Your FREE community newspaper
Issue 133 | September 2026
Covering Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton, Riverside & Stourton
CAMPAIGN TO STOP DATA CENTRE HOTS UP
In this issue:
Lucy’s Wikimedia Award
page 3
New lease of life for Colin
page 5
Residents oppose Microsoft’s hyperscale data centre at Stourton
A
group of 170 Leeds residents have formed an action group to oppose Microsoft’s construction of three Hyperscale AI Datacentre buildings in Stourton. South Leeds Life first reported on the plans two years ago; and when the hybrid application to redevelop the Skelton Grange site was submitted in November. The plans were unanimously approved by Leeds City Council in April 2026. At this time the planning portal only registered two objections and was left open, pending sign off by Leeds City Council’s Chief Planning Officer Martin Elliot. Since the No Leeds Data Centres campaign began to raise awareness, almost 1,000 objections have been submitted to the planning portal and over 39,000 people have signed the petition. Over 100 datacentre developments are currently seeking planning permission in the UK and at 65 acres, this project in Leeds will be one of the biggest. Global Action Plan is urging the government to place a moratorium on construction of any new datacentres and this is supported by the No Leeds Datacentres campaign which is empowering Leeds residents to encourage their local Councillors and MPs to sign the pledge. Owen Espley, Campaign Manager at Global Action Plan
says: “The UK Government is letting Big Tech build more and more of its resource-hungry data centres up and down the country, contradicting community wishes and putting local people at risk of power cuts and droughts. “Communities are fighting to have their concerns about AI data centres heard but are being drowned out by Big Tech lobbyists who hold the ear of government. The government must act urgently to put the brakes on AI data centre expansion by joining a growing number of global cities in declaring a moratorium on new AI The campaign mobile billboard outside Leeds Civic Hall data centres until ministers can produce a to see improvements to their our country alone this summer credible plan for how many we quality of life and the cost of and, for decades to come, will need, where and what for, and living. They don’t see any value affect food prices, whether how environmental and social in destroying the environment people can work safely, the harm will be addressed.” and risking their health and functioning of our public Local businesses across wellbeing so that an American services and our economic and Leeds have pledged their corporation can profit. This national security. support by displaying posters development sets a precedent “It is an emergency and and creating videos, the – if it’s approved without action is needed. The campaign has also toured proper scrutiny, how many unchecked expansion of large around festivals and markets more data centres will follow?” corporate AI data centres and has launched a mobile abour MP for Leeds East across the country is deeply billboard. Richard Burgon had this to say concerning and their vast Lianne Marie Mease, lead about the No Leeds Datacentre energy and water needs could representative of the No Leeds campaign: undermine our efforts to Datacentres campaign says: “The climate crisis is protect people and “The people of Leeds don’t happening now. It has caused communities from climate want data centres. They want thousands of excess deaths in change. That’s why I support
Business award for dog trainer Natalie
page 8
Candidates for Children’s Mayor
page 13
the campaign against the construction of Microsoft hyperscale data centres here in Leeds, which would be bad news for local residents, our environment and the fight against climate change. “But we also need action nationally. There should be a moratorium on new AI data centres across the country while the Government, working with local communities, fully assesses their environmental impact and weighs that against any potential benefits.” To find out more visit noleedsdatacentre.com
Jimmy Watson bows out on a high
page 24
NEWS
2-10
SCHOOL LIFE
11-13
COMMENT
14-15
LIVES
16-17
WHAT’S ON
18-21
SPORTING LIFE
22-24
Get the latest news at www.southleedslife.com - new stories posted daily
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
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 28 Back Burton Terrace, Leeds, LS11 5JH Email: info@southleedslife.com Facebook : @SouthLeedsLife Phone: 07894 583966
Flats in former Beeston church to be sold at auction S
ixteen flats in the former Trinity Methodist Church on Tempest Road in Beeston are to be sold at auction after the landlord, Leeds Federated Housing Association, decided the required investment to bring them up to their standard “would not represent the best use of our resources.” The housing association converted the building about thirty years ago, with the congregation moving next door into the church hall, before Faith Together in Leeds 11 converted the building into the Hamara Healthy Living Centre and built the Building Blocks nursery on the site of Holy Spirit’s church hall. The church building itself was built for the Methodist New Connexion to designs by Walter Samuel Braithwaite, and completed in 1907. In a statement, Leeds Federated said: “The homes in question no longer meet the standards we aim to provide for customers, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, accessibility and the level of investment now needed to maintain them. “After carefully considering the
options, we determined that the significant investment needed would not represent the best use of our resources. By selling them, we
can reinvest into building new, affordable homes that meet modern standards. “This approach means we can
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
continue to provide higher-quality, energy-efficient homes, helping to reduce customers’ energy costs while ensuring our investment delivers the greatest long-term benefit.” The flats are due to be sold at by Auction House on 9 September 2026 and have a guide price of £475,000.
