KM KIRKSTALL MATTERS Issue 116 Summer 2014
Also in this issue... P4 - What’s on at Kirkstall Festival P8 - Then & Now in Kirkstall P11 - Kirkstall Spring Clean P12 - Toilet Opening! P16 - Profile: Paul Long
Green Light for Kirkstall Forge Rail Kirkstall Forge Railway Station has finally been given Government approval for construction to start at the derelict site. This £10 million project, which was supposed to have been given the green light in a year ago (as reported in KM111), will see new stations erected at both Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge as a method to ease traffic congestion. The station will see a regular hourly service in line with the level of development at Kirkstall Forge with additional services during peak hours. Kirkstall MP, Rachel Reeves said: “After four years of campaigning I am thrilled for the community of Kirkstall, and people across
Bye Bye Bernard... but Hello Fiona! Kirkstall’s incumbent Councillor, Fiona Venner attended one of her first engagements in her new role - the opening of Church Lane Allotment’s new toilet! Fiona was elected as Councillor of Kirkstall in May, replacing Bernard after over 50 years of service.
west Leeds that we have agreement to go ahead with the development at Kirkstall Forge. “Getting new infrastructure in place will create jobs and having a new train station will help so many people from the area commute into Leeds and Bradford for work or leisure. “With the station agreed, new housing, retail and office space will be built with jobs created on this historical site. Getting this project from drawing board to agreement has been a triumph of partnership working.”
ABBEY INN: TOUR DE BEER This year, in recognition of the great cycling event that is gracing our Yorkshire climbs and humble city, the Abbey Inn on Pollard Lane is holding an innovative beer festival. The pub will have beers from every place that the Tour de France passes through on its way through Yorkshire, and serving them at special offer prices! Get down there 4-6th June!
Anyone for a Game of Pétanque?
Hopefully, this go ahead will see swift development of the site and bring employment to the area.
This picture below shows Bernard and Fiona trying out the new toilet. You can read more about Church Lane Allotment’s recent achievements on page 12 and an introduction from Fiona on what the Councillors are hoping to do this year on page 10. Finally, thank you Bernard for your long service and for achieving so much for our local area. And good luck Fiona for your future in Kirkstall.
We have spied some of the Kirkstall Festival team getting dirty down on the Abbey bowling green... but fortunately it’s not what you think! They have been out, spade and wheelbarrows in hand, building a Pétanque court (that’s French Boules to you and me) in time for use at the Kirkstall Festival. This Pétanque project is just one reflection of the Tour de France theme of the festival. Alan Crump, stalls organiser said: “Leeds Pétanque club are actively supporting the project as are Leeds City Council and Parks and Countryside. It should be complete in time for the Kirkstall Festival. The foundations of the old bowling green clubhouse are being used and so far the working parties have made a good start there is still more to do but we are on target. Bring your boule and have a game!”
Bernard has been a councillor for Kirkstall ward since 1970, and was elected Lord Mayor 2000-2001. He is recognised for his work with numerous arts organisations and charities helping disabled people. In addition to his distinguished political career, and being a qualified lawyer and teacher, Bernard has also appeared in numerous films and television productions.
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Kirkstall Matters | KVCA Editor Jennifer Budd kirkstallmatters@gmail.com Kirkstall Matters, 24 Jude Court, Broad Lane, Bramley, Leeds, LS13 2TB
can accept other formats. Ideally please email your file as an attachment to the editor or deliver it on disk to our postal address. If you can’t provide your article in electronic form, you can give it to us typed or handwritten.
The views expressed in Kirkstall Matters are those of the contributors and if not attributed to individuals, they are from the editorial team. They are not necessarily the views of the KVCA.
Distribution Delivered through the doors of Kirkstall and beyond by members of the KVCA. If you can help distribute on your local street, please contact Jenny Budd via email at kirkstallmatters@gmail.com
Production Kirkstall Matters is the magazine of the Kirkstall Valley Community Association (registered charity number 507822). It is published by volunteers. For details and dates on the next issue please email the editor or check our website: www.kirkstall.org.uk. We also publish articles and news items regularly on our website: www.kirkstall.org.uk, on Twitter @kirkstallonline and our Facebook page.
The magazine can also be found at various shops and cafes in the Kirkstall area, such as: J News (Morris Lane) Neil’s Store (Kirkstall Road) Bargain Booze (Kirkstall Hill) Abbey Phones & Accessories (Abbey Road) Abbey House Museum (Abbey Walk) Gatehouse Cafe (Abbey Walk) Leeds Pilates Place (Victoria Road) Printed by PPS Grasmere
Note from the Editor Dear Readers, Welcome to the Summer edition of Kirkstall Matters and you know what that means?... yes the Kirkstall Festival is here again. The Festival team have been working hard all year to make sure that this year’s is as good as, if not even better than the last one. Unfortunately as I have been putting this issue together I have managed to break a couple of fingers. Doing all this with just my left hand is proving to be a bit of a challenge and is taking quite a bit longer than usual so my apologies for this coming to you later than anticipated and for any errors or omissions. Hope to see you all at the festival, don’t forget to check out the Pétanque arena whilst your there! - Jenny
Articles, reader’s letters, poems etc. are welcome. Our preferred format is plain text with separate high resolution images but we
About the Association Opening times: Monday closed all day except Bank Holidays Tues to Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 12noon—5pm, Sunday 10am - 5pm Admission charges: Adult £4 Adult with Leeds card £3.20 Concession/OAP £3.20 Leeds card extra £2.40 Child £2 Child with Leeds card £1.60 Family ticket £8.40 Family ticket with Leeds card £6.70
Admission free. Opening Times: 11am - 3pm Tues-Sun Closed Mondays except Bank Holiday Mondays Tel. 0113 2305492
The KVCA was founded in 1978 with the aim of promoting and benefiting the inhabitants of Kirkstall and the neighbourhood. We are a non-party political, non-secretarian and registered charity. KVCA is also responsible for organising events and activities, for example through the Kirkstall Festival Committee. We act as a pressure group and a watchdog on developments affecting Kirkstall, and campaign and cooperate on a number of issues with other local organisations.
The Gate House: Licensed restaurant / café (accessible without museum entry).
