South Leeds Life 77 August 2021

Your FREE community newspaper

Issue 77 | August 2021

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

SUMMER ACTIVITY SPECIAL ISSUE All the information you need to keep your children entertained this summer

In this issue:

Holbeck Viaduct is back on track

page 3

Tree hugging in Beeston

page 5

Summer activity listings

page 11-14

Lakers walking group strides out

page 23

Hunslet’s month of turmoil

page 24

NEWS

Find full listings of family friendly activities across three pages in our special pull out and keep centre page spread

2-9

SCHOOL LIFE

10-11

ACTIVITIES

12-14

COMMENT

15-17

LIVES WHAT’S ON

18-19

20-22

SPORTING LIFE 23-24

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.

Contact us South Leeds Life CIC 224 Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds, LS11 7BW Email: info@southleedslife.com Facebook & Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife Phone: 07894 583966

Complaints South Leeds Life is regulated by IMPRESS and adheres to its standards code.

However, if you feel we have breached the code in any way and wish to make a complaint, please submit your complaint, in writing to the editor.

A copy of our complaints policy is available via our website at southleedslife.com/complaintsprocedure, or on request.

Have your say on the future of Cottingley Rail Station P

eople are being invited to have their say on the future of Cottingley Rail Station as part of a consultation being held by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in partnership with Leeds City Council and Munroe K. As previously reported, construction is due to start later this year on a new, more accessible £24.198 million rail station 800m along the track, near the White Rose Office Park.

The consultation will seek people’s views on the proposed closure of Cottingley Rail Station as it will not be possible to maintain the same level of service at both Cottingley and White Rose because they are too close together.

Alongside a new rail station, the White Rose scheme also includes better walking and cycling routes to Cottingley, Churwell and Millshaw, as well as the White Rose Shopping Centre and the bus interchange.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “Building the future we want with a transport system fit for the 21st century is absolutely vital. Schemes such as the new White Rose Rail Station will connect more people with job, training and education opportunities, while also helping us tackle the climate emergency on our way to becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Transport Portfolio Holder for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said:

“A fully accessible rail station at White Rose will bring new opportunities for people in Cottingley, Churwell, Millshaw and Morley, improving transport links and acting as a catalyst for local regeneration, including housing and job growth.

“During the next 12-weeks, we will be doing everything we can to engage with local communities on the future of Cottingley Rail Station and I would encourage people to make sure their voices are heard by taking part in this consultation.”

According to The Office of Rail and Roads station usage data for 2018/19, Cottingley is the least used station in Leeds.

The options being considered as part of the consultation include: • Replacing the existing station at Cottingley with a new station at White Rose. This option is preferred because of the low numbers of people using the station and its lack of step-free access.

• Constructing the new station at White Rose and keeping Cottingley open. This option would mean Cottingley Rail Station would have a very infrequent service and it could also weaken the funding case for new walking and cycling routes as part of the White Rose Rail Station development.

Leeds City Council executive board member for infrastructure and climate Cllr Helen Hayden said: “Although the plans to build a new White Rose Rail station will undoubtedly bring benefits and

opportunities for the surrounding communities and beyond, it will have an impact on the existing station at Cottingley.

“We know Cottingley station is underused, however people still use it, so it’s crucial that the new White Rose station is accessible for rail users. I would urge local communities to get involved in the consultation on the future of the rail station to make sure your voice is heard.”

David Aspin, Founder and CEO of Munroe K, said: “The White Rose Railway Station will be a key ingredient in bringing about the regeneration and economic development of south Leeds; being a catalytic element in the future vision for not only White Rose Park, but the wider area also.

“It has been a testament to the powerful collaboration between

usiness tenants at the Round Foundry Media Centre in Holbeck are being forced to moved according to a report published by Leeds City Council last month.

Leeds City Council has decided to let the headlease on the building lapse due to budget pressure as rents have never covered the cost of the lease.

The landlord has refused a request to take on the sitting tenants stating it required the building to be handed back with vacant possession. The Council are supporting remaining tenants to find alternative accommodation.

The Round Foundry Media Centre (RFMC) was one of the first buildings completed as part of the ‘Holbeck Urban Village” and opened in 2003.

The building includes a number of Grade II listed structures dating from Matthew Murray’s late 18th century revolutionary building. It was her that he produced textile machinery,

steam engines and the first locomotives for the Middleton Railway including Salamanca.

It comprises flexible workspace specifically targeted at creative and digital businesses of which there was very little in Leeds at the time.

public and private sector that this key piece of infrastructure development will be delivered to bring about fantastic benefit to our local communities and businesses.

“With improved active travel routes including pedestrian walkways, bicycle parking and access, the new station will undoubtedly be pivotal in helping us all build toward a more sustainable future that is less reliant on car travel.”

As well as proposals being on display at the White Rose Office Park Planning Cabin, there will also be a series of public webinars and dropin events, subject to Covid-19 restrictions.

For more information and to have your say visit www.yourvoice .westyorks-ca.gov.uk/Cottingley.

Hard copies of the materials can be provided free of charge by calling (0113) 245 7676 (MetroLine), via Freepost CONSULTATION TEAM (WYCA) or email yourvoice @westyorks-ca.gov.uk.

All representations should be returned using the website, email or postal details above by midnight on Monday 4 October 2021.

Cottingley is the least used station in Leeds

Round Foundry tenants forced to move out B

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Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, took on the headlease and subsidised the building addressing this ‘market failure.’

When Yorkshire Forward was scrapped the lease passed to the

The Round Foundry Media Centre in Holbeck.

Homes & Communities Agency and then to Leeds City Council. The Council were given funding to cover the losses on the lease, but this has now run out.

The building is acknowledged to have been a catalyst for the redevelopment of the area and has helped hundreds of start up businesses.

Since its opening occupancy levels have been high at 85-90%, but since the pandemic struck last year levels have fallen to around 30%.

Photo: Russell J Smith via Creative Commons

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News 3

Holbeck Viaduct project is back on track T

“Can’t escape fire, can’t escape bankruptcy” Over 100 leaseholders caught up in the Cladding Scandal joined a lively protest at Leeds Dock on 17 July. Leaseholders who bought flats now find they have flammable cladding and many other fire safety defects, which aren’t their fault and they cannot afford to pay for. The cannot even sell up as their flats are currently worthless. For more information see fb.com/leedscladdingscandal and Hilary Benn MP on page 17.

Temple Works moves another step closer to being saved T

he British Library’s ambitions for a major new public-facing centre for audiences and users in the north of England has taken a significant step forward as senior councillors in Leeds have backed plans to inject up to £5m into the project.

The funding will be used to protect and stabilise Temple Works, a Grade I listed building in Holbeck that the British Library is looking to develop in partnership with Leeds City Council and developer CEG. The stabilisation work is urgently needed both to protect the iconic building, which is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, and to enable detailed investigatory work to assess the viability of transforming it into a new home for the British Library in Leeds.

The council’s executive board approved plans for the necessary funding to be drawn down from the £25m committed by the Government to support the British Library project as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

A report from council officers to members recommending the step says the British Library centre represents a cultural and heritage-led proposal of international significance that would act as a catalyst for wider regeneration delivering new jobs and homes. The report also says the project would bolster the city’s inclusive growth ambitions by providing improved access to learning and research

CGI showing a possible new entrance to Temple Works opportunities while at the same time boosting Leeds’s already thriving innovation ecosystem.

Developer CEG has managed an investment of almost £4m since the building’s acquisition in 2018 and as a result now has a greater depth of knowledge about the structure and its challenges than ever before.

Under the terms of the proposed funding draw-down, CEG would oversee the work to ensure that the structure of the 1840s building is ready to be fully restored for its long term use.

Having collaborated on the project for the past two years, CEG, the British Library and Leeds City Council would also enter into a formal three-way partnership to explore the costs and practicalities of the full development of the site, and of the Library operating from Temple Works on a permanent

and sustainable basis.

The British Library’s ambitions for the north of England involve establishing a physical presence in Leeds city centre that enables it to open up its collections to audiences in the city and across the region as never before. Since 2019, the Library has worked with local partners and communities to develop a growing programme of cultural events and learning activities in Leeds, ranging from spectacular exhibits at Leeds Light Night, to digital events exploring the fight for women’s rights, to cookbook-themed workshops with young asylum seekers.

The range of services to be offered at Temple Works is expected to include exhibitions, cultural events, schools programming, business support services and access to research collections, attracting

audiences ranging from community groups to tourists.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “These plans for Temple Works reflect both a sense of pride in Leeds’s past and a real determination to forge a future that benefits people in all our local communities. Temple Works is a jewel in Leeds’s heritage crown and the prospect of seeing it start a new chapter as the home of the British Library in the North is hugely exciting.”

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive said: “Temple Works is one of the great monuments of the Industrial Revolution. Built by John Marshall as a rare, singlestorey flax spinning mill, it soon gained a legendary reputation in Leeds thanks to its striking Egyptian design which refers back to Egypt’s important flax industry in the ancient world.”

he Holbeck Viaduct Project – the community campaign to transform Holbeck’s iconic viaduct in South Leeds into a vibrant green space for the public to enjoy – has taken further steps forward this month.

It has formally incorporated as a Community Interest Company (CIC) and also released a document outlining its vision for the future. A number of partners have been involved including Edward Architecture and Urban Wilderness.

The project will transform the disused Victorian railway line into a picturesque walkway, similar to the highlines in New York and Camden, to link South Leeds with the city centre The CIC is looking for additional directors to complement the existing team.

They are looking for interested community members, partners, businesses – particularly those with skills to help move the project forward on the next phase of its journey.

A trial access area for the Holbeck Viaduct Project aims to open to the public as part of the Leeds 2023 international culture festival. And our new vision document is packed with stories, images and plans for the future of the viaduct.

Built in 1882 for the London and North Western Railway, the viaduct is an acclaimed feat of Victorian engineering, forming part of a vital transport link into the city centre with panoramic views of the city.

At over 1.6km long and with 92 archways, the prospect of repurposing the Holbeck

Viaduct has captured the imagination of city planners, designers, local residents and community groups alike. The project aims to re-open the viaduct as a thoroughfare linking Elland Road and Beeston to the city centre, with access points at Domestic Street and Temple South Bank.

What people are saying: “This is an exciting vision that, most importantly, proposes to bring a disused asset back into the hands of the community. We look forward to the next steps which include securing access to enable ‘meanwhile’ use onto the viaduct by 2023.”

- James Whitley, Holbeck Viaduct Project “We are delighted to be appointed on this exciting project designed to bring back to life an iconic Victorian industrial heritage site for public use.”

- Graham Edward, Managing Director, Edward Architecture “It’s a great document and a great vision, which I strongly support.” - Hilary Benn MP “This is a cracking opportunity to harness the inherent power of infrastructure to directly support communities for the long term. It will put right an unintended but often divisive consequence of these heroic structures, to engage those that have been disconnected.

I’m moved by the inclusive ambitions at the heart of this vision – but frankly, who wouldn’t be?”

- Hiro Aso, Urban Strategist and Leeds Station Masterplanner

Holbeck Viaduct at sunset. Photo: James Pearson

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4 News

On the beat we are slowly getting back into schools and having the opportunity to engage with young people, this ensures that we build their confidence with the police and inspires some budding new recruits for the future.

To continue our work and engagement with young people, we are re-opening a new recruitment period for our Volunteer Police Cadet Programme. This scheme is

• develop key life skills Cadet units meet once a week. If you would like more information about this scheme please go to - westyorkshire .police.uk/jobs-volunteer As the restrictions are ending we have been really pleased to be able to do more engagement in the communities of South Leeds, not just with the young but also the older people in the community. Due to Covid we

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Amenity improvements for Dewsbury Road

by Insp Lucy Leadbeater

A

s I write this we are experiencing a really hot period of weather, whilst it is great to see everyone out enjoying themselves there are also a number of dangers that this brings including the dangers of people getting into difficulty in the water whilst trying to cool down.

It is so sad to hear of a number of fatalities across the country over the weekend and it is so important that we work with partners to raise the awareness of the importance of water safety.

Be aware of: 1 Strong currents – reservoirs and lakes can have strong underwater currents and whilst they may look calm from the outside, under the surface can be a different story.

2 The coldness - even if it is hot outside the water can be incredibly cold and it could cause your body to quickly go into shock – this can be fatal.

3 Time- even if someone calls 999 as soon as someone gets into difficulties it will take time for emergency services to arrive and could be too late.

What to do in an emergency?

• Resist the urge to jump in and save someone- ring 999 as soon as possible and shout for help.

• Try to reach the person in the water by throwing a rope, life belt or branch rather than entering the water yourself.

It has been really great that

Dewsbury Road shops. Photo: Google Streetview

H

Officers visited people who use the dementia cafe open to 13-17 year olds who live in West Yorkshire and who will be in Year 9 or above at school or college in September.

As a Volunteer Police Cadet, you will have the opportunity to: • gain an insight into policing • make a difference to your local community through volunteering • achieve the DofE Award • take part in fun and exciting activities • make new friendships

had to stop our well loved Dementia Café, I know that this has been missed by a number of people and so we were very pleased to be able to conduct some doorstep visits to some of our attendees with some parcels from our partners. We hope to get the Café back up and running as soon as it is safe to do so.

I would like to finish by wishing everyone a great summer, please stay safe and enjoy a well-deserved break.

unslet and Riverside Councillors have confirmed how the first £19,000 of a dedicated £30,500 budget is to be spent on amenity improvements to the shopping district between Dewsbury Road Community Hub and Library and Hunslet Fire Station from a fund, known as the Town and District Two. Originally funding amounted to over £60,000 but this was reduced to £30,500 (along with similar projects across Leeds) to help the Council balance its books in light of additional core government grant reductions and the impact of the pandemic on the Councils budget for 2021/2022. Councillors have approved: • the purchase of a pram shelter and bollards for Dewsbury Road Community Hub and Library • the commissioning of ten communication boxes to be turned into local artwork by Leeds Street Gallery – with a

public consultation on what should be there to start soon • allocated funding for at least three new street benches to allow for resting stop • mature tree planning and fencing of the grassed area in front of Leeds Motor Sales This follows the deployment of 20 new or replacement litter bins in late 2019 which came from the funding prior to it being reduced and new projects frozen during the initial pandemic. Councillors have also been able to secure a number of cycle parking hoops from the Connecting Leeds 3 budget, which will be allocated near to the shops to give cyclist the option of secure parking while they shop.

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal said: “Cllr Paul Wray, Cllr Elizabeth Nash and I had big plans for the original fund – this including recommissioning street lampposts to allow for seasonal lights to be installed for Christmas etc. but the current fund simply won’t cover all of these costs and others. But we

will continue to fund some smaller improvements from what is left. We are actively looking for other funding to make the bigger changes we know are needed.”

Other examples of improvements Councillors are hope can be funded will include more biodiversity improvement such as tree and rain garden planters to soften up the frontage of the shopping area and reduce flood risks, and signage improvements. Some of these and other may come from the remaining £11,000 budget.

