About us

Horbury Civic Society – working to make Horbury a better place in which to live and work.

Horbury Civic Society was established in 1968 and is a registered charity (registration number 255238).

Civic Societies exist throughout the country (there are five others in the Wakefield District alone in Wakefield, Ossett, Castleford, Pontefract and Knottingley). Together, these societies form part of a national civic movement but each remaining completely independent. They are not aligned with any political party but many are members of Civic Voice, the national representative body for Civic Societies and, in this region, the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS for short).

Civic Societies are run by volunteers and are membership-based organisations that give local people a voice in helping to shape the places where they live and work: it shouldn’t be left just to councils and developers to say what goes where and what it will look like! Civic Societies provide a means for local people to have a say. While they focus primarily on the built environment and public realm (buildings, streets, parks and so on), taking an active interest in planning applications and proposed developments, they are also concerned with conservation of heritage, promotion of good design and helping to look after local amenities.

As well as planning matters, Civic Societies do things such as running design award schemes, putting up blue plaques, leading guided walks, running talks programmes and organising social events to promote an interest in the local area. No two Civic Societies are exactly the same; what they do will depend on the sort of place where they exist – a Civic Society in a large city will have different concerns from a Civic Society operating in a small village or seaside resort. What they do will also depend on the resources they have – both in terms of cash and effort. To an extent, how much cash a Civic Society has will depend on the number of subscription-paying members the Society has but it will also depend on how many of those members are prepared to step up to join the committee to help make the Society a success.

Here in Horbury, we think we should have a lively and active Civic Society and that the Society should be playing a full part in the discussions about what happens in our town. But we need your help!

Individual annual membership £10 Unwaged/retired £8 Joint (two adults at the same address £18.

We also have a membership for businesses and other organisations who want to support us from £75 a year. You can download a membership form on our membership page.