South Leeds Life 73 April 2021

Your FREE community newspaper

Issue 73 | April 2021

Covering Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton, Riverside & Stourton

LET’S CREATE A CLEANER COMMUNITY

W

e are all impacted and shaped by our local environment, for better or worse – and whilst South Leeds definitely has its charms and beauty, our neighbourhoods are also blighted by littering and flytipping.

Quite apart from the thousands of daily bits of litter dropped, every day sadly sees fly tipping into the local area: contractors, landlords, residents and others choosing to dump their waste onto our doorsteps. Sometimes it is hazardous, just last month for example, a large quantity of asbestos was dropped on the banks of Throstle Carr Beck in Middleton. It is always unsightly and it brings our community down, it brings us all down.

What’s the problem, and what can we do?

Many residents sense that fly tipping is on the increase, and – sure enough – the trend is upwards: from 2,977 incidents in Leeds in 2012-13, to 26,079 in 2019-20. This last month saw the Conservatives arguing within the City Council that the rise in fly tipping was due to the 2018 introduction of charges at Council tips, and for collections

Litterpicking is part of the solution of bulky waste.

However, others such as the Council’s environmental managers stress that fly tipping is increasing across the UK, and that Leeds is simply no exception. Statistics bear that out, with nearly one million reported incidents of fly tipping nationwide last year.

Officials also stress that householders can still drop most waste at the Household Waste and Recycling sites for free – and that bulky waste collections are free for those most in need and in receipt of Council Tax Reduction.

Meanwhile, easy solutions are not obvious. The authorities

always look for opportunities to prosecute, and fines can be up to £50,000. But getting the information and proof to successfully identify the culprits, and to prosecute them, is far from easy.

CCTV is sometimes trumpeted as a solution.

Maidstone in Kent has recently received considerable profile for their automated ‘LitterCams’, but cameras can’t go everywhere. Residents on the other hand are everywhere.

If you see fly tipping and especially if you see the people responsible, please report it to the Council here: www.leeds.gov.uk/antisocialbehaviour-and-crime/report-flytipping.

Photos, vehicle registrations and locations are all important pieces of information in the fight against fly tipping.

Indeed, with Council resources stretched ever more thinly, it’s time for all of us to play our part resolving this problem facing our community.

As well as gathering any information possible on fly tippers, we ask all readers to challenge those they know who might be carrying out fly tipping.

Please also be sure that you don’t inadvertently add to the problem. A ‘man with a van’ may be the solution to getting rid of rubbish from your house, but please check they are properly licenced and are not just going to fly tip it to avoid the cost of disposing of it properly.

Turn to page 5 to find details of how you can dispose of your unwanted ‘rubbish’ in a safe, legal and maybe even creative way.

And meanwhile, a growing number of people are stepping up to help pick litter in their neighbourhood right now. This is not the whole solution: we need to work to tackle the issue at source. But it’s a positive way we can all engage, and make a difference in our community. As we emerge from lockdown, taking part in events will become easier. For more information, and support, check out ‘South Leeds Litter Picks’ and ‘Litter Free Leeds’ on Facebook.

Finally, we also want to hear from you. What practical ideas have you got for tackling waste in our communities? How could we respond more creatively?

Now turn to page 5

In this issue:

Future plans for Temple Works

page 6

Photo competition winners

page 11

Windmill pupils help the homeless

page 15

Meet Middleton rapper Luke Budda

page 19

Revamping the ramps at LS-TEN

page 24

NEWS SCHOOL LIFE COMMENT ART LIFE

2-11 15 16-18 19

20-21 LIVES WHAT’S ON 22-23 SPORTING LIFE 24

Get the latest news at www.southleedslife.com - new stories posted daily

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2 News

About us South Leeds Life is written by and for local people. People who live, work and play in the LS10 and LS11 areas of South Leeds.

The website and newspaper are produced by South Leeds Life CIC, a social enterprise registered with Companies House, No 9998695.

South Leeds Life is a member of the Independent Community News Network.

Our aims To inform people of events, activities, issues and opportunities taking place in the South Leeds community; To encourage the involvement of the wider community in communicating their experiences; To foster community spirit and involvement; and To provide a platform for local people to contribute and respond to community life more fully.

South Leeds Life is pleased to publish views from across the political spectrum, provided they comply with our editorial guidelines.

We remain a neutral publication with a diverse readership, as such we do not endorse any particular political party.

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Green upgrades for schools, leisure centres and civic buildings L

eeds City Council has secured £25.3 million to decarbonise 38 publicly owned buildings, slashing the city’s carbon emissions by nearly 4,000 tonnes.

The work will also help stimulate the local green economy, safeguarding or creating an estimated 338 jobs as part of the coronavirus recovery.

Iconic civic buildings, leisure centres, primary schools, children’s centres, homes for older people and offices across the city will all benefit from a range of low carbon heat and energy upgrades carried out by the council and partners.

Air source heat pumps, new connections to the district heating network, solar photovoltaic panels, LED lighting, and double glazing will all be installed by the end of the year.

The council has a bold ambition to reduce Leeds’ direct emissions to net-zero by 2030 and halve the authority’s own carbon footprint by the middle of this decade. By reducing the council’s energy usage the measures will save 3,951 tonnes of carbon and save money for vital frontline services.

After identifying a number of ‘shovel ready’ green projects in 2020, Leeds successfully bid for the

funding as part of the ‘Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme’ from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

3560 kWp of solar photovoltaic panels will be installed across thirty five leisure centres, primary schools, and other council-owned buildings.

The panels mean that popular destinations including John Charles Leisure Centre, Tropical World and Temple Newsam will be part powered by renewable energy generated on site.

Leeds Town Hall, Civic Hall, City Museum, and Central Library will be among six properties equipped to use affordable heat and hot water from the household waste-powered district heating network, adding to the almost 1,500 homes and businesses already connected.

The funding will also mean that innovative heating technologies such as heat pumps—which extract low carbon warmth from the air or ground—will be installed at thirty two primary schools and council buildings. The pumps will minimise the use of gas boilers which, in addition to saving energy and carbon emissions, will also help to improve local air quality.

Additionally, thousands of LED light bulbs will be installed across

The John Charles Centre for Sport. Photo: Google Streetview fifteen buildings. Switching to low energy lighting is one of the easiest and cheapest upgrades to save money and energy.

Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council said: “We’re delighted to have been allocated more than £25 million from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

“Upgrading dozens of schools and council buildings to be fit for the future mean that we’ll be able to spend less on fossil fuel energy, and more on protecting vital frontline services.

“This investment will also protect and create hundreds of skilled green jobs in local businesses, jobs that will be increasingly important as we

work to build a sustainable economic recovery.”

Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development said: “This announcement is great news for the environment and good news for Leeds.

“We’re on track to halve our own emissions by 2025 and by the end of the year, some of our most historic buildings will soon become our greenest.

“More than a dozen primary schools will also benefit from this funding – paying less for energy so that they can spend more instead on educating the next generation.”

New South Leeds segregated cycle routes due to complete in May W

ork will complete this Spring on several cycling and walking schemes across Leeds which have been accelerated through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, to meet the challenge of providing more travel choices for people as coronavirus restrictions are lifted across the country.

Working in partnership with Leeds City Council and Sustrans, the walking and cycling charity, more

than 7km of new segregated cycling and walking routes will be delivered across Leeds in spring 2021 as part of a £7.1 million package to make it easier for people to travel by bike or on foot.

In the south of the city, two new routes have been accelerated, with new segregated cycle infrastructure along Dewsbury Road and Elland Road due to open for use in May 2021.

The Dewsbury Road scheme will

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The finished cycle lane on Old Elland Road in Holbeck

extend the existing segregated cycle route with a 1.5km section of new route between Garnet Road and Ring Road Beeston Park (Tommy Wass junction). Construction of a new 3km segregated cycling route between Elland Road Park and Ride and the city centre is also progressing well.

Cllr Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee, said: “Enabling increasing numbers of us to travel by bike and on foot is more important than ever, not only as we look to address the health, transport and economic challenges created by Covid-19, but also in helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

“These important schemes will provide communities across Leeds with high-quality cycling and walking routes that are safe and free from traffic, making it even easier for people to make the choice to travel more actively.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development, said: “We’re delighted these schemes

brought forward for construction of more than 7km of new segregated cycle routes are almost complete and ready for use. We’re working hard to ensure walking and cycling are more of an attractive and natural everyday choice, for exercising and commuting.

“As we start re-opening services, these new routes will offer improved safety, convenience and a healthier way for people to travel in the south of the city connecting Beeston, Holbeck, Hunslet and the city centre.

“Every new piece of segregated cycleway in Leeds moves us closer to the 800km of cycle network we are aiming to deliver across the city.

We look forward to seeing the schemes fully completed in just a few weeks’ time.”

These projects play a significant part of Leeds City Council Connecting Leeds ‘Cycling Starts Here’ ambition to create 500 miles of safer cycling routes across the city.

From route information to support for businesses, find out how CityConnect can help you cycle and walk more at www.cyclecityconnect.co.uk.

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April 2021 | South Leeds Life

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News 3

Local elections Senior Councillors approve spending £7m on new Academy in South Leeds S on 6 May enior Councillors on the Executive Board approved the delivery of a temporary building for the new Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy at their meeting on 17 March.

As previously reported, the school is set to open on a temporary site behind the St George’s Centre in Middleton in September this year. The school is due to operate on this site for two years while a permanent school is built on the site of the former Middleton Park High School (latterly used as offices by Leeds City Council’s Transport department).

The new 7 form entry school will create 210 secondary school places and relieve the pressure on school place in South Leeds, which saw pupils being offered places at schools on the other side of the city.

The temporary building is set to cost £6,713,261, covering two phases of construction and the reinstatement of the site as public green space. £2,587,858 will be paid by the Department for Education, with the balance of £4,125,403 coming from Leeds City Council’s Learning Places Programme.

The works programme is very

tight with the contract needing to be let on 22 March to allow for completion to be reached by 30 August, just four days before the start of the autumn term on 3 September. For this reason Councillors are being asked to exempt the decision from the usual “call in” arrangements.

The Cockburn Multiacademy Trust has confirmed that the Phase 1 building, a modern school building, is moving forward ready to open in September 2021. National Offer day on 1 March brought news of the first cohort of Year 7 students who will be the founding members of the new

Artist’s impression of the new temporary building for Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy in Middleton

A positive step towards accessibility at Skelton Grange bridge T

he latest meeting to discuss the accessibility concerns surrounding Skelton Grange Road bridge was held virtually on 12 March to explore the preferred options previously identified by stakeholders.

As previously reported in South Leeds Life, access along

the Trans Pennine cycling Trail is blocked at Skelton Grange Road by a set of steep narrow steps.

This crossing is difficult or impossible for cyclists, wheelchair users, families with buggies, etc and causes long queues at busy times.

Queuing to use the steps at Skelton Grange Road bridge

Currently the preferred option by all remains seeking a route through the Thwaite Mills site that can be safely developed, with the alternative solution of a new pedestrian and cycling bridge.

The feasibility and financial viability of these options were discussed in great detail, with everybody in agreement that the preferred option seemed possible in principle, but further in-depth conversations with a variety of stakeholders and departments are needed to look at specific constraints.

The bridge, which is privately owned, has long been a barrier to what is otherwise a welcoming and accessible walking and cycle route.

With the route forming part of Leeds City Council’s ambition to see 800km of cycle routes across the city, it would be a positive and welcome continuation of the ongoing work to promote active travel in response to the pandemic.

All stakeholders remain committed to finding a solution

academy.

Vicky Smith, Head of School, said: “I am delighted that we are now another step closer to welcoming our new Year 7 students into the academy from September. Since 1 March, I have had many excellent conversations with parents and carers about the future of their children as Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy students.

“We look forward to moving forward with our tried and tested track record of systems and experienced staff, focusing on teaching and learning as the single most important thing that we do.

“We are designing challenging and innovative learning experiences for students so they are highly engaged.

Our enriching schemes of learning will inspire students with a passion for lifelong learning.”

Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy’s website and promotional video can be found at www.cockburnlca.org and another meeting will be held in the coming months to continue these positive discussions.

Councillor Peter Carlill (Calverley and Farsley) said: “This is an important and longstanding issue which has seen heightened interest throughout the increased use of the route throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in particular.

“We all want the same outcome; to ensure that this route is accessible for all and I am grateful to all parties involved so far. The difficulty of this being a privately owned bridge means that we have to find a solution by working together with a number of stakeholders to make this change happen.

“Leeds has a strong partnership way of working, therefore I am confident we will be able to make to make the positive change we all want to see.

“Following the meeting partners are optimistic that a solution appears to be within reach, and that there is a strong case to put forward when seeking the necessary funding.

“I hope that in the coming months we can progress this further and reach the solution that everybody is looking for – I’d like to thank everybody who has raised this concern with us and continue to do so.”

by Jeremy Morton

T

hursday 6 May 2021 will see two sets of local elections. We have the opportunity to elect Leeds City Councillors and a new West Yorkshire Mayor.

A third of Councillors will be up for election, one in each ward in the city. In South Leeds Cllr Gohar Almass (Beeston & Holbeck) and Cllr Mohammed Iqbal (Hunslet & Riverside) will be contesting their seats. A new Councillor will be elected in Middleton Park ward as Cllr Judith Blake is standing down to take her seat in the House of Lords.

The creation of a directly Mayor for West Yorkshire is part of the devolution deal between the government and the five local authorities in West Yorkshire. The new Mayor will chair the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and replace the Police & Crime Commissioner.

As usual, the Council election will be ‘first past the post’ with each voter casting just one vote for their preferred candidate.

The Mayoral election will use the ‘Supplementary Vote’ system with each voter casting votes for their first and second preference candidates. If no candidate gets an overall majority of first preference votes the two leading candidates go into the final round. To decide the winner, all votes for candidates which didn’t make it through to the final round are redistributed based on the second preference.

As usual South Leeds Life will be covering the elections and bringing you details of all the

candidates. We will post these online once nominations close on Thursday 8 April and in next month’s newspaper.

We will also be holding online hustings for the three wards in South Leeds in the week before the election. These will give you the opportunity to put your questions directly to the candidates. Watch out for further details on our website.

As previously reported, voters are being encouraged to register for a postal vote as there are likely to be delays at polling stations due to Covid-19 safety measures. The deadline to apply for a postal vote for these elections is 5pm on Tuesday 20 April 2021. Find out more at: www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council /elections/postal-voting If you’ve moved house in the last two years or haven’t voted in the past you may not be on the electoral register, you can check online at: www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council /elections/register-to-vote.

If you need to register it’s very quick, go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, you will need your National Insurance number.

Again, due to the pandemic, counting of votes will take place over several days this year.

Votes will be varified on Friday 7 May; the Leeds City Council votes will be counted on Saturday 8 May; and West Yorkshire Mayor votes will be counted on Sunday 9 May. We will bring you the results online as soon as they are announced.

South Leeds Life does not support any political party, but we do encourage all our readers to use their vote.

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4 News

On the beat

by Insp Lucy Leadbeater

F

or this month I would like to focus on a subject that we are receiving numerous calls and complaints about and is causing significant anti-social behaviour across South Leeds – this being the anti-social and illegal use of off road motor bikes and quads.

A few facts on quads: • Nuisance quad bikes are looked at in a similar way to nuisance bikes. The nature of bikes and quad bikes means they are noisy but not necessarily illegal.

• A quad bike ridden on the road must have a number plate and be road registered but not necessarily have lights if the use intended for daytime only.

If the vehicle is older than 3yrs a MOT is also compulsory as is insurance and Road Tax. • Unlike motorbikes the rider and passenger of a quad bike do not have to wear a helmet.

• Therefore, if a quad bike is seen on a road with a number plate, MOT, insurance etc as above and they are driving in accordance with highway code then he or she is perfectly legal. The nuisance often comes from the simple fact they are noisy. A legal quad bike can use the public highway just like a car.