The former Trinity Methodist Church. Photo: Auction House
Thwaite Mills set to reopen as museum, pub and cafe T hwaite Mills, one of the bestpreserved working watermills in Britain, has been taken over by four new owners who will restore it and reopen it as a working museum with a pub, cafe and canal-side beer garden. Will Habergham, Terry George, Michael Rothwell and Kirk Allen have taken ownership of the Grade II listed site at Stourton and will begin a full restoration this week, more than two years after the mill
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.
Thwaite Mills on the River Aire at Stourton
closed to the public in April 2024. The work is expected to take around 12 months and will be carried out alongside volunteers from Friends of Thwaite Mills, the supporters’ group the new owners are relaunching as part of the project. No reopening date has been set. Early plans include reopening the mill as a working museum, a pub and cafe with canal-side seating, and fully landscaped grounds free
for walkers, runners and dog walkers to use. A programme of free family events is planned, and the owners are exploring the return of the craft fairs and car boot sales the site was once known for. Longer term, they hope to add weddings, small music events and a beer garden. “Thwaite Mills was saved by its community once before, and it’ll be brought back by its community now,” said Will Habergham, director
of Thwaite Mills. “We’re not going to disappear for a year and come back with a ribbon to cut. We want people watching it happen, turning up, and telling us what they want this place to be.” Built between 1823 and 1825, Thwaite Mills worked first as a flax mill and later produced whiting and paint, operating commercially until 1975, when a broken weir threatened its future. Local volunteers stepped in to save it the following year, and it opened as a museum in 1990, welcoming visitors until it closed in April 2024. The relaunched Friends of Thwaite Mills is open to anyone, including former members of the original Thwaite Mills Society. Members will receive regular updates, be invited to volunteer days and have a direct hand in shaping the mill’s next chapter. The restoration will be documented as it happens through a social media diary rather than held back for a single announcement. Members of the public can find out more, sign up as a Friend of Thwaite Mills and follow the restoration diary at www.thwaitemills.com and on social media at @thwaitemills.
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
News 3
Wikipedia Silver Jubilee award for Lucy Moore
Lucy Moore receives her award from Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales
L
ucy Moore, from Beeston, was one of just five recipients of a Silver Jubilee Wikimedia award presented at a special birthday party in London to celebrate two major milestones: 25 years of Wikipedia and 15 years of Wikimedia UK as a registered charity. Wikipedia co-founder, Jimmy Wales, attended the event in London on 3 July 2026 and presented Lucy with her award. Lucy’s citation read:
Since joining the Wikimedia movement in 2019, Dr Lucy Moore has become a hugely valued part of the community. She is active in initiatives including Women in Red and has written a Wikipedia article for a woman from every country in the world. Lucy is innovative and creative as an editor, trainer and colleague. With her deep knowledge of Wikimedia and the GLAM sector, she is able to identify gaps and ways of
working that bring real benefit to communities and institutions. Her activism and attention to marginalised experiences and voices make many Wikimedia projects richer and more equitable. Whether she is investigating ontologies of smell, celebrating queer and trans lives, or getting stuck into talk pages to address systemic bias, Lucy brings care, rigour and imagination to her work. She also contributes a
considerable amount of volunteer time to movementwide Wikimedia bodies, including the Global Resource Distribution Committee. Amongst the articles Lucy has contributed are ones on two local sculptures: Hibiscus Rising (near the Tetley) and Ribbons, the celebration of women in Leeds which includes Lucy. Other local subjects she’s written on include the pioneering ‘Transvestism and Transsexualism in Modern Society‘ conference which took place in Leeds in 1974; and the Leeds-based abolitionist Wilson Armistead’s 1848 book ‘A Tribute for the Negro‘. From its beginnings in 2001, Wikipedia has grown into a global public resource spanning more than 300 language editions and a vibrant network of sister projects. Every day, it helps billions of people explore ideas, answer questions and follow their curiosity. At a time when reliable information, media literacy and public access to knowledge matter more than ever, the gathering was also an opportunity to reflect on the continuing importance of Wikimedia UK’s mission: enabling people in the UK to engage with open knowledge, access reliable information, develop their understanding of the world and make informed decisions about issues that affect them.
Protest Swim at Leeds Dock calls for reinstatement of swimming licence A
community protest swim took place at Leeds Dock on 25 August with swimmers and supporters calling for the reinstatement of the site’s open water swimming licence, the return of a safe swimming space in Leeds, and the creation of more accessible blue-space swimming areas across the city. Leeds Dock has been a thriving open water swimming venue for more than five years. Until earlier this month, Love Open Water operated twiceweekly supervised swim sessions under licence, providing lifeguards and regular water-quality testing to ensure safe, accessible swimming. The Leeds Dock swimming community is large and diverse. The associated Facebook group has over 3,000 members. Swimmers have used the dock for everything from short wellbeing dips to Ironman training, in all seasons and
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
weather conditions. The activity has contributed significantly to the vibrancy of the area and has been welcomed by local residents. The interim owners of the Leeds Dock Estate leasehold Interpath, who took over when Leaseco 23’s went into administration, made a last-
minute decision not to renew the licence with Love Open Water this month. This decision has removed access to the only supervised open water swimming space in Leeds, where water quality was regularly monitored and lifeguards were present. Open water swimming
Swimmers at supporters at the Leeds Dock protest swim
carries inherent risks, but organisations such as NOWCA provide essential safety systems. These include cold-water inductions, trained lifeguards, and structured safety protocols that help swimmers build knowledge and confidence responsibly.
