Tech festival set to put the Byte back in the Pennines

ONCE a hive of industry and home to of some of Britain’s biggest manufacturers, the Pennines have been relegated to a thoroughfare for those getting between Leeds and Manchester, and a picturesque place to commute from.

Andrew Back and Tim Harbour wanted to change that, and four years ago launched tech festival Wuthering Bytes in Hebden Bridge.

Mr Back, originally from the North who returned from London and Glasgow, was involved in a monthly open source hardware user group – basically for anyone interested in electronics and building physical things.

This crossed over nicely into software, the Internet of Things and everything from flood and pollution detection to building wirel

Mr Back said: “People love the environment at Wuthering Bytes. It wasn’t a standard conference at a centre in a city, it is semi-rural. It feels somewhere between a retreat and technology conference. Amazingly, people have travelled from London, Ireland and further afield to visit.”

This year, the ten day not-for-profit festival starting on Friday 2 September, will see WordPress co-founder Mike Little take part in its Open for Business mini-conference, BBC Robot Wars judge Dr Lucy Rogers appearing to talk about how to hack robot dinosaurs, and Channel 4’s technology editor Geoff White will be on hand to discuss mobile phone leaks.

Artist Dave Lynch will showcase Project Nimbus, a laser project that sent him up in an aircraft imposing pictures on clouds (“It’s pretty bonkers!” said Mr Back) and there will be discussions on the history of technology as well – such as the development of electronic and dance music beats from the sound of Lancashire mill workers clogs tapping to emulate machinery sounds.

“We’ve gone from strength to strength each year, encompassing new events. We now cover areas like graphic design, web design and other areas of technology, with most events accessible to the general public.

“It’s a community event. I like the fact that something like this can happen in Hebden Bridge – it doesn’t have to be in a major city. That alternative environment that is a little bit different is good for Hebden Bridge where there is a burgeoning technology scene.

Indeed the town is home to Calrec, which employs around 100 people manufacturing broadcast sound mixing decks for television.

“People are realising you can live somewhere like Hebden Bridge and not need to commute to Leeds or Manchester, you can increasingly work from home in the digital sector,” said Mr Back.

With 70 talks on during the week, there will be something for everyone. Click here for more details.