They are also keen to work with residential property owners on Dewsbury Road to tidy up some of the gardens fronting the shopping area which are poorly kept. Finally, Councillors are also supporting Dewsbury Road Town Team – the lobby group for local businesses, to resume meeting to ensure businesses have a voice in the future of the area.

The group stopped meetings during the pandemic.

NHS apprenticeships

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eeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust is recruiting Apprentice Clinical Support Workers and Facilities Technicians and Leeds City Council is offering support to candidates through its local Job Shops.

The Clinical Support Worker Apprenticeship is a fixed term contract for 15 months, the Facilities Technicians is 13 months. If you successfully complete either you will move to a substantive role within the NHS. Individuals must have a good level of Maths and English to undertake the challenge of the Apprenticeship.

These opportunities are for motivated, caring and

compassionate individuals who are keen to work with patients and who would like to progress in the healthcare sector.

If you wish to apply it is strongly recommended you attend one of the virtual information sessions.

For the Clinical Support Worker Apprenticeship this is on Monday 2 August at 5pm. To book a place email: leedsth-tr .orglearngetin@nhs.net For the Facilities Technicians Apprenticeship there are sessions on Monday 9 August at 5pm; Wednesday 11 August at 10am; and Friday 13 August at 2pm. To book a place email: leedsth-tr.eafprofdevcomms @nhs.net Additional support for

individuals wishing to attend the information session and to apply for a role can be accessed through the Jobshops at Dewsbury Road Community Hub, 190 Dewsbury Road, Leeds LS11 6PF; Hunslet Community Hub, Waterloo Street, LS10 2NS; and St George’s Community Hub, Middletion, LS10 4UZ or by contacting esleeds@leeds .gov.uk, (0113) 378 4576.

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News 5

Louise makes a difference at Middleton Park Lodge D

Hugs for everyone After a year without hugs, everyone can now get a hug thanks to Beeston-In-Bloomer Susan Davis who knitted these arms for the trees in Beeston Cemetery. Photo: Ewan Mitchell

Local author’s publishes children’s poems collection

by Jeremy Morton

L

ocal poet Yvonne Ugarte has published a book of children’s poems, beautifully illustrated by pupils from Beeston Primary School where she works.

Yvonne has been writing poetry for fifty years starting aged 5 when she was in foster care. She lost her son, Emil, to Meningitis when he was just 22 months old and the book is dedicated to him. Funds from the sale of the book will go to Martin House Children’s Hospice where, as Yvonne says “Emil was so lovingly looked after by the incredible people there.”

‘My Aunt Jean’s A Dinosaur’ isn’t Yvonne’s first published work. It was back in 1987 when her first book of poetry was published and she has appeared in podcasts and on radio as well as being published in over 30 anthologies since then. Yvonne also runs online writing classes for older people with Time To

Shine.

Having worked at Beeston Primary school for 14 years it

seemed natural to involve the children in illustrating the book.

Yvonne explains:

“Mrs Tidey, the Deputy Head, agreed with me that it would be a good idea to run a competition throughout school where children could draw an animal or character from a list that I gave each class of those in my book.

“My editor, Kathleen, selected the 37 diverse, unique and colourful illustrations that are used in the book - the remainder are to be displayed within school as a positive record of their artwork” says Yvonne.

This beautiful book is available to purchase for £8 per signed copy or £10 with post and packing. Please contact yvonne.beeston @virgin.net for payment details.

All profits from the sale of this book go to Martin House Children's Hospice.

“Thank you so much, Kathleen and David at Runcible Spoon, for putting this all together for me, to all the incredible little artists from my school and to my Angel son, Emil, for being my inspiration.”

ue to her dedication to make every resident’s meal delicious and beautifully presented, a Cook from Middleton Park Lodge Care Home in South Leeds has received a Making a Difference Award.

Louise Dennell, who works at one of Orchard Care Homes’ residences, was recently declared a winner in the company’s Making a Difference Award scheme. This initiative recognises and rewards staff that go that extra mile in their workplace and inspire others to follow in their footsteps to improve the home experience and generate a relaxed and informal community for our residents.

Louise was over the moon to receive her award and be commended for her hard work.

“I enjoy working at Middleton Park and it’s a long time since I have enjoyed coming to work. I feel really appreciated by everyone at the home especially when I see empty plates coming back to the kitchen. What more can you ask for!”

Richard Williams, Deputy Home Manager, reflected on Louise’s achievements saying: “Since starting with

Middleton Park as Cook, Louise has proven herself to be a valuable addition to the team going the extra mile every day.

Louise has revisited the menus and the choice and quality of food is amazing, nutritious, tasty and her presentation is superb … we eat with our eyes first.”

The dedicated and passionate employees at Orchard help to achieve the positive people-focused approach to care and the Making a Difference initiative aims to retain these existing staff members and attract new recruits into the sector. Offering specialist nursing, residential and short term respite care, Middleton Lodge is part of Orchard Care Homes’ network of residences situated across the North of England and the Midlands.

Quality of care and invigorating best practice is at the forefront of Orchard Care Homes’ strategy. The group’s impressive record demonstrates the highest quality of care it provides its residents, with 88.5% of its homes now rated ‘Good’ and a 5* Food and Hygiene rating across all of Orchard Care Homes services.

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6 News

Celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival L

ychee Red, the community group for older Chinese people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival at Beeston Village Community Centre last month.

The Lychee Red group, run by Health For All, marked the festival with dinner and Chinese Lantern decorations.

The ancient festival originated in China, and celebrates the life & death of poet and statesman Qu Yuan, who many believe died in 278 BC. Lychee Red members had not been able to meet up for over a year due to the

pandemic, but have been making up for it since with socially distanced meals together in the centre, Tai Chi classes, and ‘Laughing Yoga’ led by staff. After many months of being supported with phone calls and phone deliveries throughout the pandemic, one member said: “Thank you – you’ve been like a family to us.”

To refer somebody to Lychee Red Chinese elders group, or to any of Healthy Communities’ support projects for older or frail people aged 50+, call Beeston Community Centre on( 0113) 271 7231.

Lychee Red members celebrated at Beeston Village Communityt Centre

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Voice of Holbeck call for exit strategy from Managed Approach

by Jeremy Morton

A

bout 40 residents attended a meeting to discuss the end of the Managed Approach to street sex work in Holbeck on 21 July.

The 'zone' element of the Managed Approach was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and as we have reported, a decision has been taken by Leeds City Council and Safer Leeds not to reinstate it. Support to the community from the Council’s cleansing team, dedicated policing team and to sex workers from Basis Yorkshire and the Joanna Project all remain in place.

The meeting was organised

by The Voice of Holbeck group and much of the meeting was taken up with rehearsing the group’s criticisms of the Independent Review commissioned by Leeds City Council, which published its report a year ago.

The group called for a number of measures to be introduced now the Managed Approach has ended including: A PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order) to give Police greater powers to stop and fine kerb crawlers This to be backed by signs on lampposts and a national communications campaign to dissuade men from coming to Holbeck to buy sex Police to require kerb crawlers to attend Elland Road

Soliciting will no longer be tolerated police station the following day with car documents Use of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras to identify kerb crawlers remotely Training and information to men who work in the area including on building sites to discourage them from buying sex Inspector Lucy Leadbeater, who heads up the South Leeds Community Policing Team explained to the meeting that Holbeck has the largest Policing resource in the country dedicated to street sex work.

She said the four police officers do not get redeployed to other duties such as public order events, but when you take account of shift patterns, holidays, etc they cannot provide 24/7 cover.

Gaps are filled by PCSOs who are occasionally redeployed.

This means that when you call the dedicated phone number to

report incidents (07534 309568), known locally as the “bat phone”, you may not get an instant response. Officers maybe interviewing a woman who has suffered a crime, or processing a kerb crawler for example.

She also defended her officers who have been seen eating or drinking in the community, explaining that all officers are encouraged to take their meal breaks in the community rather than back at the police station. This enables them to pick up informal intelligence and provide reassurance.

Speaking to Councillor Angela Gabriel after the meeting she explained that much of what The Voice of Holbeck was calling for was already being developed or delivered.

“Leeds City Council and the police are working on an PSPO for Holbeck, but this is not a

quick fix, there’s an enormous amount of work needed to prepare an application. But we understand why residents feel it is taking too long. However, the PSPO would focus on onstreet drinking in a bid to improve the sense of safety for residents.

“Kerb crawlers are already required to visit the police station if caught. We don’t need ANPR cameras because the CCTV cameras the Council installed last year can easily pick out number plates. We are also rolling out training to men who work in the area."

Cllr Gabriel went on to explain that the women still working in the area are known to Safer Leeds and their partner agencies. Each woman has a key worker and a care plan, with the aim of helping then exit sex work.

"There is a weekly tasking meeting between various partners, including the police, Forward Leeds (drug rehabilitation) Basis, Joanna and others who ‘case manage’ each woman to help them exit prostitution. This high support for women is essential if we are to have any success reducing the number of on-street sex workers in the area" she added.

The meeting also heard from Natasha Wyer a local resident and ex-addict who has set up a charity to help women exit prostitution by providing a 12 month residential rehabilitation programme, out of the area.

Becky stars in new PureGym campaign A

local South Leeds resident has been picked to star in PureGym’s latest ‘Member Stories’ campaign.

Becky Partridge, a member of PureGym Leeds Hunslet, will feature on PureGym’s social channels and website over the coming weeks as part of the campaign.

When Becky first stepped into the gym she was nervous at first, sticking to mostly cardio equipment as she was too scared to use weights.

However, the friendly gym instructors soon put Becky at ease. Having realised that trying various fad diets was not really promoting a healthy relationship with food and exercise, Becky’s journey focussed on improving her fitness and attitudes towards food and as a result, Becky has gone on to lose 32kg’s.

However, the biggest changes

have come from within. and allow her PT to better Becky comments: Despite having low self- understand her issues and “If you’re new to the gym and confidence at the beginning of support her. feeling nervous, just know that her fitness journey, since enlisting the help of a PureGym PT (personal trainer), Becky feels much better in herself and is now able to to use the weights, kettlebells and dumbbells correctly and without wondering what others are thinking.

Not only does she credit her PT in teaching her the correct technique and helping to boost her confidence, but Becky has been able to confide in her PT too. Having always struggled and felt embarrassed about her relationship with food, Becky is able to open up to her PT, knowing that doing so is only going to help her on her journey Becky working with her personal trainer at PureGym in Hunslet

most people will have felt the same nervous feeling when starting out. You’re not alone.

The personal trainers at the gym are friendly and always happy to help members navigate the gym and lend advice, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

PureGym has a warm, friendly environment and there are all types of people that use PureGym, so no one anyone has to worry about feeling out of place.”

‘Member Stories’ will follow other gym-goers in the UK over the next few weeks, highlighting how being in the gym is positively impacting their lives through a number of different ways. To read more about Becky’s story visit: www.puregym.com /blog/becky-leedshunslet-member-story

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Hunslet Road bus improvements set for early autumn completion

Works on Hunslet Road are almost complete

W

ork will complete in late summer / early autumn on the A61 south bus corridor from Leeds to Wakefield, via Stourton and Hunslet.

The A61 south improvement scheme forms one of Connecting Leeds plans for priority corridors and consists of a series of improvements to bus prioritisation, walking and cycling.

The route caters for people travelling into Leeds from the south of the city and will connect with the UK’s first fully solar powered park and ride at Stourton, due to open in September 2021.

The corridor improvements will benefit bus users the most, as journey times are expected to reduce by 7-8 minutes. The public transport benefits will offer a quicker and more consistent journey time and help reduce congestion through the creation of dedicated bus lanes and improvements at key junctions.

A bus lane has been introduced from the Thwaite Gate area in both directions to the city centre. Reconfiguration of the Thwaite Gate junction also introduces safer, dedicated walking and cycling facilities along the corridor.

Previously cyclists were required to mix with traffic, which can deter cycle use. New cycle provision, including a segregated cycle track from the Thwaite Gate area to the city centre has been created to provide a safe, high-quality route along Low Road and Hunslet Road. This has been coupled with improvements to the urban realm and green infrastructure that provides a better environment for pedestrians.

Pedestrians will also benefit from new walking routes and safer crossings. All of which is

August 2021 | South Leeds Life

a bid to make sustainable travel more appealing by improving public transport, walking and cycling connections and in turn contributing towards tackling the climate emergency.

Planting in the area ranges from amenity grass, wildflower mixes to tree planting and shrubs which will encourage pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

After consulting on travel improvement plans along this route in 2018, Leeds City Council appointed BAM Nuttall to undertake construction which started October 2019.

Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for infrastructure and climate, said: “I am so impressed with the speed Leeds is moving to become a cycle friendly city. We have an ambition for a city wide cycle network and every project like this moves us closer to our goal.

“The South Bank is creating sustainable and liveable streets and getting it right for cycling from the start is really important. This is even more critical when we see the recent investment that’s led to the creation of a new education quarter on the edge of Hunslet, and future plans that include proposals for a new park, homes and offices here as well.

“Hunslet Road and Low Road are dominated by traffic and inhospitable for people walking to local businesses, schools and residential properties in the area. This scheme will change that, planning new new trees and landscaping to make the area better for everyone.”

Future improvements in the area include facilitating the setting of the new city park to make the area even more cycle and pedestrian friendly.

News 7

Getting Together at St Matthew’s A

s Covid-19 restrictions have eased over the past couple of months, Holbeck Together has enjoyed welcoming its clients safely back to the community for outdoor coffee mornings, shopping trips and dance lessons.

But for the first time in almost 18 months, as the country moves to the next stage of the Government’s road map, clients will soon be able to return to St Matthew’s Community Centre for their much-loved two course lunch clubs. From September, the team will be serving up a delicious, sit down lunch twice a week from 12-1.30pm.

The first will take place on Tuesdays and to round off the week, there will be a lunch club every Friday serving a two course fish and chip lunch. A door-to-door collection service is available from 11am onwards for £3.50 for those who need assistance with transport.

In the meantime and over the coming months, those who prefer to stay at home can continue to enjoy the door-todoor meals service that will continue five days a week. This includes ‘Dinner Jackets’ on a Monday, a new service of hot jacket potatoes with a choice of

Holbeck Together’s lunch clubs will return in September hot or cold fillings, and fish and chips delivered on a Friday.

Elissa Newman, Chief Officer at Holbeck Together said: “We are delighted that we will soon be able to reinstate our lunch clubs at St Matthew’s which have been missed by all since the pandemic began.

“It will be a chance for friends to reunite, for our volunteers to have a chat with the people they have been cooking or delivering meals for throughout

the pandemic, and to celebrate enjoying a meal together again.

We’re greatly looking forward to being able to serve lunch for our clients after being apart for so long.”

Julie Marshall, Chef at Holbeck Together added: “It has been such a long time since we have heard the chattering of old friends enjoying their lunch, a game of bingo and a good catch up with the volunteers and staff. I am

very much looking forward to seeing everyone in September.”

Please note, activities and events are subject to the continued success of the UK’s Covid-19 road map out of lockdown. For the latest information about any of Holbeck Together’s activities and services, or to enquire about booking, please call the office on (0113) 245 5553.