Often however, the above is not the case and the drivers are not road legal and are causing

anti-social behaviour by the the relevant legislation. manner of the driving or the Our response to this issue location of where they are In Leeds we have a team of 6 being driven. This is also often officers dedicated to tackling the case with off road bikes. this issues who work alongside Report it the Neighbourhood Policing If there is a problem with Teams. They do pro-active nuisance bikes and quads in patrols in hot spot areas and your area please contact police also link in with local NPT’s to via 101 or 101 online. have days of action to try target In order to help with the bikes and quad bikes. progression of any investigation This is not just a West then information required is: Yorkshire issue but is a national • Details of times, days and issue where most forces have the location of where it seen an increase in this type of happens. activity over the past couple of • Description of the vehicle years. including colour and size As well as the policing • Description of the riders response we also work with clothing and helmet partners to provide a wider • Description of any response, this includes working vehicles transporting the off with Leeds City Council to road bike / quad such as target harden areas to restrict registration number, colour, access and also working with make and model youth services and youth • Description of the rider provisions to educate people There is also an on-line on not only the legislation but reporting facility available also the dangers of this type of www.westyorkshire.police.uk/ activity. form/report-nuisance-bikes We have had many If we are able to identify the driver then taking action using the Road Traffic Act is very simple. However, the hard part is identifying them for a number of reasons including the fact that most drivers will cover their faces and they will not have a registration plate etc. Another off road bike seized This is why community successes in targeting intelligence is so important. nuisance bikes with a number As well as residents of vehicles seized and riders contacting us when they see prosecuted. the nuisance driving in action On 14 March officers were what is helpful is people alerted by members of the contacting us with information public to a group of illegal about where these vehicles are bikers riding around Middleton stored, or who is riding them. Park. The Off Road Bike Team Most of the vehicles are in attended and quickly sighted a people’s sheds and garages group of 4 bikes riding and this information and dangerously near the children’s intelligence would assist us playground. The group tried to tackling this issue by seizing evade police, however two of vehicles that are used in an the bikes were seized and the anti-social manner and riders reported for a number of prosecuting offenders under offences.

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FBI offers positive activities in Beeston

FBI in action

by Christine Smart

D

id you know that Beeston has its very own FBI? You may immediately think of a branch of American policing which it is not, but our FBI Future Baton International Academy Majorettes - too, offers our residents highly skilled disciplines in Baton, Pom and Military routines.

The troupe, whose age range is 2 – 33 years old, are trained

by Chloe Guyan, Zoe Guyan, Eleanor Tait, Courtney Ward and Brooklyn Ward.

“We started FBI Academy because majorettes have always been a passion of ours and we want to keep kids off the streets by doing a fun activity that teaches them coordination, time-keeping, teamwork and determination” Supporters, parents and the Troupe’s feedback is a testament to how the original intention is being fulfilled by this team of determined and strong female leaders.

“We love dancing with you all

so much, thank you for making the decision to start a troupe" Terrianne, Parent/Dancer "Our girls love dancing alongside you all, the confidence both girls have growing unbelievable" Michelle, Family Member "Its changed my life, I've enjoyed every minute" - Abbie W, Dancer "I couldn't dream for a better team to dance with" - Aleesha, Dancer The troupe has competed all over the country, but this year as for many activities, found different ways to keep the troupe motivated and their skills up to par.

“We have been doing training sessions over zoom and hosted a virtual bingo and quiz nights to keep interacting with our dancers to help them keep a positive mindset, the dancers have found the lack of social interaction difficult “ Ready to continue and get back to training for next season sponsorship is more important than ever and helps the

dancers meet the cost their uniforms. Generously, you have your business name printed on your sponsored dancer’s top, which is worn at every event they attend within 12 months.

Sponsorship is very reasonable at £30 per dancer.

It’s an investment in a troupe who were born from an idea to make sure kids had a skill not taught in schools and a safe place to go.

And as the members will tell you themselves, they have a long- term commitment to this group.

"FBI has brought to me a second family that I never knew I needed" - Marianne, Dancer "You all do amazing and the love you have for each other shines" - Emma, Supporter "I have loved dancing in our little family since the very first session! 7 years of amazing memories and even more to make" - Abbie H, Dancer You can contact FBI at eleanortait98@gmail.com to join the group or support by sponsoring a dancer.

Advertise with South Leeds Life and reach 15,000 people in the LS10 and LS11 area.

Ring 07894 583966 | Email: info@southleedslife.com Bikes seized near the children’s playground in Middleton Park

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News 5

How to dispose of unwanted items You may be decluttering, you may have bought new furniture and need to get rid of old items, or perhaps you doing some DIY and have more waste than can go in your bin. Whatever the reason there are plenty of ways to dispose of unwanted items safely and legally.

Reuse - could Council services someone else use this?

O ne person’s junk is just what someone else was looking for.

Your first port of call, particularly if the item is in good repair, should be to pass it on to someone who can use it. There are various ways to do this.

your local charity shop (see below) which will be reopening from 12 April.

Have you got an old bike cluttering up your shed or garage? Contact The Big Bike Fix Leeds on Facebook. They will take your bike, repair it and pass it on to someone who needs it.

Leftover paint after redocorating? Seagulls Paint can use it. You can drop it off at their Kirkstall base or leave it for collection at Middleton Household Waste Recycling Centre.

We all know school uniform is expensive and children grow quickly. If your school doesn’t have a uniform exchange, there is a city wide group on Facebook and plans are afoot to set up up a South Leeds Uniform Exchange.

Big Bike Fix C.R.A.P. South Leeds (Conserving Resources Associating People) is a new Facebook Group where you can advertise unwanted items or ask for items you need. It’s all free and the group has already attracted over 1,200 local residents.

You could donate items to

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

Uniform Exchange

Charity Shops Church of the Nazarene - Beeston Town Street Middleton Elderly Aid - Middleton Park Road Salvation Army - Hunslet Hall Road SLATE - Hunslet Low Road St Gemma’s - Hunslet Church Street and Beeston Town Street St Luke’s CARES - Beeston Dewsbury Road and Middleton Throstle Lane St Vincent’s - Belle Isle Town Street SLATE (0113 270 4005) St Luke’s CARES (07800 512074) and St Vincent’s (0113 245 0800) offer a free collection service for furniture and other large items.

I

f you have a vehicle you can take waste items to a Council Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Our local site is at Holme Well Road, Middleton, LS10 4TQ behind the Asda store. The site is open every day 8am-6pm through to the end of October.

Due to Covid restrictions you must book an appointment online, but more slots have been added recently.

You can dispose of items such as cardboard, wood, metal, garden waste, beds, mattresses, furniture. Fridges, TVs, small electrical appliances, light bulbs, oil, paint, batteries and other items will be repaired or recycled.

There is a charge for disposing of ‘inert materials’: hardcore, plasterboard, rubble and soil. These items will have to go to a landfill site for which the Council will have pay a fee and pay Landfill Tax to the government.

If you have a large vehicle, a van or a trailer for example, you can apply for a permit which will allow you to use the site on up to 12 times a year.

Bulky Waste Collections If you do not have transport the Council run a limited collection service. Up to four items can be collected per visit and you can book a maximum of four collection in a year.

The service normally costs £20, but is free if you receive

Council Tax Support, or certain other benefits.

Collection must be booked online and can be booked up to three weeks ahead. However, due to the impact of coronavirus on staffing levels, there may be times when no slots are available for booking.

In that case you are advised to try again at a later date.

Litter bins The provision of on street litter bins falls within the remit of the Community Committee.

Councillors have responded regularly over recent years to fund new bins to tackle problem areas.

Last month Councillors in Hunslet & Riverside ward became awatre of a more positive trend.

It became apparent some segments of the local litter bin network are being used so heavily, that the weekly emptying of the litter bins is not enough to cope with the demand of litter being placed within them.

This has been most apparent in the residential areas near to the industrial estates around Hunslet and Stourton (as well as other employment zones) due to people cutting though these areas on their way to and from work.

If you are aware of a litter hot spot that needs a bin please contact your Councillor - see page 18 for details.

A man with a van what you should check H iring ‘a man with a van’ is a great way to remove your rubbish, but it is still your responsibility to make sure your waste is not being illegally dumped.

If your waste is found fly tipped and traced back to you, you could be issued with a £200 Fixed Penalty Notice (fine) or even prosecuted through the courts.

The Council advise that you need to check that anyone taking your rubbish is a licensed waste carrier.

• ask to see their waste

carrier licence, or check online using the Environment Agency’s website external link • pay by card or bank transfer and get a receipt or waste transfer note • note the registration number of the vehicle that collects your waste • ask where they are taking the waste to dispose of it A genuine waste carrier will not mind you asking these questions and will always provide you with a proper receipt. If in doubt, do not allow anyone to take your waste.

This is what a Waste Carrier Licence looks like

Changing your furniture?

Donate it to support people with Learning Disabilities

Call us to arrange a free pickup

For detailed information on Leeds City Council’s waste services go to:

0113 270 4005

www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/bins-and-recycling/

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6 News

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The future is shaping up for Temple Works

by Jeremy Morton

L

eeds Civic Trust organised an online meeting last month to hear about progress with renovating the iconic Temple Works in Holbeck.

Temple Works was built as a flax mill in 1838-41 by John Marshall, more recently it was used as a warehouse by Kays catalogue.

Having lain empty for years the building gained a ‘meantime use’ as an arts venue, under the stewardship of Temple.Works.Leeds. The building was bought by developers CEG who stepped in when it was put up for auction in 2018.

David Hodgson from CEG told the meeting that since they bought it, they had spent their time understanding the Grade I listed building which is in a precarious state. The company have had to use drones and robots to safely survey the building in detail, spending £3.5m to date.

The revolutionary design which created the largest room in the world when it was built,

relies on cast iron tie bars to hold the building together.

These are now very old, corroded and brittle. When one failed in 2008 there was a partial collapse of the frontage throwing debris onto Marshall Street.

One of the main problems is extra weight loading to the roof created in the 1930s when depressions between the iconic roof lights were filled in with bricks and rubble to create a flat roof.

The extra weight is pushing the walls outwards, but to date the tie bars have held the building together.

CEG now believe they can save the building, but it will take several years. Firstly, they plan to stabilise the building internally with a framework of scaffolding. This will have to be erected bay by bay for safety reasons.

Having looked at alternative solutions for long term repair, they plan to replace the cast iron tie bars with a similar system but using modern materials.

As well as the physical

Artist’s impression of a possible new entrance to the renovated Temple Works renovations, they have looked at how the various spaces within Temple Works and immediately outside could be used.

It seems likely that the main user will be The British Library.

Jamie Andrews and Rachel Withington spoke about their plans to create a British Library

of the North in Leeds for which Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced there was £25m as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal last year.

The British Library has been connected to Leeds since its creation in 1972. It has a large facility at Boston Spa near Wetherby, housing over half the

Former Kays building to become life science centre C

EG, the developers of various sites on Globe Road and Water Lane in Holbeck and owners of Temple Works, has submitted a planning application seeking to revitalise Drapers Yard on Marshall Street in Leeds for Labcorp, a global diagnostics and drug development company at the heart of lifescience innovation in Leeds.

It marks further investment

by Labcorp Drug Development into the local economy. The company currently operates out of two sites in Leeds and plans to consolidate the team into one building for more efficient, collaborative working, as well as having the opportunity to double in size, retaining and creating almost 300 highly skilled scientific and healthcare

Artist’s impression of Drapers Yard on Marshall Street

jobs in the city.

Labcorp delivers vital medical research and has worked on most of the available Covid-19 vaccines and is currently involved in more than 400 studies for Covid-19 globally. The new facility offers an exciting opportunity to offer enhanced scientific outcomes and clinical trial testing, something which has become

all the more vital during the current pandemic.

Oren Cohen MD, chief medical officer and general manager, Clinical Pharmacology Services at Covance by Labcorp said: “The new Covance by Labcorp facility will be a gold standard clinical pharmacology investigational unit, commensurate with the outstanding global reputation of the UK Life Sciences sector.

“The new facility will allow us to continue our important work to test next-generation medicines that may improve health and improve lives in an exciting new environment that highlights the growing role of Leeds as a leader in life sciences.”

CEG would manage the delivery of the new facility and aims to enable occupation by summer 2022. It would include a 100-bed clinic, pharmacy and Labcorp’s UK office headquarters.

Drapers Yard would be dramatically transformed with a new façade, roof top amenity space with a green, sedum roof and new landscaping and planting on Marshall Street and

national collection: some 100 million objects including books, recordings and newspapers (even South Leeds Life).

Their plans for Temple Works include exhibition and events space, innovation and business support space and education and community space.

On top of this, CEG are keen

to see Temple Works and the surrounding area being active 24/7 and hope there will be a mix of office and business use, cafes, restaurants, and public open space.

You can watch the whole meeting on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v =0Ip6OKQmX_4

Sweet Street. At the heart of the Temple area of Leeds City Centre, biodiversity will be enhanced and the setting of heritage assets protected, including the adjacent Grade 1 Listed Temple Works.

It will provide employment opportunities and kick start high value economic development. Drapers Yard is located within the Temple masterplan area where CEG, alongside Leeds City Council, are bringing forward further development. Here, there is the potential to provide some 4 million sq ft of high quality accommodation with Temple Works as its heart as a cultural centrepiece.

Antonia Martin-Wright, head of investment at CEG, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to deliver a UK Centre of Excellence for Labcorp. It will be a sustainable and energy efficient development, designed with occupant well-being in mind.

“It will bring a welcome economic boost to Temple supporting the city’s post-covid recovery plans and helping to create a cluster for science, knowledge and innovation. The commitment to the site will also help to build further confidence that this is a fantastic business destination, just minutes from Leeds City Station, helping to attract future inward investment opportunities.”

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council,

said: “This is a hugely-exciting piece of news for Leeds, and one that will strengthen the city’s reputation as a place where cutting-edge tech and a sense of history come together to positive effect.

“We already have an unrivalled health ecosystem, with four out of five NHS national offices being based here. In addition, Leeds is home to one of the largest concentrations of medical device companies in the UK and a rich pool of health, science and digital talent.

“Labcorp’s medical research, drug development and clinical trial testing can change lives and Leeds’s supporting role in this work is a real source of pride. The commitment to retaining and creating highquality jobs in the city is also a timely boost as we begin our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Furthermore, Labcorp’s choice of Drapers Yard is testament to the impressive momentum being generated in both the Temple district and the wider South Bank area, which is one of the largest city centre regeneration schemes in the country.

The many transformative projects taking shape here include a collaboration between the council and CEG that is designed to bring Temple Works back into sustainable long-term use.”

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April 2021 | South Leeds Life

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News 7

Planting out Hunslet’s ‘Edible Estate’ T

he next stage of the Hunslet Edible Estate Pilot took place on the 23 March, as volunteers and Hyde Park Source planted the allimportant trees and edible plants into the first planter on the estate as part of the pilot.

The work took several hour and though doesn’t look much now, as the growing season begins, the area will look much different.

Stewart Walton, Chair of Hunslet and Tenants Residents Association said “When we cleared the rubbish and litter from the first planter several weeks ago – it made a world of difference to the look of this part of the estate. But now we

have the trees and plants in place, you can really start to see in your mind how wonderful this will be. I can’t wait to see if grow!”

The pilot is part of a wider plan by local residents and Councillors to reconnect people with food production and encourage wildlife to return to the area as part of the Councils work to tackle the Climate and Biodiversity emergency, as well as have a positive impact on local wellbeing.

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal added “I know just how vital getting wildlife back into our communities is. The research is crystal clear on how being near a wide range of nature

improves our wellbeing and mental health and all the benefits that brings. The same has been shown for growing your own food. This initial planter is the first step of many to transform this and other Housing Leeds estates into refuges for wildlife and a subtle but powerful tool to improve the welling of local people” Following the significant visual improvement to the area caused by the clearance of the first planter, Councillors (prepurdah) have already granted Hyde Park Source with extra funding to tidy up the other planters nearby and prepare the to be planted later in the year.