How to Join
Keep in touch: www.kirkstall.org.uk
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Joining the association is simple. The quickest way to join is through our website www.kirkstall.org.uk and click “Join the KVCA”, or you can fill in and return the form opposite.
KVCA | Kirkstall Matters
KVCA Update
From the Chairman It’s been a busy few months for the KVCA, we’re well on the way with the plans for the 34th Kirkstall Festival, and it promises to be bigger and better (yet again). With Le Grand Départ the weekend before, our theme this year is “Le Grand Festival de Kirkstall” and the winning poster that will be on the programme cover is a cracker. We have a cycle servicing workshop, oodles of entertainment for all the family and even more stalls and performance spaces. We’re also in the process of building a permanent pétanque terrain (French boules court) by the bowling green which can continue to be enjoyed by locals for years to come. If the weather is fine we expect as many visitors as last year and we really hope you can come and enjoy it with us. As usual the parade starts at 12pm and runs along Morris Lane before entering the abbey grounds, it would be great if you see that too, it was HUGE last year! Our other project this year so far has been some community cleanup activities. We were granted some Community First funding to buy equipment for a community
Name: Address:
cleanup. Our first cleanup of the millrace from Morrisons to St Ann’s Mills was a huge success with our volunteers collecting 34 bin bags of rubbish in just 2 hours. We didn’t find anything as unusual as the Burley Top cleanup where Cllr Yeadon found 3 bin bags full of cannabis plants, but we did find a license plate, fridge, duvets and pillows! There is still more to be done down there to clear the water itself and we are working with Morrisons and the council to make this happen. Not to be outdone one of our volunteers has been on a onewoman cleaning frenzy and has cleared the 49 bus stop on Kirkstall Lane which has been a disgrace for years, even planting some flowers left over for a Kirkstall in Bloom event! I’m not sure if I’m allowed to reveal her name yet but she’s a force to be reckoned with. Another volunteer, Erica Mitchell, then organised a further cleanup of the St. Stephen’s churchyard, and graffiti removal of the tunnel as grounds of Queenswood field, so she’s another local hero for getting so many people together and coordinating. Great to see so many people come out despite the weather. I hope you get our weekly email digest of articles, it’s our best way of keeping in regular contact with you. If you’re not subscribed you can do it easily at www. kirkstall.org.uk, or you can chat with us in twitter at @kirkstallonline. I’m not brilliant with Facebook so if anybody would like to help us with that it would massively appreciated?
and this year’s fund pot is very big, so if you have a local project that you would like to run, anything at all, please apply to the community first fund. The link to the application form is on www.kirkstall.org. uk and we are more than happy to help you through the application process. If this money is not claimed by the end of the year it will be returned to the government, so it’s so important that we spend this in our community instead. Other groups like Burley Top and Kirkstall community garden have also been busy decorating junction boxes in the area which you may have noticed in you travels. If you fancy having a go why not drop them a line and they’ll hook you up with the right people? Kirkstall in Bloom continue to go from strength to strength as the cenotaph and old police station always look fantastic. St. Stephens Well Community Garden is also “well” underway (sorry) and again it’s all down to a very active set of volunteers. Last time I talked about a “2 hour challenge” to all residents and it’s remarkable to see what people are doing in our community with just small amounts of time. We have a huge amount to be proud of in Kirkstall, and we are the envy of many other neighbourhoods; long may it continue! Simon x
The Community First grants programme comes to an end at the end of this year
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Kirkstall Matters | Festival
Red Light Revival We are very excited to introduce this year Red Light Revival who have been attracted to the Festival by the fantastic setting and the variety of entertainment, food, drink and music. This is the perfect time to play to a new audience as it coincides with their preparations for a 3rd EP! In their own words they describe why Red Light Revival is a must see event: “Red Light Revival have been around a few years but we think our current music now is the best we’ve done. The line up hasn’t changed that much and perhaps that time together has paid dividends. We’ve played a number of venues over the years but always stuck the principle of rock, blues and honest guitar orientated tunes. The 5 of us have differing and eclectic blend of influences but all seem to coincide on uncomplicated music to have a good time to, be it American, English, rock, blues, country, 60s, 70s and all the way up to current bands. We haven’t worried about fitting into any particular genre but if there’s a guitar in it, you can bet we’re all over it!
Photos by: Photobanksphotography.com
“We’re road testing a number of new songs for the next EP so want to mix these with a few of the regular crowd pleasers so you can expect to see us trying to get people up and moving. As music lovers ourselves (god bless Leeds Arena!) we want to shake it with the best of them. Incidentally, this will be our first gig since Jon joined on lead guitar so no pressure!” Their music is available to listen to and purchase here: http://redlightrevival.bandcamp.com/ Or catch up with them on Twitter: @redlightrevival
Martyn Roper eclectic festival as it can be enjoyed by all ages. Martyn says: “I’ve played this music supporting punk bands all the way to care homes and always get a great response.” This is a must see event and is the chance to step back in time but it’s no museum piece. Martyn comments “I wear the clothes and play the instruments but also connect with the energy that the guys from back then put into their music.” Martyn describes his act: Foot-stomping, bum shaking and toe tapping blues, swing, ragtime and folk from the days of Model T Fords, chaps in suits and women in pretty hats and amazing dresses. A new music act for this year comes from Martyn Roper who plays mostly 1920s, 30s & 40s jazz, blues, ragtime, country and folk on guitar and banjo. From popular swing standards, old blues all the way to obscure energetic hoedowns. Everything he does is played with passion and is chosen to make his audience feel good and want to dance. This is a type of music is perfect for our
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Martyn Roper makes the sights and sounds of old americana come to life on his 1930s National guitar and old Vega banjo. Take songs by Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Hank Williams and Billie Holiday and sing them as they would of been sung on street corners back then and as they have been ever since.
