Adriana Szczerpa, 27 and Ellis Greenwood, 26

Adriana Szczerpa, 27 and Ellis Greenwood, 26 have been in a relationship for two years. Adriana was born in Poland but moved to Wigan in Greater Manchester at the age of 10, while Ellis was born and raised in Halifax. After meeting online while Ellis was living in London and Adriana in Manchester, their relationship began once Ellis returned to her native Yorkshire. They now split their time between Halifax and Haworth – both picturesque and quaint in their own unique ways, and a far cry from nearby queer hubs like Manchester and Leeds. 

While Ellis’ family ties are part of what keeps them in the area, there’s a plethora of reasons that makes Calderdale so attractive to the duo. “Well I think the landscape is one thing!” Ellis says, gesturing to the surrounding woodlands. “I suppose there is the very real fact that a lot of queer people have lived here for some time, but whether or not that’s really representative of all queer people, I’m unsure. But I feel like there’s a lot of queer cultural events happening too.”

Both have person-centred job roles, with Ellis working as a psychologist in the NHS and Adriana working as a teaching assistant. For Adriana, she hopes that her job will educate the next generation and ensure that queer women are seen and known in everyday job roles. “Being able to be a queer teaching assistant – and a teacher one day – would be a good way to help children to understand that it is okay to be queer. It’s like being an advocate. Normalising it and bringing that teaching into the school environment.” 

On the streets across Calderdale, you’re accustomed to seeing heterosexual couples exercising public displays of affection – kissing, cuddling, holding hands. I wonder what it’s like for queer couples, and whether Adriana and Ellis feel comfortable enough to hold hands in the area themselves. It’s an ongoing issue for queer couples, especially in an era when homophobic attacks are on the rise across the UK. “Yeah, it does feel natural. It actually feels like a no-brainer,” Ellis tells me. “I think 10 years ago, maybe less, I would have had those thoughts in my head around, like, a sense of unease in myself, but now it’s not even a thing I’d think twice about.”  

I wonder how Adriana feels, especially after having what she describes as a “Catholic upbringing” in Eastern Europe and then Wigan: “You don’t get looked at in such a negative way around here. People are more used to queerness because everyone is so open about it. It feels more welcoming than Wigan, for example. From my perspective, it wouldn’t be as natural [in Wigan] as it is here, because I wouldn’t feel that openness or as comfortable,” she shares. “I feel that we can hold hands and be affectionate without it being judged [in Calderdale]. People might look but you can tell that it’s not perverse. They are just interested, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing because we are curious people!”

At the end of our conversation, I ask the couple to explain what feels so unique and special about Calderdale, and why so many queer people have either stayed here or chosen to live here. For them, it’s all about feeling like a part of a growing community and positive change. “Our experience of queer life across Halifax and the valley is marked by a sense of optimism, buoyed by the growing inclusivity, proliferation of queer-led collaborative spaces and initiatives, and the freedom to be openly ourselves without facing, or fearing, judgement,” they say.

Their answer – full of grace, openness and hope – echoes the feelings of the other individuals interviewed as part of the series. This moment of possibility and acceptance for  Calderdale, I think, sheds some light on my own yearning to reconnect with the place I once called home.