NEWS IN BRIEF New CEO for Leeds Credit Union

Planting the first tree on the Edible Estate The project is being funded by the Inner South Housing Advisory Panel and Local Cllrs

Iqbal, Nash and Wray via the Inner South Community Committee.

Leeds Credit Union has announced the appointment of Paul Kaye as its new CEO. Paul will take charge of one of the UK’s largest credit unions who provide ethical and inclusive financial services.

This latest exciting announcement from the Credit Union comes after the financial services organisation celebrated the success of its recent festive campaign, the results of which showed it saved the local community up to £3.13million in potential high interest payments in the run up to Christmas.

Climate Corner Call out for growers to

A green forum ‘Sow A Row Xtra’ for Beeston

by Beth Bingley

L

ast month saw the launch of a new Facebook group for Beeston Climate Hub. This is a forum for anyone in Beeston who is interested in reducing waste, creating more green spaces, reducing fuel bills, food security, warmer homes, better air quality, safer streets, composting, green energy, supporting your local economy... anything that could create a zero carbon, nature friendly, socially just Beeston.

Questions, ideas, and feedback on issues are all welcome; and community organisations are invited to post on events and activities. If you want to start a project and are looking for support or want to find a project or group to join the Climate Hub can help.

Check out the ‘Guides’ section where you can find information on a wide range of topics including recycling, food, composting, energy saving tips, nature, plus activities and games for children.

Information will be added to the guides each week, and you can post or message about information you would like to see.

Climate Hub live chat events will be coming soon! Find out more about how to get involved with developing a climate strategy for Beeston or suggest a topic for discussion. Look out for posts about on the Beeston Climate Hub page.

The page is also for celebrating the amazing work already going on in Beeston, incredible community litter picking initiatives, food growing, community gardening groups and food clubs. The new CRAP (Conserving Resources Associating People) Facebook group already has over 1,000 members saving waste from landfill, sharing resources, and helping to keep our streets cleaner.

So if you live, work or study in Beeston, or are an organisation working in the area please join us.

Search for ‘Beeston Climate Hub’ on Facebook.

Litter-picking at Beggars Hill with Beeston in Bloom, Kurdish House Leeds, Leeds Green Party and Cllrs Scopes, Almass, and Gabriel

Feed Leeds' Tom Bliss gets some advice on how to ‘Sow A Row Xtra’

O

ne happy 'green shoot' emerging from the stress and sadness of last summer's restrictions was a big increase in people growing their own food; a physical activity which benefits your mind and body as much as your taste buds.

But even in good times not everyone can afford to buy seeds or successfully grow them into plants ready for the veg plot. And the lockdown's made times even tighter for many.

So Feed Leeds, the local food growers' network, are taking a leaf out of Aberdeen and other cities' books by encouraging experienced gardeners to Sow A Row Xtra, and then bring the extra seedlings to Drop-off and Xchange Sites The project has two targets; one supplying specific in-need groups, and the other applying to anyone with a keen interest in growing food but no way to get started.

Many of the seedlings will be added to 'Friendship Boxes' also containing donated tools, compost and advice on how and where to grow, and then

handed to asylum-seekers, refugees and families in hardship. This part of the project, called Growing Friendship, is being funded by National Lottery Community Funding, and managed by Feed Leeds member Season Well, in partnership with Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network (LASSN).

Becky Mears from Feed Leeds and Season Well said: "We knew from LASSN and similar organisations that there are plenty of people in Leeds desperate to grow their own food but who lack the funds or a suitable place to plant. So as well as providing seedlings and tools, we're running foodgrowing workshops with LASSN, and also finding, or even creating, new veg plots close to where people live - even if some may need to be just pots or tubs, which can actually deliver a surprisingly bumper harvest!"

But the team hope and anticipate that many more 'Sow A Row Xtra' seedlings will be grown than will be needed for the Growing Friendship hubs.

So, because Feed Leeds are also working with FoodWise Leeds under the #getgrowingleeds banner to promote the consumption of fruit and veg in the city using funding from Veg Cities, anyone who lacks the funds, space or skills to grow from seed will be welcome to collect excess seedlings and, when available, spare Friendship Boxes from the Xchange sites.

Tom Bliss, from Feed Leeds and FoodWise Leeds, said, "We just love this idea. It helps us to share the joy that seeing those first tips poking through the compost always generates. It provides tangible help to people in real need, and it gets everyone thinking about the multiple benefits of getting out in your garden, allotment, community plot, school - or wherever you can poke in a trowel, and start growing your own delicious food. We fully expect to see even more people getting into gardening this year than last - booting out those lockdown blues with a spring burst of greens! Anyone willing to Sow A Row Xtra of veg seeds, and/or donate tools, seed trays, pots, compost or anything useful to new growers, or even host a Drop-off or Xchange site for us, should please drop me a line at tom@urbal.tv."

The map at feedleeds.org also shows the emerging network of Little Veg Libraries and Leeds Hedge Veg where surplus harvest and more will be available for free later in the year.

To drop off at the Beeston Xchange Site please contact: ottleyhughes@yahoo.co.uk

Cazoo creates 15 jobs in Holbeck Cazoo, the online car retailer opened its latest Customer Centre on Domestic Road in Holbeck on 4 March 2021.

Cazoo acquired the site late last year and has since invested over £1m and created 15 new customerfacing and vehicle-servicing jobs.

Homes sales soar at Holbeck’s Ironworks More than half of the available apartments and townhouses have now sold to owner occupiers at The Ironworks, a development from PfP igloo on David Street in Holbeck.

The scheme comprises 68 design led, energy efficient one and two bed apartments, two and three bed townhouses and three bed penthouses.

Homes at The Ironworks will be available to move into in autumn 2021.

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South Leeds Life | April 2021

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Advice for people Electric cargo bike loan scheme with diabetes for sustainable deliveries during Ramadan L P

eople in the Muslim community who live with diabetes are being offered help and advice from Diabetes UK to stay healthy during Ramadan – and to mark the occasion safely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramadan will run from 11/ 12 April for 29 or 30 days. The exact dates will be confirmed nearer the time and Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr in May, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

The Qur’an requires Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset. There are exceptions and people who are unwell or have medical conditions are not expected to fast – and this includes people with diabetes.

Some people with diabetes choose to fast and Diabetes UK offers the following helpful advice: • If you are unwell or have any symptoms of Covid-19 – do not fast and call 111 for further advice • If you do choose to fast – before you start, include more slowly absorbed foods (low GI), such as basmati rice and dhal, in your meal along with fruit and vegetables • During your fast, if you already check your blood sugar levels, do this more often than usual • When you break the fast, have only small quantities of food, and avoid only eating sweet or fatty foods • Stay at home when possible and follow current restrictions. Follow social distancing rules if visiting the mosque during this time.

Even though Covid-19 restrictions are being cautiously eased, we are still in a pandemic, which is why Diabetes UK wants to remind those marking Ramadan to do so safely by adhering to social distancing rules and to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions by fasting in a healthy way.

The charity adds that if you are observing Ramadan and have decided to fast, receiving the coronavirus vaccine does not break your fast. So, please get the vaccine if you are invited to book an appointment.

Emma Elvin, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK, said: “We know that ultimately it is a personal choice whether or not to fast, but if you do choose to fast when you have diabetes,

you must take extra precautions to make sure you are not putting your health at risk.

“That’s because if you have diabetes, fasting can risk aggravating complications associated with the condition, such as poor vision, heart or kidney disease, hypoglycaemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) – conditions that can require emergency hospital treatment.

“If you’re fasting and you feel that you are having a hypo, check your blood sugars and, if you are, break your fast and take your usual hypo treatment followed by starchy food otherwise you will harm your body and may need medical attention. You can find further advice on our website: www.diabetes.org.uk “If you’re showing any symptoms of Covid-19, our advice would be to not fast.”

eeds businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to trial an electric-cargo (ecargo) bike for their deliveries.

Leeds City Council’s ‘trybefore-you-buy’ free e-cargo bike loan scheme will be the first opportunity for many businesses in the city to try the new, sustainable delivery method.

E-cargo bikes can deliver financial savings of up to 90% compared to the cost of a running an equivalent commercial vehicle with no tax, MOT, fuel or parking costs.

The three-month scheme, which includes a free bespoke training session allows organisations to experience how e-cargo bikes could provide a genuine, costeffective alternative to cars and

Dr Zafar Iqbal is Consultant in Sports and Exercise Medicine and currently the Head of Sports Medicine at Crystal Palace FC. He said: “Ramadan is a special time for the Muslim community, especially as we continue to face these troubling times.

However, even though it seems the end of the pandemic is in sight, it remains vital that everyone does their best to stay fighting fit – particularly for those with diabetes who are at increased risk of poorer outcomes.

“So, if you do choose to fast, I encourage you to remember the advice. They are easy to do and follow and make living with diabetes during Ramadan that little bit safer.”

People who experience regular hypos, have had DKA or continually high blood sugars other serious diabetes complications should seek medical advice before considering whether to fast and not let worries about catching coronavirus allow problems to get worse.

Businesses can trial an e-cargo bike for three months opportunity to test local lowcarbon delivery solutions. This new, free scheme is one of the first in the country.

“E-cargo bikes offer a costeffective, versatile and attractive alternative to cars and vans for local trips. We are confident that they will become

Holbeck Together: by royal appointment H

Dr Zafar Iqbal

vans for heavy, bulky local deliveries.

Each bike allows for up to 40 miles (64 km) assisted cycling and has a load capacity of up to 100kg or 900 litres.

Businesses who participate in the scheme will be among the first in Leeds to show their support for sustainable delivery solutions.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds city council’s executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, said: “The council is committed to reducing transport-related pollution to improve the air quality in Leeds.

“We have declared a climate emergency, and one of the ways we can help the city achieve net-zero carbon by 2030 is to offer businesses the

olbeck Together was privileged to be chosen as one of a number of charities and community leaders recently invited to a virtual meeting with the Earl of Wessex to share their experience of working during the Covid pandemic.

The CEO of the organisation, Elissa Newman, was invited by the West Yorkshire Lieutenancy to join Prince Edward’s virtual visit to the county, where he heard from eight campaigners and charity workers who have all faced challenges throughout

the pandemic.

Elissa was joined by Yvonne Hall, co-founder of anti-slavery charity Palm, and Michelle Foster, from alcohol abuse charity The Basement Project.

Prince Edward was also introduced to representatives from the police, the courts service, hospitals and councils, who discussed the impact the pandemic had had on their services.

Reflecting on the past year since the Covid pandemic began, Elissa shared an overview of the community

initiatives undertaken by Holbeck Together’s volunteers to bring together a phenomenal community response.

Since adapting its services to ensure that people in the community were looked after, able to access food and essential supplies and able to stay connected, the organisation has provided: • over 8,500 meals delivered to older people in their homes • more than 1,500 meals to families affected by the impacts of Covid 19

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the first choice for everyday deliveries for many more businesses in the future.”

Local business in Leeds can register their interest to borrow one or more of the bikes to meet their delivery needs online or by emailing ECargo BikeTrials@Leeds.gov.uk • a volunteer to do shopping on behalf of someone who couldn’t get out on nearly 200 occasions • food relief through over 2,100 food parcels • nutritious food and activities for 65 children through school holidays, lockdowns and beyond • wellbeing support (includes: befriending calls, wellbeing checks, outreach support, crisis support, wellbeing packs) on more than 4,000 occasions • 2,000 at home activity packs for our older community and young families • weekly check-ins (5-10 minutes) for 60 isolated older people, exploring emotional welfare; immediate practical needs; any health worries The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, said of the meeting: “He was very interested, we were delighted to introduce him to such a diverse mix of people.”

Elissa added, “It was a privilege to be able to share with His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex the great spirit of the Holbeck community coming together during the pandemic.”

If you know of someone who could benefit from support from Holbeck Together, please contact the organisation on (0113) 245 5553. You can find out more online at www.holbecktogether.org

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News 9

Work set to start on Cottingley flood prevention scheme

by Jeremy Morton

The bridge over Farnley Wood Beck on Old Road with Old Close behind, via Google Streetview drawn up and the scheme is expected to be completed by September 2022.

Farnley Wood Beck is part of the wider Holbeck catchment area. It flows into Wortley Beck which in turn flows into the Holbeck and eventually the

River Aire near Leeds station.

The total cost of the scheme is estimated at £450,000. This will be funded from Local levy, Flood Defence Grant in Aid and £300,000 of Section 106 from a development upstream at Gildersome.

Bus stop improvements for Belle Isle & Middleton F

urther to our report last August, designs have now been finalised to improve 36 bus stops on Belle Isle Road, Ring Road Middleton and Middleton Park Avenue.

A report published on 10 March details the scheme, valued at £300,000, which is to be wholly funded from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Connecting Leeds programme as previously approved by Leeds City Council’s Executive Board.

The main works comprise: • Replace existing bus shelters or introduce new shelters at 36 bus stops along the three routes to improve the bus passenger experience; • Provide real time travel information in all new bus shelters to improve the bus passenger experience;

36 bus stops will be improved

Middleton Railway plans May reopening T

A

pproval has been given to start work on designing a flood prevention scheme for Farnley Wood Beck at the foot of Churwell Hill in Cottingley.

The beck has flooded on several occasions causing damage to homes on Old Close, most notably in 2005.

A study has recommended de-culverting (opening) the beck between Old Road and Elland Road to avoid future flooding in the area.

The culvert restricts the flow of the beck when it’s very full, causing it to overflow onto the road and then flood the properties which lie below the level of the road.

Detailed plans will now be

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

• Improve pedestrian links at bus stops and in the locality of the bus stops to assist all pedestrians, especially the elderly and those with mobility issues and improve the accessibility of the public transport system; • Provision of two bus laybys on Middleton Ring Road, in keeping with the remainder of the route, to take the bus off the main carriageway, thus allowing the free flow of general traffic and removing the unsafe overtaking manoeuvresthat sometimes occur; • Improvements to existing layby/carriageway surface to improve the ride experience of bus patrons whilst on a bus.

• Realign the eastern side of Middleton Circus to improve the bus waiting facilities, remove the congestion that

occurs at peak times and provide an additional two on street limited waiting parking spaces; • Realign the eastern kerbline of Middleton Park Avenue to improve the bus waiting facilities and consolidate two existing bus stops; • Widen footways to provide a better waiting environment for bus passengers, facilitatingthe introduction of bus shelters and improved accessibility to public transport provision; • Introduce new Bus Stop clearway markings and refurbish existing Bus Stop clearway markings where necessary; and • The introduction of greenery, planting and trees along Middleton Ring Road to negate the loss of grass verge at the locations of the two proposed laybys.

Works are due to commence imminently and are due to be completed by June this year.

Similar works are under way to on Cottingley Hall estate where lay-bys will be created on Cottingley Drive to improve traffic flow.

he Middleton Railway has announced that, subject to government guidelines, it will reopen to the public on Sunday 23 May 2021.

The Middleton Railway shop and cafe will re-open for indoor trading at the same time.

Steam trains will operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday every hour between 10:30am and 3:30pm until the end of June, when it is hoped to re-introduce Saturday services, assuming that the distance and additional cleaning rules could then be suspended.

Additionally, a diesel service will operate on Wednesday 2 June during the school half term, again hourly from 10.30am.

The current distancing rules will remain in place until relaxed by the Government and the Trust will take all practical measures to make the Middleton Railway a Covid secure environment.

A spokesperson for Middleton Railway said: “We are taking a cautious approach to reopening in order to prevent unnecessary

The newly restored Swanscombe No 6 journeys prior to the full ending of the lockdown as highlighted by the government.”

You can find full details of services on the railway’s website at www. middletonrailway.org.uk During the coming season the Middleton Railway will be welcoming two steam engines back into service after extensive overhauls.

“Swanscombe No. 6” has not worked since 1975 but has now been fully rebuilt and will be in regular service alongside the unique “Sentinel” locomotive, ex-BR No 68153.