You can find out more online at www.holbecktogether.org.

New Community Hub for Beeston Beeston Library has been transformed in a refurnbishment that has created a more vibrant space with better access and a new door from Town Street.

It can now offer a range of Council services alongside a more welcoming library provision. The Hub offers a Council enquiry service and public computer work stations, or you can bring your own device and use the free wi-fi.

Photo: Councillor Angela Gabriel (Beeston & Holbeck) and Hub Manager Tina Maggs show off the new children’s section.

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Rev Andy Myers retires T

Young people creatre art from local rubbish Would you sit at home in your lounge surrounded by rubbish...? If not, why is there so much rubbish on our streets? We live in the midst of a real contrast between beauty and deprivation: we want to see less drug paraphernalia, dumped sofa's and rubbish on our doorstep, we want to increase community pride, belonging and togetherness. This project enabled young people from the Re:establish project in Beeston Hill learn new skills: photography, DIY, communication and teamwork, patience, whilst asking much bigger questions around local safety and local community pride. Comments from some of our young people involved: "I enjoyed building it from the ground up, especially the crisp packet blanket." “I found it very therapeutic gluing the bottle lids to the lamp.” “I like the fact that we made something good out of rubbish.”

The finished artwork was exhibited at Holbeck Gala

The Friends of Trentham Park have restarted with a community day, featuring planting, litter picking, and play.

The group - based in Beeston Hill - are keen to hear from local people interested in getting involved. Full info at fb.com/friendsoftrenthampark, or call Tania on 07917 157830.

he Rev Andy Myers will be retiring as Vicar of Middleton in early September.

We caught up with him to find out about his 13 years in Middleton.

What were your first impressions of Middleton?

“As a Leeds lad, from East Leeds I thought it was very much like the area I was brought up in: Seacroft, Swarcliffe and Stanks. People are very similar to the people there. Although at the time when I came it was very white working class and that’s changing now. And it’s got a much broader mix of ethnicities. All of this is to the good. I am proud to be working class and have always felt very comfortable here in this respect. I have known Middleton for many years, and had friends at school who lived here.”

What have been the highlights of your time here?

“Some of the highlights include the work I’ve been privileged to do in our schools.

Not just our church school St Mary’s, but all the schools have been generous in allowing me to come in and do assemblies.

“But I have to say it might be quite surprising to people but I have been very privileged to conduct many funerals and have been privileged to serve people in their most difficult of times and get to know them a bit.

“During the Covid period a highlight has been working alongside our church Foodbank, and being able to serve our people’s great needs at this difficult time. Another highlight of my ministry here has been when we were able to provide a refuge for homeless refugees.

“I’ve been amazed at generosity of our local community and businesses have helped us to provide the services. In recent times I’ve been really proud of our church volunteers who helped to make our parochial Hall Centre for Covid-19 vaccinations.

“I’ve also been proud to have served as a trustee of Health For All and to see its projects utilising our Parochial Hall.

Proud of being part of Middleton Elderly Aid. We’ve also been very proud to have facilitated the use of st cross as a Foodbank and youthclubs.

Although all of the hard work has been done by local women.”

What has been most challenging?

“It won’t be surprising to anyone to know that I found the most challenging times have been during this Covid

Rev Andy Myers pandemic. Making decisions about how to serve our community open our church buildings safely for worship and prayer have been exceptionally difficult.

“Our communities needs have become so much more intense through the Covid pandemic through losing jobs, loss of income, and increasing levels of mental health issues.

I’ve also seen many more examples of domestic violence.

“All very challenging for our little church, as we are often the last ditch stand for people who are in crisis.

“Trying to fund and manage both our churches of St Mary‘s and Saint Cross in difficult times has been exceptionally challenging. But there is no reason why our churches should not suffer alongside our people, whose personal challenges have been much higher than those of the clergy!”

What do you feel has been your greatest achievements in Middleton?

“Being able to provide a base for our Foodbank and youth projects run by our church warden Sarah and her fabulous team of dedicated women.

They know who they are!

“In the past being able to have provided in church a bed and a meal for homeless refugees with the support of our churchwardens Kevin and Mark.

“In Recent times with all its issues providing a resource for Covid-19 vaccinations supported by our churchwardens Allan and Andrea and their team.

What are your plans for

retirement?

“God always looks at our Plans and laughs! But as I’m in the catholic tradition of the Church of England my belief is that you are a priest forever.

You just don’t get paid forever!

“AI will be returning to Garforth where I hope to worship locally and offer my services in any way that’s appropriate. Especially I want to spend much more time reading, studying and praying.

“I also want to become more politically involved to try and put some flesh on so many sermons I preached. Along with many other faiths, Christianity has a bias towards those who are financially challenged, and oppressed because of race or sexuality and I want to become, at the very least, a partial answer to the prayers that we offer. In the famous words: becoming the change that we want to see happen.

“I also hope to have more time for practising my guitar and I certainly need it!”

And a final word: “I would like to say thank you to the people of Middleton for having me. Trying to avoid pious platitudes, but with all these challenges I’ve stayed here so long out of love for the people of Miggy - well most of them!

“I’ve always been very conscious of the many areas I would’ve liked to have done better in - our church is going through some challenging times and needs to change. We need to become less part of the establishment. More radical more relevant - more engaged.

I pray for my parishioners and know they will rise to the challenges ahead.

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School Life 9

Flu vaccine to be rolled out at schools

by Becky Townesend

F

rom September 2021 all school aged children in Leeds will be invited to get a flu vaccination.

I spoke to Jan Elsworth, Immunisation Locality Lead Nurse (Leeds) from IntraHealth to get all the details.

Flu vaccination has been offered to children since 2013 in a phased rollout starting with the early year groups. This year, due to the uncertainties around the impact of Covid-19 this winter, Public Health England recently agreed that the schools’ flu vaccination programme will be offered to all school aged children from reception to Year 11.

The vaccination programme will run from September 2021 to January 2022. At the start of term parents and carers will receive a flu consent form from school. The consent will be provided on paper or electronically and schools will let you know which they are using.

If your child/ren is bringing home a paper consent please make sure you check with them during September so that it doesn’t get missed.

For any children who miss the vaccine due to school absence there will be further school sessions and there will also be weekend, after school and holiday clinics so every child can benefit from getting this important vaccine. Almost all children will be able to have the vaccine as a nasal spray (up the nose), which is quick and painless. The nasal spray is offered to children as it is generally more effective than the injected vaccines. It is also easier to administer and considered better at reducing the spread of flu to others.

There are some children who

cannot have the nasal spray because of pre-existing medical conditions or treatments and children whose parents or carers object to the nasal spray on the ground of its porcine gelatine content. For those children an injection will be available. Serious side effects are uncommon but many children can develop a runny or blocked nose, headache, some tiredness or loss of appetite that last for a short period.

The key message from Locality Lead Nurse Jan Elsworth is that “Flu is an unpredictable but recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. Vaccination offers the best protection. The flu vaccine is the best defence we have against the virus. The main purpose of the childhood vaccination programme is to provide protection to the children and reduce transmission of flu to the wider population. Children play a key role in the transmission of flu including to those who may be at higher risk from the complications from flu, such as the elderly.

“As vaccination provides individual protection to the children who receive the vaccine, it is especially important that any child with an underlying health condition, that puts them more at risk from the flu, has the vaccine. It also helps protect teachers who are less likely to catch flu from their pupils and reduces school absenteeism”.

IntraHealth, who will be working with Leeds schools to administer the vaccines have 20 years’ experience of providing high quality NHS Primary Care Services and are one of the UK’s largest providers of school’s immunisation and vaccination services.

Support community journalism Sign up to a South Leeds Life subscription from just £4 per month Go to bit.ly/SLLsubscribe or ring 07894 583966 Hilary Benn MP chatting to Jan Elsworth at Holbeck Gala

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South Leeds Life | August 2021

10 School Life

Tracey retires after Summer 28 years teaching C in Beeston schools ockburn John Charles Academy and Cockburn School staff are excited to welcome students moving from Year 6 into Year 7 in attending their heavily subscribed summer school events.

Cockburn John Charles Academy will work closely in partnership with staff from Skelton Grange Environment Centre to deliver outdoor educational activities alongside a planned curriculum of lessons designed to enable students to make accelerated progress in English and Maths, while also giving valuable opportunities to develop new friendships and build positive

Tracey Cunningham

T

racey Cunningham, 56, has retired on Friday 23 July after 28 years working in Beeston, first at Greenwood Primary, then at New Bewerley Community School.

She says she has enjoyed every minute of it and met some amazing pupils, families and colleagues.

Tracey had always wanted to be a teacher from being 5 years old and went back to study at the age of 24. She spent her first year in Leeds 16, then got a job at Greenwood. She then worked at New Bewerley with the new headteacher, Patrick Wilkins, then the current headteacher, Gary German.

We asked Tracey about her career in Beeston: “I have so many great memories – having my own class when I first started teaching in reception, I was so happy; getting a permanent job at Greenwood in year 1; then the joining of two schools (Greenwood and Hillside) to create New Bewerley; arranging school trips – to Filey, the Great Yorkshire Show and going with year 6 to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at West Yorkshire Playhouse.

“I have seen a lot of changes, the biggest being the diversity and different cultures we have now – which is amazing. It makes our school a great place to be, and encourages community harmony and understanding of each other.

“I would say my biggest achievements have been becoming Assistant Headteacher; surviving Ofsted inspections; and watching children develop and reach their academic potential. The challenges – apart from Ofsted – have been ensuring all children have equal opportunities; and this year dealing with Covid, lockdowns and shielding.

“Whilst I’m retiring as a teacher I’m not leaving education just yet. I have a new job in Bradford working in a school but as a support assistant. I can still help children learn but without all the paperwork a teacher must do. But before term starts again I will be catching up with family and friends after the lockdown, and a holiday to Ayr in August.”

We wish Tracey all the best for the future.

Extra-curricular table tennis at Cockburn John Charles Academy

schools relationships with their new teachers. Government funding has allowed a wide range of academically focused activities to be planned around the theme of ‘sustainability’.

Cockburn School is running two themed weeks. The first will have an animal focus and conclude with a trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The second week will have a magical theme and conclude with a magical carnival on site at the school. Both weeks will blend classroom based and practical learning that will also focus on supporting the students with their English and Maths progression.

These follow on from

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transition events at all three Cockburn secondary schools, including the new Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy. The schools have welcomed Year 6 pupils to transition events over the last few weeks. They have also welcomed parents and carers to evening

presentations. Despite the difficulty caused by the pandemic, all of these events have been excellent and everyone involved is looking forward to welcoming the new Year 7 pupils to the next stage of their education in September.

Outdoor cooking at Skelton Grange Environment Centre

Performing arts and sporting success at Cockburn schools

Performing on stage at Cockburn’s MADDFest

T

he reactivation of sporting activity at Cockburn John Charles Academy is in full swing with a wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer.

Numbers are now higher than ever with pupils from across all year groups attending after-school clubs that include football, table tennis, trampolining and access to the new school gym facilities.

In recent years sport has flourished at the school; winning the inter-competition ‘Cockburn MAT Cup’ in 2018 and 2019 with the year 11 football team winning both South Leeds and Central league and 7-a-side tournament in 2020. Despite a setback to extra-curricular activities over the Covid-19 pandemic, pupils have shown great resilience and commitment to help the sporting programme return better than ever.

Engaging in a wider range of

extracurricular sports is likely to instil confidence and discipline within students as well as help with their physical and mental well-being.

When pupils achieve success, they have a raise in self-esteem; creating a relaxed environment where learning new skills is fun and with some elements of competition.

Students from across all year groups recently competed in a rowing event with Row Leeds, where the team were successful in achieving one gold and two silver medals.

Cockburn School, in line with their Artsmark Platinum status in recognition of the school’s commitment to, and excellence in, arts education, staged their first MADDFest show since before the Covid-19 pandemic began.

MADDFest, which featured Music, Art, Drama and Dance, showcased work from students across Years 7 to 10. Year 8 drama students created their

own piece based on the Black Lives Matter theme.

Live bands performed songs from a wide range of artists including Amy Winehouse and The White Stripes. There was also an excellent Cockburn John Charles Academy band performing.

One student in Year 7 said “It was amazing to perform on

stage at Cockburn for the first time. Being with all of the older students was brilliant”.

Cockburn School has recently held auditions for their annual school production in December which will be Sister Act The Musical. Rehearsals will begin in September for what promises to be a show to remember!

Learning boxing skills at Cockburn John Charles Academy

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School Life 11

Cottingley Primary students triumph in national awards

Strengthening families course

S

P

tudents from Cottingley Primary Academy are today celebrating their triumph in the category of Music (cover song) at the Festival of Remarkable Lives ceremony run by Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).

AET is one of the largest academy trusts in the country, with 58 primary, secondary and special schools. 33,000 young people from across AET’s family of schools were eligible for the awards.

Students submitted ‘Lost Boy.’ Judges thought that the song was sung well and that the performance was original, which stood them apart from others.

The festival, recognising all aspects of what it means to be “remarkable”, is designed to celebrate the previous year’s achievements and is integral to the trust’s ethos of inspiring students to live a “remarkable life”. The competition winners were announced by Sam and Mark from CBBC on a live streamed show.

Kelly Bentley, Headteacher said: “I am delighted that the girls

Cottingley Primary Academy were successful with their entry into the music competition. The passion, teamwork and bravery that went into creating and performing their piece really shone through.

“We are all incredibly proud of them and they absolutely loved seeing themselves on screen as part of the Festival!”

Rebecca Boomer-Clark, Chief Executive of AET, said:

“It is fantastic to see all of the talent and imagination we have in our schools across AET – huge congratulations to all of our winners today, including students from Cottingley Academy.

“The Remarkable Lives Festival is the culmination of the school year and gives us a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the diversity of talent

we have in our schools.

“All children – and especially those from disadvantaged communities – deserve a rich education which is ambitious and sets them up for adult life.

That belief is at the heart of the Remarkable Lives festival, and I am excited to see how we can carry this momentum into a new school year after the summer break.”

arents in South Leeds are being invited to join a course that will help them build on their parenting skills and build positive relationships with their children.

Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) is a free inclusive course to help parents and carers raise happy confident children from ages 3-18 years.

The popular programme welcomes parents and carers from all backgrounds and will also inform a study that will help shape family services in the future.

The course runs for 3 hours a week for 13 weeks, starting on Thursday 16 September. The group will end with a celebration and everyone will receive a certificate and a parent manual.

Participants will be asked to complete four questionnaires over the course of a year with the incentive of a £40 voucher for completing them all.

The course aims to help you: • build positive family relationships • manage anger and stress • implement effective discipline strategies • gain confidence and communication skills • understand your child’s development • recognise and value your family and cultural traditions Parents and carers who have completed the course have commented: “Children don’t come with a manual, this is the next best thing.”

“This research is long overdue! No matter how good a parent you think you are, you certainly can be a better one after this programme.”

“I found it very supportive being part of a group and sharing ideas with other parents.”

To find out more please contact Liz Shillito on 07711 489997.