Support Sir Kev’s run through South Leeds S ir Kevin Sinfield will be running through South Leeds on Wednesday 30 September as part his latest fundraising challenge - 7 in 7: The Grand Finale. He is running between all the Super League grounds and he will be leaving Wakefield and running via Leeds and Bradford to Huddersfield. His route will also take him past Championship club Hunslet. He is due a rest stop on Middleton Grove at 10:13am. Sir Kev will approach via Towcester Avenue, St George’s Road, Newhall Road, Winrose Drive, then through Middleton Park onto Middleton Grove. He
will then continue via Tempest Road, Cemetery Road, Top Moor Side and Domestic Street en route to Headingley. Over the last seven years Sir Kevin Sinfield has raised over £11 million for a number of charities supporting people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) after his team mate Rob Burrow (who always wore number 7) was diagnosed with the terminal disease. You can support Sir Kev by cheering him and team as they pass through South Leeds and by donating at: donate.giveasyoulive.com/fun draising/7-in-7-the-grandfinale
Swimmable urban waterways provide: • Improved physical, mental and social wellbeing • Inclusive civic spaces • Environmental resilience • Stronger local communities • Enhanced biodiversity and ecosystems Open water swimming also provides significant health benefits, including improved mood, reduced stress, better sleep, enhanced cardiovascular fitness, and support for chronic conditions such as asthma and Type 2 diabetes. Swimming communities reduce social isolation and help build strong local networks. In a city facing widening health inequalities, declining healthy life expectancy and rising obesity rates and social isolation, accessible spaces for sport and wellbeing are essential. The campaigners, a collaboration between the Leeds Dock Swimming Community, Bramley Mermaids, Climate Action Leeds and Imagine Leeds, are calling for: • Reinstatement of the Leeds Dock swimming licence
• A commitment to making Leeds a swimmable city • More safe, accessible open water swimming spaces across Leeds Swimmer Joe Nadar said: “I am gutted about the closure of Leeds Dock swimming space. I have been regularly training there for years. I loved the friendly community, free cups of tea to warm up after in the winter and guaranteed safe place to swim.” Vicky added: “I loved being able to swim in the middle of our city and feel part of it in a different way. The coming together of urban and nature. It was great that swimmers could cycle or walk there.” And Kirsty Hughes commented: “I’m really gutted to hear that this place of safe, clean and accessible (by bike) outdoor swimming is under threat. Having somewhere to swim outdoors all year round that is safe, clean and offers such community spirit has supported both my physical and mental health….I know this is also true of all the connections I have made at Leeds dock.”
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
4 News
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
Parking permit Lane rental scheme introduced scheme for to reduce roadworks delays Holbeck businesses T by Don Mort
A
permit scheme will be introduced in four car parks at a council-owned industrial estate in south Leeds. Measures will be introduced to ease traffic congestion and prevent commuters parking at Croydon Street Industrial Estate in Holbeck. Permits will be needed to use Barkston House, Croydon Street, Barkston House and Croydon House car parks, which have 160 spaces between them. Leeds City Council received 19 objections to the proposal, raising fears that the scheme would penalise customers and visitors to the businesses. A council report said it was agreed that the scheme be amended to allow for a one-
hour waiting time at the estate. It said: “This will allow visitors and customers to park without a permit and addresses the objections.” The report said the council hoped the scheme would make it easier to find tenants for the estate. It said: “The introduction of an enforceable restriction will deter parking from commuters, reduce congestion and enable the council to fulfil the terms of the lease. “Reliable parking capacity should make the units more attractive to lease.” The report said the scheme was expected to be implemented in around two months’ time. Don Mort is the Local Democracy Reporter
Croydon Street. Photo: Google
hree West Yorkshire councils are launching Lane Rental Schemes which will see companies charged for carrying out works on their busiest roads during the busiest times. Later this calendar year Leeds, Wakefield and Kirklees will be charging companies such as utilities or other works promoters as much as £2,500 per day if they operate on key routes during the busiest times of day. The aim of Lane Rental Schemes is to reduce the impact of works on the highway and delays by encouraging organisations to schedule works outside peak periods, and to collaborate or work more efficiently. The three councils have worked together and each secured Department for Transport approval for their schemes. Along with adopting a consistent approach to charging and common principles, they are launching their schemes simultaneously to make it easier for organisations when applying to carry out works. The consistent approach will also help iron out
Roadworks in Holbeck in 2017. Photo: Jeremy Morton any issues where works may need to be carried out near to council boundaries and affect road users travelling across more than one area. Alongside reducing disruption and delays during peak times, the schemes should help reduce carbon emissions while also improving the reliability of public transport by protecting key bus routes.