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Martyn has played music all over the UK and the world with Leeds City Stompers, Serious Sam Barrett, Gentlemans Pistols, The Old Time String Band and as a solo performer. You can find out more about Martyn on his website: http://martynroper.fourfour.com/ Find out what he sounds and performs like on his YouTube video: I’ve got rhythm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCQi_8LlyQ Twitter - @martyn_roper
Festival | Kirkstall Matters
Artizani This year at the Festival we have a very exciting UK arts company specialising in spectacular theatre performed in unconventional spaces, called Artizani. One of Europe’s most stylish and stunning street theatre acts, Artizani combines physical theatre and circus with a vaudevillian repertoire of routines and an eye for the surreal image. The performer attending the festival is called Syrovy, who has circled the globe from Singapore, to Barbados and done every kind of event from the National Theatre to village fetes. This is street theatre, heart and soul. Entertaining spectacular and surprising throughout, Syrovy is 30 minutes of high energy virtuosity. Everyone will find something to enjoy and no one forgets the finale! Syrovy enters the space and everyday
Foresters As well as the wonderful acts we have performing at the festival and delicious food and drink it is also definitely worth remembering that the stalls also offer some great things and are worth browsing and visiting. Many stalls do very well from the festival, selling their wares or raising funds for many causes. One such success are Foresters, a charitable organisation, attendees of the festival for 30 years, which is guided by a powerful principle: that the growth and
objects conspire against him: newspapers become sails, there is a waterfall of cutlery, he dances with chairs and clothes confound him. Eventually he ascends into sanity and finds balance on a wobbling bouncing rope. Led by an eclectic soundtrack Syrovy travels through a succession of homages to his fantasy icons. The show is inspired by the comic routines of Buster Keaton, Harpo Marx, Gene Kelly and Neil Armstrong and is both spectacular, and meticulously detailed .
Described as “..a beautifully constructed and executed solo show ... that combines silentmovie clowning, acrobatics and slackrope walking to explore one man’s ambivalent relationship with everyday objects.” by Total Theatre Magazine, this is show not to be missed.
prosperity of their members and their families is linked to the communities in which they live.
Brian Scholefield from the organisation says: “Kirkstall Festival has always been our biggest fund raising event of the year. In the silver Jubilee year we won the prize for the best stall that represented the silver anniversary. We like the Kirkstall Festival, because of the number of people who attend and the compact site.
Last year their worldwide charity work involved nearly 1 million hours of community involvement, with Foresters members and employees assisting more than 400 charities. They measure their success not only by financial strength, but also by the positive impact they have on their members’ communities. As a local branch they have always supported local Charities, they are currently in their 4th year of supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance(YAA).
www.kirkstall.org.uk
You can find more information here: www.artizani.net
“As an organisation the Kirkstall Festival is always the first event entered in our calendar. We have always enjoyed coming.” Don’t forget to pop along to their stall on the day!
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Kirkstall Matters | Festival
11am - 5pm Kirkstall Abbey Grounds
FEATURING: • Red Light Revival • Phoenix Concert Band • Louis Barabbas • Leeds Youth Jazz Orchestra • Mutton Chops • Bassa Bassa • HMC Blues band • Footloose Dance Academy • Comedy and Cabaret Club • Bengali Dancers • Dog Show
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Gymnastics Parade Family Fun and Games Bird of Prey Display Church Service Ponies Leeds Morris Men
AND... • Beer Tent • Tea Dance • All kinds of stalls • Pétanque • Catering vans/food stalls
The theme this year is Le Grand Festival de Kirkstall in homage to the Tour de France with a very French flavour
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Point of View | Kirkstall Matters
A Parade of Shopkeepers ‘A Nation of Shopkeepers,’ or so Napoleon famously belittled the British. In so saying he sought to characterise our political, philosophical and imperial aspirations not to mention our general style of life, as lacking grandeur, ambition and panache. Recent research however suggests that a typical French shopkeeper will have more in common with a similarly typical British one than with a French, charismatic, egomaniacal dictator or a French penniless, aspiring writer. So allow me to paint a sentimental portrait of a little community of shops on Commercial Road and see if I can reveal of them a rustic appeal nestled amidst a main commuter road and a supermarket car park. First I visited ‘The Bookshop Kirkstall.’ There I spoke to Roy Brook, who along with Pippa Brook, owns the business. He told me that much of his business was online and that much of his trade in the actual shop was in selling Folio Editions very cheaply, for as little as a third of their value elsewhere. Something
of a last man standing, he told me that as little as ten years ago there were 6 second hand bookshops in Leeds and that other than in Otley his was the last to remain. Front of house, in locked glass cabinets, there were many handsome leather bound volumes and first editions. As I delved deeper into the shop I had to work harder to find real joy, but the bulk of the stock was well priced and it wasn’t long before I come across a prize. ‘The Faber Book of Beasts.’ RRP £9.99. Condition, Very Good. Price to me £2. ‘A cornucopia of brilliantly achieved poems...’ Considering Amazon would have charged me £2.80 for postage alone, I was well pleased with this. It was also just nice to browse in silence amidst the murals on the staircase and the hundreds of books. I began to wonder wether a trip to the bookshop may become like a trip to theatre as an elite cultural experience that is partly subsidised because it is ‘Good for the soul of the nation,’ even if it is not always profitable. Then to ‘Abbey Home Brew.’ Where I was greeted by the rare smell of hops and other brewing aromas. My mate Steve found the various speciality brewing ingredients he
needed and I had a friendly chat with the owner, who was very encouraging of first time brewers coming to the shop, saying that advice was ‘all part of the service.’ From there I called in to ‘Bar 24’ where I felt welcomed by a picture of Elvis garlanded with flowers. I said to the owner ‘I see you have The King’ to which he replied ‘Of course!’ He told me that they were celebrating being open for a year and I could see that they had a selection of Real Ales. So, running out of time and column inches, I called in to get business cards from ‘The Cutting Lounge,’ and ‘Bloom Beauty Lounge.’ Both of whom were very friendly. One nation under the shadow of a supermarket car park. I came away enriched by experience and by that wisdom of shopkeepers that is so difficult to recreate on an industrial scale. Sentimental? Pastoral? Probably, but I think a penniless aspiring writer from Lille would understand the sentiment. •
Ewan Povey
Summer at Hollybush TCV Summer is well under way at Hollybush Conservation Centre in Kirkstall. The garden is looking green with lots of wildlife activity, nesting birds, and pond life. The Gardening Groups and the Learning Disability Project are both busy readying plants for our Plant and Woodwork sale on Sunday June 15th, 11-3pm. Come along buy some plants, wood crafts and get involved in some bushcraft and lots of different children’s activities. Our cafe will be open selling hot and cold drinks and refreshments. Our cafe is open during the summer months Tuesday - Thursday (and hopefully Friday’s soon too!). Throughout the summer holidays why not bring down your children and do some pond dipping, minibeast hunting and other activities with our wildlife kits which are free to use!
to deliver quality projects involving a wide range of people. We have completed the tree planting and guarding for the spring in Dewsbury, made a new path for the Tour de France in Huddersfield and have just started new projects to build an outdoor classroom in Burley St.. Mathias Primary School, Leeds, and improve a long stretch of footpath in Mirfield, Huddersfield. Come and join in helping to improve local green spaces and enjoy the summer sunshine!!
