Whit Friday - a very special day
A History of Whit Friday in Diggle
This very special day in the history of Saddleworth has always been a celebration of community, and thank God it remains so today, just as strong!
The strength of a community can be seen in the things which it does together. The church organisations; the clubs and pubs; the Beavers, Cubs, Rainbows, Brownies, Scouts and Guides; the football team; the band; the school; the Diggle Diamonds; all are a vital part of tour functioning together as a community and all are a huge part of our functioning as sensible, feeling, caring and sharing human beings - exactly what the creator we call God wants us to be.
For this reason I am most happy to be asked to pen a few words about what Whit Friday has meant to me during my 73 years of life in Diggle. The photo below shows what Diggle looked like 100 years ago. The spoil from the tunnel excavations was very evident, and the new school had not yet been built, (the day school was at Kiln Green) and nor had most of the houses that are here today. It did have a band and it did have many organisations similar to those we have today. One thing we never had, however, was a band contest on Whit Friday!
The celebration of the special day starts quite rightly with the celebration of Whitsuntide, "Whit Sunday", the special day when a very special Holy Spirit filled the hearts of those early friends of Jesus. The walks are just as important today as they were a hundred years ago in stating our fundamental belief in our being a Christian community, which cares and shares in good times and in bad.
These walks have continued through even the most difficult of times, when during the first world wars there were very few young men around to carry banners or play in bands, and when severe restrictions on catering arrangements were felt. Still we walked, and we continued to walk through the second world war , when I myself was a boy at Diggle School, and when in 1944, Harry Bradbury, Brian Broadbent and I, wore the services uniform to acknowledge our debt to our serving elders.
(That's me with the glasses in air force uniform. Note the particularly windy day as we came down from St. Chad's into the square, and the struggle the men who were handling the banner were having.) 
The band contests in Saddleworth started in Uppermill in 1884, then later in Greenfield in 1898, always conneceted with the walks of the schools in the morning of Whit Friday, when the competing bands had played for the walks. I sincerely hope that all "DIGGLERS" will come ot value our newly formed Band Contest as a really important part of our community life and give both the contest on the day and the work of the fund raisers over the year your whole hearted support.
They and Diggle deserve it! May God bless you and keep you well and safe. ENJOY!
Reverend Duncan Rhodes 2009 Click here for more information on the history of Saddleworth