Councillor Peter Carlill, Leeds City Council’s executive member for transport and planning, said: “We are always working hard to keep the city moving and minimise disruption, looking to co-ordinate works as best we can. Using a Lane Rental Scheme gives us more power and more options by being able to levy charges to encourage better and more efficient
behaviour from those working in our roads, so that residents face less disruption and delay as they move around the city. “Co-ordinating the introduction of our schemes with our neighbouring councils also ensures a fairness and consistency of approach, which is mindful of how works in one council area can have a wider impact on surrounding communities.”
Need help finding Hunslet Nelson’s new clubhouse gets the green light your next job? D
id you know the Council’s Jobshops are open all week in Beeston, Hunslet and Middleton, ready to help you find your next job? Jobshops provide a friendly, drop‑in service offering practical support to help you find local job opportunities or apprenticeships. The team can help you: • Search for jobs online, training opportunities and apprenticeships • Apply for jobs with stepby-step support • Create or refresh your CV • Access help with travel to interviews • Receive personalised
by Don Mort
A
historic cricket club is set to get upgraded facilities after plans were agreed with the city council. Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club sought planning permission to build a new clubhouse at its ground on Gipsy Lane in Beeston. New changing rooms and car parking are also planned for the site after Leeds City Council gave approval. A design report said improvements had already been made, including allweather training areas, car parking and a digital scorebox. It said: “However, the aim has always been to create a new clubhouse facility which combines clubroom and changing facilities within a single building.” The existing clubhouse was suffering from maintenance issues include a leaky roof, the report said. The report by
Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club on Gipsy Lane in Beeston. Photo: Google architect Alan Ramsay said: “Founded in 1869, Hunslet Nelson is the last cricket club in south Leeds. Their aims since inception has not changed. To promote cricket in south Leeds for all. “The club currently operates nine cricket teams, comprising
five junior teams, three senior teams and a women’s team.” A new kitchen and toilets would be provided as part of the development. The report said: “The proposals will allow for the future growth of the club and allow for the removal of
insufficient, outdated temporary buildings.” Council planners gave approval for the scheme, which includes the demolition of existing buildings, in a decision issued on 19 August. Don Mort is the Local Democracy Reporter
Photo: Shutterstock
careers advice Every year, they help hundreds of people into work. Visit your local Jobshop for free, face‑to‑face support in a welcoming space with free wi‑fi. No appointment needed. Drop in Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (Tuesdays from 10am). Job shops are located at: • Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library in Beeston, LS11 6PF • Hunslet Community Hub & Library, Waterloo Road, off Church Street, LS10 2NS • St George’s Centre Community Hub & Library, Middleton, LS10 4UZ
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
Email: info@southleedslife.com
News 5
Widower praises power of community groups for giving him new lease of life A
widower has hailed the “life-changing” impact of community groups for helping him emerge from years of loneliness and solitude to find his voice as a singer in one of Leeds’s best-known choirs. Colin Clark, 64, of Middleton, now performs sell-out shows to audiences of several hundred as a member of the prominent Leeds Male Voice Choir – marking a dramatic transformation from the isolation that once kept him confined to his home. He said reaching out to a local community group was “the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life” as the friendships and encouragement he went on to receive gave him the confidence to follow his interests and sing in public for the first time. The power of community involvement in improving and protecting the health of people across Leeds is the subject of this year’s annual report by Leeds City Council’s Director of Public Health, Victoria Eaton. The report, ‘Communities at the Centre: Creating better health together in Leeds’ – to be presented to city health leaders at the Health and Wellbeing Board later today (23 July 2026) – celebrates the critical value of community and voluntary organisations in enhancing people’s health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities. For Colin, the turning point began when a neighbour noticed he was struggling and mentioned charity Health for All, which has been supporting south Leeds communities for 35 years. The charity is part of the Better Together programme, commissioned and funded by Leeds City Council public health team, supporting grassroots organisations to improve health and reduce isolation, particularly in deprived areas. Colin had found himself retreating from the outside world following the death of Carol, his wife of 28 years, to cancer in 2019. This was further compounded when his disabled adult daughter, who he had been a full-time carer for, moved into permanent supported living care in 2023 at the age of 29. He said: “When my wife died, I tried to keep everything together for my daughter but it was very difficult. It was the hardest