Hollybush Conservation Centre is run by The Conservation Volunteers, it provides lots of opportunities for volunteers to get involved, learn new skills and improve their local environment. If you are interesting in volunteering with The Conservation Volunteers, please visit www.tcv.org.uk, contact our volunteer coordinator Jess Kandola J.Kandola@tcv.org.uk or call us on 0113 274 2335.
We are always recruiting for our short courses now! You can do Bushcraft, Woodwork, Introduction to Green Living, Cooking or our Residential Conservation Course. No experience needed, it’s a great way to try something new and have a taster as to what Hollybush can offer. This week, on the Introduction to Green Living course, our volunteer’s learnt how to create compost from kitchen and garden waste.
The practical team have been working hard
www.kirkstall.org.uk
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Kirkstall Matters | History
Then and Now in Kirkstal We have been lucky enough to get hold of a scrap book of photos from the 1980’s community project: Kirkstall Village Community Programme. The book came to us via the Council’s Planning Department who gave it to Bernard Atha. Geoff Hogdson (for whom there is a commemorative plaque in the Abbey House Museum gardens), was among many others from KVCA who put in a lot of work to make it all happen. The photos are certainly eye opening, particularly for someone who was born in that era rather than lived in it. The change is staggering in some areas, as you will see. I have not named where the pictures are located - see if you can work it out! Kirkstall Village Community Programme was a scheme which undertook environmental improvements in the Kirkstall area. Beginning in 1983, the project turned derelict and unused land into attractive common areas, using similar devices to our current environmental groups. In contrast to our voluntary community groups however, the Community Programme was funded mainly by the old Manpower Services Commission, providing work experience for 33 long-term unemployed local residents. The key areas of development were: • Kirkstall Light Railway - regrading & planting up stable embankments and putting up secure fencing. • Abbey Road Fountain - stone cleaning the fountain, refencing the gable end & adding the raised beds and seating KIB have been working on over the past few years. • Peel Square - renovated with stone slabs & cobbles, adding planting beds and trellis, putting up iron railings. • Communal Garden - turned a car scrap yard into a communal garden area. • Queenswood Drive Allotments regeneration of allotment boundary & hedges. • St... Stephen’s Church Hall - a derelict site turned into a car park, toddlers play area & planting. • Vesper Toilet Blocks - redundant toilet/ bin yards turned into a garden area. • Wildflower Garden & Goitside Walk derelict areas turned into a wildflower meadow and a landscaped footpath. 8
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History | Kirkstall Matters
ll: Decline & Regeneration • • •
Beecroft Street School Fields - neglected land turned into sports pitches for the school & recreation areas. Wyther Park Community Centre (Raynville) - landscaping, path construction and children’s play area. Grandways Frontage & Mural - a mural painted opposite the school.
It is really interesting to see how some areas and projects that are still being worked on today came in to being, such as the Drink and Be Grateful Fountain (Abbey Road Fountain) and the Goitside Walk. Some of these areas slipped back into degradation for a while but through the work of community groups these are once again able to be enjoyed by the public. I read with amusement in the accompanying leaflet about the project that the Goitside walk was even then a flytipping graveyard - it seems some things never change! It is also amazing to see what a difference 30 years makes! Some areas are unrecognisable, some for the better and some for the worse. I had wanted to provide comparative photos of what the areas look like now but breaking a couple of fingers means I am struggling to hold a camera properly. Perhaps that’s an idea I will pursue for the next issue. In the meantime, perhaps you will recognise some of the areas in the photos opposite.
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Kirkstall Matters | News
Words from our New Councillor Hello, my name is Fiona Venner and I am delighted to have been elected as a Councillor for Kirkstall in the May 2012 council elections. I am one of three local Labour councillors, along with Lucinda Yeadon and John Illingworth. I have taken over from Bernard Atha, who was a councillor for 57 years, so I have very big shoes to fill! I live in the heart of Kirkstall, on De Lacy Mount, near the abbey and have lived and worked in Leeds for 13 years. I am the Director of Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service, which provides out of hours services to people in acute mental health crisis. Before this I was the Deputy Chief Executive of Leeds Mind. I’m not from Leeds; in fact I was born in London and grew up in Rochdale, Lancashire, which I was aware was a terrible combination when seeking election in Yorkshire! But one of the things I love most about Kirkstall was how warm and welcoming people have been and how much community activity there is the area. My first weekend as a councillor involved Lucinda and I getting soaked to the skin with the not fair weather gardeners of Kirkstall in Bloom, followed by a community litter pick with KVCA (still in the rain). The next day was my first official engagement as a councillor and Bernard’s last, as we jointly
opened a compost toilet for Church Lane allotments! It was an inspiring start, seeing so many people giving up free time to make Kirkstall an even better place to live. John, Lucinda and I have been planning our priorities for the year, which include: •
Increasing councillors’ surgeries from 1 to 5 per month. Surgeries will take place monthly in central Kirkstall, Burley, Hawksworth Wood, Queenswood Drive and Spen Lane. We will publish dates and times across the ward when venues are confirmed.
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A monthly programme of street surgeries
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Regular public meetings, including a quarterly forum.
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A dog poo campaign! This was one of my manifesto pledges – I run so am very mindful of this persistent problem and the health risks it presents
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Seeking funding to develop a play area for Spen Approach and the surrounding streets Liaising with the community about the best way of spending the money which has been allocated for the improvement of Central Kirkstall.
Burley Top Update Residents from around Burley were some of the many local people who were Spring Cleaning in our neighbourhood this April. Together we collected many bags of litter and helped to get rid of graffiti. This was the second year we’ve had a Community Spring Clean and it was great to see the difference we can make in just a few hours.
know their neighbours better.
