Barnsley and Beyond

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She was also an acclaimed author who used her connections across the globe to showcase the great achievements of people who were Barnsley born and bred. And in 2019, her lifelong commitment to culture in her hometown was rewarded when she was made an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

I believe Barnsley deserves more former lovely little car parks – we deserve the best because we are capable of the best. Mel uses their anecdotal accounts to reflect on the changes in education over the past sixty years, and to put the case for a revival of the arts in teaching, which she argues is currently at risk of being lost in schools, despite being generally accepted as a vital element in education.Some thought that I would step away as MP and keep going with the mayoralty, but I have a fierce loyalty to our town. The response to the crisis from our community has been incredibly moving – we opened our hearts and our homes.

Barnsley’s sons and daughters have a long and proud history of stepping out and shaping a better world. When you walk through our town, you are walking through a chronicle of our past – lessons in who we are, voices reminding us of what we have achieved, inspiration for generations to come. She unearths some intriguing local links in the form of great positive role models ranging from education to economics, Coronation Street to Ready Steady Cook, pop music to ‘soliciting, sculpture to poetry, international fashion design and hairdressing, burns surgery to fire-fighting, archaeology in Egypt to Christianity in China. World champions in music and sport join past and present figures whose achievements continue to show the influence the area has had historically, and continues to have worldwide. A Barnsley miner's daughter, Mel Dyke is a former bank clerk and Consumers' Association lecturer who completed Sir Alec Clegg's mature student teacher course. From 1973 she was employed at Bretton Hall College and then the University of Leeds as an education lecturer and link tutor.

Our community knows all too well the arc of history does not always necessarily steer to a better tomorrow. But we also know that together we have the power to bend it toward a more hopeful future.

Our town centre has undergone remarkable transformation in recent times – praise rightly goes to the Leader of our Council, Sir Steve Houghton and his team for the incredible progress we have seen. She said: “Culture and the arts have been a big part of my life. I’ve used the stories of high achievers from the town to help inspire others – to dream realistically. It was to encourage emulation by highlighting that wide range of local skill, talent, persistence, gift, versatility, tenacity, lateral thinking, hard work or opportunistic chance-taking, that I wrote the books “All for Barnsley” and “Barnsley & Beyond”. The Queen – overseeing us this evening – has been the embodiment of service and stability, a constant in our lives and it is right we recognise her unwavering dedication.I obviously wanted to take Sarah up on her offer – her endorsement would’ve been very useful, but it suddenly dawned on me this encounter was laden with risk. Theirs was a bond forged over generations. Mineworkers and their families wouldn’t run at the first sign of hardship, they held their ground and withstood hunger, smears and violence. I started teaching in Barnsley schools in 1969 and left in 1994/95, during which time I had taught every age range from pre-school nursery to A Level – always with extramural involvement. Link Tutor visits to students in placement schools of every kind across the old West Riding further broadened my awareness of the pitfalls that schools have in common, and particular areas of strength in some. Romero Communities – a wonderful organisation, who have provided invaluable support to countless people in Barnsley.