Politics for the pupils A

new local scheme is taking off to give all school pupils in south Leeds dedicated classes on political awareness during their educational career.

In July the Year 5 students at Park View Primary Academy in Beeston Hill participated in a

pilot session - with several other schools looking to take up the offer for the coming school year.

Beeston resident Ed Carlisle is coordinating the project, and looking to work with a range of other partners and volunteers from different political positions

Future citizens: Year 5 pupils at Park View Primary Academy

- to deliver it.

The participatory sessions will follow a template, and include the nature and structure of democracy, how elections work, different political parties, local and national politics, activism separate to electoral politics,

and the crucial importance of positive disagreement and collaboration.

Ed commented: "Politics is clearly a major feature of our society, so it's mad that it's not taught consistently in our schools.

“We need to work together to build a good political culture in and for our communities and our city - so that all citizens know how it works, and how they can be part of it. With luck, we'll help inspire our leaders of the future."

Riccardo Paffetti, principal at Park View, added: "Our pupils are confident, articulate, and keen to make a difference; teaching them how to take part in our democracy is also investing in our future. Year 5 really enjoyed learning how politics and democracy can enable them to improve our community, and how this works in the real world."

The plan is to start rolling classes out in primary and secondary schools across LS10 and LS11, over the coming school year. To find out more, and to get involved (as a volunteer, or on behalf of a school), get in touch with Ed on 07738 921277.

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12 Summer Activities

Summer activities 2021 The school summer holidays are with us and weeks of leisure stretch out before us.

Whilst this is great for children, it can be a headache for parents.

There is a common misconception that “there’s nothing to do round here.”

South Leeds Life has set out to prove the doubters wrong and pull together details of as many activities as we could find going on locally.

Many are free; some charge a fee, although this is often subsidised; some have age limits; some need parents to

Paddington’s family day at Slung Low His heart-warming exploits and kind and caring nature have made Paddington one of the world’s most loved bears for more than 60 years. Now fans, both big and small, can join the British Library for a very special Paddington family day in South Leeds.

Join the Library at Slung Low in Holbeck on Saturday 7 August for immersive storytelling for all the family. There is a morning and an afternoon session, each full of the same creative activities. Sessions run 10:30am-12pm and 1:303pm.

Places are free, but limited so book in advance on the British Library website www.bl.uk/events/ family-day-paddington-the-story-of-a-bear-leeds or by calling 01937 546 546.

Hunslet Club Summer Activity Camp The Hunslet Club will be running its Summer Activity Camp Monday to Friday from 26 July to 27 August from 9am to 3pm. Activities include football, dance, baking, games, arts, crafts and much more, all for £10 per day.

Places must be pre-booked and paid in advance. Contact dhall@hunsletclub.org.uk Regular classes and activities will continue through the summer holidays. Find out more at hunsletclub.org.uk/activities/youth-activities/

LS-TEN skateboarding and rollerskating LS-TEN will be hosting their Get Active Extreme Camp at the skatepark on Kitson Road, Hunslet.

Sessions run 9am-4pm Monday to Friday between 28 July and 3 September and cost £27.50 per day.

A typical day includes: As much Skating and riding as you can handle, games, arts and crafts, time for lunch, coached session FreeRide time and much more. Book at ls-ten.org LS-TEN will also be running free rollerskating sessions in Cross Flatts Park on Saturday

stay; some have limits on numbers; many require you to book in advance; some may be fully booked up already; ALL have Covid safety measures in place.

Take a look through the details on this page, follow up the contacts if you have more

mornings 10am-12pm and on Holbeck Moor every Tuesday 10am-12pm. The sessions include coaching and equipment and are free but you must book at ls-ten.org

Get caught up in sun, fun, chills and thrills for under 19s. There will be a new interactive play system, revamped arts zone, fun fair, food and, of course, our classic inflatables. All of this at a Breeze In The Park near you: Cross Flatts Park, Beeston – Saturday 7 August Blenkinsop Field, Middleton – Friday 20 August Parkside, Belle Isle – Tuesday 24 August There are some changes to previous year to keep everyone Covid safe. Each event will be split into two sessions to manage numbers: 122:30pm or 3-5:30pm Booking is essential. You must book your tickets in advance at bit.ly/BreezeInThePark.

Admission is still free, but there is a £1.50 booking fee per group.

All events are funded by local Councillors through the Community Committees

overleaf for times and dates.

Leeds Libraries, in partnership with the Reading Agency, is encouraging more families than ever to get involved with reading over the summer holidays through the Summer Reading Challenge.

The theme of this year’s challenge is ‘Wild World Heroes’, which has been developed in partnership with WWF and gets children thinking about the importance of the environment. By taking part in the challenge, children will be guided by six fictional Wild World Heroes that will help them discuss environmental issues and learn about nature along the way.

As part of the Summer Reading Challenge, children aged 4-11 and their families are encouraged to read or listen to six or more story books, fact books or poetry books, and complete a fun activity pack as they go. All books from the Wild World Heroes book collection can be borrowed for free from the library and children can collect a Wild World Heroes reward for each book they read. Every child that completes the challenge will be awarded a certificate and a gold medal.

To take part, families can sign up for free at their local library.

Youth Services activity programme The Council’s Youth Services team have put on a packed programme of summer holiday activities. Ranging from horse riding and cookery, to go-karting and climbing plus trips to Flamingo Land and Blackpool. Plus free teatime picnic and games sessions at Hunslet Lake, Middleton Park and South Leeds Youth Hub. Due to the funding - from the Inner South Community Committee - young people must live in Belle Isle, Hunslet, Middleton or Beeston Hill to take part in these activities.

For more information please call Allison Dixon on 07891 277407

Tennis Coaching Camps Active Leeds are running Tennis Coaching camps at the Tennis Centre, John Charles Centre for Sport from 10-13 August. The sessions are for children aged 4-18 years and run 10am-12pm for under 8s and 10am-3pm for ages 9+. Prices are from £15. For more information call (0113) 378 8233 or email tennis@leeds.gov.uk

Holbeck Kids Together

Free play sessions with Friends of Middleton Park Once again the Friends of Middleton Park have organised free play sessions every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon through the school holidays. there’s no need to book, but it is first come, first served. Sessions include den building with Chris Harman; pond dipping with a Leeds City Parks and Countryside Ranger; outdoor games and sports with ACE from Health For All; dance for boys and girls with DAZL; arts and crafts with Megan Jowett from Make the Paint Dance and Megan Smith; and bug hunting with a Leeds City Parks and Countryside Ranger. Meet at the Visitor Centre by the lake. Check our diary

4pm on days that trains run.

Over the bank holiday weekend steam trains will run on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (28-30 August).

questions. But most of all go out and enjoy this summer with your children.

We’ve pulled all the events listed here onto a daily calendar, over the page, to help you keep track.

Why not stick it on your fridge as a daily reminder?

Go wild with the Summer Reading Challenge Breeze In The Park

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Middleton Railway Middleton Railway will be running steam trains every Sunday, 10:30am-3:30pm from Moor Road station in Hunslet up to Park Halt in Middleton Park. A deisel service will also run every Wednesday from 28 July to 1 September and every Saturday in August.

As well as the trains make sure you visit the free museum at Moor Road which covers the history of the railway from 1758 and engine building in Hunslet. The museum is open 10am-

Holbeck Together have a terrific line up of activities and outings planned throughout August for local 4-13 year olds. There will be weekly table tennis at St Matthew’s and multi sports mornings on the Moor plus trips to York Maze, Temple Newam, Tropical world and Scarborough.

Check our diary overleaf for dates and times and call (0113) 245 5553 to book free places.

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Summer Activities 13

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Walking with dinosaurs

Myths at Leeds City Museum

Balance Bikes

Leeds City Council has launched the Love Exploring app just in time for the summer holidays. The app uses augmented reality to bring parks and locations across the city alive, populating them with interactive dinosaurs and walking trails. The app is already live in Cross Flatts Park and Middleton Park. All you need is a smartphone or a tablet. Download the Love Exploring app from Google Store or Apple Store and select Leeds. For more information go to bit.ly/LoveExploringLeeds.

Leeds City Museum in Millennium Square has a couple of exhibitions that our on throughout August. Bring your teddy to the Museum and earch around the Life on Earth gallery for teddies and bears of all shapes and sizes. Or pick up or download a trail to explore marvellous magical myth stories from different cultures around the world. Entrance to the museum is free, for more information go to bit.ly/CityMuseumLeeds

As part of British Cycling’s Summer of Cycling there will be 2 balance bike / children learn to ride sessions on Tuesday 3 and Monday 16 August. Drop in anytime between 10am–12noon.

These will be ‘parent led’ sessions using the British Cycling Ready Set Ride learning tools. The session will be suitable for both balance bikes and pedal bikes. Balance bikes will be available to hire for free. There will be a chance to try out the new balance bike ramps to add an extra element of fun!

Music studio open day Eiger Studios are throwing their doors open for a family friendly open day on Tuesday 31 August 2021, 11am-4pm. Have a go at making and mixing music, film-making, creating a band name and a logo, and more creative activities. Eiger is on New Craven Gate, Leeds LS11 5NF, at the very bottom (city centre end) of Dewsbury Road, overlooking the M621.

Bike Fixing Classes

Play Streets Turn your street into a play street and let the children play outside your house. Leeds City Council encourages residents to apply for a temporary road closure on their street to allow children to play together in the streets.

If you are interested in learning more and getting some support in getting something going on your street, please email catherineepeacock @gmail.com or go to bit.ly/PlayStreetsLeeds.

The Big Bike Fix community project, based in Beeston and Belle Isle, are running free all-age sessions for local people to learn how to fix and service their bicycles. These sessions will happen on Saturdays through the summer holidays (7 August - 4 September), at different times, throughout LS10-LS11.

They will run for 2 hours, and will enable participants to learn how to tackle a range of entry-level skills: wheels and punctures, brakes, basic adjustments and mechanics, etc. They are suitable for all ages, but under 16s need to be accompanied. Check out 'The Big Bike Fix Leeds' on Facebook for more information, or call 07738 921277. Pre-booking is essential.

Children’s litter pick Hunslet Tenants & Residents Association are holding a special litter pick for children to take part in. Meet at the Church of the Nazarene, Grove Road on Tuesday 3 August, 10am-12pm.

Equipment and refreshments will be provided, just bring an adult!

Howzat for cricket?

Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club will be celebrating Yorkshire Enjoy Cricket Week with an activity camp running from Monday 2 August to Friday 6 August, 10am-3pm for children 6-15 years. £8 per day, food and refeshment provided. Book via Facebook or call 07795 061182. Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club is based on Gipsy Lane, Beeston, opposite Cockburn School.

Eco arts and crafts in the park

Family Friendly Cycling Festival

Thwaite Watermill If you haven’t been, the museum, set in a former mill on an island in the River Aire at the end of Thwaite Lane in Stourton, is well worth a visit. They are hosting a Mini-beast Week 10-15 August with Spider storytelling and puppet crafts, mini-beast charms and bugs from the collection.

Then on 24-29 August it’s Green Week with nature trails, windmills and willow weaving; plus Rainbow Crow storytelling and green man mask making. Activities are free, but there is an admission charge to the museum. For more information go to bit.ly/ThwaiteWatermill

Cross Flatts Park in Beeston will be hosting a Family Friendly Cycling Festival on Tuesday 17 August 1-4pm. Get Set Leeds Local will be joined by partners to provide a variety of fun activities.

Cycle North will be doing a balance bike zone for the little ones; British Cycling have an area for junior riders; community partners will be delivering some local led rides; Hamara will be sharing a stall on the history of the bike; there will be bike fixing with Big Bike Fix and bike security tagging by the LCC Travel Behaviour Team and police to help recover your bike if it was ever stolen. Pop a long and find out more about what activities happen in your local area, and join in some free activities on the day. For more information contact karen.peck@leeds.gov.uk / 07891 274130

Beeston Climate Hub are running free, family eco arts and crafts sessions at the Bridge Cafe in Cross Flatts Parkwith a theme of Eco Beeston.

They will be making banners and posters for Beeston Festival’s sustainability area, doing fun crafts with scrap, upcycling containers into funky plant pots, trying some healthy food, and doing a bit of wombling in the park. Sessions take place each Wednesday 10:30am-1:30pm.

Mini Olympics The Beeston Climate Hub team are hosting a Mini Olympics event in Cross Flatts Park, for kids, with 7 different sports, and prizes for winners. It all takes place on Wednesday 1 September 2021, 12:30-2:30pm. Full information will be posted in due course on their Facebook page.

School Uniform Swap Shop Do you have school uniform that your children have grown out of? Or maybe you need the next size up? LS11 School Uniform Swap Shop will be continuing wth pop up stalls at the Watsonian Pavilion (Bridge Cafe) in Cross Flatts Park each Wednesday 10am-1pm.

Bring any items of school uniform you no longer need (washed please) and see if you can find what you need for September.

Stop Press: Extra Mini Breeze events in Belle Isle and Middleton As well as the Breeze in The Park events (see above), there will be two extra Mini Breeze events on Tuesday 3 August at Blenkinsop Fields, next to Middleton Community Centre and Tuesday 10 August at Parkside, by Windmill Primary, Belle Isle

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14 Summer Activities

Summer activities 2021 We’ve listed all the activities in the centre spread on a daily basis so you can track what’s happening when and where.

Please note that many activities require you to book in advance and that even as we go to press some activities may be fully booked up already.