Pictured from left, Gayle Graham, community development worker at Health For All, Colin Clark and Allan Garden, a friend he met at the walking group who suggested he join a choir time of my life. By the time my daughter moved out, I had no independent existence – no life, no friends. I was just sitting, staring at walls.” Reaching out to Health for All led to him joining a walking group and a men’s health group, where a newly-made friend suggested he join local choir, the Middle-Tones. As his passion and confidence for singing grew, Colin was also encouraged to audition for Leeds Male Voice Choir and last year won a place as a baritone. He has since performed multiple concerts and gone on tour with the choir, which was founded in 1916 at nearby Broom Colliery, and is wellknown, particularly in northern England. Colin said: “Taking those initial first steps opened a lot of doors for me and changed my life pretty much overnight. I’ve gone from a place where I was living quite a lonely and reclusive existence and didn’t know how to talk to people, to actually having a life, enjoying myself and being happy. “I’ve made new friends and I’m always astounded people are paying to hear me sing. The impact on my mental health has been staggering. It gives me a real buzz.” Health for All is one of 3,375 voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) organisations working to support Leeds’ many and diverse
communities. Leeds City Council and partners have a long history of close collaboration with these organisations at communitylevel – a way of working described in the report as a real “strength of Leeds”. Examples of this work highlighted in the report include: • The Leeds Community Anchor network – a city-wide network of 30 VCSF organisations whose purpose is to ensure Leeds communities thrive. It coordinates the Welcome Spaces Network, where people can gather for warmth, a hot drink and company – attracting 65,653 visits from residents in winter 2024-25 alone. • Community Champions – Since the pandemic, more than 300 Community Champions, speaking over 40 languages, have been active across Leeds, sharing trusted information about services with people in their communities. • Neighbourhood Networks – Across Leeds, 34 locally-led neighbourhood networks support older people’s health and inclusion through a range of activities. In the two months between April and June 2025, it is estimated network members made 103,172 visits to 751 activities held across the city. • Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE) – represents the needs of the Gypsy and Traveller community, who face
extreme health inequalities. The Gate Health and Wellbeing service, commissioned by Leeds City Council’s public health, holds activities and supports with accessing health services. The report also identified opportunities to further strengthen community-centred work including focusing on the assets and needs of each community, longer-term investment, scaling up successful projects and prioritising communities facing extreme health inequalities. Victoria Eaton, Leeds City
Council’s director of public health, said: “Our communities help create good health in many ways, from everyday acts of kindness between neighbours to services and communities working closely together. “There is a lot to be proud of in Leeds. As this report, and Colin’s story, shows, great work is already taking place across the city and we must continue to harness opportunities to further strengthen this way of working to improve the health of all.” Councillor Emma Flint, Leeds City Council’s executive member for equality, adults and health, said: “Communities give us a feeling of belonging and a connection to others as well as ensuring access to health and wider services; their power cannot be underestimated when it comes to protecting and improving people’s health. “We remain committed to ensuring community-centred approaches are central to our work to improve health in Leeds, to meet the needs of everyone who calls our vibrant and diverse city home.” To view the report visit observatory.leeds.gov.uk/dphreport
Changing your furniture? Donate it to support people with Learning Disabilities
Call us to arrange a free pickup
0113 270 4005
South Leeds AlternativeTrading Enterprises Ltd | Registed Company no 6394383 | Registered Charity 1149293
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
6 News
Thank you to our subscribers and sponsors for supporting South Leeds Life
Our ‘pound a week’ subscribers: Shaf Ali Peter Barber Vivienne Bate Barbara Beck Sally Ben Pat Benatmane Hilary Benn James Bovington Elaine Bower Sheila Brogden Andy Brown David Bushell Claire Burgess Adrian Burnett Ed Carlisle Susan Carlisle Claire Carter Barbara Cavell Dan Chadwick Rebecca Chambers Alex Coleman Rachel Darton
Bruce Davies Clara de Diane Audrey Dickinson Alex Fleming Christopher Forder Angela Gabriel Al Garthwaite Phil Goodfield Alaric Hall Julie Harrison Brian Hilton Mark Hodgkinson David Howard Becky Howcroft Joe Hughes-Stainsby Ben Hutchinson Stefan Jakusz Frances Jones Patricia Kelley Sally Kincaid Rachael Loftus Annie Maloney
A fruit garden with an international flavour for Hunslet Moor by Jeremy Morton
A Imran Marashli Alys Marsh Dee Marshall Kyle Mear Linda Meikle Liz Minkin Kaajal Modi Mark Molloy Lucy Moore Malcolm Morrison Susan Murray Elizabeth Nash Michael O’Connor Adam Ogilvie Mark Parry Joanne Peace Terry Pratt Andrew Price Derek Ramsey Neil Rhodes Matt Rogan Ruth Saxton
Andrew Scopes Alan Shaw Bob Shaw Elliot Speight Linda Stanley Emily Swingler George Sykes Sue Talbot Eve Tidswell Stephen Towler Rebecca Townesend Wilson Tweed Bryan Wagner-Adair Richard Wallwork Stewart Walton Ann Ward Lauran Warren Sasha Watson Emily Webster Day Gordon Wilson Paul Wray
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
n international orchard is being planned for an old ‘knot garden’ on Hunslet Moor and local residents are being asked which trees and shrubs should be planted. The garden is located behind the Hunslet Moor Hub, under the purple tower blocks of Crescent Grange and Crescent Towers. Fruit Works Cooperative are working with the
Friends of Hunslet Moor and Leeds City Council and aim to plant some edible trees and bushes in the garden this winter. A spokesperson for the project said: “People from all over the world live in this area and we want to plant some of the delicious fruits from those lands here in Hunslet.” Plants that have already been suggested include Figs, Mulberries and Walnuts from