At the time of writing we are also planning our first community get together, a community Afternoon Tea on Talbot View. There will be plenty of tea and home made cakes so we’re hoping for sunshine and for lots of people to come along and get to
To join our mailing list, ask a question or share your idea, send an email to burleytopcommunity@gmail.com or follow us on twitter @burley_top.
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Residents from the Burley Top area continue to meet regularly to discuss any local issues which need to be addressed and share ideas about how we can improve our neighbourhood. We meet at Paxton Hall on Kirkstall Lane, usually on the third Thursday of every other month (next meetings are in June and September).
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Campaigning for a crossing on Spen Lane
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Addressing the parking problems caused by rugby matches at the Headingley ground.
We will be regularly attending community and residents’ association meetings and events, undertaking walk abouts of the ward with council officers, meeting with the police and often writing to you about issues and developments in the ward. We also undertake case work, where people contact us if they are having problems in the area. Most commonly, these relate to housing and environmental issues. You can contact us on: fiona.venner@leeds.gov.uk 07749 551732 john.illingworth@leeds.gov.uk 07946 301132 lucinda.yeadon@leeds.gov.uk (0113) 24 77172 Don’t forget, councillors have a small fund called “MICE Money” which can be given to local community groups. We usually give grants of around £300. Please contact Lucinda who administers this on behalf of the three Kirkstall Councillors.
The Aire Rivers Trust and Leeds Council have been successful in their bid for Catchment Restoration Funding to improve fish passage at these two weirs. Preliminary work is already in progress at St.. Ann’s Mills and Burley Mills Weirs and the fish passage work is scheduled to be completed by March 2015.
Photo from Pete Turner, Environment Agency
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Helen Capocci
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News | Kirkstall Matters
Kirkstall Spring Clean Hopefully you will have noticed that Kirkstall has been looking a bit tidier over the last month. Well, it is all thanks to the hard work of the KVCA, Kirkstall in Bloom, St. Stephen’s Well Garden and other community groups, who have rallied the troops to go on litter picking and graffiti removal sprees! This follows Burley Top Community Network’s fantastic clean up at the top end of Burley.
On Good Friday a large group of around 20 or so donned gloves and litter pickers to tidy the Millrace to St. Anns Mills area which was in dire need of some TLC. The weather was warm and sunny and there was an excellent turn out and satisfaction was had all round at the sheer amount of rubbish removed. Alongside the usual beer cans, crisp packets and plastic bags there was also the more dangerous hyperdermic needles, fridges and the like. The team managed to clear away a huge pile of rubbish, almost the size of a car! The kids did a great job helping out with their dinosaur litter pickers and were all awarded a certificate for their good community deeds, which they proudly displayed in their school assemblies. A slightly grimmer day weather wise didn’t stop us tackling more desperate areas of Kirkstall. On 25th May we concentrated on the underpass between the Vicarages and the playing fields to remove graffiti and litter pick the churchyard and neighbouring streets. Once again, we removed a great pile of domestic rubbish, tyres, wood and even a phone box cash box that must have been broken into at some point in the past decade. With some pretty strong smelling solvents we tackled the underpass, street lamp poles, houses and benches, with varied results. Some graffiti came of relatively easily, but the pebbledashed walls meant that elbow grease wasn’t enough to make much of a dent. We have decided the best option for these areas is to return and paint over the graffiti. It can seem like a thankless task clearing graffiti, indeed many passers by commented that it would be graffiti’d again by nightfall, and so we are looking into other options such as getting the kids who do the graffiti to get involved in painting it, or graffiti-ing it properly with the help of an artist to show them how it’s done. Thanks very much to Erica Mitchell who organised the latest effort. If you want to continue the good work and help tidy any of the neighbourhood or have any ideas on how to get those that drop the litter and create the graffiti better engaged, please get in touch with Kirkstall Matters or Simon the KVCA chair at simon@simondawson.net.
www.kirkstall.org.uk
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Kirkstall Matters | Environment
Kirkstall in Bloom Update Over the last few months, we have said farewell to the lovely Louise who was our secretary for just over two years, she has gone to create a new life in New Zealand, and we wish her well and thank her for all the hours she put in over the years.
so look out for an article about us and our Tour De France theme garden! As ever we are always looking for new members, so please do add yourself to the mailing list if you are interested: kirkstallinbloom@gmail.com. We meet the last Sunday of every month at 11am.
We welcome Hannah L as the new secretary and Erica who has taken a position on the committee. Erica is new to Kirkstall and already getting herself involved in the community.
Finally, we do hold the key to the Kirkstall Community notice board, so get in touch if you would like to advertise local events. •
Daisy Davey
We have been concentrating on the drink and be grateful fountain and the cenotaph area over the last few months and in May created a Tour De France theme garden which will hopefully bloom yellow and white flowers over the summer. We have also added some red and white geraniums to the cenotaph area to mark 100 years since WW1. At our planting session in May we were joined by the Yorkshire Evening Post,
Church Lane Allotment Toilet Spring has finally sprung on Church Lane Allotments; the site is abuzz with busy bees, both the insect life and our plot holders.
