Roberts Park Parkrun

Saturday Parkrun at Roberts Park in Saltaire.  A weekly event organised by volunteers, with a nine o'clock start time and online regsistration it's a very popular event.

Bamboo Sandals - Saltaire Festival

I never got around to posting anything from the Saltaire Festival last month, so here is a picture of the lead singer of Bamboo Sandals, a talented four piece band that perform regularly in the Leeds and Bradford areas.  The band went down well with all age groups at the festival, particularly well with some of the younger members of the audience, and quite well with myself.  I'm sure the band will be going places in the future!

Too Much Energy?

     Some people have just got too much energy.

Chimneys

Chimneys and bell on the roof of the lodge at Roberts Park, Saltaire.  I believe the bell sounded at the end of each day as the park was closed overnight, that was back in the days of Sir Titus Salt.  I don't think the bell is currently in working order as there does not appear to be a rope connected to it.

Saltaire Festival 2012 - German Sausage

I didn't manage to see everything at the Saltaire Festival, there was just too much to see in the time I had available.  Some of the food stalls were quite colourful, this German sausage was quite eye-catching.

Saltaire Festival 2012 - Reflecting On Fruit

There were a number of food tents at the Saltaire Festival with demonstrations in the art of preparing food, or in this case, turning fruit into amazing floral displays with nothing more than a sharp knife.  The mirror was mounted on the ceiling of the tent to give the audience a better view.  I took a quick picture after the demonstration when members of the audience went up to the front for a closer look.

Saltaire Festival 2012 - Street Band

Onlookers are not quite sure what to make of a very entertaining street band in Roberts Park today.  It's all part of the finale weekend at the tenth Saltaire Festival.

Saltaire Festival 2012 - Giant Hippo?

I've never seen one of these roaming around Roberts Park before, it's quite a sight when you see it approaching through the crowds, and there were some crowds today.  It's the finale weekend of the Saltaire Festival and I can honestly say that I have never seen as many people in the village, moving around became a bit of a problem by mid afternoon.  There were a number of Steampunk enthusiasts at the Festival, but I think this hippo was a real showstopper.

Saltaire Festival 2012 - Roberts Park

Live music at the bandstand in Roberts Park, Saltaire.  This was last Sunday but the main weekend for the tenth Saltaire Festival is the coming weekend with live music, a continental market and a number of other events taking place.  I hope to be there.

Blossom - Roberts Park

Blossom, sunshine and blue sky a few days ago in Roberts Park, Saltaire.  Sadly the weather has gone back to its norm of dull, dreary and wet.

Saltaire Llamas

These two bronze statues stand in front of the Half Moon Cafe in Roberts Park at Saltaire, they are generally referred to as the 'llamas' but I think they are more likely to be Alpaca.

Trike In The Park - Saltaire

I'm always interested in unusual bicycles, or tricycles, and this one really is unusual as it has an electric motor as well as pedal power. The motor is built into the wheel hub at the rear and the battery is in the compartment between the front wheels, energy from the braking system is also used to charges up the battery. The acceleration of the machine is quite remarkable and it looks great fun to ride, particularly in an empty Roberts Park at Saltaire. I had a very brief chat with Tom, the rider, who kindly let me take this picture, and who also mentioned that he regretted the decision to wear shorts, it was very very cold!

Saltaire - Winter Sun

There were plenty of people out and about in the historic village of Saltaire today taking advantage of some rather welcome winter sunshine. Personally, I think Salts Mill looks at its best at this time of year, provided that the sun is out of course. The footpath in the picture runs from Saltaire village to nearby Roberts Park.

Fun Run - Roberts Park, Saltaire

I went along to Roberts Park in Saltaire this morning to watch this fun run which has been organised as part of this years Saltaire Festival. The festival runs until September 18th and I'm quite looking forward to next weekend when there will be live music, street entertainers and a continental market in the village.

Saltaire - World Heritage Weekend

     The village of Saltaire is celebrating world heritage day with special events in and around the village this weekend.  This demonstration of stone carving was held in Roberts Park by members of the West Riding Stonecarving Association.  I found it quite interesting to watch these craftsmen at work, the different types of stone apparently have their own distinctive qualities which make some types of stone harder to work with than others. It's also apparently a very therapeutic hobby, must give it a try sometime!

Opening Day - Roberts Park Saltaire

Today was the official opening day for the new bandstand at Roberts Park Saltaire.The original bandstand was apparently demolished during the Second World War.  This picture was taken early in the morning before the park filled up with visitors.