Kurdistan; Sichuan peppers, Loquat, Jujube tree and Persimmon from Hong Kong; and Plums and Cornelian Cherries from Poland, but the project is keen to hear other suggestions. They would also like to hear from you if you would like to volunteer to help with the planting or the longer-term maintenance of the garden. Contact Fruit Works at: hello@fruitworks.org.uk
Gold sponsors:
The location of the knot garden
Silver sponsors:
Sign up to subscribe S
Bronze sponsors
Standard sponsors
ince we launched our funding appeal in the face of a huge rise in printing costs and we have been humbled by your response, which has stabilised our financial position. However, for long term viability we still need to sign up more individual subscribers and more organisational sponsors. The reason is that this income avoids us being ‘in hock’ to any vested interest. No one has tried to put pressure on us yet, but we don’t want leave ourselves open to that happening in the future. We know the whole country is suffering from the cost of living crisis and we know many of our readers are facing stark choices about heating and food. We will never charge you to read the news, it’s very important to us that everyone in our community can access local community news. But if you are able to spare a few pounds each month,
we need your help. You can help others read the news for free and ensure our independence. If you can afford to, please take out a monthly subscription at £3, £4, £5 or £10 per month. You’ll get the paper delivered to your door . Simply sign up online at bit.ly/SLLsubscribe You can also give the gift of news. Your subscription can now be gifted to another person and you have the option to pay monthly or annually. Follow the link to bit.ly/SLLsubscribe to sign up. Are you part of a community
organisation, charity or business that could become a sponsor? You will benefit from news coverage and free advertising options. Call 07894 583966 for more details. Or perhaps you just want to make a one off donation: • Please make your donation by bank transfer to South Leeds Life Group; sort code 08-92-99; a/c 65591910. • Or send a cheque to us at 28 Back Burton Terrace, Leeds, LS11 5JH. • Or look for the donate button on our website to pay via PayPal or debit card.
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
News 7
ACE Youth Zones: get active, make friends and have fun by Richard Weaver
Y
oung people across South Leeds are being given a new place to get active, meet new people and try something new, with the launch of two exciting ACE Youth Zones. The new sessions, delivered through Health for All’s ACE (Active Clubs Experience) project, are creating welcoming spaces where young people aged 11–17/18 can come together, get involved in sport and enjoy positive activities after school. The Youth Zones will run every Thursday in Beeston, from 4:45pm to 6:45pm, and every Wednesday in Middleton, from 4:45pm to 6:45pm. Whether young people already love sport or simply fancy giving something new a go, the sessions are designed to offer something for everyone. ACE has already been making a difference to children and young people across South Leeds through a wide range of sports sessions, community activities and exciting trips during the school holidays. The new Youth Zones build on that work, providing even more opportunities for young people
Youngsters enjoying an ACE trip to Action Zone to get involved locally. “We want to give young people somewhere positive to go where they can have fun, be active, make new friends and develop their confidence. Sport is a great way of bringing young people together and giving them something positive to be involved in.” A key part of the new Youth Zones will be making sure young people themselves have a say in what happens.
Participants will be encouraged to share their ideas, suggest activities and give feedback about their experiences. ACE will use those views to help shape future sessions and make sure the Youth Zones remain fun, welcoming and inclusive. Coaches will also encourage young people to get involved at their own pace – whether they are already confident in sport, want to develop new skills or
Belle Isle Senior Action celebrates 40th anniversary by Sonny Garewal
O
n Wednesday 22 July Belle Isle Senior Action – BISA, formally known as Belle Isle Elderly Winter Aid – BIEWA, celebrated their 40th Anniversary Year. The charity was the first to be formed in the city, and served as an experiment funded by Leeds City Council to support vulnerable older people living in the Belle Isle area through
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
the harsh winter months. With funding for a worker they were able to apply for funding to secure blankets and thermal curtains for older people, to help them keep warm in their homes. They are now open 5 days a week and have a 59 Centre for Older People at 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU. There is a different activity every day, and BISA welcomes new older people through our
Members celebrated with a party at Belle Isle WMC
doors. Please contact 0113 277 8208 (Office) or 0113 270 9426 (59 Centre) if you would like more information about our activities. We can also provide fully accessible transport to and from your door if you are a wheelchair user. We also have Day Trips and Events on a Wednesday. Why not follow our Facebook page, or visit our website – belleisle.org.uk The Project was so successful that Leeds City Council set up a Neighbourhood Network for Older People in every postcode area of Leeds. Thanks to Leeds City Council we are second to none in the provision of locally based services for all Older People living in Leeds! The Neighbourhood Networks in Leeds now serve 25,350 older people living throughout the city and provide over 700 activities!