Saturday 31 July Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Sunday 1 August Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Monday 2 August Cricket Activity Camp 10am-3pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Horse Riding (11+) 12:30-2:15pm Book: 07891 277407 Table Tennis (4-11) 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Tuesday 3 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Cricket Activity Camp 10am-3pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Children’s Litter Pick 10-12pm Meet at Church of the Nazarene, Grove Road, Hunslet Balance bikes / learn to ride 10-12pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Free Rollerskating 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Skatepark Den Building (Free) 12-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Wednesday 4 August Outing to York Maze (4-13) 9:30am-4pm from St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 Cricket Activity Camp 10am-3pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston School Uniform Swap Shop 10am-1pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Art In The Park 10:30am-1:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Go Ape (11+ £4) 11am-4:45pm Book: 07891 277407 Pond Dipping (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Thursday 5 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Cricket Activity Camp 10am-3pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Zoom Cookery (11+) 2-3pm Book: 07891 277407 Book: 07891 277407 Friday 6 August Flamingoland (11+ £8)

9am-7pm Book: 07891 277407 Cricket Activity Camp 10am-3pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Art & Drama (5-15 yrs) 10am-4pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Town Street Book: hello@bravewords.co.uk Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-5:30pm Holbeck Moor. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Saturday 7 August Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Paddington Family Day 10:30am-12pm and 1:30-3pm Slung Low, The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn Book: slunglow.org/shows Breeze In The Park 12-2:30pm and 3-5:30pm Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: bit.ly/BreezeInThePark Sunday 8 August Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Monday 9 August Horse Riding (11+) 12:30-2:15pm Book: 07891 277407 Table Tennis (4-11) 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Middleton Park Picnic & Sports (11+) 6:30-8:30pm Book: 07891 277407 Tuesday 10 August Temple Newsam & Home Farm outing (4-13) 11am meet at Temple Newsam Book: (0113) 245 5333 Mini-beast charm making Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Free Rollerskating 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Skatepark Tennis Coaching Camp 10am-3pm John Charles Centre For Sport Book: (0113) 378 8233 Outdoor Games & Sports (Free) 12-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Wednesday 11 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Tennis Coaching Camp 10am-3pm John Charles Centre For Sport Book: (0113) 378 8233 School Uniform Swap Shop 10am-1pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Art In The Park 10:30am-1:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Spider storytelling and puppet crafts 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton

DAZL Dance (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com South Leeds Youth Hub Picnic & Sports (11+) 6:30-8:30pm Book: 07891 277407 Thursday 12 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Tennis Coaching Camp 10am-3pm John Charles Centre For Sport Book: (0113) 378 8233 Mini-beast handling Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Zoom Cookery (11+) 2-3pm Book: 07891 277407 Friday 13 August Tennis Coaching Camp 10am-3pm John Charles Centre For Sport Book: (0113) 378 8233 Face-toface with bugs Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Art & Drama (5-15 yrs) 10am-4pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Town Street Book: hello@bravewords.co.uk Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-5:30pm Holbeck Moor. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Saturday 14 August Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Sunday 15 August Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Monday 16 August Balance bikes / learn to ride 10-12pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Horse Riding (11+) 12:30-2:15pm Book: 07891 277407 Table Tennis (4-11) 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 Hunslet Lake Picnic & Sports (11+) 4:30-6pm Book: 07891 277407 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Tuesday 17 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Free Rollerskating 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Skatepark Family Friendly Cycling Festival 1-4pm Cross Flatts Park Arts & Crafts (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Wednesday 18 August School Uniform Swap Shop 10am-1pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Art In The Park

10:30am-1:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Roundhay Park & Tropical World (4-13) 11am meet at Roundhay Park gates Book: (0113) 245 5333 Den Building (Free) 12-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Go-karting (11+ £8) 12:15-3:45pm Book: 07891 277407 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Thursday 19 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Zoom Cookery (11+) 2-3pm Book: 07891 277407 Friday 20 August Blackpool Pleasure Beach (13+ £8) 9am-7pm Book: 07891 277407 Art & Drama (5-15 yrs) 10am-4pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Town Street Book: hello@bravewords.co.uk Breeze In The Park 12-2:30pm and 3-5:30pm Blenkinson Field, Middleton Book: bit.ly/BreezeInThePark Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-5:30pm Holbeck Moor. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Saturday 21 August Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Sunday 22 August Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet

Monday 23 August Horse Riding (11+) 12:30-2:15pm Book: 07891 277407 Table Tennis (4-11) 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Tuesday 24 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Free Rollerskating 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Skatepark Windmill and renewable energy Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Breeze In The Park 12-2:30pm and 3-5:30pm Parkside, Belle Isle Road Book: bit.ly/BreezeInThePark Clip and Climb (11+ £4) 12:15-3:15pm Book: 07891 277407 DAZL Dance (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Wednesday 25 August Outing to Scarborough (4-13) 9:30am-4pm from St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: (0113) 245 5333 School Uniform Swap Shop 10am-1pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Art In The Park 10:30am-1:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Rainbow Crow and green man masks 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Arts & Crafts (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Thursday 26 August Multi Sports & lunch (4-11) 9am-1pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Willow Weaving 10:30am, 12pm, 1:30pm, 3pm

Looking for dinosaurs with the Love Exploring app

Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton End of Summer Party (4-13) 1-3pm Holbeck Moor Book: (0113) 245 5333 Zoom Cookery (11+) 2-3pm Book: 07891 277407 Hunslet Lake Picnic & Sports (11+) 5-7pm Book: 07891 277407 Friday 27 August Art & Drama (5-15 yrs) 10am-4pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Town Street Book: hello@bravewords.co.uk Model wheel demonstration Thwaite Watermill Museum, Thwaite Lane, Stourton Quad biking (13+ £8) 11:30am-6:30pm Book: 07891 277407 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-5:30pm Holbeck Moor. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Saturday 28 August Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Sunday 29 August Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Monday 30 August Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Tuesday 31 August Free Rollerskating 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Skatepark Eiger Studios Music Open Day 11am-4pm New Craven Gate (off Dewsbury Road near M621) Den Building (Free) 12-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Wednesday 1 September Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Mini Olympics 12:30-2:30pm Watsonia Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Bug Hunting (Free) 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com

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Comment 15

Councillors’ briefing B

eeston & Holbeck Ward Update: We’ve had some fantastically sunny weather and councillors are hoping that some of that weather hangs around for the school summer holidays.

Councillors have supported and attended a number of local events including the Holbeck Gala, which was great (despite the rain!), and the Cross Flatts Farmers market. They are looking forward to the Breeze inflatables coming to Cross Flatts Park on 7 August.

Through the Inner South Community Committee, held on 7 July, Beeston and Holbeck Councillors have financially supported a number of positive initiatives, including: • Funding for lighting on Holbeck Moor’s Multi Games Area • A start up grant for the new Holbeck Moor Football Club • Beeston In Blooms painting of Utility boxes • 9 new litter bins to tackle litter hot spots • Funding to support Beeston Festival which is scheduled for 18 September this year • Funding for the Holbeck Food Bank, which has been busier than ever since the COVID pandemic started • An environment project

being run by St Luke’s Church A massive thanks to all those who applied for funding for the above projects!

Councillor Almass and Gabriel visited the recently extended St Luke’s Church building and were impressed by their vision and really pleased to hear about the work they are doing with Leeds City Council to make us a City of Sanctuary and the new CAP Job Club.

Finally the ward councillors attended a Voice of Holbeck meeting to discuss the ongoing challenges faced due to onstreet prostitution in the area and are committed to working with residents to improve our area for everyone. unslet & Riverside Ward Update: This month has seen the continued return to our normal community activities as Councillor Advice Drop-Ins restarted for the first time in 17 months, more Street Advice Sessions were held and we began attending more local events as community group’s restart up.

Litter remains an area of current focus and as well as organising community litter picks, we’re also now encouraging local institutions to ‘adopt’ their nearby streets and conduct weekly local litter picks. To support this we’ll look

to provide these groups with litter picking kits etc. Thank you to Masjid Ibraheem on Woodview Road who’ve already adopted the Woodviews and are making a fantastic difference to these streets.

We are also focusing on addressing the poor condition of some of the Leeds Homes estates in the ward as low staff levels for over a year due to self-isolation and illness have had a big impact. Some of the agreed action include: • Highways Gullies clearing a backlog of blocked drains on the estates • Cleaner Neighbourhoods

H

Councillors joined a litter pick at Rowland Road park planning estate wide weed removal and pathway sweeps • Housing Leeds Mangers to creating bespoke improvement plans for each estate.

Getting these estates to a good standard again will remain a focus for much of the year so please remember you can also help by report issues (potholes, fly tipping, litter etc.) at services.leeds.gov.uk as soon as you see them.

It was also good to hold our regular residents meeting online for Leeds Dock, Beeston Hill and Hunslet Green but we’re hopeful we’ll be back to face-to-face meetings for the next set in three months’ time. iddleton Park Ward Update: Young people have endured a great deal during the pandemic.

Despite the

M Councillors visited St Luke’s Church

continuing challenges with Covid, we believe they and their families deserve a fun break over summer. So we've secured funding for four major summer fun events across Middleton and Belle Isle.

The events are Mini Breezes, 3rd August, Blenkinsop Fields (next to Middleton Community Centre) and 10th August, Parkside (Belle Isle, next to Windmill Primary); and full Breeze events on 20th August, Blenkinsop Fields; and 24th August, at Parkside.

The Council's local Youth Work Team are also arranging some exciting visits and

activities, such as horse riding, Go Ape, Flamingo Land, picnic

Consultation on use of former South Leeds Golf Club land - have your say and sports, Cooking, Go Karting, Blackpool Pleasure Beach. For more information, please contact Allison Dixon on 07891 277407.

Together with our Beeston and Holbeck colleagues and the Friends of Middleton Park, we're now seeking local people's ideas on the future use of the former South Leeds golf course, and also their views on some suggested proposals.

These include woodland planting, re-wilding, mown and formal walkways, increased biodiversity, wetland/pond creation, access controls, seating, car parking and an activity area and centre at the

former clubhouse.

The consultation also includes the possibility of a Covid-19 memorial woodland covering about 10% of the land in partnership with Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Consultation is taking place both online at surveys.leeds .gov.uk/s/SLGC21 and at the following locations: • Saturday 7 August 11am3pm, Middleton Park Visitor Centre; • Saturday 14 August 113pm, Leeds Urban Bike Park; • Monday 16 August 46:30pm, Leeds Urban Bike Park and lower end of the former golf course (near the Park Woods).

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 parts of the city centre and riverside, 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: Sharon Burke Kim Groves Paul Truswell

0113 378 8814 sharon.burke@leeds.gov.uk 07891 741 832 kim.groves@leeds.gov.uk 0113 378 8811 paul.truswell@leeds.gov.uk

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16 Comment

In our view Summer of play We are actually very lucky in South Leeds to have so many community organisations putting on events and activities for families and children through the school holidays.

We also have a Council who is supportive of temporary street closures to encourage play in the community. As our article last month pointed out, organising a play street is also a great excuse to talk to your neighbours, perhaps for the first time in some cases. Help is on hand if you’re not sure what to do, so why not give it a go?

Middleton Park We publish news in the Councillors Briefing that the consultation on how the former South Leeds Golf Club land should be used is finally getting underway. The land is being added to Middleton Park and won’t be built on. We know some discussions have already taken place and draft proposals will be put forward. Please take some time, especially if you are a user of Middleton Park to study the plans and make your views known. The expansion of the park must be positive and whilst we can’t all have what we want, it’s important we put forward ideas that we feel would benefit the park.

Pandemic safeguards Covid ‘restrictions’ - or should that be ‘safeguards’ have been lifted. It’s positive news for lots of people. But for many people who have had to shield for more than a year because of other health problems to virus still poses a very real danger.

Meanwhile the infection rate has shot up and the virus is circulating widely in our community. Wearing a mask indoors and maintaining your distance from others may no longer be legal requirements, but surely we owe it to each other to continue being as safe as we can - it’s just good manners.

South Leeds

Laughs Have you seen the dog’s bowl?

Bowl? I didn’t even know they played cricket.

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 Defibrillators Thank you for your article on where to find a defibrillator in South Leeds last month. Hunslet Warriors ARLFC, at Hunslet Green, have a defibrillator behind the bar.

We’ve had one since the Keighley rugby league player Danny Jones died in 2015, so probably first in the area.

Pat Benatmane

Cottingley station Politicians - don’t you just love ‘em? So out of touch with reality, so happy to chuck our money away on a white elephant that will give little that the current (underfunded) station at Cottingley gives.

Spending £25m on a new station half a mile up the road from the current station is good press. So much unsupported waffle, but if you stick in words like ‘regeneration’ , ‘support local businesses and education’ and ‘housing and job growth’ it all sounds great ... but it will make little difference to the business park, or the students attending the college there. The projected increase in housing in the area (if eventually built) might add some support, but by and large the new residents will further clog up the traffic on Churwell Hill in their motorised chariots. Additionally the station will be too far away from the retail centre for most prospective shoppers to view it as a viable option.

One would hope that with the ridiculous amount of money this is costing there will be at least half hourly services.

As for Cottingley station, well I suppose there may be some intial attempt to maintain a service at peak times, but anyone thinking it will remain long term is deluding themselves.

Mac Hawk

Active Travel Neighbourhoods This feels like a brick to swat a fly. The area needs traffic calming measures to stop he ‘boy racers’, not a total obstruction to all residents. The previously proposed sole entry and exit routes are already narrow roads and if you’ve ever tried accessing these new build estates that do that it’s a nightmare. I really hope the new proposals have taken many of the residents’ concerns into account.

Andy

Universal Credit Cut We support the campaign to keep the £20 extra Universal Credit payment and to make it permanent. We believe that this extra £20 a week has just about helped the less well-off to get through the Covid crisis.

It’s also worth remembering that 40% of those on UC are actually in work.

The £20 has amounted to an extra £1,000 a year but tragically the Government plans to end it in September.

This is despite the fact that it continues to give hundreds of track & trace private consultants £1,000 a day! And the “Hopeless” former Heath Secretary Handcock arranged for his girl friend to receive £15,000 for 15 days work.

South Leeds folk actually use the £20 extra to spend in local shops and it helps the local pound. For example, there are 74,123 people on Universal Credit in Leeds, so that means it brings an extra

L-R Alex King and Pat Benatmane on behalf of the Hunslet Green Committee receiving a defibrillator from Lizzie Jones (January 2017) £77,087,920 per year to the local economy.

Yet we think that it is bad politics too. For example, the Conservatives in Pudsey have a majority of only 3,358 but there are 5,236 constituents on Universal Credit. So, then, there are more people on Universal Credit than in the local MP’s majority at the last election.

We believe the extra £20 should be retained and made permanent. It should be extended to legacy benefits too. All of this would be more socially just, offering solidarity with the less well off members of society. It is simply the right thing to do.

So, let's KEEP THE £20 EXTRA UC COMING HOME! Steve Johnston (Leeds UNITE Community)

Covid Memorial Wood I think this is great. I have, on a few occassions, walked through West Wood (?) the woods to the south of the golf course.

So now we will have woodland and park from the edge of White Rose up to Hunslet.

It’s great to see Middleton Park getting bigger and maybe one day it can sit on a par (golf pun not intended) with Roundhay Park in the north.

Also good to see a memorial as well as place to thank and remember the contribution of those on the front line. This should help build a great asset for the communities around Middleton Park.

Andrew McLoughlin

Holbeck Viaduct Surely this is the route to support the increase in capacity at Elland Road? A walk and cycleway would be great, but it would be better if a light railway could be incorporated.

Anon

The Theatre In The Lane Does anyone know what date did the Queen’s Theatre on Meadow Lane open and close? My Mam’s family lived in the Shands just behind it and my Grandma

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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: @HealthforAllLds Better Together service supporting our Kushy Nanas Bangladeshi older women’s group meet face to face ! 👍 Members were pleased to see each other after a very long time 🌈

used to take in lodgers who were appearing there.

Terence Nichols

A litter pandemic Litter bins are all very well but who is going to teach people how to use them?

Walk round any street or park and you will find litter just feet away from an empty bin, walking a couple of feet is just too much for some people it would seem. As a child I was taught never to drop litter in the street and it has stuck with me well into my sixties. If there is no bin nearby I will carry it with me until I find one or take it home instead. It is a pity that the same cannot be said for the people who leave empty beer cans strewn around Cross Flatts Park or their bottles smashed on the paths.

Stuart Turnbull

@CEO_HunsletClub This is a great piece about the career & early life of former member @Jason15Robinson and his time at the Club.