Spring is one of the most exciting and rewarding times of the year in the life of an allotment gardener. It’s great to finally see the back of the wet and wintery weather we have experienced over the last few months. Needless to say we haven’t had it half as bad as our friends in the south west but still it is a relief to wake up in the morning and know that the last of the late frosts have come and gone. With the onset of spring there two things that occupy the mind of the allotment gardener and those are the planting of veggies for the coming year and the onset of the weeds. Faster than Usain Bolt, the weeds appear as if from nowhere, it’s a mammoth task searching out the precious courgettes, strawberries and potatoes plants from the verdant green mess that is my plot after a week away from site. Still I
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ask myself where would I rather be than knee deep in grass and dandelion’s, at work perhaps? Certainly not. At home watching the TV maybe? Nope my eyes are square enough! In the pub? Well actually… I’m only human and after a hard days graft in the warm spring sunshine it would be rude to not reward oneself in one of the fine local hostelries in Kirkstall! Church Lane Allotments is now into its fourth season since it’s reopened in January 2011 and its going from strength to strength. There are currently 105 tenants working 70 full and half plots. There are still bits of the site that remain pretty wild and plans are being put in place to renovate these derelict plots in the coming year so that we can offer even more growing space to the local community. As ever the good folk of the Church Lane Allotments have not rested on their Laurels over the winter months, there has been plenty of activity onsite with more and more unusual sheds and poly tunnels appearing
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onsite. The spirit of reduce, reuse, recycle is alive and well in Kirkstall and proven by the amount of pre-loved sheds finding new homes on plots around the site. It is wonderful to see in these continued times of austerity that our clever plot holders are going to even greater lengths to grab a bargain. And it doesn’t stop there, the committee have an eye for a bargain too it seems, as an old conservatory destined for the skip found its way to site instead and now serves as a pretty handy weather shelter for plot holders caught out by the changeable spring weather. The fact that is becoming known as the site club house is a bit of a stretch though I think! But of course the big news story from site this spring is the completion of the Compost toilet. Regular readers may remember from the last edition of Kirkstall Matters that the plucky volunteer group ‘Team Toilet’ broke some very soggy ground back in February and started work on the foundations of the toilet. Well we are very pleased to announce that the toilet finally opened for business over the Spring Bank Holiday during a very enjoyable BBQ party organised by committee members, Michelle McHale, Denise Shanks and Matt Hanson, along with a lot of help from plot holders who helped
Environment | Kirkstall Matters set up the various gazebos, fetch chairs and tables from around the site. It looked very smart by the time our guest arrived. The Compost toilet was officially opened by retiring Kirkstall Labour Councillor Bernard Atha and Fiona Venner, the newly elected Labour Councillor for Kirkstall ward. The Councillors ceremoniously cut the garland of toilet paper (with garden shears of course!) across the door of the newly constructed composting toilet. The opening of the toilet represented one of Bernard Atha’s last engagements as a Councillor, he retires after 57 years, of service and it also acted as Fiona Venner’s first. Bernard mentioned that in all his years of service he had never been to a toilet opening before and was delighted to attend. In 2013 applications were made to the Community Development Fund for ‘Community First’ grant and Skipton based, Ecology Building Society’s Charitable Foundation. This was added to money raised through the association’s participation in the very popular ‘One Food Mile’ veg stall at the Kirkstall Deli Market and club funds. Finally a timely donation of MICE money from the local councillors helped to raise the total of £5600 to fund the toilet project. ‘Team Toilet’ researched the design and materials to get the best possible value for the money raised. The walls are clad in a British made recycled plastic product called Eco Sheet that is both weatherproof and flame retardant, which made it an ideal material for standing up to the demands of allotment life. The roof is made of recycled plastic tiles designed and manufactured in Gloucestershire by family firm, Small Planet Tiles. The actual compost toilet system was sourced from Welsh based company Natsol, who provided all the fixtures and fittings along with plenty of support. Part of the Community First grant conditions, needed volunteer hours from the allotmenteers themselves which was met with gusto, Local Carpenter Peter De Hann and fellow plot holder lead the construction team and fabricated the wall panels and roof in his Kirkstall based workshop. Committee member and local builder Andy Mchale with the kind help from local building firm K Rouse Civil Engineers Ltd provided the machinery to dig out the foundation and lift the tank into position. From the initial funding bid being successful to the grand opening it has taken a little over a year, to complete the project and all of it
done by willing volunteers, too numerous to mention all of them here by name but without them the project quite literally would not have got out of the ground. The results of their combined endeavour will serve our little community well over the coming years and the resulting compost produced will fertilize our hedges and fruit trees for years to come.
In the meantime if you fancy getting involved in the allotment life why not email, lettings@churchlaneallotments.org.uk and get yourself on our waiting list. I’m looking forward to meeting you on site soon. •
Matt Sykes-Hooban, Secretary Church Lane Allotments
All in all it has been a marvellous achievement and one that was rightly celebrated by the plot holders, their families and friends of the site on a warm and mostly dry bank holiday Monday with a welldeserved BBQ and the day was rounded off by local musicians, Tim Malkin, Katie Heap and Laurie Jones performing at what was probably their strangest gig of the year. There was even a celebration cake with an edible picture of the toilet printed on it for everyone to share. ‘The official opening of the toilet on site marks a real turning point in the sites history’, says Allotment Secretary Matt Sykes-Hooban, ‘The site was abandoned and in a terrible state until about four years ago when a group of hardy volunteers got together to start clearing the site and marking out plots for use’. As part of the celebrations a large picture board showing the development of the site was produced and was a very popular talking point amongst the plot holders. Everyone commented on how unrecognisable the site is now from the earliest pictures taken in September 2010 when the first plot holders started clearing plots, ready for use. A debt of thanks is owned to all the original gorilla gardeners who decided to get stuck in and it is also worth mentioning that an advert place Kirkstall Matters that same year is what really kick started the ground swell of support need to get site going. Finally looking ahead for the rest of the summer we are collectively hoping for fine sunny weather and just enough rain to water the plants but not so much as to ruin everyone’s holiday. Keep an eye out for the veg stall at the Kirkstall Deli market; we will be there every month with our surpluses! Onsite plots will no doubt bloom, the weeds will continue to grow and plot holders will fight the good fight and keep things growing! Offsite plans are being formulated over locally brewed beers in the corners of comfortable pubs, as what to do next to improve our little patch of Eden. Watch this space!
