Active Hub at the IOU Hostel
Supporting active lifestyles through outdoor access, creative programmes and community connection.
The IOU Hostel in Hebden Bridge is now your local Active Hub for walking, running and wheeling — here to help you get outdoors, get active and explore the beautiful Upper Calder Valley.
Whether you’re completely new to walking, cycling or running, or looking to rediscover your confidence and motivation, the Hostel offers friendly support, practical advice, and inspiring opportunities to help you take the next step.
Throughout 2026, our programme will include guided walks, rides and runs, hands-on skills workshops led by experienced practitioners, and informal sessions designed to help you get the most from your equipment and plan safe, enjoyable routes in the local landscape.
At the Active Hub you’ll also find local maps, guidebooks and online access to route information — as well as a chance to meet like-minded people and become part of a growing active community.
As part of the IOU Creation Centre as an established arts space, the Hostel will also host artist-led workshops that offer creative ways to connect with nature, movement and place.
20 May 2026, Running Confident with Natalie Lalande
This session is for anyone who’s ever been curious about joining a running group but hasn’t quite taken that first step yet. Whether you’re brand new to running, returning after a break, or simply feeling unsure, this is a relaxed and supportive session to build confidence at your own pace. Led by Natalie Lalande, who runs for positive impact on her mental health, runs with her children at Calder Valley Fell Runners and with the female only St Pol Striders. Natalie is down to earth, supportive and champions getting out and enjoying the Calderdale landscape. The foundation of this session will be walking, with some accessible bursts of running and a chance to ask any questions - from shoes, how to join the local groups, what to eat before a run and the best local routes! There’s no pressure, no expectations- just a chance to move, connect, and experience what running as part of a supportive group can feel like.
14 May 2026, Maps, Marks and Canal Walk with Chris Goddard
Join us for a gentle, guided walk from Todmorden GP Practice along the Rochdale canal with artist Christopher Goddard, an invitation to slow down, notice, and reimagine the landscape around you.Along the route, Chris will offer simple, creative mapping exercises to help you explore how you experience a place, through memory, mark making and the senses, and how this might be translated into your own unique map. This is a relaxed and reflective session, open to all, with plenty of space to wander, observe, and create. Please bring a notebook and pens, and come dressed for the outdoors. The walk will finish with an optional offer of FREE tea, coffee and homemade soup from Todmorden Community Kitchen, whilst we continue our conversations and reflections from the workshop with Chris.
10 May 2026, Discover EBikes
Sun 10 May 10am-1pm Calder Holmes Park, Hebden Bridge. Catch our IOU team in Hebden and give an e-bike a go! Drop by Calder Holmes Park (near the outdoor gym) on Sunday 10th May 10am–1pm, to try an e-bike, no experience needed. Whether you’re curious, a bit unsure, or just fancy something new, come along and feel the boost for yourself! You’ll also find out how you can hire bikes from IOU Hostel afterwards—making it easier to get around, explore the valley, save money on travel, and enjoy a more active, low-impact way to move.
Online Active Hub
Here you can find information for guides, routes and maps plus our local partners and other Active Hubs across West Yorkshire