Jason is a great supporter of the Hunslet Club with an announcement soon to be made about even closer links with Jason and his boyhood Club 💚💛 bit.ly/JasonHC

Sussex Avenue closure The closure of Sussex Avenue for six weeks to repaier a power cable is going to cause chaos, there are already four way temporary lights at Balm Road and Moor Road; the M621 J6 has been closed for years leading to more traffic passing through Hunslet, and lanes of queueing traffic. Forcing traffic down Midland Road is just going to make it worse. I do not know the extent of the works, has anyone considered reopening Sussex Gardens as a way of getting out onto Low Road, left hand turn only just for the duration? This way used to be open until a few years ago when it was closed to stop it being a rat run?

P Richardson

@cockburnschool Congratulations to our Photographer of the Week!

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.

Corrections & clarifications Wrong name In our July edition (Vikki’s journey, p9) we changed Nikki’s name in the article to Vikki in the headline. We sincerley apologise to Nikki who’s doing great work at Holbeck Together.

@lufctrust We've joined forces with @SlungLow who host the Thursday @KidzKlubLeeds - to provide their 20 children with the new Leeds 2021/22 shirt. On behalf of our members, we're proud to give these kids the opportunity to wear our club colours - who wouldn’t normally be able to afford to.

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Comment 17

MP’s notebook

by Hilary Benn MP

R

ecently, I attended a demonstration at Leeds Dock organised by the leaseholders who live there and who are affected by the cladding scandal.

Many of them were holding cardboard signs showing the amounts of money they fear they may be asked for to fix the fire safety defects in their building, even though they are not responsible. And they talked openly about the anxiety and the stress that this is all causing them.

There are hundreds of thousands of leaseholders up and down the country who are in the same position, and four years after the Grenfell Tower fire they feel full of despair.

Some of them are losing hope.

And yet there is a way of dealing with this that can work.

I watched a presentation by a

August 2021 | South Leeds Life

man called Ted Baillieu from Victoria state in Australia who was asked to advise on the cladding problem there. He was a breath of fresh air as he described the direct, hands-on approach they are taking to deal with the same problem.

Their mantra is very simple.

Find, fix, and fund. Find all of the buildings that have a problem, fix them all, fund the work and then go after the builders, developers and freeholders who should bear the financial responsibility for putting things right.

The problem here in the UK is that the Government’s approach is a mish-mash that isn't working.

Ministers are putting money in to replace dangerous cladding, but as we know, many other faults on buildings have been discovered as surveyors investigated what lies beneath the exterior. So just replacing

that cladding will not make them safe.

Look at the case of the Richmond House fire which happened just two years ago.

You can watch the video. It is absolutely terrifying. Most of the building was destroyed in a very short space of time.

Luckily no one was injured, but subsequent investigation showed that it was the absence of proper cavity barriers and fire breaks which allowed the fire to spread. And yet, fire safety defects of this sort which have been discovered time and again in Leeds - are not covered by the Government’s offer of funding.

Common sense tells us that you can't half fix a building. You can't make it half safe. So, if these defects are not put right – and ministers know that leaseholders can’t afford to pay for this - these buildings will continue to be classed as

unsafe and waking watch and high insurance bills will continue to drain the bank accounts of innocent leaseholders.

The second big problem is there’s no plan to fix the most dangerous buildings first. The truth is, we don't even know the full scale of the problem - there isn’t a comprehensive list of faulty buildings - and the rate at which buildings may be made safe depends not on assessing the risk, but on the speed with which managing agents and freeholders get their applications in to the building safety fund.

That's why I support the establishment of a Building Works Agency to take charge of this whole process - just as they have done in Australia – and find, fix and fund the necessary works. I think we will have to end up with something like this because the contradictions of the current approach will eventually become obvious, so why don’t we get on with it now?

The most important reason

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

Hilary Benn MP of all for doing this is the continuing distress, mental anguish, uncertainty and costs that are being faced by so many of our fellow residents of South Leeds who are trapped in a nightmare. They can't sell their homes because they are worthless. They can barely afford the charges they are facing. They have no idea how their home is eventually going to be made safe and whether bills will land on the doormat demanding money that they simply do not have.

I will continue to work with MPs from all parties to make sure that we find an answer to

this so that the people I met at Leeds Dock can find peace at last and move on with their lives.

And finally, on a lighter note, it was a real pleasure to attend the recent Holbeck Gala for the first time since 2019. OK, so it rained a bit at the start – or to be strictly accurate it rained rather a lot - but that didn't dampen anyone’s spirits. I enjoyed moving from gazebo to gazebo to find shelter, talk to old friends and keep up with lots of local voluntary organisations.

Here's to next year's Gala and better weather!

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18 South Leeds Lives

Another pandemic

by Cllr Elizabeth Nash

F

ollowing my piece last month in South Leeds Life on the Litter Pandemic, we are seeing in South Leeds a FlyTipping Pandemic.

Undoubtedly, there are some amongst us who are anti-social in that they do not care how their area looks, but most residents are very angry that dumping rubbish is happening and are upset when their street is affected by dumpers coming from elsewhere.

At one time both litter and unwanted large items were not a problem. Everyone in Leeds had open fires to heat their houses and all small items were burnt on a daily basis.

Dustbins were usually then called Ashbins. However, during the smogs in the winter of 1962, which resulted in bronchial infections from the polluted air, Leeds had the worst dense smog and had the highest number of deaths in the whole of the UK. It was a wake-up call for the Leeds Corporation, as it was then, to do something about it.

Leeds councillors and council officers were proud of the fact that, before the end of the municipal year of 1973/74, the whole of the City of Leeds was domestic house smoke-free.

The larger unwanted items of furniture were carefully saved to go on the 5 November bonfires when just about every street in Leeds had one. This was, of course, before our streets were tarmacked and the bonfires were on stone sets.

To compensate for the loss of these community street bonfires and before Covid arrived, the Council put on professionally-managed bonfires with superb firework displays in our major parks. I am hopeful that these will recommence in November.

So we are now left with the problem of unwanted large household items. Because

A street bonfire back in the day

many of us were at home during the lockdowns, it has been the opportunity to have a clear-out of unwanted furniture and other items. Most people have booked appointments with our local Household Waste and Recycling site at Middleton telephone 07891 271262 or booked online. Booking visits to these sites was introduced to protect employees receiving items safely without the fear of contracting Covid.

If residents do not have the means of transporting large items, collections have continued to be made from households. There is a small charge for up to 4 items at a time. Those who are in receipt of Universal Credit are entitled to free collections.

For furniture which is in decent condition, Leeds & Moortown, St Luke’s CARES Shop on Dewsbury Road and St Vincent’s in Belle Isle all have free collections of furniture which is in good condition. This is redistributed to those who either do not have anything or are on low incomes to furnish their homes.

South Leeds Alternative Trading Enterprise, (SLATE) on Low Road, Hunslet also collects furniture to sell to the general public at knock-down prices. It is worth visiting SLATE’s shop on Low Road as it has some really good stuff.

The City Council has just installed a bin for small items of electrical and electronic equipment either working or not working adjacent to Hunslet Library, Waterloo Street.

The items to be included in these new bins are hairdryers, irons, phones, laptops, anything with batteries or a charger or anything with a plug.

The Council plans to repair and recycle such items for resale which all helps our Council taxes down to provide essential services. May I please ask readers to check their drawers and cupboards for any such unused electrical items?

The Crimean Railway and EB Wilson & Co

A 0-6-0 tank engine used on the Crimean railway

by Ken Burton

I

n 1854 in an Alliance with France, Turkey, and Sardinia a British and French force went to war with Russia and in the autumn of that year landed on the Crimean Peninsular to lay siege to the Russian base at Sebastopol.

The winter brought conditions so bad that the soldiers who were dug in around Sebastopol were dying of cold, cholera, and starvation.

With all supplies being brought by donkey or by men, the road, hardly more than a track and not wide enough for carts, became impassable. It looked like defeat for the force by weather rather from the enemy.

It was at this point that Thomas Brassey, a millionaire contractor, offered to build a railway from the supply port to the front line. He was joined in this venture by two other contractors, Sir Martin Peto and EL Betts, it also included shipping out men and materials at cost. Initially the line was horse drawn but later steam locomotives ran on the main line and its branches, these totalled 29 miles.

The locomotives used were built at the Railway Foundry, Jack Lane, Hunslet, of Edwin Brown Wilson. 'Alliance' was the first of these and was an 0-6-0 six-coupled wheel tank engine built for John Leather, coal owner, and was overhauled and decorated with the flags of the Alliance nations after having been purchased by a Government Agent.

A second locomotive, one built for Sir John L Kaye for use at his collieries was purchased and overhauled before being sent to war in the Crimea.

There are a number of firsts here, it is the first recorded

mention of a truly industrial locomotive that Hunslet and Leeds became famous for, this was the first time in war that steam locomotives were used to move supplies from a port to the front line and lastly hospital trains were used for the first time to transport casualties.

The story of EB Wilson is quite complex, it begins with Charles Todd who was one of the founders of Todd, Kitson & Laird but left the Company early to join Financier Mr. Shepherd in 1838 to set up the Railway Foundry as Shepherd & Todd but Todd left the partnership in 1844, he was replaced by Edward Brown Wilson who was a member of the Wilson Shipping Line in Hull but he left after only one year.

In 1846 Shepherd & Todd were taken over by James Fenton who had been in charge of building the Leeds to Thirsk Railway and the foundry was renamed Fenton, Craven & Company but the partnership ended at the end of 1846.

Edward Brown Wilson was

born in Hull in 1818 and in 1839 he married Mary Jane Buckton (1819-1900). Their first child, a son, Ernest Edward Wilson, was born in 1840 and four years later they had a daughter, Ada Mary. Their final child, another daughter, Florence, was born in 1855.

EB Wilson returned to the Company in 1847 taking complete charge and renaming the Company EB Wilson & Company and retaining James Fenton as the works manager.

However, many of the maker's plates retained the name "The Railway Foundry, Leeds".

The works were expanded with the intention of producing up to 50 a year, Fenton's boiler design's were particularly successful, and the company's products acquired a reputation for workmanship and reliability.

Originally an apprentice at Fenton, Murray & Jackson and later at Shepherd & Todd, David Joy was their Chief Draughtsman and was given the task in 1847 of designing a new engine for the London &

The gates to the Railway Foundry still stand on Jack Lane, Hunslet

Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife Brighton Railway. The first of these was named the 'Jenny Lind' and was an immediate success.

There is a controversy as to whether Fenton, Joy, or even Wilson was responsible. It would appear that Joy produced the drawings but Fenton would have needed to approve them. However the success of the engine owed much to the boiler design which worked at 120-PSI, unprecedented at this time.

Over 70 engines of this design were built, 24 of which went to the Midland Railway.

The company, besides producing the ‘Jennies’ produced 2-4-0 and 0-6-0 and set out to standardise their designs, they charged a premium for any variation from standard. The Company also produced pumping engines, carriages and wagons, as well as carrying out maintenance work for the Midland Railway, and built a few engines to customers’ own designs.

John Jamieson ran the Marine Engine Department in 1852 to 1854 of the Foundry, but trouble with the leading shareholders caused Edward Wilson to leave the Railway Foundry and Alexander Campbell was then appointed manager (later he was to found Manning, Wardle & Company).

Edward Wilson departed from Leeds in 1856 after the shareholders had won. He seems to have taken up residence at 36 Parliament Street, Westminster in 1858 but in 1861 he is shown as a lodger at 6 Great Ryder Street, Westminster, aged 43. Later he was to die in obscurity in Tonbridge Wells on 21 June 1874 at the early age of 56 years.

A sale by auction of all the equipment and the factory recently used by EB Wilson took place in June 1859, but this was not the end of the Railway Foundry, it was refounded by WS Hudswell and John Clarke in 1860.

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August 2021 | South Leeds Life

South Leeds Lives 19

The class of ‘46 Brenda Schofield (nee Morrison) sent us this photo of pupils at Hunslet Moor School 1946. She’s in the middle row, second on the right.

“What a glum lot we look. Having said that, we had very little to be cheerful about. The war had just finished, everything was on coupons and the teacher, Miss Blease, was a tyrant.” said Brenda. She remembers some of her class mates, but can you help her fill in the gaps?

Front Row l-r: Michael Copley, Colin Bedford, Neville Harrison, Betty Butler, Anne Binns, Valerie Marks, Mary Broxup. Middle Row l-r: Brenda Foster, Barbara Smallwood, Anne Cockerill, Rita Blaycock, ?, Brenda Rose, Valerie Nutter, ?, ?, ?, ?, Brenda Morrison, Pauline Ellis. Back Row left to right: ?, ?, Donald Place, Alan Ripley, ?, ?, ?, Miss Blease, ?, ?, ?, ?, Roy?, Barry Hopper. You can contact Brenda at: bischofield@aol.com

Supporting young people with anxiety

by Shannon Humphrey

H

aving anxiety is scary. The pressure, worry, and fear of the unknown can cause misery, depression, breakdown in communication, and selfloathing.

Adults have multiple ways to access support, to help them process uncomfortable thoughts feelings, and emotions and hopefully, start down the road to mental wellness.

For children or young people struggling with anxiety, it can be difficult to articulate what’s going on inside their heads. As a parent, carer, or concerned adult how do you help if they won’t tell you how they’re feeling?

When it comes to anxiety one size doesn’t fit all. There’s Separation Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Phobias, General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Social Anxiety, Covid Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Panic Disorder.

Everyone has good and bad days, it’s a natural part of life, we can’t be happy all the time.

But how can we differentiate, especially in someone else, between a bad day and a bad patch that’s linked to anxiety?

Perhaps you’ve noticed a change in a young person’s

mood or behaviour? Have they become withdrawn, eating more, or less, staying up later than usual, finding it hard to sleep, lying in bed awake for hours on end, mood swings, tears, frustration, refusing to socialise or being angry could all be signs and symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder.

The first thing I’d urge anyone to do who is concerned about a young person in their care is to talk to them. Find a good time and place where you won’t be disturbed - make sure there aren’t any distractions, mobile phones, television, or other people around. Choose a time when they might be more receptive and open to having a conversation, just after a meal (trying to talk to a hungry teen is never fun), or a time they’re awake and alert - mornings or early evening.

Try and find a neutral place to talk, so don’t go into their bedroom or personal space. It might make them defensive which isn’t the best place to start a conversation.

The kitchen, living room or even having a walk together are all good places to have a chat.

Be honest, say you’ve noticed that they aren’t their usual self and you’re concerned. Open ended questions are likely to get a fuller response. How’re you feeling? What’s going on,

you don’t seem yourself? Is there something you want to talk about? What’s worrying you?

My guess is that most teens will say they’re fine, most of us do, don’t we? If someone asks how we are, we rarely consider telling them about the truth in case they don’t really want to

ask them if, they’re sure? Give an example of something that you noticed is out of character for the. Let them know that you really care, and you want to know how you can help.

Don’t force them to talk to you, but reassure them that if or when, they want to talk to you, that you want to listen and you won’t be mad or angry or judge what they tell you (you MUST stick to this). And if you have overreacted or become angry in the past, let them know that you regret what happened last time and this time, you’ll do better.

