AFTER a month of cleaning, painting, and rearranging, we opened the doors to our new exhibition, Making Thunder Roar: Emily Brontë on February 1.

Our new exhibition invites a number of well-known Emily admirers to share their own fascination with her life and work.

Admirers such as Lily Cole, Maxine Peake, Anita Rani and Sally Wainwright have selected possessions, writing and artwork, as well as some of the well-loved household objects Emily used daily, and responded in a very personal way.

Very little is known about Emily, and so it will be fascinating to spend 2018 exploring the fragments of information we have about her, whilst hopefully gaining fresh perspectives on her life and work.

Our new events programme for the first half of the year is out now, so look out for it if you’re out and about in Haworth, or look on our website bronte.org.uk/whats-on for full details. Young fans of Chris Riddell – author of the Goth Girl series, Ottoline books, and with Paul Stewart, the Muddle Earth books, the Scavenger series and the Blobheads series – and not-so-young fans who might know Chris as political cartoonist for The Observer -will be pleased to hear that Chris is coming to Haworth at half-term.

An illustration workshop for teens has already sold out, but tickets are still available for an evening event in Haworth Old School Room.

Chris will be chatting about his work whilst doing live illustration, and is happy to answer questions and sign books. The event takes place on Tuesday February 13 at 6.30pm. Tickets cost £7 for adults, and £5 for children/concessions.

As well as the opportunity to meet Chris Riddell, There will be plenty of half-term activities going on, including a mystery trail, hands-on history, costumed interpretation and free talks and walks. Our popular Wild Wednesday workshop returns, where children – and adults – can make mini origami cards. Very appropriate for St Valentine’s day – especially if you forgot to buy a card! Check the website for full details of half-term activities.

Free Tuesday talks (on the first Tuesday of the month) continue this year, with a particular focus on Emily. Our next talk on March 6 focuses on Emily’s poetry. Future topics include the mysteriously titled, ‘Who was Heathcliff?’ and the origins of Wuthering Heights.

And finally, if a Valley Mag lands on your doormat every month, look out for a voucher allowing free entry to the museum.

As well as celebrating the 200th anniversary of Emily Brontë’s birth this year, we’re also celebrating 90 years since the Brontë Parsonage Museum opened, and to mark the occasion we’re inviting local residents to join us.

The voucher is cheekily titled, ‘Let me in, I’m local’, and admits one person to the museum, so if you’ve never visited before, you now have a great excuse.

For further information about any events or activities in the museum visit the website or call 01535 640192.