This giant Panopticon called “The Halo” sits on the high hill “Top of Slate” overlooking Haslingden and the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire. Designed by John Kennedy of LandLab it looks like a giant flying saucer. This is even more so at night when its upper half is lit by blue Led’s and appears to hover above the Lancashire landscape. The Halo, a work of art is a steel structure on a Tripod several metres above the ground and was completed in 2007 For the Grand opening ceremony the organizers invited entries for a poem to celebrate the Halo and to be read out on the day. I entered the competition and to my surprise my poem “The Halo” was voted the winner. However I then realized that I would be reading out my poem in front of several hundred onlookers (OMG!) But fighting my stage fright I jumped up on the Rostrum and the poem was well received and I earned a round of applause. As the daylight faded I was also given the honour of switching on the lights. Here there was a slight hiccup as when I pressed the button nothing happened! However urged on by the organizers I tried again and thankfully the lights appeared in all their glory! The day went well and we were entertained by an all male choir and music Later we all descended .the steep hillside our way lit by fires illuminating the path back down to the Town. Well worth a visit there is also a viewing point with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and distant hills.
Here is my winning poem 'Hello Halo':
Welcome to our World A World of valleys green And ancient mills Of cobbled streets And whitewashed sills.
A world of steam And giant engines black Puffing and pulling Folk up the rail line And back.
A World of black puddings Sizzling on t’hob So delicious Makes you almost sob.
A world of markets Selling pegs and bits And tripe and onions And modelling kits.
A world of Coco-Nutters Dancing in the square Their sparking clogs A sight so fair.
A world of Spirit And Northern grit Of lads and lasses Who will always do their bit.
A world of pride In a job well done By Lancashire lads Always full of fun.
A world where we remember our fallen sons Passendale, Ypres and Flanders too On our monuments their names engraved Their widows now so few.
A world where our hopes And future dreams Light up the sky Our very own sunbeams.