Photo: Ed Yourdon via Creative Commons hear what struggles or situations we have in our lives.

So instead, we say we’re ‘fine thanks, you?’ and they reply ‘fine’ then we all go about our day carrying our troubles with us.

So, when your teen says they’re fine, ask twice. Don’t repeat the same question but

Some young people might prefer to communicate how they are feeling through words, if so encourage them to write you a letter to express their emotions. Explain that if you don’t know what’s happening, that you can’t help them.

If they do open-up to you, don’t minimise their feelings,

by saying that it’s nothing serious, or that it’s silly. What’s important to a teen or young person might feel quite small or insignificant to an adult, but to them, it’s everything.

We can speak about 125 words per minute, but we can process far more than that through non-verbal signs and signals, body language, eye contact, the pace, pitch, and tone of conversation. So, it’s tempting to cut someone off mid-sentence because we can anticipate what they are going to say. Try not to do that, instead really pay attention to what they say and how they say it, you’ll be able to detect when there’s more, they want to tell you. Even if they tell you something that feels scary to you, try not to overreact.

Remember it’s OK to have silence in a conversation, no need to rush in with a solutionlet them get everything out in the open, at their own speed.

When they’ve finished thank them for sharing, how are they feeling now? Repeat back what they have told you, to ensure that you have fully understood what they said and how they feel. Make certain you are on the same page.

Ask them how things could be made better, encourage them to work on a solution.

Offer to help if you can.

Then give them a little space to process their thoughts and yours.

If you’re really concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of a young person, after you’ve spoken to them please consider making an

appointment with your GP for further guidance and advice.

Include the young person in this process and explain why you feel a little extra support would be valuable.

It’s been a strange year for lots of us, and anxiety is something that many people struggle with on varying degrees, the important thing to know about anxiety is that it is treatable, and it is curable and just because you feel this way now, you won’t forever.

My Top Three Tips for managing anxiety: 1 Learn how to control your breathing, slowing down breathing, lowers the heart rate and sends a signal to the brain that you are OK and safe- this will reduce the feelings of panic 2 Talking helps, confide in someone who won’t judge you 3 Anxiety often stems from worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet, worrying about a future event, conversation, or experience. Try to live more in the moment- this can be achieved by practicing mindfulness- there’s lots of research into mindfulness and its effectiveness in treating and managing anxiety. A good place to start is by looking online for some simple mindfulness techniques.

For more information of how to support young people with their mental health visit Youngminds.org.uk Shannon Humphrey is a Youth and Adult First Aid for Mental Health Instructor. Find out more about her and the work she does at www. pathwaysforpositivity.com

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South Leeds Life | August 2021

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20 What’s On

What’s On

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Full details of every event including map and contact details are available at www.southleedslife.com/events

Your guide to events and activities across South Leeds in August All events listed here have been planned around current Covid-19 restrictions and booking is often required, please contact the organisers to make sure the events are going ahead as the situation changes Please check that regular events are not affected by school holidays, 28 July - 6 September Full contact details can be found in our online What’s On guide at www.southleedslife.com/events

Every Monday ESOL class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Holbeck Together coffee morning 10am-12pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Crafts Group 10-11am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Dinner Jackets (baked potato) 12-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Lunch Club 12-1pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing Baking Together 1:30-2:30pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre over Zoom Book: 07305 167629 Dance On 2-3pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

Women’s Cycling & Social Group 5-6:45pm Book: 07435 914350 Yoga For Beginners 6-7pm Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck Be Creative 7-8:30pm over Zoom.

Book: fb.com/YourSpaceLeeds Kickboxing 7-8:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street

Every Tuesday ESOL class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Computer class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Holbeck Together shopping trip 9:30am-12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Hunslet TARA Litterpicking 10am meet Church of the Nazarene, Grove Road Zumba / Pilates 11am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 Lunch Club 12-1pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing ESOL class 12:30-3pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Line Dancing 1-3pm St Anthony’s Church Hall, Old Lane, Beeston Walking Groups 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

Line Dancing 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

The Support Hub 1:30-3pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre Book: 07305 167629 Yoga 2-3pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 Women’s Cycling & Social Group (beginners) 4:30-5:30pm Cross Flatts Park Book: 07435 914350 Outdoor Yoga 6pm Top of Cross Flatts Park Book: 07576 113269 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com Discovering Buddhism 6:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/buddhism Yoga 7-8pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre Book: 07305 167629

Every Wednesday Slimming World Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street. Book: 07841 488658 Gardening Group Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

ESOL class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Bacon Butty morning 9:30-11:30am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

Holbeck Together coffee morning 10am-12pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Beeston In Bloom Gardening Group 10am-12pm Millennium Garden, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Dance 11am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 Hunslet TARA Estate Walkabout 11am meet Best One shop, Rocheford Walk Community Cafe 12-2pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing Peer Support Group 1-2:30pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 Skate Mates 3:30-5pm LS-TEN, Kitson Road Book: ls-ten.org/skatemates Tai Chi 4-5pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre Book: 07305 167629 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-7pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. Book:

richard.foye@leedsunited.com Yoga 5-6pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 Holbeck Moor FC: Inclusive adult football training 6:30pm Holbeck Moor Dru Yoga 7-8:15pm Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck

Every Thursday Slimming World Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street. Book: 07841 488658 Computer class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Holbeck Together shopping trip 9:30am-12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Holbeck Community Shop 10am-2pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 Walk in Cross Flatts Park Meet 10am Hamara Centre, Tempest Road, Beeston Inclusive dance 11am-12pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Lunch Club 12-1pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing Be Friends Group 1-2:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Walking Group 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

Camera Club 1:30-3pm over Zoom. Book: 07754 391490 Elevate Women’s Wellbeing Group 4-5:30pm over Zoom.

Book: fb.com/YourSpaceLeeds Zumba / Pilates 6-7pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston via Zoom Book: 0113 270 4600 South Leeds Lakers Juniors (Athletics) 6-7pm Cockburn School Book: fb.com/juniorlakersleeds Cat and Chill (Your Space) 6-7pm The Holbeck club, Jenkinson Lawn Yoga 7-8:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street.

Book: 07512 393228

Every Friday ESOL class 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Hunslet RLFC Breakfast Club 10am-12pm Phoenix Suite, South Leeds Stadium Holbeck Together coffee morning 10am-12pm St Matthew’s

Community Centre Holbeck Together Dance On 10-11am Holbeck Moor Hunslet TARA Gardening 10am meet Church of the Nazarene, Grove Road Lunch Club (MHA Communities) 12-2pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Lunch Club 12-1pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing Computer Class 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Chair-based Exercise 1:45-2:45pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road.

Book: 0113 272 1050 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-5:30pm Holbeck Moor. Book: richard.foye@leedsunited.com

Every Saturday Cross Flatts parkrun 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Middleton Woods parkrun 9am Leeds Urban Bike Park DAZL Tinys (Age 3-5) DAZL Xplode (Age 6-9; 10+) DAZL HQ, Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road. Book: fb.com/danceactionzoneleeds Park Roll rollerskating 10am-12pm Sports Courts, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: ls-ten.org Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Outdoor Yoga 10:30am Top of Cross Flatts Park Book: 07576 113269 Women’s Walking Group 11am-1pm Book: 07435 914350

Every Sunday Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Knitting Group 10am-12pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Dynamo Cricket (8-11 yrs) 10-11:30am Cross Flatts Park Healthy Minds Cycling Skills 10-11am Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Toning & Stretching with Julie 6:30-7:30pm DAZL HQ, Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road.

Book: 07783 786776 Saturday 31 July Craft & Homemade Food Market 9:30am-12:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park Sport and Active Lifestyle Fair 1-4pm Holbeck Moor Sunday 1 August Caspar & The Fleas concert 2-4:30pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street

Men’s Corner 7-8:30pm Charlies-Angel-Centre, 6B Ashbrooke Park, LS11 5SF Tuesday 3 August Grandparents Social Circle 7-8:30pm Charlies-Angel-Centre, 6B Ashbrooke Park, LS11 5SF Wednesday 4 August Bereavement Support Group 10-11:30am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Hunslet Tenants & Residents 6:30-8pm over Zoom Book: fb.com/HunsletTARA Miscarriage Support Group 7-8:30pm Charlies-Angel-Centre, 6B Ashbrooke Park, LS11 5SF Thursday 5 August Community Support Group 7-8:30pm Charlies-Angel-Centre, 6B Ashbrooke Park, LS11 5SF Saturday 7 August Holbeck & Beeston Cemetery Volunteers 10am-1pm Meet centre of Holbeck Cemetery, Beeston Road Jumble Sale 10am-2pm Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck Coffee morning 10am-12pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Middleton Park - South Leeds Golf Course consultation 11am-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street Sunday 8 August Walk: The Brandlings and Middleton Park 2-5pm Meet: Middleton Park Visitor Centre Tuesday 10 August Hearing Aid Clinic 10am-1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 Wednesday 11 August Film Club: Mamma Mia 1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Saturday 14 August Your Space Craft & Cafe 10am-12pm Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck Middleton Park - South Leeds Golf Course consultation 11am-3pm Leeds Urban Bike Park, Ring Road, Middleton Women’s Yorkshire Day Walk 11am-2:30pm Book: 07435 914350 Sunday 15 August Celebratory, Centenery Plus One, People’s Picnic 12-3pm Middleton Park Rose Garden Guided Walk: The route of the Middleton Railway 10-11:30am Meet: Leeds Bridge Book: bit.ly/RailwayWalk

Hunslet RLFC v London Skolars 3-5pm South Leeds Stadium, Middleton Grove.

Book: hunslet.mysportstickets .co.uk/events/home Concert of Hope and Restoration 6:30pm Middleton Park Baptist Church Monday 16 August Middleton Park - South Leeds Golf Course consultation 4-6:30pm Leeds Urban Bike Park, Ring Road, Middleton AND bottom of golf course near Park Woods.

Tuesday 17 August Cycling Festival 1-4pm Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Wednesday 18 August Bridlington Trip (£10) 9am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 Saturday 21 August Coffee morning 10am-12pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Sunday 22 August Mindfulness Mini Retreat 10am-1pm Over Zoom. Book: jamyangleeds.co.uk/wellbeing Walk: Middleton Park’s new highlights 2-5pm Meet: Middleton Park Visitor Centre Wednesday 25 August Hunslet Cemetery Volunteers 10am-1pm Meet by the chapel Middleton Road, Hunslet Arm in Arm Memory Cafe 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Friday 27 August Sport and Active Lifestyle Fair 1-4pm Holbeck Moor Saturday 28 August Is Anyone There?

1pm and 5:30pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn Book: slunglow.org Sunday 29 August Is Anyone There?

1pm and 5:30pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn Book: slunglow.org Hunslet RLFC v Coventry Bears 3-5pm South Leeds Stadium, Middleton Grove.

Book: hunslet.mysportstickets .co.uk/events/home Monday 30 August Middleton Railway 10:30am3:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet Tuesday 31 August Eiger Studios Music Open Day 11am-4pm New Craven Gate (off Dewsbury Road near M621) Wednesday 1 September Mini Olympics 12:30-2:30pm Watsonia Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston

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What’s On 21

Beeston’s monthly handmade craft and food market

L

eaf Eleven is the monthly handmade craft and food market which takes place on the last Saturday of the month in Cross Flatts Park.

The market supports local people to show and share their skills with handmade products and is a collaboration between the Bridge Cafe and BAFF (Better Action For Families).

The markets will be on Saturday 31 July and Saturday 28 August, 9:30am-12:30pm.

Stalls include: • Knitted items • Handmade baby clothing, bags and personalised cushions • Jewellery • Framed photographs • Pet products and treats • Scented wax melts • Painted slate decorations • Mosaics Plus more, there will always be face painting, henna, and a chance for people to take part in mosaic making workshops.

As one stall holder put it: “It's not about making money, we just like to get out, talk to people and share what we love to do."

A concert of Hope and Restoration M

iddleton Park Baptist Church warmly invites you to a concert of Hope and Restoration on Sunday 15 August at 6.30pm.

Traditional and original music composed and performed by Martin Townshend (flute), David Mayers (piano) and featuring Claudette Mbonayo.

This is a free event, but accommodation is limited so please contact the church to book a place.

For more information please go to: www.middletonpark baptistchurch.org.uk or ring 07464 848150 Email: info@ middletonparkbaptistchurch .org.uk Next month the church will host an evening with Fiona and Paul Jones who will talk about how faith in God has changed their lives. Fiona is an actress and Paul is lead singer in the Blues Band and previously Manfred Mann.

The talk will take place on

August 2021 | South Leeds Life

Sunday 19 September at 6:30pm.

September will also see a service of Comfort and Remebrance - a traditional service to remember the lives of those we have lost. This will

take place on Sunday 26 September at 6:30pm.

Middleton Park Baptist Church is located on Middleton Park Avenue opposite Middleton Primary School.

Walk traces the route and history of railway J

oin a walk with Leeds City Walking Tours that takes you to a steam train ride and a gem of a railway museum on Sunday 15 August.

From 1758, horses pulled carts of coal into Leeds from Middleton Colliery. In 1812 a new age began – not just for this short stretch railway but also for Britain and the world.

Engineer Matthew Murray, of the nearby Round Foundry in Holbeck, was commissioned to build a steam locomotive to pull the wagons into Leeds.

With his successful first engine, Salamanca, in service, the colliery owner could outcompete his rivals in supplying the fuel that powered the industrial age.

The railway ceased to operate commercially back in the mid-20th century, but we can trace parts of the route of the return journey from the site of the coal staith near Leeds Bridge up to Moor Road in Hunslet. We take in various important railway-related sites

along the way, including the area that produced thousands of locomotives between the 1830s and 1990s. Engines went to almost every country in the world during this long era.

When we reach Moor Road station and museum you'll be able to take a steam-hauled service to Middleton Park at the special price of £5 per person for a day ticket.

Before or after a train journey you can see the impressive collection of locos, other artefacts relating to the historic

railway (including a model of Salamanca) and fascinating interpretation boards.

Refreshments and toilets are available. More information here: www.middletonrailway.org.uk Walking tour tickets: £10 each, and up to 3 children go free. Booking essential at bit.ly/RailwayWalk

Leeds Bridge to Moor Road is approximately 2 miles.

Meet on Leeds Bridge at 10am – downstream side near the Leeds crest.

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South Leeds Life | August 2021

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22 What’s On

South Leeds Slimming World groups reopen in venues Sponsored Content

T

hroughout the pandemic Slimming World has continued to provide virtual weight loss services to slimmers in South Leeds.

Now, as restrictions begin to ease, the UK and Ireland’s best loved weight loss organisation Slimming World is opening up for real life groups in venues.

Tace who runs Slimming World groups in South Leeds, says: “For more than 50 years, Slimming World has been helping people to change their mindset and form new habits around eating and becoming more active and learn to stay slim for life.

“The real key to success is found in the weekly group where trained Consultants motivate and inspire members to achieve their weight loss dreams. For anyone who has ever struggled with their weight, finding understanding care and support to help you stay

committed and reach your target is invaluable.

