From Alan Bennett and Barbara Taylor Bradford to Ted Hughes and even the current Poet Literate Simon Armitage, Yorkshire has produced many a literary great. However, for me, very few have written more beautifully about my home county than Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bronte – known as the Bronte Sisters. 

Growing up in Haworth, the words of the Sisters have been enjoyed by millions not just in Yorkshire but across the world – with their local surroundings regularly playing a leading role in their stories. The likes of Emily’s Wuthering Heights, Charlotte’s Jayne Eyre and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall all took inspiration from their much-loved West Yorkshire moors. 

So, when the humble terraced house in Thorton where the three famous sisters were born was at risk of closure, its survival was essential. And thankfully, through the power of community ownership with the campaign backed of over 700 investors, the starting point for many of the world’s greatest stories has now been saved.  

Thanks to the hard work of the community group, the house will now be restored back to what it was like in the 19th century when the girls were born in time for Bradford being the UK City of Culture in 2025 – breathing new life into the landmark and creating a new cultural asset for many to experience. 

However, while the campaign to save the Brontë Birthplace was successful, there are too many stories throughout Britian that have a different ending – where iconic landmarks, which have had a profound impact of a places’ history, are at risk of shutting down if they fall on hard times. The barriers communities face in saving their loved local assets are sometimes too much to overcome. 

At Co-operative Party, we know that local ownership has the power to save vital community assets. That’s why we’re calling for a UK-wide Community Right to Buy, giving local community groups a right to buy assets of community value when they come up for sale – and increase the support and funding available to help them do it. We want more communities to be able to do exactly what the supporters of the Brontë Birthplace have done: take ownership of and revive the places and spaces that matter to them. 

Like many growing up in Gods’ Own County, I discovered the Bronte Sisters whilst I was still at primary school, and it was there I learned about the profound effect their stories had across the world. I hope that through community ownership, the incredible legacy of the Bronte Sisters will be discovered by many more children, and their memory as well as their stories will live on for generations to come.