simply fancy trying something different. One young person who takes part in ACE activities said: “I like coming to ACE because there is always something to do. I can play
sport, have a laugh with my friends and meet new people. It’s a really good place to come after school.” Another added: “It’s good having somewhere to go where you can see your friends and do something active. I’ve tried sports that I wouldn’t normally have done.” The Youth Zones are part of ACE’s wider commitment to giving young people positive experiences, building confidence and helping them discover new interests. That work has included the ACE Healthy Holidays programme, which has provided children and young people with opportunities to take part in sport, outdoor activities and trips during the school holidays. One recent trip took a group of children to Action Zone for an action-packed day of outdoor fun. The young people got active, ran through the woods, took part in a range of activities and, most importantly, enjoyed spending time together. It is a great example of how ACE uses sport, adventure and shared experiences to create memories that young people can take away with them. One young person who took
part said: “The trips are one of my favourite things because you get to go somewhere different, have fun with your friends and do things you might not normally get the chance to do.” The new Youth Zones will also help ACE build even stronger connections with young people and communities across South Leeds. By listening to what young people want, ACE hopes to develop activities that reflect their interests and give them a real voice in shaping what happens in their local area. The sessions are expected to be particularly popular with younger teenagers, and ACE will monitor attendance and feedback over the coming months to make sure the Youth Zones continue to meet the needs of young people across the wider 11–17/18 age group. The launch of the Beeston and Middleton Youth Zones marks another exciting step in ACE’s work across South Leeds – creating safe, positive spaces where young people can be active, make friends, build confidence, try new things and, most importantly, have fun. ACE Youth Zones are funded by Leeds Youth Alliance.
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
8 News
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
White Rose drives economic growth
New literacy charity launches in South Leeds
L
R
andsec has released its annual social and economic impact report revealing how White Rose Shopping Centre and Trinity Leeds are helping to drive local growth, contributing £308,095,816 to the local economy and supporting 6,347 jobs in 2025. Together, White Rose Shopping Centre and Trinity Leeds play an important role in people’s everyday lives that extends far beyond shopping. By supporting business growth, creating jobs and pathways into employment and providing a place where communities come together, the destinations create lasting value for local people, businesses and neighbourhoods. In 2025, the Leeds retail destinations supported 6,347 jobs across Landsec, its retail
partners and businesses operating at the destinations. They also helped 220 people move closer to employment through initiatives such as employability partnerships, which provide valuable handson industry experience, and work placements. The research also found that the shopping centres delivered a combined £1,716,272 in social value in 2025 through investment in local communities and employment
Lunch delivered in Holbeck A
s the dark nights return, it gets difficult to leave home... but Holbeck Together’s Meals on Wheels service can help with lunches delivered Monday-Friday. Enjoy the convenience of hassle-free delivery and the affordable luxury of having freshly prepared meals delivered right to your doorstep. Our reliable delivery service
Fresh meals on your doorstep
ensures that you or your loved one receives nutritious meals without leaving the comfort of home. Holbeck Together makes dining stress-free, whether that be at home or in the community. Interested in dining with us? For an up-to-date list meal options, call the office on 0113 245 5553 or email admin@holbecktogether.org.
initiatives, including bursaries, community grants, volunteering and partnerships. These initiatives help create lasting value beyond economic contribution by supporting community wellbeing, strengthening local partnerships and fostering a sense of pride in the local community. Alongside their economic and social contribution, White Rose and Trinity Leeds continue to invest in a more sustainable future. In 2025, the destinations reduced their energy intensity by 37% and 49% respectively, reflecting Landsec’s commitment to creating places that deliver lasting value for local communities and the environment.
ead For Life is anew Using books and materials charity which aims to help created especially for adults adults living in Beeston, you’ll work one-to-one with a Holbeck and the surrounding friendly reading coach at your area to read and write. own pace in a safe, public Founder, Emily Holloway, location such as a library or says: community centre. “There are many reasons Read For Life are also why an adult might struggle looking for compassionate, with reading. But there’s no reliable volunteers to become reason that struggle has to last reading coaches in the months a lifetime. ahead. “Whether you want to read to Volunteers will receive full support your children’s training on how to use our learning, gain confidence with everyday tasks, find a better job, return to education, or simply enjoy the pleasure of a good book— Read for Life is here to help.” The service offered is tailored to the individual and is entirely free. Whether you are starting from scratch or just want to improve your existing skills. Photo: Shutterstock
It's another award for local dog trainer Natalie N
K9 Dog Training & Behaviour has been named Dog Training Company of the Year – Yorkshire 2026/27, and owner Natalie Kaye says she’s especially proud as this is another award for NK9 and recognition for another year running. NK9 is based in South Leeds and runs a range of dog training classes and services, with a big focus on force-free, positive and games-based training. Natalie’s aim has always been to make training welcoming and accessible, helping owners build a better relationship with their dogs while developing practical skills that genuinely help in everyday life. Natalie said: “Winning the 2026/27 award means a huge amount to me. I’ve put so much time, passion and hard work into building NK9, continuing my professional development and supporting dogs and their owners in the local community. To have that work recognised
Natalie Kaye with her business award again is something I’m incredibly proud of.” Classes include a mixture of
obedience and life skills, recall, focus and connection, confidence building,
adult-friendly resources, plus ongoing support every step of the way - from your first session with a learner onward. As part of the process, you’ll also complete safeguarding training and a DBS check to help keep everyone safe. To find out more contact Emily on 07930 867992, email: info@readforlife.org.uk, visit the Facebook page, or website at: www.readforlife.org.uk
scentwork, tricks and other fun training activities, as well as sessions for dogs who may need a little more space or support. Most of the group classes are held at Hunslet Methodist Church, LS10 2HR, with different sessions running throughout the week. Classes are designed to be friendly and supportive, and owners don’t need to be aiming for a perfectly trained dog — it’s about understanding your dog, building skills together and enjoying training. All sessions are also drop in so people don’t need to commit to long course and can stay on for as long as they wish, some dogs come for years to learn new things and be social with other dog owners. NK9 has also launched group wag and walks for dog owners to come along and have a chat and some exercises around the local area. All upcoming classes, dates and events are advertised on the NK9 Dog Training & Behaviour Facebook page, where people can see what’s coming up and get in touch to book. Further information about NK9 and its services can be found on its website: nk9.co.uk.
