19 Mar 2026 Community

From Bed Pushes to a Lasting Legacy: Les Orme Reflects on The Kirkwood’s Fundraising efforts

More than four decades on, the story of how The Kirkwood first came to life is still etched vividly in the memories of those who helped build it. Among them is former Shepley GP Les Orme, who was there at the very beginning, not only witnessing the birth of hospice care in Kirklees, but playing an active role in shaping the community effort that made it possible. 

At a time when no such facility existed locally, the vision of a hospice brought people together with a shared determination to create something truly special for their community.

What followed was an extraordinary show of grassroots fundraising, innovation and togetherness, with Les at the heart of one of its most iconic initiatives, the Shepley Bed Push. What began as a simple idea inspired by his student days quickly grew into a much loved annual event, capturing the imagination of the community and raising vital funds for the hospice. It was a reflection of a time when people came together with creativity, energy and purpose, laying the foundations for a service that continues to support families across Kirklees today.

On that time Les said: “Back in 1981, we were very interested in the idea of a hospice because there was no such facility in existence in this area at the time. I had undergone my GP training and been schooled in Huddersfield, so it felt very important to us locally. We were very keen to help raise money and support the idea from the very beginning.”

In those early days, support for the hospice went far beyond fundraising. Local medical professionals, including Les and his colleagues, played a hands-on role as services began to develop: “Our practice became involved in a very practical way once the hospice was up and running. We provided out of hours cover at nights and weekends. It was very much a learning process at first, but everyone was committed to making it work.”

The idea itself had been sparked by a group of passionate fundraisers determined to bring hospice care to Kirklees: “David Stocks and Alan Barlow, the original fundraisers, were very enthusiastic and extremely good motivators. They organised teams across Huddersfield to spread the message and raise money, and secured support from the Huddersfield Examiner, which gave the appeal real momentum.”

With an ambitious initial fundraising target of £600,000, the equivalent of around £2.5 million today, it was clear that creativity and community spirit would be key. That creativity came to life in the form of one of the area’s most successful fundraising events, the Shepley Bed Push.

Les continued: “The idea actually came from my time as a medical student, when we pushed beds from Cambridge to London. It was fun, it was a challenge, and it raised money and I thought we could do something similar in Shepley. A 13 mile route was devised starting in Shepley, taking in the villages of Upper Cumberworth, Denby Dale, Scissett, Skelmanthorpe, Shelley Top, Kirkburton, Shelley Bottom and finishing back in Shepley.”

The Rules for the bed push were:

• The bed must be identifiable as having once been a bed.

• Imagination and ingenuity were encouraged in the design and decoration of the bed and pushers.

• The bed must be road-worthy, steerable and be fitted with an effective brake.

• A team consisted of 12 pushers, with one person on the bed at all times, each team member being individually sponsored.

• Prizes were awarded to: the best dressed bed, the team raising most money through sponsorship, and the team collecting most cash on the day. There was not a prize for the first bed back, as in the interests of safety we wished to discourage racing, rather we wanted to encourage the teams to enjoy the day and collect as much as possible en route.  

Participants

• Local businesses.

• Local Pubs.

• Local organisations.

• Any group of individuals or friends who could organise a bed and team that complied with the rules.”

From modest beginnings, the event quickly grew beyond all expectations: “We started with around a dozen beds, but what we hadn’t anticipated was how many people would turn up, there were hundreds. We quickly realised we’d missed a trick because people arrived with full pockets and had nothing to spend their money on.”

That realisation led to the creation of a full scale carnival alongside the bed push, a decision that would transform the event into a major community celebration.

“It became a fantastic village effort,” Les says. “We invited all the village organisations and societies - Scouts, Brownies, the Women’s Institute, British Legion, Shepley Primary School, Pierrot Players, the football, cricket, bowling and tennis clubs, everyone, and asked them to run a stall, keep half the profits and give the rest to the hospice. Everybody joined in.”

What followed was a remarkable display of community spirit, with thousands attending and dozens of organisations coming together: “It really was community spirit at its best,” he reflects. “People came in their thousands, and we had to quickly expand the organisation to cope.”

As the years went on, the event continued to grow, eventually moving to larger venues within the village and attracting big name guests: “At its height, we had live music, numerous village and commercial stalls, marquees for handicrafts, art and homebake competitions, main arena displays by the likes of police dogs and falconry, and even attracted celebrities like Emlyn Hughes, who came along because he believed in the cause, That year alone, we raised £39,000.”

Over 13 years between 1983-1995, the Shepley Bed Push and its accompanying carnival raised an incredible £225,000, close to £1 million in today’s money: “When you look at it like that, it was an extraordinary achievement by the community,” Les adds.

But beyond the figures, it was the atmosphere and togetherness that made the event truly special: “There was everything going on, brass bands, barbecues, fairground attractions, pig roast, displays and the beds themselves were decorated in fantastic, creative ways. The point was never to race back first. It was about having fun and raising as much money as possible.” The teams entering beds came from a variety of organisations, local pubs, the village school and its PTA, local Sports Clubs, companies large and small, local and from all around the Huddersfield area, which helped spread the sponsorship net. After the initial couple of years there were regularly between 30 to 40 beds.

That sense of shared purpose extended across the wider area, with friendly rivalry between fundraising groups helping to drive even greater support: “There was a bit of rivalry between groups, which was no bad thing. It encouraged everyone to raise their game, and ultimately that was great for the hospice.”

Now, looking back with both his medical and community perspective, Les is clear about the lasting importance of what was built: “The hospice provides a unique and, in many ways, irreplaceable service. The sort of care needed at the end of life simply cannot be provided in a busy modern hospital environment.”

And he is equally clear about the need to continue supporting that care today: “If the hospice’s future were ever seriously under threat, it would be a very sad and devastating situation. Services like this need continued support if they are going to survive and carry on helping people.”

Despite the passing of time, the legacy of those early fundraising efforts still lives on, not just in the hospice itself, but in the memories of those who were part of it: “There’s still huge enthusiasm for the bed push in Shepley, People remember it very fondly and often say it’s a shame it couldn’t happen again.” And if it ever were to return? I’d certainly be happy to pass on advice. It had to be safe, well organised, but above all it had to be fun. That’s what made it so successful.”

For Les, and for many others, the story of the bed push is about far more than fundraising, it is about what a community can achieve when it comes together: “We were very proud of what we achieved. It was a tremendous effort by the whole village and something people truly loved being part of.”