These reopening plans are subject to government guidance and regulation which may change depending on how the Covid-19 infection rate changes over the next 3 months.

The Middleton Railway was built in 1758 and is the First railway authorised by an Act of Parliament, the first to have commercially successful steam locomotives, in June 1812 and also the first standard gauge preserved railway, opening in June 1960. It has operated trains every year since opening in 1758.

New Engagement Group for Holbeck A

new Communication and Engagement Group in Holbeck, Chaired by Councillor Andrew Scopes, held its first meeting last month.

Councillor Scopes and his colleagues Gohar Almass and Angela Gabriel identified a need for a group to help plan Holbeck’s future and also ensure the local community are fully involved in those plans and discussions.

In attendance at the first meeting, in addition to the local Councillors, were local residents and representatives from local businesses, the third sector, the local school, wider partners and Safer Leeds.

The group has a number of aims over the coming months but its primary focus is to engage key individuals who live, work or volunteer in the Holbeck community to play a role in local issues including enhancing the governance structure of the Managed Approach by working together and looking for ways to hear views from the wider public.

They also want to develop a 35 year plan for the future of the

area taking into account the opportunities provided by the new South Bank development.

They are also keen that the group provides a forum to discuss and contribute to Council messaging around issues in Holbeck, the Councillors are keen that the local voice is included in decision making for the area.

Future areas of work which were raised at the first meeting include looking at what will happen as lockdown eases, what work is being done to help women exit prostitution as well as to tackle kerb crawling and what the implications will be of the South Bank development for the area.

A communications plan will be developed by the Group to

Holbeck Moor Road

ensure the wider community is kept up to date with issues and plans.

Councillor Gohar Almass (Beeston and Holbeck) said: “My colleagues and I are excited about the possibilities that will be opened up through working in a collaborative way for the benefit of everyone living in Holbeck. We are realistic about the challenges faced by those who live in Holbeck, but we have so much to look forward to with plans to bring improvements to the area.

“As your elected representatives we are always happy to engage with anyone who lives in the ward, whatever your views, and will ensure your voice is heard.”

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Autism - from Trust keeps delivering despite awareness to a year of personal tragedy acceptance T

by Jeremy Morton

Amber

by Christine Smart

I

n the 11 years since Amber was diagnosed, my family has learnt a lot.

Firstly, that although hers was an early diagnosis compared to others, we left with lots of might dos and might nots. This was unusual as many diagnoses end with a forecast of what will happen next, but no one had a clue. It became a learn as you go, which meant we got some things wrong.

Keen to spread awareness, we jumped in and there was our first mistakes - the colour blue and the puzzle piece. Back then there weren’t as many autistic adults explaining the harm these two seemingly innocent things do to the community. Both symbols are heavily associated with an American charity who sold autism as something that broke up families, was a destroyer of marriages and needs to be got rid of as soon as science can, which they depicted in numerous adverts.

After encouraging the Light Up Blue here in Leeds I now own and realise that was a mistake. The National Autistic Society’s (NAS) original logo was a puzzle piece with a crying child, implying there was something missing in them and not a whole person.

It requires no explanation of how this can be offensive to people who will have been treated as less because they are autistic. NAS change their logo realising the negative

message it sent out. Most people with autism prefer the colour Gold and in fact the infinity symbol.

Amber, as all children do, has grown and changed. From nonverbal to verbal, from not interacting to being happy to join in some, from overload and meltdowns almost daily to self– managing them to where we very rarely have them.

The key to these changes?

Listening to autistic adults. At the height of her overloads which concerned me as her mum as she was so distressed and I couldn’t work out why, I found a piece written by an adult that said eye contact was painful and in overload it’s like taking every bit of light, noise, smell and feeling in at the same time. So we cut all sensory out, TV off, curtains shut we didn’t look at her or approach her. We did nothing.

The first time we tried it, it shortened the overload and now we have got to a point where she now knows to ask for quiet before things get too much. The advice we were given by medical professionals was how to restrain her, which we politely declined.

We took a lot of notice of her sensory needs. Smell was always the first thing she did to anything and everything. We had concentrated sensory time usually in the bath with all kinds of washing gels, now she is a teenager it’s body sprays and hair products that she meticulously mixes until she’s satisfied. It is important to indulge these as a form of

his last year has been particularly difficult for Margaret Bingham, the founder of the Ciaran Bingham Foundation Trust (CBFT), set up in her son’s name ten years ago.

As well as having to deal with the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, Margaret lost another son.

Joseph tragically took his own life last April.

Ciaran died in a motorbike accident in 2010 and as older people were close to his heart, the trust has worked to break social isolation for the elderly in South Leeds by providing meals and company.

Although it clearly hurts her deeply, Margaret is philosophical: “I was privileged to be Joseph and Ciaran’s mother for 19 and 24 years, some people don’t even get that chance.”

Whilst Joseph’s suicide might have broken some people, Margaret doubled down on ensuring that the trust’s services continued. They moved from providing Sunday

lunches at the Vale Circles centre in Beeston to delivering meals to people’s homes.

“We’ve never once, no matter what my family have been through, have we let one person down” she said. “We’ve been there no matter what, even the day before Joseph’s funeral. I honestly believe it kept us going at the time.”

With the centre closed early deliveries consisted of essential food items and, of course, toilet roll. After 18 weeks the centre reopened and a team of four were allowed in to use the kitchen to cook Sunday lunches. A team of volunteer drivers then take these out to the 70-80 mainly older people plus some people with mental health problems, that the trust support.

Everyone also receives a weekly phone call to check how they are and have a chat. On top of this volunteers have run errands to the post office and pharmacy to collect prescriptions.

Margaret’s work colleagues at St James’s Midwifery Unit have been very supportive too, raising extra funds for such

Preparing lunches last May decompressing, not as a try to relieve an already blown-up overload.

We have never hidden from Amber that she is autistic (her preferred term). All children are very perceptive no matter how their brain pattern works, she knew she had appointments her brothers didn’t have and that her peers were speaking when she wasn’t. She had extra lessons and speech therapy why would we not explain that?

We learn now that when children feel different that it can cause anxiety and mental health issues, usually made worse by not knowing why. We have chats about our brains and how mum’s is different to Ambers’ but they are both good, she doesn’t feel less than

because she is autistic.

Masking is a topic that we now know causes harm.

Masking is when a person will put on a front and cover their natural instincts in order to fit in. Ironically as a society who sends the message that being unique and just be yourself is enough, doesn’t necessarily cross over to the neurodiverse community. There was a time when meltdowns would routinely happen after school, as soon as we left the gate the emotion from overload would spill out. She had tried so hard all day to “behave” and supress her instinct to stim because that was “disruptive” she became physically exhausted as well as mentally drained. We learnt that allowing her quiet

Volunteers set off to deliver Sunday lunch to isolated people things as Christmas presents, Easter flowers and making Valentine’s Day cards to send out with the meals.

Margaret is keen to stress that although staffed by volunteers, all the rules have been followed to keep volunteers and clients Covidsafe including PPE, regular testing and, of course, keeping the kitchen spotlessly clean.

A memorial event in honour of Joseph is scheduled for Saturday 31 July (subject to Covid restrictions) to be held at The Hunslet Club.

“The Hunslet Club did so much for Ciaran and Joseph” explains Margaret. “They forged good friendships there and I’ll be eternally grateful to the club for how they nurtured my children.”

The night will also be a fundraiser for the Trust. Raffle prizes already lined up include a signed Tyson Fury boxing glove and a signed LUFC shirt.

Margaret has also teamed up time and not interacting for at least an hour helped her decompress much quicker.

As we come into April, Autism Awareness Month, many feel that now it is time for acceptance. How do we achieve this? We need to elevate autistic voices and have them at the forefront when teaching about autism.

Representation and visibility are as important to this community as it is to any other.

If we, as Neurotypical (nonautistic), get it wrong we should own that. You are not a bad parent because you didn’t know something. Find advocate pages that are run by autistic adults, they can explain things even doctors can’t. We just have to listen.

with Tony Clark, the sculptor behind the bronze Bielsa statue, which toured Yorkshire last summer to raise funds for MIND. Tony is now making Mini bielsa srtatues which are being sold for £5, proceeds being split between CBFT, Martin House Hospice and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

In the future Margaret would like the trust to do more work around mental health, the raffle will help fund that work.

“I think there’s a stigma around mental health and I think people sweep it under the carpet” she says, pointing out that suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK. But first she’s keen to get back to hosting meals at Vale Circles again when rules allow, bringing people together and fighting isolation. Having picked up people who are housebound, the service will be expanded so that they can continue to deliver to those people.

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April 2021 | South Leeds Life

Photo Competition 11

Signs of Spring Thank you to all our readers who submitted photos showing Signs of Spring. Judging was extremely difficult, but eventuially we came up with a winner: Sophie Housam and a runner up: Sadly we didn’t get any entries in the Under 18 category.

Spring is still developing, so keep your camera, or phone handy as you take your exercise this month and send in your best photos showing more Signs of Springs. There are more prizes and a selection will be published in our May newspaper.

David Spencer

Winner: Sophie Housum took this shot of crocuses in the light of a low sun

Rich Harriso

n

Santa Gaile

Gohar Alma

ss

Runner Up: Dorota Gates with a beautiful close up of catkins bursting from their buds

Carol Ely

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South Leeds Life | April 2021

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12 Creative Writing

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Writing inspired by Middleton Park

by Hazel Millichamp

E

verywhere’s in the Middle of Everywhere” is a story written by Richard Smyth, an award-winning writer and TLS journalist.

The story, reproduced here (beware of strong language), is the product of Richard’s tenure as a Writer in Residence in 2019 at Middleton Park.

Richard’s residency was supported by Friends of Middleton Park, Middleton Park Café and the Northern Short Story Festival.

Richard lives near Bradford and travelled by public transport to spend some days getting to know the area. He says that getting there that way gave

him a feel for the surrounding areas.

Richard explored the parks and woods learning about the layers of history of the area and wishes to give his thanks to Jim Jackson of the Friends of Middleton Wood for passing on his extensive knowledge of the park and woods.

The writer felt a big responsibility to do the place justice and to produce a good piece of work. He delved into what Middleton Park means to people now, and what it has meant to people in the past, which he feels is the best tribute a writer can pay to a place.

Richard discovered that there are many layers to Middleton Park. Firstly, it’s a great place to hang out and have

a walk around. There’s the café for refreshments, the pond, the play park for the kids. But he also enjoyed learning about the natural and social history of the place.

He told me that as all places are, Middleton Park is complicated. He finds the level of complexity in a location a rich source of inspiration, particularly for a fiction writer.

His primary goal was to produce a good story and to paint a picture of a place that’s incredibly deep and rich, complicated and important.

He was fascinated to learn about the coal mining that had taken place within the wood itself and the oak trees being used to produce dyes. He enjoyed the

Everywhere’s The Middle Of Everywhere

by Richard Smyth When I look at them I can feel the humming in my ears. Feel it, not hear it.

It rattles the little bones that live in my ears. Eggborough, Ferrybridge, and Drax.

Holy things come in threes.

There was a young lad by the pond the other day, fishing. I say shouldn’t you be in school. He says he’s on climate strike.

I say pull the other one lad, and he says no, for real, climate strike, it’s legit, look at that Greta Thunberg, has every Friday off, and I say I don’t know who that is but I bet you you don’t see her stood by Middleton Park pond with a fishing rod and a tupperware full of maggots. He says fuck off.

So it must have been a Friday. You lose track.

From up here at the top of the old golf course you can see all three and on clear days you can see even further. Not as far as the sea I don’t think but who knows really. You can see the sun, can’t you, and that’s a good way off. I mean a good way off. I’m not sure what’s beyond the sea exactly. What if I started walking and just didn’t stop? What if I just swam across the sea like it was nothing more than that fishpond and walked up the beach at the other side and then just walked and walked. Where would I get to? Persia or one of those places. India? I don’t know.

The thing is though that it’s easy enough to walk and walk and not get anywhere at all. Walking’s easy, it’s walking straight that’s the trick. I can’t tell you much but I can tell you that.

Dog chased a squirrel in here seventeen year ago and here I still am.

Dog’s long gone but I’m still here.

Found a stick earlier, a good one, three

foot long, beech I think, nice bit of knobble at the heavy end. Had to chase off a feller who was at the mushrooms.

They grow along the old fairway, in the old rough, dozens of them at this time of year. I know they’re not mine exactly but they weren’t his either. Lad with a curly moustache and a satchel. Said he was foraging. I said forage somewhere else.

Forage in Morley or Carlton, I cried, as I chased him down the fairway. Forage in Tingley or Rothwell or Ouzlewell Green, forage in Churwell or Flushdyke or Gomersall or Gildersome, forage in Methley or Kippax or Allerton Bywater.

I ran out of breath before I ran out of places for him to forage. Anyway he was out of sight before I got to Kippax. Quick as a squirrel.

Don’t forage fucking here, I shouted.

Don’t forage in fucking Middleton.

Middle of where? Middle of nowhere.

Middle of everywhere. Everywhere’s the middle of everywhere, really.

The thing about mushrooms is they’re fine, they’re all fine, you mustn’t listen to those who say oh they’re poisonous, oh they’ll kill you, they won’t kill you, they’re fine. The worst they’ll do is give you a dizzy spell or a few days of the runs. The thing to remember is that hardly anything kills you. I can’t tell you much but I can tell you that. Look at me.

Still here.

The sky rolls over and over, white as a sheep, boil‑washed, and the energy of the world rushes upwards into the tall bodies of the trees. You can’t stand where I’m standing, here on this dirty grass, among these screaming birds, and tell me you don’t feel it too.

sense of human industry taking place in a woodland environment - it is a beautiful wood with an industrial past.

Because there is so much to write about Middleton Park, Richard said he suffered from “Everythingitus” – he wanted to fit all that he had learned into the final piece. He explains that this is why his narrator’s story is slightly mad – to reflect the overwhelming power of the place.

He describes his story as “slightly strange” but hopes that local people will find aspects of it that reflects their experience of the park.

The parts that stand out for me are the conversation with the boy who is fishing and the protagonist shouting at

the forager to go forage elsewhere (less politely communicated by him!).

Richard’s work is featured in This New North, a new anthology showcasing the range of writing talent in the North of England.

12 of the writers featured in this anthology are graduates of the Northern Short Story Festival Academy programme which has helped to develop the voices of brand-new short story writers based in the region, alongside stories by Litro fiction editor Barney Walsh, author Anna Chilvers and author and critic Richard Smyth. This New North is edited by SJ Bradley and Anna Chilvers and published by Valley Press.

I wake up from a dream with my face half‑ buried in leafmould.

I remember, after a while, why I fell asleep like that. In that part of the woods is where the coal miners used to hew (a funny, whistling word, that – hew!). I remember pressing my cheek into the mulchy earth to listen for the coal miners down there below.

Of course they’re not there in person. I suppose their old bones might be, some of them. But do you know, astro‑scientists tell us that, somewhere in the universe, we can still listen to the echoes of the noise made by the very beginning of everything. The very beginning of everything. And of course that was a good long time ago. So I lay down to listen to the echoes of the miners: their talking, shouting, banging, clattering, weeping, singing (surely they sang, everyone sings).

I don’t remember hearing anything.

Then a bit later, while I’m walking with my stick across what I think was once the fourteenth hole, I remember the dream.

I’m up at the top of the fairway again, but I’m not by myself, not like usual. There’s a bunch of people, mostly men, some women, all in smart dark suits. They’re listening to me. I’m telling them things and they’re listening.

What I’m talking about is energy, power.

Do you mean, they say, the energy of Eggborough, Drax, Ferrybridge, because yes, it’s as you say, we can feel it – we can feel it in our earbones (anvil, hammer, stirrup: holy things come in threes, it’s as you say).

