The textile town of Holmfirth became notable as the home of James Bamforth, maker of lantern slides, silent comedy films and perhaps more famously, saucy seaside postcards. Then, from 1973, the long running BBC comedy series “Last Of The Summer Wine” was filmed at locations in and around Holmfirth generating a modest tourist industry.

The town has a strong sense of community and that is reflected in its high street with townspeople keen to promote and support local business and trade. Most shops are locally and independently owned with major chains generally failing to gain a foothold. Indeed, recent local campaigns have seen off attempts by a major supermarket and a pub chain to set up operations. As a consequence, the town has a unique character and although shops and businesses change hands and close down, premises are rarely vacant for more than a short time.

In this collection of images, made between April 2016 and July 2017, I have set out to capture a sense of the variety and character of the town centre by portraying a selection of the locally owned shops and some of the people who own or work in them.