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Sport | Kirkstall Matters Kirkstall Educational Cricket Club Following a tough winter for the club and despite the variable weather, the 2014 season has got off to a great start at the Field of Dreams. Our 1st XI are currently second in the league, with 89 points and the 2nd XI are joint fifth with 77 points. The junior section of the club goes from strength to strength with over 75 children regularly attending Monday night training. Working hard with coaches Simon an Freddie the children have displayed tremendous energy and enthusiasm in training and this is reaping the rewards in matches as so far this season as after 5 games all 4 junior teams are unbeaten and top of their respective league tables. It is also pleasing to note that after
a series of recent trials a number of players have been selected to represent the club in league representative matches at Taverners level. There are matches at our ground on Queenswood Drive every Saturday afternoon, T20 matches every other Thursday evening and junior matches on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings. The bar stocks a wide range of drinks, including hand pulled real ale, so please come down and support your local cricket club. We are also always on the look-out for senior players of all abilities. Our senior training night is Tuesday from 6pm. Follow us on Facebook (Kirkstall Cricket Club) and Twitter @kecc1853. Visit our website www.kecc.org.uk or contact the club at kecc1853@hotmail.com. •
Richard
Inter Mi Lager FC @ Elland Road
Inter Mi Lager struggled early in the tournament and lost four if their five games but managed to win their last game 1-0 after a late goal by Wayne Stephenson. Fellow local side Balls Deep FC from the Armley and Bramley areas won the tournament after defeating Unicorn FC in the final. Inter Mi Lager FC squad for Elland Road: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Adrian Todd Lee Manning (Inter Mi Lager) David Benn (c) (Inter Mi Lager) Matthew Stephenson (Olympique) Michael Stephenson (Olympique) Andy Todd Wayne Stephenson (Inter Mi Lager & Olympique) 8 Jon Pearson 9 Neil Procter 10 Michael Todd 11 Richard Joyce (Inter Mi Lager & Olympique) 12 Jonny Roberts (Olympique) 13 Matt Walker 14 Andy Duffield Local five a side football teams Inter Mi Lager and Olympique joined forces to form a one off 11 a side team in the ‘Football For Fans’ tournament at Leeds United’s Elland Road Stadium.
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The tournament took place on Monday 19th May and was an all day event. The tournament consisted of six teams and every team played five 20 minute games. Inter Mi Lager FC were organised due to the great efforts of David Benn who was also the team captain.
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Richard Joyce (RJ SPORTS)
Twitter: @joycinho @rjsports1 Instagram: @joycinho Website: http://www.joycinho.weebly.com
Kirkstall Matters | Sport
Kirkstall Harriers Local and not so local races Sam Broome returned to near(ish) her home town running Stafford half and managing a PB despite the beetroot juice beforehand. Timothe, Jason, Shamiso and Burjor were at Trimpell for the 20 mile race in preparation for the following months London Marathon. On Easter Sunday there were several Harriers at the traditional Guiseley Gallop, rewarded with a bottle of beer or wine at the end. This was the final race of the Airedale Triple Challenge which also includes Baildon Boundary Way Half Marathon and Meanwood Valley Trail Race, also in April. 8 harriers completed all three races. Also fairly locally Paul Glover, James Nundy and Sandra Warren took part in the Over the Odda 10k at Hawksworth Village. 5 of us were at the tough but scenic Ripon ten mile in May. And several members took part in the John Carr 5k races; a series of three races on Wednesday evenings in May. On Bank Holiday Monday several harriers also completed the scenic Ilkley Trail Race. Many harriers were there at the Apperley Bridge Canter to help Emma Hustwit celebrate her significant birthday near the end of May. Happy Birthday Emma. And on the Fylde Coast congratulations to Scott Anderson (4th place) and Emma Ballantyne (1st lady) at the Blackpool half marathon, joined by Niamh, Timothe and Laura Hogg. In Brighton Adam Rhodes was completing his first marathon at Brighton in an excellent 3:47, though he did say he wish there had been more corners! Myself, Jason, Timothe, Graham, Jamie, James, Vikki and Bethan took part in the very well organised and very flat North Lincolnshire Half Marathon in Scunthorpe in May. Myself, Jason and Paul then headed to Ravenscar, between Scarborough and Whitby for the slightly hillier but stunningly scenic Ravenscar Half Marathon, organised by and supporting the local mountain rescue team. We of course followed this up with fish and chips in Whitby. And in Edinburgh Rose George completed the half marathon in a PB time and Kieran O’Brien the full marathon. London Marathon Frankly mixed fortunes at London Marathon 2014. Very warm weather put pay to many
runners ambitions on the day. So I will simply sum up the day with saying congratulations to all the aharriers who completed London Marathon 2014: Richard Joyce (PB), Shamiso Sisimayi, Jason Buckley, Edward Munro (PB), Kieran O’Brien (PB), Rose George (first marathon), Gemma Rathbone (first marathon), Mark McKone, Eleanor Gallon, Burjor Langdana and Paul Chapman (first marathon). Several harriers also volunteered to work at the water stations on the start line which I was in charge of so thanks to Emma Hustwit and Graham Fisher and his wife Lisa, as well as my mum Ros. Thanks too to Marion, Tom and Kimberley who got us a prime spot at the 13/22 mile point en route so we could cheer the runners past. Cross Country News The final PECO cross country took place at Northcliffe Park, Saltaire. A very muddy course but with good views across Baildon Moor at the top. The ladies were just pipped to the post by Abbey Runners for 1st place in their league but the men managed to avoid relegation, though frankly it was a close call, in their league. We also had 6 teams at the PECO cross country relays bringing the season to a close. Hannah Lee, Laura Hogg and Alyson Glover won the female open category and Robert Pratt, Andrew Cross and Alan Brydon won the male open category. Chairmans Chase 44 Harriers took part in the annual club handicap race, the Chairmans Chase, on 30th April. Congratulations to Mark McKone, Ewan Malone and Sharon Beattie, 1st 2nd and 3rd over the line. Park Run News Kirkstall Harriers took charge in a Park Run Take Over at Temple Newsam in March, with Sam Broome as race director, and many harriers offering their services as timekeepers, course marshalls etc. A week later was the Sport Relief Park Run Relay at Woodhouse Moor; we had three teams taking part with the Charlies Angels team of Paul Miller, Sam Broome and Alyson Glover taking home the first Sport Relief Relay trophy. On May 17th many Harriers took part in the Park Run Mob Run at Roundhay Park Run. Congratulations to Paul Miller who has recently completed his 100th and to James Nundy who recently completed his 50th park run. Yorkshire Veterans Races After a very hilly vets race at Honley, next stop was.....Kirkstall! 250 runners were in attendance for our hosting of the event and