My voice is big when I say no, no, and (with a sweeping arm gesture) say that I mean this energy, the energy of this wild place – this crucible of life, east of the Dewsbury Road, north of the A653. And by that – I know this in the dream – I mean the uprushing of the blades of grass, the hydraulics of the trees, the untiring bellows of breath and birdsong, the uncheckable momentum of the seasons, the clenched potentiality of rock and earth and clay and coal, the strength of flowers, the perpetual motion of midges.

Let Ferrybridge run to dereliction and be

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Creative Writing 13

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overrun by deer and rosebay, I cry. Let roosting starlings blacken the walls of Drax.

Let Eggborough lie dead and cold, let the grass grow over. Let us no longer hew (I whistle the word like a lapwing) and burn.

Let us tap instead the energy of life, gentlemen, ladies, of life.

They are all silent, the people in dark smart suits. They nod, with slack jaws.

All except one, a man, whose suit seems not quite as smart as the suits of the others. In the silence he says, This is not correct, Mr (he calls me by a name I forgot a good long while ago). This energy, this power of wild things.

Let us consider it, he says (does he draw out a notebook, a ledger of accounts, a spreadsheet?). The labour of the squirrels, let us say – the hard work of this or that caterpillar, the toil of the growing hazel.

What is it?

The question seems what’s the word, rhetorical, and I don’t answer.

It is not surplus, he says. It is used, it is spent, it is needed. Every ounce, every inch.

All at once the man, in the dream, seems to be standing very close to me. It’s apparent all of a sudden that this is an important man, more important than the rest (are the rest even still there?).

Look at you, Mr (that name again, like a swear word). Consider yourself as a wild thing. Do you, sir, have energy to give away?

Look at you. Can you spare a bone, can you spare a breath?

In the dream I consider myself as a wild thing, a life composed of unlikely odds, a creature of extremity, all edge, all twitch, and I say (fearfully, I think) – no, no. And the man makes a mark in his book. The others – they are still there, then – have already turned away from me, and talk among themselves.

I think of the dream again when in the middle of the night I wake up half‑curled in my form beneath the holly, shivering hard beneath the conversations of the owls, and again I think – in fact I think I might say it out loud – no, I can’t, I can’t spare a breath, sir, not a bone, not an ounce, not an inch.

Photo: Stuart Petch

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

I look down at the city in the aching blue dawn. The tall buildings like big teeth. Chimneys trailing steam, pink in the sunrise. It’s so small. I can’t look at a city and not think that. Look how little, how low. All those years and all that work and all those people and look – how we barely reach a finger’s width into the sky, how we’ve barely raised ourself off our elbows. You can lift up your thumb, held sideways, and blot it all out.

I do that now. Gone. Nothing. Just one westward rising drift of steam.

I collect some mushrooms. I pick some berries. I find a dead magpie, not too far gone. I lay some traps (my traps are shit, and never work). I gather fistfuls of what leaves are left. I fish the body of a dead cat from the pond – it has a collar, a name, George, and I bury it beneath waxy beech leaves up by the mines.

I lie on my back on the cold soil and watch woodpigeons and aeroplanes crisscross the sky.

I wonder if I’ll be here forever. What’s forever?

It’ll be okay in the end, they say – they say, cleverly, if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. Well if I’m not still here maybe it’s not forever. Does that make sense? My mouth is dry from the mushrooms.

To keep going is the thing. Whether you wind up in Persia or India or under a hollybush in LS‑ten or wherever. Keep going. There’s an old collier’s train down the arse end of the park, a hundred‑odd years old – that’s still going. No coal to carry but it’s still going. Never mind the why, there isn’t a why. The trees, they’re even older than that, half of them. The world: the world’s a good age, a good age. Still spinning. Still going.

Beside the old cart track in the woods I set the sole of my boot against the trunk of fallen tree and roll it over on to its back – peer at its wet belly. Woodlice all across the pulpy bark. They remind me – They remind me that I have other dreams, dreams that feel more like memories than dreams. It’s not quite gone, all that (nothing’s ever quite gone, is it – ask the leafmould, the clay, the rock, the atoms of the air).

An industrial unit, not far from here, lined with humming mesh cages, where they breed soldier flies for food (fishfood, pigfood, dogfood, until the licensing laws change, and then just food) – was I there, did I do that, raising the young maggots on bakery waste and coffee grounds, drawing up tabulations of carbon outflow and protein content?

Or a factory floor in a salt‑washed town beyond the power stations where the air’s a reek of fish and bunker fuel – was I there, was I a builder (a menial, probably, a worker ant) of the great encrusted marine turbines that catch this wind, this same cold old Middleton

wind, and ratchet it tight into the earth, into batteries, copper cables, capacitors, I don’t know what?

Did I nurse young hazel saplings, tubed in clear perspex, hundreds of them, hundreds of thousands of them, green‑timbered and limber and bending their backs in the easterlies, to be chipped for biofuel, did I clear the open meadows in the east (they were bad pasture, anyway) and dig in footings for the solar arrays?

I don’t know what I did. They seem like more than dreams though, don’t they. I watch the woodlice. I wouldn’t want to eat them myself and that’s saying something.

If they’re dreams, these, they’re dreams about persistence. About keeping on.

Maybe everything’s gone but that. Not just for me but for everyone – everyone down there in that city I just blotted out with my grubby thumb, everyone way over there in Persia or India or wherever it was, and everyone in between – everyone everywhere, we’re just keeping going, never mind what for, where to, good or bad, it’s just that, keep going.

People talk about ‘keeping the lights on’ but I think if the lights went off we’d all just keep on walking in the dark.

On days like today when I stand in the ankle‑high grass and reach down through myself to feel whatever it is that’s coming up through the roots and the fungus – on days like today, I feel like one of those polythene men you used to see on car‑dealer forecourts, those ones with the compressed air rushing through them, making them stand upright, wave their arms, dance, bend, beckon. That’s me. Without the energy I find here I’d just collapse to the ground, a heap of dirty clothes, an empty bag of skin and hair.

Who knows, maybe it works the other way too. Maybe if I wasn’t here the whole place would just go spiralling downwards into nowhere like water out of a bath.

Another reason to keep going. I’d hate to see that happen.

In the dusk of whatever day it is today I stand at the top of the fairway and squint across at the distant lights of the power stations. Feel again the thrum, the tremor – wherever the bloody hell it comes from.

I think about lying down once again and pressing my ear to the wet earth and listening once again for the old songs of the mining men. I don’t, yet. I will eventually. But for now I stay standing up and looking over at the lights, because as long as I’m still standing up I’m still standing up. I can’t tell you much but I can tell you that. As long as I’m still going I’m still going.

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April 2021 | South Leeds Life

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School Life 15

Ingram Road wins Breakfast Club prize A

Windmill pupils help the homeless After teaching assistant Tracy Smith told Year 5 pupils at Windmill Primary School in Belle Isle about the work she was doing with a group called The Homeless And the Needy, they were keen to help. The group supports people living rough on the streets of Leeds with food, drink and shelter provisions. The pupils held an Easter raffle in school to raise funds to buy a trolley for the group. The raffle was a huge success raising £258.80, which meant they could buy tents and sleeping mats to donate with the trolley.

Cockburn MAT students return to the classroom S

chools in the Cockburn Multi-Academy Trust have welcomed all of their students back to the classrooms as of Monday 8 March.

The most recent lockdown was announced at short notice and the team of staff across the MAT responded quickly to this. They developed online systems to support remote learning which saw students continuing to learn, with many benefiting from live teaching in all subject areas, across their full timetable.

Before their students returned to the classrooms, all schools modified risk assessments and in the secondary schools implemented systems for

Cockburn School in Beeston

Covid-19 mass testing to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff, with a minimum of impact on the curriculum. Now they are back, students remain in year group bubbles with regular hand sanitising and follow staggered start and finish times to the school day.

We asked the leaders of the schools what it has been like to welcome all of their students back to school.

Cockburn John Charles Academy Head of School, Siobhan Roberts said “It is brilliant to welcome all of our students back in person, and we acknowledge those students who have continued to work tirelessly while at

home. I would also like to recognise the fantastic effort of all of our staff to provide engaging learning activities and to implement mass testing on a large scale.”

Head of School at Cockburn School, Rob Dixon said “Well done to all our students returning back to school from 9 March. It has been fantastic to see them back in school after such another long period away.

All students have settled quickly back into our routines and are engaging well with their learning in a real classroom again.”

Middleton Primary Headteacher, Sam Williams said “Our children returned to school on 8 March and it was as if they had never been away.

They have shown great resilience and have come back to school with a brilliant attitude, and are eager to catch up on missed learning.

Attendance and behaviour has been very good and the children have also shown how much they have missed their peers - educationally, socially and emotionally. It has been a fantastic return to school.”

Cockburn Haigh Road Academy Headteacher, Jacquie Padgett said “The staff were

excited to welcome all of the children back into school on 8 March. Children have quickly adapted back into their routines and we have prioritised getting them quickly back into 'learning mode' whilst managing their wellbeing through specific class-based work. Parents have done an amazing job during lockdown and we look forward to sharing some exciting projects over the coming months.”

The new Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy is on track to open in September. Head of School, Vicky Smith said “I am looking forward to welcoming our new Year 7 students into the academy from September.

Since 1 March, I have had many excellent conversations with parents and carers about the future of their children as Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy students. It is wonderful to hear that these Year 6 students are back in school and working hard to learn as much as they can before they become our founding members of the new academy”.

Schools are vibrant places again now that everyone is back in the buildings. Staff are so pleased to be working face to face with students again.

The focus for all schools now is to continue to ensure that no student is left behind. Students will benefit from bespoke support to make accelerated progress as this is a key time for all year groups.

Holbeck school has been crowned the best club in Yorkshire and Humber in the annual Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards.

Ingram Road Primary School was voted by a panel of judges as the best breakfast club in Yorkshire and Humber.

The school has received a cash prize of £1,000 to spend on its breakfast club, as well as a special party pack for the children to celebrate in the coming months.

The Kellogg’s panel of judges selected winners based on the inspiring individuals and activities that transform the mornings of children across the UK and with so many amazing stories submitted, the competition was tough. Ingram Road Primary School’s commitment to ensure every child has breakfast to start their day and their ability to

possible to provide this support to our families. Our children will be so excited to celebrate our success and enjoy their party pack when they are able to return to school.”

The breakfast club team at Ingram Road Primary noted how vital the club was to support working parents, vulnerable families and ensuring that every child has breakfast so they are ready to learn.

Ingram Road Primary School will split the winnings between supporting their local food bank to ensure that their families are food secure when school is closed and investing in the clubs future sustainability.

Chris Silcock, VP and chief of Kellogg’s UK & Ireland, said: “I have had the opportunity to see the amazing work breakfast clubs do first hand.

Ingram Road Primary School in Holbeck adapt to regulations during the pandemic impressed the panel.

The team at Ingram Road Primary provided weekly breakfast hampers containing cereal, bagels and beans to families in need throughout the first national lockdown. Over the summer holidays, the school worked closely with their local food bank to ensure that their families could collect the hampers from there. Since Ingram Road Primary reopened in September, every child takes home a pack of bagels, a box of cereal and porridge every fortnight.

Sarah Millard, Headteacher at Ingram Road Primary said: “We are extremely grateful and proud to have been chosen as your winner of this year’s Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Award.

We work very closely with charitable organisations and without them, it would not be

The pandemic has proven that now, more than ever, breakfast clubs are vital for so many families. They support working parents, offer a sense of normality when it is needed most and provide the essential fuel children need to learn.

“The Kellogg’s Breakfast Club awards provide a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible and vital difference these clubs make across the UK.” This year, Kellogg’s is donating more money to support breakfast clubs than ever before. Along with their grants programmes which will provide funding for a minimum of 500 schools, Kellogg’s is pledging more investment – in cereal and money – to help Magic Breakfast to support 167,000 children every morning.

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South Leeds Life | April 2021

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16 Comment

In our view Fly tipping and litter Some people just don’t get it, do they? It’s about taking personal responsibility. It starts with littering and ends in fly tipping. If you’ve got a piece of rubbish, whether that’s a sweet wrapper or an old bathroom suite, it’s your responsibility to get rid of it properly.

Stuff comes with a cost. The cost of buying it and the cost of disposing of it at the end of its life. The Council will help you, they will collect your bins, run recycling centres and put litter bins in place.

They will even collect large items from your house. But you have to meet them half way. Put the rubbish in the bin, book a collection, take your litter home from the park.

There’s plenty of people to help you, but at the end of the day it’s your responsibility.

Listen to experience Three articles this month really inspired us. Major John Pocock found faith and turned his life round to serve others, yet never forgot his past life and used his experience to see when others were struggling.

Margaret Bingham has lost two sons, but hasn’t faltered in delivering a service she set up in their name. And Christine Smart has brought up her daughter and worked through the issues that autism brings. All three have listened to their own experience or others’ lived experiences to live a better life. There’s a lesson for all of us there.

The return of What’s On As lockdown restrictions start to be eased, community groups are getting organised to bring you a wide range of activities. We are gearing up to, to bring you all the details with our classified listings page as well as our online calendar.

We build up the What’s On listings from what we see around South Leeds, but we don’t know everything that’s going on, so if you know of something that should be listed, don’t be shy, tell us so that we can include it and let others know.

South Leeds

Laughs “I’m sure wherever my Dad is: he’s looking down on us.

He’s not dead, just very condescending.”

If you've got a great joke you want to share (max 200 words), email it to us at info@southleedslife.com by the 15th of each month, with your name and address, and the best one each month will win a £5 prize.

Your letters and comments Overgrown footpath Since the lockdown my friend and I have most days walked up the Beeston ring road towards Middleton. We are finding it more and more difficult to walk on the actual pedestrian lane and not the cycle lane because of the many overhanging trees and bushes. Unfortunately, when you have to walk in the cycle lane you are in danger of getting knocked over by cyclists who seem to come down at about 100 mph (no bells of course). Cyclists also come up, but not so fast.

Maybe the Council would have a look at this before there is an accident between a pedestrian and a cyclist. Another problem on this ring road is the litter which seems to increase day by day, especially at the lower end of the road - both sides. Maybe one of our Councillors could walk up and see the problem for themselves.

Margaret Cook We passed Margaret’s letter on to the Councillors ...

We are very grateful to Ms Cook for raising the issue and her concerns. This work had actually been planned for some time, but required quite extensive resources to carry it out. Council staff and contractors have now undertaken work to cut back the overhanging foliage and trees. (see before and after photos, above).

Following the closure of South Leeds Golf Club, the Council has now taken over responsibility for managing the land. We have requested that maintenance of this boundary is carried out in a more systematic way. As Councillors we are working with the Council's Parks & Countryside Department, the Friends of Middleton Park, and the Urban Bike Park on a number of other potential projects planned for the former course, and we will be consulting local people on these later in the year.

Cllr Paul Truswell (Middleton Park)

Fly tipping and litter I would like to see the figures regarding free waste disposal versus the cost of clearing up the fly tipping.

Perhaps a month trial of free disposal could be trialled. It would be interesting to see if fly tipping reduced during the same period.

Richard Fly tipping is problematic to say the least in the area. I’m not condoning the act by any stretch of the imagination, however if we assume fly tipping will always be a “thing” would (for example) two trips to the tip in a standard Transit-style van per month free-of-charge be enough of an incentive to reduce the amount of offending?

There would obviously be an increased cost to the council. However, the current cost of fly tipping clear-ups and the enforcement of the law in this respect would undoubtedly dwarf any additional expenditure given that the infrastructure to deal with it in a contained waste site is already there – just an increase in volume.

James Hood Hopefully the system of booking a slot at a recycling centre will continue. Myself and

Ring Road Beeston Park: before and after my neighbours find this a very useful service to book in advance Mike Don’t know why certain people think it’s acceptable to throw their rubbish wherever they like- they only need to put it in a rubbish bin or simply take it home and put it in their own rubbish bin!

Jan Somebody must know of a good crafty or useful idea for all the hundreds of old CDs we have instead of them being sent to landfill. The only thing I can think of is hanging them from tree branches to make light patterns round the garden on sunny days. Any ideas?