“Plus, members learn about Slimming World’s incredible Food Optimising eating plan – no hunger, no deprivation, no counting. And as we come out of lockdown, many of us are looking for friendly support not just to lose weight but to reconnect with our community.

“Our research has shown that people have found it harder than ever to manage their weight during lockdown, due to extra stress and anxiety and routines that have been thrown up in the air, so we’re delighted that we’ve still been able to help people in South Leeds to lose weight throughout lockdown.

Slimming World has more than 50 years of experience behind it. She adds: “At Slimming World, we have the best eating plan in the world where members can, and do, lose weight without ever having to go hungry and a great activity programme that helps

people to find a way to move more within their daily lives.

“What sets Slimming World apart though is that as well as the physiology of weight loss, we understand the psychology of slimming and help people to grow in confidence and selfesteem so they are empowered to change the habits of a

buzz being back together again.

Tace has recently taken over the Middleton Tuesday evening group and is looking forward to welcoming returning and new members, as are the other consultants Jane and Barbara.

To book in, or for more information please contact us: Hunslet Monday morning

lifetime.

“There is nothing more rewarding than that, so being able to run a successful group and have that level of satisfaction is a magic combination!”

We are now open for smaller, shorter groups in venues and it’s given the members a real

and evening, Friday morning.

Middleton Tuesday evening Tace 07963 283990.

Beeston Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

Middleton Thursday evening and Friday morning - Jane 07841 488658 Hunslet Thursday evening and Saturday morning -

Barbara 07521 082768 About Slimming World Slimming World was founded

by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE in Derbyshire in 1969 and has become the UK and Ireland’s leading weight loss organisation with more people choosing to attend a Slimming World group each week than any other weight loss programme.

We support hundreds of thousands of people, both in our groups and online, to lose weight and to adopt new habits to stay slim for life.

Over the years our founding principles haven’t changed: • Our unique programme is based on a powerfully motivating support system called IMAGE (Individual Motivation and Group Experience) Therapy.

Underpinned by a deep understanding of the psychology of overweight people, and incorporating the most effective sustainable behaviour change techniques, IMAGE Therapy is designed to inspire and motivate slimmers to make positive changes and to develop new, healthier habits around food and activity.

• Food Optimising is our healthy eating plan, based on

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the liberating concept of Free Food. We encourage our members to fill up on those foods that are naturally lower in energy density (calories per gram) and also highly satisfying while limiting foods that are highest in fat and sugar and are less satisfying, so they lose weight without ever feeling hungry or deprived and without having to weigh, measure or count everything they eat.

• Our activity programme, Body Magic, encourages members to become more active, more often in ways that they enjoy, until regular physical activity becomes an intrinsic part of daily routine.

Above all, at the heart of everything we do, lies our passion for treating every member with genuine care, empathy and respect.

We’re proud to work with the NHS, Public Health England, The Royal College of Midwives and others to help shape the future of weight management in the UK. For more information about Slimming World’s approach visit slimmingworld.co.uk.

Follow Slimming World on Twitter: @slimmingworld or become a Slimming World fan on Facebook at fb.com/slimmingworld

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August 2021 | South Leeds Life

Email: info@southleedslife.com

Sporting Life 23

Walk to Fitness with the Lakers Hunslet’s month of turmoil T

he new Walk to Fitness health walks led by the South Leeds Lakers, with support from the Get Set Leeds Local team at Leeds City Council, held its debut walk on Sunday 25 July from Cross Flatts Park.

Following the launch, regular weekly walks will take place on weekends at various times and from different locations. Walks will generally be around 5km or 3miles and should take about an hour.

Some walks will have options for beginners if you’d like to try out a short walk before joining a longer one. All walks will be free of charge and booking will be required.

Walk leader, Linda Featherstone, said: “Walking is a great activity to improve health and wellbeing.

Your Walk Leaders are ready to go The walks are intended to improve physical and mental wellbeing in a friendly and social environment. We are excited about our new initiative and would love a diverse range of people to join us. Please give

us a try and get to know people in your local area whilst improving your fitness”.

There will be a limit to the number of spaces allocated to a walk leader of 15 people for safety reasons.

To receive notifications about future walks, please click to follow the @southleeds lakersWtF Facebook page. To ask a question, please use the messenger option on that page.

Sports Fairs on A summer of Holbeck Moor cycling

by Karen Peck

G

et Set Leeds Local (Active Leeds, part of Leeds City Council) has been working with community partners to bring two Holbeck Moor Sport and Active Lifestyle Fairs on Saturday 31 July and Friday 27 August, both 1–4pm.

It’s been a tough year for everyone, and local organisations and friends wanted to come together to bring some fun to Holbeck Moor and give residents an opportunity to see the wide range of activities happening in and around their local area.

Residents will have the opportunity to meet some of the people behind the organisations they know with Slung Low, Holbeck Together, Hamara, Health for All, Kidz Klub, South Leeds Lakers all supporting these community events.

There’s a range of sports to enjoy including football, tennis; cricket, rugby, basketball and table tennis and much more with fun, introductory activities

all available to try for free. No equipment needed, just turn up, see what’s going on and have the chance to try or watch a range of activities.

There’s going to be something for all ages and all the family, so come and meet us and perhaps have a go at a new activity. We’ll be joined by DAZL dance doing some fun dance workshops and garden groovers sessions; Dance On is delivered by Yorkshire Dance for the older adult and will be on the MUGA delivering a taster activity; and an opportunity to try Tai Chi and Yoga with Holbeck based Jamyang centre.

In the cycle zone we have British Cycling providing a fun activity area for the young people, so bring down your bike. The police will be with us, tagging bikes with security chips, helping keep your bike secure from thefts and Dr. Bike helping fix up any basic repairs you might have.

For more information contact karen.peck@leeds.gov.uk or 07891 274130

DAZL’s Garden Groovers will be at the Sports Fair on Holbeck Moor

British Cycling will be among the groups at the festival

C

ross Flatts Park in Beeston is fast becoming a second cycling hub for south Leeds and on Tuesday 17 August, 14pm, it will host a Cycling Festival.

Get Set Leeds Local will be joined by partners to provide a variety of fun activities. Cycle North will be doing a balance bike zone for the little ones, British Cycling have an area for junior riders, community partners will be delivering some local led rides, Hamara will be sharing a stall on the history of the bike, there will be bike fixing with big Bike Fix and bike security tagging by the LCC Travel Behaviour Team and police to help recover your bike if it was ever stolen.

This is a great opportunity to find out more about what activities happen in your local area, and join in some free activities on the day.

Looking to develop your cycling skills and have fun whilst meeting new people? Try for Healthy Minds Cycling sessions are being delivered by British triathlon. These free

sessions are geared at adults whatever your level (and definitely no Triathlon training in sight!).

Introductory level cycling over 8 weeks. Join in any week.

These sessions will be taking place at Cross Flatts Park over summer every Sunday 10– 11am. Free to join in, and borrow a bike and a helmet if you need one!

Contact fionahoare@britishtriathlon .org or 07342 094597 for information.

Finally, as part of British Cycling’s Summer of Cycling there will be two balance bike / children learn to ride sessions on Tuesday 3 August and Monday 16 August. Drop in anytime between 10am– 12noon.

This will be a ‘parent led’ session using the British Cycling Ready Set Ride learning tools. The session will be suitable for both balance bikes and pedal bikes. Balance bikes will be available to hire for free.

There will be a chance to try out the new balance bike ramps to add an extra element of fun!

New Coach Alan Kilshaw.

Photo: Stephen Gaunt / Touchlinepics.com

Continued from page 24 Hunslet led 20-10 on the 80th minute, but there was quite a lot of time added on for injuries and with some skill and some luck the Cougars managed to steal a draw.

Kilshaw will be happy with his charges’ performance having only 17 fit players to pick from due to Covid and the eventual Man of the Match Nathan Conroy could have been any of a dozen players.

Weak tackling though meant that Cougars’ Scott Murrell could carve a gap for Daniel Parker to score on the 5th minute to give Keighley a 0-6 lead. Taylor Prell stretched over to extend Keighley’s lead to 010 on 30 minutes.

The Cougars knocked-on from the kick off and Hunslet struck straight away when Jordan Andrade proved too strong near the line. Jy-Mel Coleman converted and suddenly Hunslet had the momentum.

With half time approaching Andrade again went on the rampage and touched down under the posts (with his shorts a bit low for the viewing fans in the stand) and with Coleman’s conversion Hunslet led 12-10 at the break.

Big hits were the order of the day for the Hunslet defence, and Rettie, Andrade and Rowe all received pats on the back from their team mates, after a good set Vila Halafihi grabbed a try and the Parksiders extended their lead to 16-10.

Jy-Mel Coleman kicked two penalties to extend the Parksiders lead to 20-10, but as the clock ticked around to 80 minutes a deft Cougars kick pinged around in the Hunslet try area before Charlie Graham touched down, but with no conversion Hunslet still led 2014.

A lovely ball to Dalton Desmond-Walker sent the prop on a charge to the line. Hunslet full back Reece ChapmanSmith was unlucky in the tackle but the try was scored and with Millar’s conversion we were all square at 20-20.

Alan Kilshaw has much to take from this game to say that all is not lost this year, but with tough games to come away at Doncaster and Barrow the work only gets tougher.

Hunslet’s next two home games at South Leeds Stadium are against London Skolars on 15 August and Coventry Bears on 29 August.

A flying tackle from Jy-Mel Coleman. Photo: Ray Barber

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South Leeds Life | August 2021

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24 Sporting Life

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Running to recovery

by Sue Talbot

S

unday 1 August sees the official launch at Leeds Dock of a running club with an important social purpose.

Recovery Runners Running Club is the brainchild of Dean Smith, until recently the chairperson of South Leeds Lakers, and Jamie Heselden who runs with Rothwell Harriers.

The club grew out of their shared experiences of the benefits of running in maintaining their recovery from alcohol addiction.

The inspirational pair have already been recognised winning the Community Champions category at Leeds Sport Awards in May. After watching Skid Row Marathon, Dean had the idea of working with St George’s Crypt to set up a Couch to 5k (C25K) programme and was put in touch with Growing Rooms, a residential detox project.

At the same time Jamie had set up a C25K programme with Spcaious Places Day Treatment services so they joined forces, setting up a Facebook page with the aim of getting “Recovery based organisations around Leeds to join together to shine a light on Leeds and its Recovery and create a club and a community.”

From small beginnings the Recovery Runners Community has grown to include runners recovering from mental health problems, addictions, eating disorders, Covid-19, cancer

and burnout. A call-out for donations of kit and trainers enables the group to give kit to people who don’t have it “so nothing should stop them getting started” and included recent donations to a group of asylum seekers temporarily housed in Leeds who were keen to keep fit by running.

Now Dean and Jamie have recruited sporting celebrities Dom Matteo (ex-LUFC), Leeds Rhino’s captain Luke Gale and up-and-coming Leeds boxer Jack Bateson as Ambassadors for the club. They’ve also won support from Active Leeds - the Council’s sports and leisure arm – Run Leeds, and sponsorship from the Hopewell Centre and local business Heselden Properties Ltd. The launch event will be attended by members and supporters from Leeds and beyond, as well as the Ambassadors and sponsors.

No running club launch would be complete without a run and this one includes a 10k run, and a 5k walk, along with a virtual run; all as fundraisers for Dean’s place running for the Prostate Cancer team in the Berlin Marathon.

Now the club has national ambitions: putting UK-based runners-in-recovery in touch with each other for local runs wherever they find themselves visiting for work or on holiday.

For more information email: Recoveryrunners21@gmail .com or search for Recovery Runners on Facebook; Recovery Runners Running Club on Instagram.

Jamie Heselden and Dean Smith founders of Recover Runners won the Community Champions award at Leeds Sports Awards this year

They’re off!

The first parkrun since the pandemic struck took place on Saturday 24 July in Cross Flatts Park. 150 participants ran, jogged or walked around the 5km course. A further 116 took part at Middleton Woods. parkrun events are free and take place every Saturday morning at 9am, register for your free barcode at www.parkrun.org.uk/register

Hunslet suffer month of turmoil

by Ian Pickles and Jeremy Morton

H

unslet RLFC suffered two losses on the pitch, sacked and relaced their coach and lost their Chairman, Kenny Sykes in a tumultuous July.

The problems started on the road at Coventry Bears on 4 July, where the Parksiders gave up a 22 point lead in the last ten minutes, losing 46-44.

In a game where defences were definitely not on top Hunslet’s looked shell-shocked as moments after Matt Chrimes had completed a hattrick to give Hunslet a 70th minute 44-22 lead Coventry bravely tried a short kick off, from which Jack Dawson scored.

The momentum changed and a Bears break shortly after resulted in influential Halfback Dave Scott scoring to shorten the gap to 34-44. Almost immediately Jack Dawson completed his own hat-trick to make it 40-44 going into injury time.

You need luck in these situations and Coventry after stealing the ball in a tackle tried a kick through which resulted in Hunslet clearing to give the home side more tackles.

With a Coventry player seemingly held short the ball was somehow released and Kieran Sherratt dived over for the winning try.

Hunslet players accepted they were to blame for for the loss, but it was coach Gary Thornton who paid the price as

Jordan Andrade battles the Keighley defence. Photo: Stephen Gaunt/Touchlinepics.com he was sacked by the Hunslet Board.

The following Sunday Hunslet faced North Wales Crusaders under acting coach Mark Cass.

It looked as things had gone from bad to worse in the first half as North Wales appeared to score at will, racking up a 026 lead at the break.

But Cass rallied his troops for a second half comeback, but from 0-30 down they just fell short in the dying moments.

The game turned on 47 minutes when after Crusaders had been penalised Jordan Andrade barged his way over, which Brambani duly converted.

Hunslet now had a fightback in them, epitomised by Vila Halafihi who scored from close range to narrow the lead to 1230.

North Wales were now visibly tiring, perhaps as they had had to carry their equipment over a mile from their broken down bus (the kick-off was held up for 15 minutes), and on 68 minutes Lewis Young reached over to bring the Parksiders to within 12 points.

A quick try would make it interesting, but the Crusaders defence held well until on 80 minutes a smart David Gibbons kick was collected by Matt Chrimes to score in the corner.

Dominic Brambani coolly converted under pressure and it was 24-30 in added time.

Johnson could have wrapped it up for North Wales as they were awarded a penalty for a Hunslet punch, but the kick fell short and Hunslet gave flight to the ball to try grab a last minute try.

As the hooter sounded the ball was still in play, but a Hunslet pass went to ground and former Widnes favourite Patrick Ah Van scooped it up for Crusaders to score and put the icing on the cake. Final score: 24-34.

The break for the Challenge Cup Final gave Hunslet time to appoint a new Head Coach.

Alan Kilshaw has an impressive record for a young coach including winning promotion with Rochdale Hornets in his first season.

His first game in charge was against Keighley Cougars on 25 July and he was minutes away from a dream start to his tenure at the South Leeds Stadium, but Keighley had other ideas, scoring two late tries to steal a 20-20 draw.

Continued on page 23