
Our experienced team offer flexibility and attention to detail to ensure that your event exceeds your expectations at all times.
The Traditional Christmas Party Nights at Wakefield Town Hall, offer an evening of fantastic food, fun and festive cheer. On arrival party-goers will be offered drink, enjoy a three-course course meal and then dance the night away in the magnificent Kingswood Suite “
The Town Hall can take bookings for more than 50 people and will receive two complimentary bottles of house wine per table if the booking is confirmed by October 31, 2011
Parties will run from 7.00pm to midnight and cost just £29.95 per person. For further information call 01924 305830 or email eventsandfunctions@wakefield.gov.uk

Get on the soul train to Castleford

Get in to the groove at Castleford Civic Centre this Saturday evening (October 8) when we premier leage DJs Nigel Brown, Ian Gee and Robert Smith spin some of the classic dance music.
The Northern Soul and Motown Evening has a huge following across the north England and attract music enthusiasts from across the district.
The Castleford Civic Centre is a great venue too with a balcony overlooking the massive wooden sprung dance floor - you’ll be dancing the night away.
Tickets are £7.00 and are available from Wakefield Tourist Information Centre or call 0845 6018353.

It's music night in Ossett this Saturday

Wakefield Hospice Ossett Fund Raising Group is hosting their third annual concert, with performances by the West Yorkshire Police Band and Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choir this Saturday (October 8).

So if you enjoy some traditional Yorkshire musical entertainment  do come along to Ossett Town Hall – the doors open at six and the performance will begin at 7.30pm.

And, more importantly, you will be supporting a great Yorkshire charity in Wakefield Hospice.

Tickets are £8.00 and are available at Ossett Tyre House, W Man dress shop, Pretty Things Dress shop and Special Thought card shop.

A busy September for Wakefield Venues

It’s been a busy September for the Wakefield’s lovely venues and attractions with several events and conferences being hosted at Wakefield Town Hall, Woolley Hall and Ossett Town Hall.
The month started with a major Migraine Conference at Wakefield Town Hall where leading medics came together with Migraine Action to celebrate Migraine Awareness Week (which ran from Sunday, September 4).
Professor Amir Al-Din, who has been leading the headache service at the Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust for the past 17 years, gave a presentation on Understanding and Managing Migraine. Meanwhile, Dr Andrew Dowson, chairman of Migraine Action's Medical Advisory Board and director of headache services at King's College Hospital, London, discussed preventative treatments and gave updates on the latest migraine research.
There where also a number of workshops including sessions on managing chronic daily headache and Botox® as a treatment for chronic migraine. On Saturday 10, September there was also an open session for the public when people suffering from migraines could get advice on managing the condition which was held at Wakefield Town Hall.

Celebrating National Heritage Day at Ossett Town Hall

On the same day Wakefield and Ossett celebrated National Heritage Day. At Wakefield Town Hall visitors enjoyed a one hour tour led by Darren Byford, Vice-President of Wakefield Civic Society.
This grand tour took visitors to places within this grade I listed Town Hall, where the public never go including the prison cells, underground passages, closed off stairwells as well as the magnificent state rooms.
If you have never explored the delights of this Victorian building with its neo classical architecture then we are happy to arrange an organised tour or an informal visit.  The newly refurbished Chimes café bar and restaurant is a hidden gem in the City of Wakefield.  Sensitively restored on the third floor of the Town Hall, it provides not only a perfect place to have lunch with panoramic view over the city, it also offers the ideal location to have a wedding ceremony or discrete dinner party for up to 30 guests. For further information email us at: eventsandfinctions@wakefield.gov.uk
Also celebrating National Heritage Day the Ossett Civic Society held heritage tours of Ossett Town Hall in association. The Tour included the Old Council Chamber, the Mayor’s Parlour, Old Court House and the magnificent Assembly Hall. Visitors where also able to explore the Town Hall at their leisure and admire the theatre organ, grand portraits and the recently restored furniture.
The Town Hall also participated in the Ossett Scarecrow Festival, organised by Ossett Town Centre Partnership, to promote the Town Hall as a wedding venue with a bride and groom scarecrow.  Nearly 50 scarecrows were positioned in and around Ossett town centre with fabulous prizes and great activity for all the family throughout the day!

Horbury Victoria Brass Band in action at Ossett Town Hall

Meanwhile, on Friday the town hall played host to the Horbury Victoria Brass Band when guests enjoyed an evening of musical entertainment in association with Horbury and Ossett Phoenix Rotary Club.
Performances and the audience applause filled the magnificent Assembly Hall showcasing the venue as a hot spot for live entertainment and enjoyment.
Finally, it’s been a very busy month for Woolley Hall. On the evening of Wednesday, September 7 we hosted an open house when we opened our doors to the public to promote its autumn season of events.
These include Halloween Ghost tour, an autumn wedding fair and Christmas lunches. Visitors were able to explore the house and ornate gardens whilst enjoying a complimentary glass of wine and canapés or enjoy a taster at laser clay pigeon shooting on the lawn.
Close to heritage week, the event was a great success particularly with local historians and former residents of Woolley Hall in its days as a residential college.  Visitors also included people the Wentworth Castle Trust from Stanborough, Barnsley where the male line of the same family - The Wentworth’s - is still associated with Stainborough and Wentworth-Woodhouse in Rotherham. If you’ve never head of Wentworth-Woodhouse, it just happens to be famous for having the largest façade of any county house in England.
A presentation is being held at Wenthorth Castle on November 24 to talk about the family connections between the three houses in Yorkshire, visit their website here.

Business networking at Woolley Hall

On the same day Woolley Hall hosted the Business Network, which brings together a wide range of local businesses who meet monthly to network and promote their services within the Wakefield district. Woolley Hall is hoping to continue is relationship with the group into 2012 hosting more lunch events.
The County Manor is an ideal location to get away from the office environment and relax in 20 acres of idyllic surroundings, enjoy the decadence of fine dining and traditional Yorkshire food, then work it all off with an enjoyable round of play golf at Woolley Golf Course adjacent. If you would like to host your business network event at Woolley Hall please contact us at eventsandfunctions@wakefield.gov.uk.
Finally, we were proud to open up Woolley Hall and its grounds to the Wakefield Hospice Annual Sponsored Walk. With more than 200 walkers enjoying routes of  between five, ten, 15 or, for the really hardy, 20 miles.  An exhausting but enjoyable way to visit the many bridle paths and official walks in the area surrounding Woolley Hall, one of the many benefits of a venue in the heart of the countryside.  Take a chance on a fine day, put on your walking boots and explore what this area has to offer, then pop into Woolley Hall for lunch or a cream tea.  It is advisable to pre-book lunch to avoid disappointment.