Linda Cuthbertson

Leeds Blitz This is a very interesting project. My mother was 13 when the war started, she missed the end of school and went into a clothing factory. She worked on army uniforms. I can remember her saying how rough they were to work with. The hours were long and probably illegal for her age.

She wanted to join the RAF when older and join her father and older brother who were also in the RAF, but was told her factory work was essential for the war effort. She appealed to a Tribunal but lost. I asked her if she was scared during the war but she said no, she knew we would win.

The clothing factory was very near the museum and she said she and her friends

would go to the museum during their lunch break. She very much missed it when it was bombed.

I was glad to read about the project tonight, 15 March 2021 at 10pm. I can hear the bombs now. Hope your students enjoyed the work.

Janice Camponi

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Top Tweets Keep up to date, up to the minute, by following South Leeds Life’s Twitter feed: @SouthLeedsLife.

Twitter is the 140 character ‘micro blogging’ site. It’s free and you can sign up at twitter.com. It’s a great place to find the very latest news.

Here are some of our favourite recent tweets: @IngramRoad Thank you so much @SlungLow and @LUFeduc for inviting us to be part of an amazing event! 📚 We are so proud of all our children who attended and especially proud those who read poems & stories.📚 We had a fabulous day ! 📚 #WorldBookDay2021

Holbeck engagement group Ahhhhh this is the new time-wasting team set up with council groupies who will say yes to everything the councillors want them to in exchange for funding for their organisations. All because the actual community of long term residents hate having prostitution in their streets and won’t sit down and shut up as they were expected to!

It’s as if the councillors are too cowardly to tackle the serious issues suffered by the community, so have discriminated against a long established community group in favour of an easy life with their ‘yes’ men!

They’ve got their fingers in their own ears singing La la la la la!

Claire

Join the debate Comment online; by email: info@southleedslife.com; or post to: 224 Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds, LS11 7BW. Letters may be edited for publication.

@HousingLeeds Council tenants claiming Universal Credit should advise the DWP of their April rent increase after the 5th April 2021. Any submitted before then will not be registered.

The DWP will send a 'To do' (confirm housing Costs) to your On Line Account (journal) at the right time. @LeedsCyclists An amazing 2,932 people have signed our Skelton Grange steps petition.

Comments left: “It’s a daily hazard I have to deal with on my cycle to work” “Exhausted carrying my bike up those steps and this on a dedicated cycle route” Please sign at chng.it/nkHsYvXq

Corrections & clarifications Cladding In our March edition (Cladding: the nightmare continues, p1) we reported: “The situation first broke locally as a full-blown crisis in December 2019, when the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued warnings to all leaseholders to respond to the demands of the new legislation, or face eviction.” WYFRS have issued the following statement: “West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) would like to make it clear that we have never threatened leaseholders with eviction as stated above.

“The situation first broke immediately after the Grenfell Tower tragedy and in December 2019 we wrote to all building owners of premises with unsafe cladding to request details of their remediation plans.

“It is the priority of WYFRS to safeguard the safety of residents by ensuring building owners act responsibly. In those letters we did clearly inform building owners that should they be uncooperative then we may utilise our enforcement powers to ensure the continued safety of residents, this could include prohibition of the building, or parts of, if no remediation plans were provided and residents were left in dangerous premises.

“Residents were written to in order to inform them of the communication with the building owners.

“We continue to work with and urge those responsible for buildings where flammable cladding remains to take steps to remediate such issues as soon as possible.”

@RunMayor_Leeds Hi! I'm Gemma, the Running Mayor for Leeds! The Running Mayors Network is an initiative to champion the role of running in our cities & places.

It's part of #RunSome - a campaign to inspire us to run some everyday journeys, errands & commutes

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April 2021 | South Leeds Life

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Comment 17

MP’s notebook

by Hilary Benn MP

E

xactly a year ago, in my column for South Leeds Life, I reflected on how the world had changed in ways that could scarcely have been imagined four weeks earlier.

Twelve months on, who would have imagined that we would have seen 126,000 people lose their lives, three lockdowns, businesses going bankrupt while others are hanging on by the skin of their teeth, and the sheer impact on people’s health and mental wellbeing.

This anniversary of the first lockdown is indeed a moment to remember all those we have lost, their families who still grieve for them and the change the virus has brought to all of our lives. There will be very important lessons to learn when the inevitable inquiry begins, but given rising infections on the continent of Europe and what is likely to be

the ever-present threat of new variations of the virus, this isn't over yet.

So, as the magnificent NHS vaccination programme helps to protect us and those we love and as we yearn to return to normal – meeting family and friends and hugging grandchildren again - we have to recognise that it's going to be a different kind of normal.

The virus has also exposed an uncomfortable truth about the nature of our society. We have seen how it has affected different groups in different ways as existing inequalities have been sharply exposed.

Surely, we don't want to go back to that kind of normal?

But it’s also important to remember that this crisis has brought out the best in our society; the kindness, selflessness and care for others that is rooted in our communities and the efforts of all those who have worked so hard to look after us. We thank

you from the bottom of our hearts.

The awful death of Sarah Everard provoked national revulsion and enormous sympathy for her family and friends who grieve terribly for her loss. It has also prompted an outpouring of stories from women up and down the country about how, so often, they feel unsafe when they are out and about. They rightly ask ‘what are we going to do about this?’

There's certainly a case for new offences so that men who behave in an unacceptable way face the consequences, although given the huge delays in the court system, they won't necessarily do any good if cases only come to court years later, by which time memories have faded or witnesses have just given up. It's a change in culture that’s really required.

A couple of Saturdays ago I went for a long walk around Holbeck. My life as an MP

Hilary Benn MP usually involves lots of rushing about by car to get from one place to another, but there is nothing like walking to help you to see things both close up and in a different light.

For example, I stopped and had a good look at Temple Works - the extraordinary Grade

Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds Central constituency which covers Hunslet, Middleton, Belle Isle, Beeston, Holbeck, Cottingley in south Leeds as well as the city centre, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Little London, Lincoln Green, Burmantofts, Richmond Hill and Osmondthorpe Contact: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk, www.hilarybennmp.com Constituency office: Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS7 1AB; Tel: 0113 244 1097

1 listed 19th century building that was a flax mill and looks like an Egyptian temple.

At the time it was constructed by the great Leeds industrialist John Marshall, it was the largest room in the world, had the world's first hydraulic lift and sheep grazed on the roof among the famous domed skylights. This wasn't just a folly. The roof was covered in grass which was needed to bring moisture into the factory below and maintain the right temperature to prevent the linen thread from drying out

and breaking.

The building has long been in a poor state and a section of it collapsed a few years ago. It was bought in 2018 by CEG which has set out ambitious plans for its restoration, with the intention of the British Library occupying it as its northern home. This is a really exciting project that will bring this remarkable piece of Holbeck history back into use, and having had the opportunity some years ago to glimpse inside the building I can tell you that everyone is in for a treat.

Why I’ll keep protesting to end violence against women

by Sue Talbot

A

bout twenty local women and men chose to dedicate their daily exercise in Cross Flatts Park, Beeston on Saturday 13 March to the memory of Sarah Everard and in protest at sexual harassment, abuse and murder of women by men in Britain, and the world.

The murder of Sarah Everard, a 33 year old woman walking home along main roads in London, throws into sharp relief the continuing reality of sexual harassment and abuse and, ultimately, the possibility of murder, faced by every woman, every day of our lives.

It happens everywhere: at work or socially as “banter”, at home in the rising incidents of domestic violence, in flats, “health club”, palaces and brothels as the trafficked victim of a prince, or pauper; and on the streets, by opportunist abusers who could be anyone from a passing pre-teen, a drunk, or a member of the diplomatic protection corps.

In 1973, as a 15 year old school girl, waiting for my bus in genteel Lytham-St-Anne’s, a man muttered horrible words to

me. Before that, there was the man in the sweet shop where we girls never went alone; the neighbour whom I avoided on the bus, because he made me feel uncomfortable. I really do understand how frightening it is to be a girl a young woman, and a woman.

I reached adulthood in the

late 1970s at the time of the “Yorkshire Ripper” but also at the time of mass feminist protests. Inspired by the equal pay strikes of women Ford workers and the Grunwick women (Asian women, memorably supported by Yorkshire miners) and by protests against Miss World in

Placards, flowers and candles left at the love lock tree in Cross Flatts Park

1970, we campaigned for abortion rights, for equal pay, for maternity pay, for employment rights, against domestic violence, against racism, for the right to refuge from domestic violence, for the housing rights of women fleeing violence, for LGB(T) rights.

We supported the Miners’ Great Strike whilst arguing with them that their sexism undermined united working class fightback against the bosses.

Decade after decade women have been told the we should not wear short skirts or tight jeans, that we should “stay at home after dark”, “walk in pairs”, “stay sober”, “take the safe route”.

We’re told that we ”asked for it”, that “it” doesn’t happen to “respectable women”, that sex workers “can’t be raped”.

Sarah Everard, a professional woman, was walking home, sober, dressed in loose trousers and an anorak at 9pm on a main road. And yet a man felt entitled to kidnap and kill her.

People demand “more police on the streets”, but it appears that it was a policeman who

killed Sarah Everard. So the issue isn’t police presence or absence.

And it isn’t what women wear or don’t wear. It isn’t how we walk, whether we’re drunk or sober, whether we wear high heels, tight jeans, flat shoes or trousers, whether we are “respectable women” or sex workers.

The issue appears to be an ingrained attitude among some, many, men who think women of any age, any shape, any race, and any class are “fair game” and that sexual harassment and abuse of women is just fine.

I, and the women and men with me were protesting against that notion. No woman is “fair game”. There is no excuse for male violence against women. No excuse for rape or sexual assault. No excuse for sexual abuse. No excuse for physical or verbal sexual harassment. Banter is not funny.

And for us as women – whether in Beeston, Holbeck, Haringey or Brixton, we should not live our lives in fear, for a life lived in fear is a life halflived.

I refuse to live in fear.

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Councillors’ briefing B

eeston & Holbeck Ward Update: While restrictions on our daily lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic are being lifted, we encourage everyone to remain careful and do everything possible to prevent the spread of the disease. We were pleased to see so many people have signed up for a postal vote, with at least 4,500 postal votes now registered in the Beeston and Holbeck ward, which is a great thing for democracy. With the new Mayor for West Yorkshire, this could be one of the biggest local elections we’ve seen.

The month has had its challenges with flooding in some parts of the Southleighs and water shortages in Cottingley Heights. If you want to speak to someone for advice you can call the Floodline on 0345 988 1188 (lines open 24 hours).

The month has also had some wins, with work continuing on the roof of the Cottingley shopping centre, where leaking is a long standing issue, an excellent litter pick thanks to Beeston In Bloom on Beggars Hill and

Water problems at Cottingley Heights

progress with the so-called snooker hall on Dewsbury Road.

Due to number of organisations and individuals leaving the Voice of Holbeck due a breakdown of trust, we could not leave the residents of Holbeck voiceless and so we have launched an engagement group with local residents, businesses and organisations of all views. It is in a fledgling stage and is still working out its terms of reference, but we’re keen to look at the recommendations of both the Independent Review and the Listening Well project. Lots of work to do, but are now moving together in the right direction. unslet & Riverside Ward Update: It has been over a year since the first lockdown. Every person lost before their time is tragic, as too are the dashed futures of so many due to the scale of measures need to be to protect lives. The post pandemic world must be fairer than before. We are proud of the huge effort made by Council staff during this period.

They, with other keyworkers across all sectors, kept the city

moving. Thank you.

This month has seen a focus on fly tipping. Rates have gone up during the pandemic driven partly by DIY and home renovations as people remained at home. At the same time, sadly, getting rid of bulky waste become harder due to a reduction in access to the Household Waste Sites and delays in the Council’s bulky waste collections service due to staff shielding.

This has led to more fly

Carr and more. iddleton Park Ward Update: We are collaborating with the NHS and local agencies regarding action on the higher than average Covid infection rates in Middleton and Belle Isle. We would urge everyone to continue to observe Covid guidance and to take up their vaccine offer so that we can move out of the restrictions safely.

Delays in court action on

M

H

Fly tipping in Beeston Hill tipping but the main driver has been the creation of new unlicensed waste firms. They offer a quicker service than the Council and cheaper prices than the licensed companies.

They then dump the waste they collect.

To help tackle this, the hours at the tips have now been extended, enforcement ramped up and as shielding ends, and staff numbers improve, the backlog of collections and fly tipping will be cleared.

It has also been good to see a number of projects progress or complete such as the securing of the Old Vale Playground on Tunstall Road, more work on the Hunslet Edible Estate, metal gates ordered to secure more bin yards on Beeston Hill, progress on City Connect on Dewsbury Road, and new trees and planters ordered for Hunslet

some local issues are causing increased frustration. This is a result of past cuts to the

Consultation coming on Middleton golf course land judicial system and the impact of the pandemic on court hearings. A good example is the individuals charged some time ago with offences relating to quad bike ride outs, who will not be appearing in court until November.

Local people are also concerned about travellers’ encampments. Only the police have the power to move travellers on immediately. If the police do not exercise these powers, the Council is legally required to go to court for an eviction notice. As it has no control over the courts, the hearing can be delayed for a number of weeks.

We are working with the police and other agencies to tackle concerns regarding antisocial behaviour, and to

identify potential sites for using CCTV. Our community computer recycling scheme has been a great success, we are grateful to everyone who has contributed. Unwanted laptops can be dropped off at Middleton Asda.

The second phase of consultation about the Plantations off Sharp Lane has been launched, based on feedback from a large number of residents.

Plans are being worked up with Leeds Urban Bike Park and Friends of Middleton Park regarding future community use of the former South Leeds Golf Club course and clubhouse.

A public consultation will be launched soon.

Your Leeds City Councillors Beeston & Holbeck ward Includes Beeston from Cross Flatts Park to the Ring Road, Cottingley and Holbeck. The three councillors are:

Gohar Almass 07445 878 333 gohar.almass@leeds.gov.uk Angela Gabriel 07946 632 468 angela.gabriel@leeds.gov.uk Andrew Scopes 07860 400 645 andrew.scopes@leeds.gov.uk

Hunslet & Riverside ward Includes the city centre, Beeston Hill and Hunslet.

The three councillors are:

Mohammed Iqbal 0113 226 8796 mohammed.iqbal@leeds.gov.uk Elizabeth Nash 0113 275 8594 elizabeth.nash@leeds.gov.uk Paul Wray 07528 512 649 paul.wray@leeds.gov.uk

Middleton Park ward Includes Belle Isle and Middleton. The three councillors are: Judith Blake Kim Groves Paul Truswell

0113 378 9000 judith.blake@leeds.gov.uk 07891 741 832 kim.groves@leeds.gov.uk 0113 378 8811 paul.truswell@leeds.gov.uk

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Luke Shaw is Luke Budda

by Hazel Millichamp

L

uke Shaw from Middleton has an alias that he uses when making music and that is Luke Budda.

Luke has fantastic flow and his lyrics are beautifully crafted and often emotional. His track ‘Make or Break – Uncle’s Tribute’ is in part a tribute to his grandma who has had a son die in a hit and run accident, one son die of a heart attack and three sons who lost their lives to suicide.

Luke admires his grandma greatly and the song also pays homage to her sons Peter, Martin, Gareth, Jay and Shane Dickinson. Despite dealing with all of this, his grandma is now caring for her own 97 year old mother. It’s no wonder that Luke is in awe of her.

Despite suffering from anxiety, Luke was partly inspired to begin his musical career by the Leeds group Straight Out of Nowhere, featuring Levi J Warrener, Brad Chappelow and Andy Wood.

Luke is grateful for the support and encouragement the group have given him to live his dream. And live it he has!

Luke already has over 275,000

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

followers on Facebook and 400 subscribers on YouTube even though he has only uploaded four videos so far.

