A FILM is to be made based on The Ballroom novel by author Anna Hope which is centred upon the ballroom of High Royds Hospital.

The novel was inspired by what was then the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum and by the fact that her great, great grandfather was a patient there. Since its publication the novel has received much publicity and many favourable reviews.

Anna, pictured, will be coming to speak to an open meeting of the Friends of High Royds Memorial Garden following a short annual general meeting on April 26 at 7.30pm in the Methodist Church Hall, Menston. She will be accompanied by film scriptwriter Aisling Walsh.

The film will be based upon a love story which whilst fictional gives a fascinating insight into the early days of an asylum which eventually became one of the largest in the country. It highlights in a moving way the then segregation of men and women, and some of the then prevailing national attitudes.

Anna’s research was helped by Friends of High Royds Memorial Garden Management Committee member Mark Davis who wrote Voices from the Asylum and West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum - Through Time which have led to much publicity, including national TV and educational DVDs, for the Lunatic Asylum and the Memorial Garden. The website has also attracted nearly three million hits.

The meeting is open to all, tea and biscuits will be served and an informal question and answer will give everyone an opportunity to find out more about High Royds, the latest developments in the Memorial Garden and Wood, and the proposed film.