This is a border town in a Northern Valley
And it faces both ways: Lancs and Yorks
But to understand Todmorden fully
Bring your knives and bring your forks
Bring your plates and an open mind.
This is a border town on the cusp of change
A bespoke and unique one-of-a-kind;
Think canalside milltown then rearrange
Your expectations into this:
A border town that knows no bounds
That fills me with Todmorden bliss
Reduces me to Mmmm-ing sounds
As though the whole of Tod is edible;
Chew it slowly. The taste’s incredible!

Todmorden is an example of what community-led initiatives, energy and enthusiasm can achieve. The motto of the town is kindness – ask forgiveness not permission – which underpins a caring, can-do approach. Community volunteers took the simple idea of creating raised vegetable beds across the town in unused and unloved spaces for residents to harvest, and turned it into a global movement. Incredible Edible has become part of a new identity for Todmorden. It has inspired the Apothecary Garden at the new health centre and the AquaGarden. It attracts green businesses to set up in the town, including in renovated mill buildings. ‘Made in Tod’ is a proud part of the town’s independence and evolution from its industrial past.