He has been writing music for the past six years but has only been releasing his work to the public for the past seven months. Luke finds that performing helps him with his anxiety and to relieve pressure.

Luke has a full time job but still makes time for music. He has four children he helps to take care of and says the kids

Middleton rapper Luke Budda

Art Life 19 are his greatest supporters. His daughter sings along to the chorus of his song ‘My Girl’ with him and that gives him great pride.

Luke says that mental health is an issue very close to his heart and that he often tells his friends that he loves them and lets others know how he is feeling. He is keen that his friends and family don’t keep issues to themselves and don’t let things build up.

On reading the comments on his YouTube page it is clear to see that Luke has many friends and fans supporting him and giving him the confidence to keep going: “WOW Luke. I was transfixed.

What an emotional heartfelt tribute.”

“Hey Dude – listened to this song on Marti’s channel yesterday – not kidding you brother it touched me deep in a good way – the message/song is a most beautiful powerful performance – working hard to help others with mental health as well – good work dude – stay strong – stay focused – stay positive… keep going.”

Luke is very much looking forward to being able to perform to crowds when that is allowed to happen.

He explains that he gets very nervous when making his music videos but practice makes perfect and he is improving all of the time.

Search for Luke Budda on YouTube to check out more of Luke’s work.

New exhibition at The Tetley

A

fter nearly a year’s delay imposed by the global pandemic, The Tetley, Hunslet’s own art gallery, has announced the launch of a new exhibition.

'From this World, To That Which Is To Come' by Mel Brimfield is an urgent reminder of our deep need for community.

Mel Brimfield's interdisciplinary and collaborative practice is rooted in scripted performance, incorporating live work, moving image, staged audio, installation and drawing.

Operating at the intersection of theatre, live art and film, Brimfield's work aims to bring audiences for the arts together

and erode historic distinctions between creative fields.

This exhibition marks the culmination of two years' work, based on a research residency at Bethlem Royal Hospital's National Psychosis Unit and Kings College Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience in 2018–19. The resulting series of works explore the alienating effects of mental ill health and treatment at an individual, familial and societal level, while also presenting a celebration of the radical potential of collective creative action and kindness.

You can view the exhibition online at www.thetetley.org or book to see it in person from 21 May.

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South Leeds Life | April 2021

20 South Leeds Lives

Secrets of the “Leeds Blitz” revealed for 80th anniversary T

he precise locations of the high explosive bombs which fell on Leeds during its worst World War ll air raid have been mapped for the very first time by a team of students at Leeds Beckett University (LBU).

The exact sites and stories of these bombs can be seen on new webpages, which include an interactive map, that have been launched for of the 80th anniversary of the raid last

month.

25 tons of explosives were dropped on the city on 14 March 1941 targeting the Gas Works and industrial areas surrounding the river Aire, but the bombs damaged many other important sites including the Town Hall, the City Museum, telephone exchange and also people’s homes. The raid caused over 100 serious fires, damaged over 4,500

buildings and resulted in 65 people losing their lives.

Although officially too small to qualify for ‘Blitz’ status (which is defined as 100 tons of explosives) the city was pounded by incendiary and high explosive bombs in two waves of attack during the night and early hours of the following morning.

Amongst the premises hit was the British Petroleum

Inspecting damage to the City Museum © leodis.net

depot on Yarn Street in Hunslet which was hit by three high explosive bombs; a feed pipe was damaged resulting in the loss of 5,000 gallons of fuel oil.

Various premises on Marshall Street in Holbeck were hit including the Leeds Industrial Co-operative Society (LICS) warehouse; as well as the Campbell Stewart & McDonald factory on Ingram Road in Holbeck; and a residential property on Rowland Road in Beeston Hill.

The team from the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities worked on a ‘Public History Project’ module to explore different aspects of the raid and have pinpointed the exact sites of many previously unlocated bombs.

The project was a partnership with Leeds Museums and Galleries, the Leeds Local and Family History Library and the West Yorkshire Archives Service.

Using an array of primary and secondary sources ranging from secret Home Security reports to academic texts, the Leodis photography archive, genealogy databases and historical maps the LBU group tried to uncover the full story of what had happened that night.

They also focused on the

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effect of the damage on civilian morale and heroism, these themes striking a balance between popular interest and historical context while also respecting and remembering those involved. Many of the stories researched happened in places still recognisable today.

Senior Lecturer in Public History Dr Henry Irving oversaw the project and said carrying it out during an unprecedented global pandemic meant the work took on an added significance: “Though not as badly bombed as other places, we were all struck by how little had been written about Leeds. I’m really proud we have now been able to update the West Yorkshire Archive Service’s bomb map, which shows exactly where different bombs fell.

“The students also worked to connect individual incidents with the people affected, adding details about the legacies of the raid. I should also say that the subject matter was quite emotional – and, of course, we’ve had to do all of this while coping with lockdown!”

One of the groups working on the Leeds Blitz project focussed on the lives of wartime women, which resonated with BA English and History student Leanne Speight.

Leanne remembered stories from her own Great Grandma who worked in a munitions factory, many of which are often little

discussed: “She was one of hundreds of thousands of women across Britain who did ‘their bit’ and it was clear she viewed her contribution as nothing out of the ordinary. But together, the women achieved something extraordinary, shattering gender stereotypes to step into traditionally male roles when the nation needed them most.

“We see clear examples of the courage demonstrated by women like my Great Grandma in the face of enemy action during the air raid on Leeds.

Reports published afterwards show women did not hesitate to tackle fires caused by incendiary bombs, even when high explosives were falling nearby. Many of these women worked in roles where such actions would not have been expected of them.”

As well as a great learning outcome for the group, BA History students Bradley Danahar and Megan Guest, hope the project can help and inspire the wider public too: “If people can also learn from the resource the group has created that will be a fantastic outcome! We also hope that understanding more about the events of 80 years ago might motivate people to help those in need right now, during another time where we must all pull together.”

You can view the interactive map online at: www. leedsbeckett.ac.uk/school-ofcultural-studies-and-humanitie s/leeds-blitz/bomb-map

The story of Hunslet’s own ‘Flat Iron’ building

by Ken Burton

H

aving walked south over Leeds Bridge there is a building of interest to be seen ahead of us, Leeds Bridge House at the junction of Hunslet Lane (Leeds Lane to Hunslet folk) and Hunslet Road and at its rear Waterloo Street.

This is a triangular building in the shape of a flat iron like that heated on a fire or stove (this is earlier by some 20 years than the famous American one in Manhattan).

The area was very fashionable in the 18th century but by the end of the 19th century when this building was erected its social status changed as it became more industrialised. When Hunslet Road (the New Road to residents in the area at that time) was cut through the district in the 1870s to ease congestion on Hunslet Lane, this odd piece of land of 223 square yards was sold by the Corporation.

It was bought as a lot in a general auction of

development land south of Leeds Bridge by one John James Cousins, the Manager of the Exchange & Discount Bank on Park Row for £1,338 in 1879. Cousins lived at Allerton Park, north of the City. He hired architects Messrs. Adams & Kelly also of Park Row to design a building to fit the shape of this unusual plot and Leeds Bridge House was completed in 1881.

The building had a cast-iron frame and cellars that extended to the edge of the pavement outside. Stone Pilasters with decorated capitals frame the windows on the ground floor and each floor above is distinguished with individual patterns and geometrical designs in brick, while the top is crowned with Machicolations (a row of small projecting arches) and a parapet. Inside a stone staircase with glazed white bricks ran from the basements to the top floor, access to this staircase is by a door at the rear, and four hoists carried goods to all five levels.

This building opened on the 3 September 1881 as the Leeds "People's Cafe" to provide breakfasts, dinners, teas, and suppers at a price everyone could afford.

It also offered overnight accommodation, having 30 bedrooms, at a cost of 4s (20p) per week or 1s (5p) per night, and a hot and cold private bathroom for 3d (1p).

The scheme’s promoters were sure that people would use places like this but the fortune of this building seems to prove otherwise because it was reported on the 26 September 1888, after only seven years of trading, that the business was being taken over and the name was changed to the Cobden Temperance Hotel.

The Temperance Movement which began in England in the 1830s was popular in many northern towns and in 1897 there were no less than 30 Temperance Hotels listed in a Leeds Directory. But even the high hopes of this takeover were soon dashed because by June 1895 the ground floor had

been converted into shops and the upper stories had fallen into disuse. Cousins died in December 1897 when the main body of the building was still unoccupied.

This state of affairs lasted until November 1901 when the Executors sold it to Nelson & Company Limited, Tea Merchants of Louth in Lincolnshire, but the cycle of failure persisted because that Company was put into liquidation by a Creditors' Petition on the 7th February 1905.

At various times dress and mantle makers, a dentist, and a manufacturing stationers operated in the building until 1910 when Tunstall & Company, Manufacturing Chemists moved in, they also had a wharf across the road at the riverside.

During the war my father firewatched from this building. The firm remained here until 1960 when Leeds Bridge House was purchased for demolition by Leeds City Council to make way for a proposed motorway

Leeds Bridge House today extension. Another act of council vandalism in South Leeds thankfully avoided!

However, the building was reprieved and was refurbished in 1981 and reopened as an office development. It is currently tenanted by charitable organisations so, in a way, the place has returned to its philanthropic roots.

The Adelphi Public House once occupied a position roughly where Leeds Bridge House now stands, this was at the time of the Theatre in the Lane and before the creation of Hunslet Road when it was moved to its present location.

The building still survives in 2021 let's hope that it does for many more years to come.

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South Leeds Lives 21

Majors John and Irene Pocock

by Betty Virago

J

ohn was born in December 1930, in Bridgwater, Somerset. His family were boat builders and salmon fishermen.

Sadly, his mother died not long after he was born and his father turned to drinking. It wasn’t long before the family had lost everything and lived in extreme poverty. John said at one time the family lived under a dining room table in a farmer’s field.

By the age of 10 John and his older siblings were living in the local Workhouse where John worked tying twigs into bundles of kindling.

Food was horrible and sparse in the Workhouse and John was caught stealing food to feed his sister, his punishment was being sent to an Approved School then Borstal where he said he learnt to be a criminal.

John then started his life of crime and prison.

John was in solitary confinement for punching a prison guard when a man entered his cell expecting the previous occupant. The man was the local Salvation Army officer and despite John telling him to go away (in words not suitable for this paper) the officer offered to return.

The visits continued and John became a Christian in prison, the Salvation Army flag was brought into the prison and he was made a member of the Salvation Army in the confines of his cell.

John became a Christian in prison and was made a member of the Salvation Army in the confines of his cell Upon his release from prison he was met at the gates by the salvation army officer and taken to the local men’s hostel and given his first ‘legitimate’ job as a bed maker. Proving his worth, he was later given the job as booking clerk and hit upon his next challenge.

John said he couldn’t read or write, but didn’t want to let on.

When men came to the hostel he would pretend he didn’t understand what they were saying and ask them to write their names down, then he would copy the letters down.

The Salvation Army officer’s wife realised he was hiding his illiteracy and took the time to teach him to read and write.

At some point, John decided he wanted to give his life to helping the homeless and people like him and applied to become a Salvation Army

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

A peaceful place to talk

by Shannon Humphrey

I

Major John Pocock officer himself.

The story of how he got into the Bible college with such basic skills is a whole other story, but in 1963 he went to London to start training as an officer (Salvation Army minister).

It was at college that he met the ‘love of his life’ Irene, and following college they began their lives as hostel managers in Salvation Army hostels.

John and Irene worked in several locations from London to Scotland before coming to the hostel at Lisbon Street, Leeds (near to the International Pool) in 1972.

Although John and Irene’s ministry was to the homeless they helped wherever they found a need. John was the kind of man who would see the need because he’d lived it and many of the things he did to help people were done in secret.

It was while watching a TV programme about the 1973 Oakwood Colliery disaster in 2018 when John mentioned to me that he had been there supporting the rescue efforts and offering food and drinks.

During his time managing a hostel in Manchester John was given an Honorary degree by the Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University) for his work amongst the homeless.

I remember a time when a hostel resident had locked

himself in a toilet cubicle and set himself alight. John thought nothing of climbing over the cubicle wall to save the man.

While John got the recognition for his work it should also be mentioned that Irene was also remarkable in her work with homeless men.

Perhaps I should now say that John and Irene were my parents, and we lived in accommodation in the hostels and were raised to be a part of the shelters.

On one occasion my mum had been told that a man had hurt himself in the dormitory. I joined my mum to see what the situation was. We found a man, covered in blood, and sitting on his bed crying.

Irene immediately sat with the man and comforted him until the ambulance arrived. It had been his birthday and he had not been allowed to visit his children, he had got drunk and tried to end his life.

John and Irene eventually returned to Leeds and managed the Lisbon Street hostel until its close, when they retired and moved to Morley.

Even in retirement they served the community and John found his new passion in serving the people of Morley.

Major John Pocock is often described as the face of Morley Salvation Army. He sold Salvation Army newspapers near Morrison’s several days a week and loved what he did.

He described the people of Morley as his congregation, and continued his work of helping those in need. Often mum and I would be given a food parcel and an address and sent to deliver it to a home that only he knew the need of.

As his family, we learnt to accept that his people came

John was the kind of man who would see the need because he’d lived it first, although I put my foot down when he wanted to miss my graduation because it was held on a Thursday and he’d miss being in Morley.

Majors John and Irene Pocock both became unwell in December 2019 and were admitted to hospital and died a few months apart in 2020.

John never forgot the change made in his own life and together with Irene spent their lives trying to share a lifechanging ministry with others.

One of the last things dad told me was something he had believed his whole life, that “No man is without hope.”

He believed his whole life that “No man is without hope.”

where we can handle talking about the really difficult things we face – including death itself” said Lindsey.

Starting in June there will be a selection of wellbeing-based workshops available at the church and online including Mindfulness, Managing Anxiety and Breathing Techniques to Reduce Stress.

You will leave the sessions with a variety of self-care methods that can be used every day to manage some of the uncomfortable intrusive thoughts and feelings we can all experience on occasion.

Simple things like breathing exercises, how to relax, mindfulness and general wellbeing.

The sessions which will be held at St Mary’s in Beeston are open to all and are completely free of charge.

Lindsey commented: “I’m hugely pleased that St Mary’s Beeston is working with Shannon to help us all with our wellbeing. The last year has been so hard for everyone. Lots of people (me included) have not slept as well, or have felt anxious or fearful at various times. The strain of daily living has increased. I’m hoping we can grow ways of helping ourselves and each other.”

Please note that the sessions are purely therapeutic in nature and aren’t there to clinically diagnose or treat mental health conditions.They are to provide a safe environment to talk, learn and share simple selfcare techniques. If you are struggling with your mental health now, please seek advice from your GP or a medical professional.

For more information about the sessions please contact Rev Lindsey Pearson on 07961 016052 or email revlcp @btinternet.com Shannon Humphrey is a First Aid for Mental Health Instructor and EFT/CBT Practitioner. For more information about the work she does visit: www. pathwaysforpositivity.com

t would be nice to think that as life returns to usual, that all the mental health and wellbeing worries would just slip away.

If only we could file the problems in a sealed box that read “Pandemic - melt down.

Never to be opened again”, but sadly, that’s just not realistic.

Mental health and wellbeing concerns were evident prior to the pandemic and will continue to be a part of life afterwards.

Increased levels of anxiety, worry and depression are some of the most keenly felt mental health problems that 1 in 4 adults in the UK experiences on a regular basis. While 1 in 6 children has anxiety.

Because the past 12 months have been so challenging, it’s little wonder that the World Health Organisation expressed concern for the mental health and wellbeing of people everywhere due to the direct impact Covid-19 has had.

One of the most difficult aspects about the pandemic has been the uncertainty of not knowing how much longer the crisis was going to last and when the separation from school, work, family members and friends was going to end.

Thankfully the vaccines are been rolled out, schools have reopened, and it appears that life is starting to regain positive momentum. But there’s much still much to be done in terms of addressing mental health and wellbeing as a community.

