For several months the Hyndburn’s Woodlands Project has been working with the Weavers Uprising Bicentennial Committee to plan a ‘Weavers Uprising Woodland Festival’ to be held at Whinney Hill Woodland.
200 years ago, at the top of Whinney Hill, Weavers organised to protest the poor living conditions, low or no wages, and introduction of power looms, that would see what was left of their livelihood erased. The marched across Lancashire, collecting more protestors as they went, until they were eventually stopped by the King’s men, which unfortunately ended in several lives being lost.
The joint celebration aimed to honour the sacrifice of the weavers, and to celebrate the wonderful biodiversity that now thrives in this historic landscape 200 years later.
Attendees initially met with organiser Brandon Cherry who took them on a gentle stroll through Whinney Hill Woodland, talking about all the wonderful work The Prospects Foundation has carried out in the woodland, this eventually lead to the festival area.
Things kicked off with a reading of the poem ‘thread that pulls’ by Jacqueline Philips, the writer of the poem which was created for the WUBC. This was followed by a powerful historical speech by Dr David Scott of the WUBC which discussed the conditions, struggles and precedents that lead to that first day of revolt.