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the weather remained calm for the race, which took in a bit of road, some canal, river path and Bramley Fall Woods. Many thanks to both the Harriers who helped and everyone else who offered their assistance for what was a very successful evening. More races in the series are to follow at Cross Gates, Knavesmire and Spenborough amongst others. Winter Time Trials The last of the winter time trials took place with 23 runners taking part in slightly better weather than we have had. Congratulations for an overall series win to Russell Bromley, with Adam Moger second and Carol Moran third. Plans are afoot for a Summer Time Trial Series. Club Championship The most recent club championship race was of course Leeds Half Marathon in May, where we had a record 44 harriers taking part. As the table stands Jon Potts leads, with Peter Hey in second and Hannah Lee in third. In Other News Congratulations to Adam and Anna Moger on the birth of Lauren Jill on 14th March! And congratulations to Diane Thomas who celebrated a significant birthday with park run at Woodhouse Moor and cakes afterwards on April 19th. And welcome Martha Emilia, new daughter of Adam Rhodes and his wife, who very kindly waited until after he had ran a marathon to make an appearance! And why not tune in to Gemma Rathbones internet radio show “Running on Air”, broadcast via South Leeds Community Radio at www.slcr.org.uk or via apps such as Tune In every weekday at 1pm (the show is recorded once a week then repeated each weekday at 1pm). Yours truly even makes an occasional appearance. Kirkstall Harriers meet every Monday and Wednesday in the lounge at Kirkstall Leisure Centre, Kirkstall Lane, LS5 3BE at 6.50pm for a 7pm start. All standards of runners are welcome to join us, just turn up and say hello, we are very friendly! Please visit our website for more info: www.kirkstallharriers.org.uk. You can email kirkstallharriers@gmail.com with any questions about the club. We are also active on social media networks. Search for Kirkstall Harriers on Facebook and @ KHarriers on Twitter. •
Jill Buckley
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Profile: Paul Long Those that have been keeping abreast of both local and national news websites lately will have noted a surge in interest in community environmental projects, for example in The Guardian’s Gardening Blog and the BBC’s Community Gardening Projects. These community projects not only help to beautify an area, but also make good use of derelict and unused land and bring together communities. You will have read various articles about Kirkstall’s own venture and perhaps followed their journey or perhaps even joined in yourself, but in this issue we wanted to look at the person behind this project to see what makes him tick. Paul Long, founder of Kirkstall Community Garden has become somewhat famous recently, featuring in many articles in both The Guardian and Yorkshire Evening Post and has even been titled ‘face of the community’ by one publication. Kirkstall Community Garden has grown from Paul’s initial desire to turn a vacant piece of land into a community space where he could teach his daughter about the origins of food and how it grows. “People are so distant from where their food comes from, especially the younger generation. They just think it comes from the supermarket!” says Paul. He set out to change this for his daughter and her friends and this quickly grew to educating the community by working in partnership with other local projects, such as Edible Leeds, where they teach about foraging in the local area. This has not been a quick and easy journey, although once they achieved funding from Community First, the project has gained significant momentum. From initial small fry seedlings and flower beds, Kirkstall Community Garden is now an established association with a physical allotment space for growing that they can call their own. “We have 11 raised beds containing strawberries and rhubarb, herbs, root vegetables and climbing peas.” says Paul.
The project is very cheap to run and Paul highlights the significant savings that can be achieved through growing your own: “We’ve had around 60 strawberry plants donated to us, and we get donations for seeds. It’s just a pound for four packets. You get 300 to 350 seeds per packet, so for a pound you get around 1,400 seeds. Even with a 50% germination rate, you’ve still got 700 carrots!”. The Community Garden is different to many other gardens because they are able to give an initial ‘introduction to gardening’ by providing members with their own square metre to learn to grow their own produce for six months to a year. Once their time is up, the project helps members to find their own allotment or plot to continue. Paul is quick to point out that the Community Garden is not just about getting the community involved in growing and harvesting, it is also about giving back by helping to feed local residents. “When the food’s ready to harvest, we’ll donate most of it to local organisations and food banks that teach people basic skills such as cooking. The rest we’ll make into food parcels to give to places such as North Leeds Food Bank.”. Kirkstall Community Garden is also heavily involved in other local projects, forming partnerships that bring together different community groups to enjoy the healthy living lifestyle that he promotes. As well as other allotments and garden groups, the project is in partnership with Sensory Leeds, the Youth Offending Service and Healthy Living Network, offering education in meal planning, cooking, eating healthily and sustainable living. In his day job Paul works for a local supermarket, and has said this encourages him in his sustainable living endeavours. “I feel the retail industry along with the catering industry must change their regulations and procedures to ensure food waste is reduced as a high percentage of all food waste going to landfill in this country comes from here.” Paul also points out that we as consumers can also support the reduction of food waste going to landfill and promotes the following sustainable activities: •
Weekly Meal Planning - decide what you will have on a daily basis, write out a list of ingredients needed and when you do your weekly shopping stick to this list. This will help to reduce impulse
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buying or buying too much of an item. Also when putting your shopping away at home ensure you put the new items at the back. Juicing - if you have some left over fruit or veg why not turn them into a healthy drink - there are lots of recipes online Donate / Meal share - if an item you have purchased was on a BOGOF deal and you won’t need the item why not donate it to a local food bank or if you have made too much of a meal you could invite a friend round or ask a neighbour if they would like it. Composting - most food waste can be put in a composting bin or wormery. Leeds City Council have teamed up with getcomposting.com to support this initiative and you can pick one up for about £19.98 Freegle / upcycling - if you have an unwanted item why not put it on freegle rather than in the bin or perhaps the item could be used for something else e.g. plastic milk cartons make a great plant pot and trowel. He says to always remember the 3 R’s Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
Paul does not just use his green fingers in the Community Garden, he has been bringing the skills learned and people involved to join in other community ventures as well: “We have begun painting the Virgin Media boxes around Kirkstall with the support from local artists, Virgin Media & Burly Top residents association. We also hope to create raised beds in the community so people can have free access to growing space & Food such as Herbs & rhubarb etc. as these grow back after someone has picked them.” The only thing we are missing says Paul (and I tend to agree) is that we a lacking a community hub or centre. “I feel Kirkstall & its residents would truly benefit from having a community centre / hub run by local volunteers with cooking facilities, garden area & internet access so people can get together, share ideas & learn new skills in a fun safe environment.” If you stand and look around Kirkstall it is becoming difficult to miss the pockets of colour, greenery and community spirit that are popping up all over the place. Whether it’s Kirkstall in Bloom’s radiant flowers, the clearing of litter or the Community Garden, it is clear Kirkstall is becoming greener and more community minded every year.