Last year I spoke with Rev Lindsey Pearson, who has been the Vicar of Beeston for 8 years. We were both keen to provide a community resource for people to speak freely and non-judgmentally about their mental health and wellbeing experiences. A safe, calm, space for people to come together.

“A parish church like St Mary’s Beeston should be a resource for everyone in our community, whether you share the Christian faith or not, and whether you are a church-goer or not.

I have always found St Mary’s to be a peaceful space and I’d love to share that with others. It’s a building where people have brought their joys and sorrows over the decades and St Mary’s church, Beeston

www.southleedslife.com

South Leeds Life | April 2021

Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife

22 What’s On IN BRIEF Help back into employment The Raising Aspirations Project is aimed at unemployed individuals and families living in South Leeds. Particularly those furthest away from the job market, or who may have recently lost employment due to the impact of Covid-19.

During the pandemic Raising Aspirations have directly helped over 40 people get into education, training or employment. Here are some of the online groups being delivered from mid-April: • Confidence Building & Overcoming Barriers • ESOL & Employability Skills • Photography Skills • Setting up your own Business • Music and singing • Gardening For a place on the above courses, or help with job search or employment, please call the Raising Aspirations Team on 07487 664352 or email RA@healthforall.org.uk for more information.

New term at Slung Low’s college Slung Low’s Cultural Community College’s Spring Term has launched. Go to slunglow.org to register for a range of activities at The Holbeck, in the Slung Low Wood and online. All courses are for adults (18+) to come together, try new things, meet people and share experiences, including Irish dancing, making bat boxes, screenwriting, cooking Indian food, salad gardening and video mapping.

You pay what you decide after taking part, no questions asked.

Learn to grow your own salad

Free children’s play activities The Friends of Middleton Park have organised free children’s play activities in the park during the school holidays. Session will take place on Tuesdays 6 & 13; and Wednesdays 7 & 14 April.

Numbers have been restricted due to Covid regulations, so the sessions have been split into two: 1-1:55pm and 2-3pm.

These free outdoor sports activities will be run

by ACE from Health For All and are open to all children under 13 years old. No need to book.

BITMO’s Virtual Open Social Belle Isle TMO’s Gate Centre is hosting a monthly online social on 29 April, 2-3pm (ans every last Thursday of the month). Come along to chat with new people and join in with online games and quizzes. Socialise from the comfort of your own home... bring a brew!

Contact gate@belleisletmo.co.uk or call 07891 274371 for the link.

Family walk unlocks Holbeck’s history

D

E

mily’s Adventure is an interactive story walk that takes you back in time to discover some of the most infamous names in Holbeck’s past.

Along the way you will take in some of the area’s incredible architecture, from Tower Works to the old library on Nineveh Road to Temple Works, once the largest room in the world.

Created for families, school groups and those interested in discovering more about their local area, walkers will be given an A5 booklet of the illustrated story, with directions and a map.

They can then independently set off on the adventure, gathering clues to solve the mysterious disappearance of her coach driver and help Emily get to

the ball.

Written by Slung Low collaborator Oliver Senton and illustrated by awardwinning theatre designer Rachana Jadhav, this booklet is all you need to take a guided trail through Holbeck.

With references to the rich history it holds, this walk will be unlike any before; as well as deciphering the secret code that Emily needs, you will also discover the wonders that your own backyard has to offer.

Call into The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn LS11 9QX between 9am and 6pm weekdays to pick up a leaflet or email info@slunglow.org with your details and Slung Low will send you one.

Get confident and connected this spring A

s we take our first steps towards ending the lockdown, community wellbeing project Your Space are returning to face-to-face work with communities across South Leeds.

Arlie has lots to keep you active, including the Women’s Cycling & Social groups, with the first group running Monday afternoons 4-5.30pm starting 12 April, and a second starting Friday afternoons 4-5.30pm from 16 April, both lasting for 8 weeks. No Bike? No problem. Your Space has bikes and accessories that you are welcome to

Cockburn Centre consultation Hamara are hosting an online meeting to discuss plans for newly renamed Cockburn Centre (formerly Old Cockburn Sports Hall) in Hunslet Moor. They will present proposals for the new development and are keen to hear feedback from residents. The meeting is on Wednesday 7 April, 6-7:30pm. Contact Arnie on 07989 943432 or email arnie@hamara.co.uk for your Zoom link.

Lots to do at Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre

by Amy Hallam

Follow in Emily footsteps through historic Holbeck

Join a women’s walking group

use at the group.

Women in South Leeds are also welcome to join Arlie’s Women’s Walking Group on Saturday mornings from 11am - a relaxing, sociable group where you can breathe deep, stretch your legs and explore Leeds’ local green spaces. For either of these groups please contact Arlie on 07435 914350 or arlieh@touchstonesupport .org.uk to register.

Starting in mid-April, our Grow Our Own group is a space for people to learn gardening skills and share their expertise, with a focus on growing edible plants such as herbs, fruit and vegetables in Holbeck. Interested?

Contact Anne on 07920 461253 or email them at annem@touchstone support.org.uk to find out more.

Are you still building up to doing more inperson? Never fear, our online groups continue with Elevate (the group for young

Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife

uring lockdown Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre has been lucky enough to make use of Zoom technology to keep most of our growing community in South Leeds together and entertained.

For those who just haven’t fancied the switch online and feel quite isolated we have our Soils, Seeds and Senses allotment on Dewsbury Road running Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. So far we have seen potatoes, garlic and leeks thanks to our green fingered community!

Our groups include Mindfulness; Quiz time; a separate Men’s & Women’s peer support; a group to support carers of those with disabilities; Moving Forward counselling; two singing sessions; a Reiki group; and our newest edition – lockdown bake off! We have places available in all of these groups so do think about joining and meeting some new and likeminded people.

We are currently recruiting for our lockdown bake off.

Please contact us if you or someone you know would love to top up or show off their baking skills in a friendly online

group via Zoom.

If you’d like to keep updated with what we are doing in the centre or online you can find us on Facebook under the name Cranmore Raylands.

We have a food pantry which can be accessed for £2.50 weekly for which you can leave with a good two shopping bags full of decent produce for the week! Please contact us and we’ll get you set up with a time slot ASAP. You can find a separate page for our food pantry under Cranmore Food Pantry.

While on the subject of food though, we welcome again our long-delayed Cafe which will be launching in April. To start with you can join us on a Wednesday or Thursday lunch for a very reasonably priced bacon sandwich, cheese on toast or beans on toast with a hot drink to wash it down with.

Lastly, but not least, the end of Easter will see the return of our Saw Doctors woodworking group and IT access point / Intro to IT. We look forward to seeing more of our community through the doors in weeks to come …

Contact Amy: amy.hallam @healthforall.org.uk 07305 167629 or Martin: martin .brennan@healthforall.org.uk 07432 702911

Welcome to Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre women aged 16-25) which starts its second cohort on Thursday 15 April, 4-5.30pm.

It’s a space to build selfesteem, set goals and learn healthy coping strategies.

Anne’s Be Creative group runs until the end of the month on Zoom, Mondays 7-8.30pm.

The group’s motto is that “everyone can be creative!”, so if you’d like to try out some fun creative activities in a supportive environment Be Creative is the group for you.

Our groups are all about building confidence and reconnecting with the community in a safe way - all activities are risk assessed and

we’re happy to talk through your access needs. We want to work with people in the community just like you, so if you have a passion you’d like to share with others get in touch!

Your Space provide groups, events and workshops for community wellbeing in Leeds.

The project is a partnership between local charities Touchstone, Womens Health Matters and Holbeck Together, funded by Leeds City Council.

To contact Your Space, phone: (0113) 426 1141; Email: yourspace@touchstone support.org.uk ; or search for “Your Space Leeds” on social media.

www.southleedslife.com

Website: www.southleedslife.com

Email: info@southleedslife.com

News 23

Community galas set for 2021 return

Free family-friendly Easter trails L

Punjabi Roots Academy entertain the crowds at Beeston Festival in 2019

A

fter an enforced year off last year, organisers are busy getting ready to welcome you back to community festivals and galas across South Leeds.

First up will be Holbeck Gala, which plans to go ahead on Saturday 3 July. As usual it will take place on Holbeck Moor with lots of activities, entertainment, stalls and food.

Kate Singelton said: "We're really looking forward to getting all the community together for

Holbeck Gala on the 3 July!

“It's exciting to be able to put a date in the diary and have something to look forward to after the last year. This year we've teamed up with Slung Low to add all their expertise to planning the event and it's set to be a fantastic time!"

Both Hunslet Gala and Beeston Festival chose to delay their events from June to September. The Hunslet Gala will take place on Saturday 11 September on the Recreation

Ground off Church street.

Beeston Festival will take place in Cross Flatts Park a week later on Saturday 18 September.

Cllr Angela Gabriel, Chair of the festival committee commented: “It will be wonderful that we can get back to something like normal. We are really looking forward to hosting this wonderful event and plans are already underway to make it bigger and better than ever.”

Get playful with dens at home this month S

outh Leeds families are invited to participate in a new ‘Love to Play’ festival this month – with free giant denbuilding kits and more available locally, to help them do so.

The festival – run by acclaimed Leeds-based ‘Playful Anywhere’, between 10-17 April

Den building at The Tetley in 2016

April 2021 | South Leeds Life

– is aiming to inspire people across the city and the world, to get playful and creative. It will feature dozens of events, challenges and activities, run by a wide range of partners – for people to engage in, wherever they are.

Here in south Leeds, local resident Ed Carlisle is leading

their virtual den-building project – and is making dozens of giant den-building kits available, to collect from Cross Flatts Park in Beeston.

The free packs are made up of several big bicycle boxes (stuffed into one another, so they can be easily carried), other crafty building materials, and duct tape. Giant chalk packs will also be available.

The packs can be picked up between 9am-2pm between Tuesday 6 – Friday 9 April, from the café in the Watsonian Pavilion in the park.

The kits are for use at home and not in the park please.

For more info on dens and the local kits, look for ‘Love to Play Den Festival 2021’ on Facebook. For the wider festival, check out website www.lovetoplay.fun, and lovetoplay2021 or search #LoveToPlay2021 on social media.

ocal families are invited to join free and sociallydistant Easter Trail events in Beeston and Holbeck, with chocolate prizes for every child.

The events will run in Cross Flatts Park between 10am3.30pm on Friday 2 April (starting at the Watsonian Pavilion), then will repeat on Holbeck Moor between 10am-3pm on Saturday 3 April (starting at the kids playground).

Participating families will get an activity pack to get them started - then will follow clues around the park, to discover and draw an image depicting the Easter story. The trail should take about an hour Mark Hodgkinson, who helps run the Space youth clubs and Kidz Klub, is one of the organisers.

He

commented: "These trails are an opportunity to get out into our green spaces for a bit of socially-distanced fun, and a chance to find out more about Easter - and of course to pick up a some free chocolate! We look forward to seeing you in the park."

Hosted by the Church Together in LS11; all welcome, and no pre-booking needed. All participants are asked to respect social distancing, and keep our community safe. For further details, look for the 'Beeston Easter Trail 2021' and 'Holbeck Easter Trail 2021' on Facebook.

www.southleedslife.com

South Leeds Life | April 2021

Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife

24 Sporting Life

What would help you be more active?

Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife

Revamp the ramps: a new look at LS-TEN

by Karen Peck

O

ver the last 12 months people from Holbeck and Beeston Hill have shared with us the many ways they have incorporated being active into their daily life.

Whether that is getting out for a family treasure hunt walk, learning to rollerskate, or looking to the new online world of fitness classes to do something within the home.

For others we hear that general life has understandably got in the way.

With light now hopefully at the end of the tunnel, Get Set Leeds Local are really interested to hear what would help you, your family, friends or neighbours to move more?

I’m sure many will be thankful to see some organised activities starting back up, whilst for others you may still be keen to think about fun things you could do at home, or things that would make it easier for you to walk within your local area.

We’re working with local groups such as South Leeds Lakers who are developing new group walking and cycling activities. Watch this space!

Can you help shape what future adult football opportunities could look like in Beeston Hill and Holbeck?

Whether it’s a kickaround in the park with some friends, a mum’s soccercize fitness class or a walking football session tell us your ideas. We are keen to hear from adults of all ages who live and work in the areas, to help shape a potential and exciting new “Active through Football” project which would be led by Leeds United

Foundation alongside community partners.

Your ideas will help shape what could be developed over the next 5 years, if funding is successful, giving real opportunity for activity to grow.

Use the QR code to access an online survey, and tell us more about what opportunities you’d like to see in or around Beeston Hill or Holbeck. We’re keen to understand where you’d like to play, what types of sessions you’d like to do and what would encourage you to attend something. Contact beth.kerrigan@leedsunited .com / 07593 441262 if you’d like to comment without using the survey.

We know many have been rediscovering parks and greenspaces over the last 12 months. We’re really keen to understand what would help you access your local greenspace?

One of the new things you’ll soon see will be outdoor table tennis tables located at both Holbeck Moor and at Cross Flatts Park.

If you have received a home use PingPong4U pack, why not

give the game a go at home? If you’re on social media, you can follow Ping Pong Pete on twitter @PingPongforU, where you’ll find many videos of challenges set by table tennis champions filmed especially for Leeds, by Olympians and Paralympians.

Many of the activities can be done without any table.

Follow Get Set Leeds Local on Facebook @GSLHolbeck &BeestonHill. We’d love to hear your ideas for what an Active Holbeck and Beeston Hill could look like, along with sharing stories which may inspire others to try something new. karen.peck@leeds.gov.uk / Text or Whatsapp 07891 274130 / via messenger @GSLHolbeck&BeestonHill on Facebook.

L

S-TEN in Hunslet has been undergoing a transformation throughout March, with the installation of a brand new Skatepark facility.

LS-TEN staff have been working with Volunteer It Yourself (VIY), who have provided funding, materials, and tradespeople to assist in the completion of the rebuild, which will open alongside other indoor sporting venues as Covid restrictions are relaxed.

The previous skatepark facility was in vital need of renovation, with some obstacles having been in place for over 15 years.

With the help of VIY, the LSTEN vision of a new and improved skatepark is now becoming a reality.

Monolith, the ramp builders working on the project, have a wealth of experience in designing and building skateparks in a variety of settings and have been working hard to create plans which are inclusive of all wheeled sports and all abilities.

The project involves mentoring young people who are not in education, training or employment and providing them with vital hands-on skills and an opportunity to gain City

and Guilds qualifications.

Community Manager, Denham Hill said: "The support and funding offered by VIY has allowed us to bring our vision into reality, and to engage the skatepark community in a unique way, offering young people the opportunity to have an active role in the development of a facility that many cite as being essential to their physical and mental well-being."

Find LS-TEN on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with the project, or head to www.ls-ten.org to make a booking.

The South Leeds Silly Olympics - can you help?

T

he rescheduled international Olympics are due to take place 23 July to 8 August in Japan this year - but could we also create our own zany south Leeds version?

Local people are exploring the possibility of organising an alternative Olympic Games event, over a long single day possibly Saturday 7 August (2021).

Sports might include: hopping or three-legged races, backwards running, the 50m doggy paddle, lob the tennis ball, adults racing on kids bicycles, and much more.

Entrants might pay a small fee (£1) to enter, with cash prizes on offer to the winners.

Ed Carlisle, who is helping to develop the event, comments: "This could be a really fun daft way to celebrate coming out of lockdown (hopefully), to gather

(in a Covid-safe manner), and maybe even to burn a few calories. But it'll be a fair bit of work, so we're really keen to hear from others who might form a team to help pull this together over the coming months - many thanks in advance!"

Volunteers are needed for the coordination team, to take on tasks including: shaping the

event, logistics, communications and marketing, volunteer recruitment and management, financials and sponsorship, and more.

To find out more or to get involved, contact Ed on edcleeds@gmail.com or 07738 921277, or look for 'South Leeds Silly Olympics 2021' on Facebook.