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
Email: info@southleedslife.com
News 9
Murals brighten up Beeston Two new murals have appeared in Beeston over the summer. The LS11 Street Art Project have produced a portrait of Leonora Cohen, the leading suffragette and trade unionist who was born in Hunslet in 1873. The mural is located at the junction of Dewsbury Road and Tunstall Road, although it will have to move when the council make alterations to the streetscape. Meanwhile the Leeds United Supporters Trust have have produced a mural depicting United Manager Howard Wilkinson and the League Championship the club won in 1992, the last year it was contested before the Premier League started. Wilkinson now adorns the South Leeds Conservative Club on Wooler Street.
Women cook up a recipe for friendship, confidence and community A
community cooking project has brought together 26 women from different cultures and generations, helping to tackle loneliness, celebrate heritage and open the door to new employment and business opportunities. Women from across the community have been celebrating their cultures and sharing treasured family recipes as part of a ten-week project run by the Asha Neighbourhood Project in Beeston. The Community Cultural Cooking Project brought women together to cook traditional dishes, share their experiences and enjoy meals with the wider community. But organisers say it quickly became much more than a cooking class. Each week, participants planned menus, sourced
ingredients, prepared food and shared a community feast. Women brought recipes and cooking traditions from their different countries and backgrounds, creating opportunities to learn about one another’s cultures while enjoying food together. The sessions also helped women who may otherwise have experienced loneliness or isolation to establish friendships and develop a stronger sense of belonging. “Coming here together every Wednesday brings us joy, we go back remembering our childhood seeing our mothers and aunties cooking our ethnic foods. “Today we stand here in Asha
reliving it all. The fragrance, taste and nostalgic dishes” said one participant. The project also encouraged participants to look at their everyday skills in a new way. Menu planning, budgeting, sourcing ingredients, food
preparation, presentation, organisation and teamwork were all recognised as transferable skills that could support employment, volunteering or starting a small food business. As part of the programme,
the women visited a successful female-run café in Batley. Meeting women who had established and managed their own businesses encouraged participants to think about entrepreneurship, leadership and their own potential. The group also visited Signature Mall in Bradford, where they explored dessert and buffet food stalls and learned more about food presentation, customer service, menu ideas and the hospitality industry. The visits helped participants see how skills developed at home could potentially become a career, business or volunteering opportunity.
Asha’s Health Development Worker, Tahena Ahmed, commented: “One of the most important elements of the project was the sharing of cultural heritage. “Participants exchanged traditional recipes and cooking techniques while talking about family histories, childhood memories and the role food has played in their lives. “It was a delight to create a project that brought women together, creating a space for meaningful conversations around family recipes and traditions that had, in some cases, been lost over generations. “Sharing these recipes helped preserve important family histories and cultural traditions, while also encouraging women to recognise the value of the skills they already possess. “Most importantly, the project celebrated women’s knowledge, creativity and lived experience, showing that skills passed down through generations can be both a treasured part of our heritage and a valuable foundation for the future.”
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
10 News
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
BVCC through the eyes of a placement student E
arlier this summer 15 year old David Oladapo undertook a week’s work experience at Health For All’s Beeston Village Community Centre (BVCC). He worked across a range of services and community groups and at the end of the placement centre manager Balwinder Kaur asked him to write asked him to write a short piece about the charity and the services that Health for All offers. However, he came back and said, “I know you told me to write about what the charity is about, but I thought I should write about what I have seen.” This is what he wrote:
This is an activity I found deeply fascinating, focusing on conducting personal outreach visits to locals who are facing various hardships. Their aim is to extend a helping hand to parts of the community that often go unseen. My visit involved Marjorie, a 79-year-old senior resident struggling with dementia and physical mobility. Marjorie had reached out requesting help to tidy her garden, which she can no longer manage herself. The visit featured a thorough check on her well-being, health conditions, and healthcare access, which is then relayed to appropriate authorities to ensure she gets professional outreach. Concurrently, the project is actively working to arrange a cheap, affordable gardener for her. Broader Community Impact Furthermore, the organisation features essential projects like the Food Pantry, where less privileged community members can visit on Thursdays, pay a nominal fee of £5, and select multiple items organised across distinct
color-coded groups. This innovative approach allows families to secure significantly more groceries for very little cost. They also host dedicated support networks such as the Afghan Women's Group, which acts as a vital backbone and family figure for women who have been displaced by war or forced to relocate due to conflict. These ongoing acts of profound social responsibility make the neighbourhood a demonstrably better place, driven entirely by the dedicated efforts of an organisation truly living out its mission.”
Green Flag for Middleton Park
Learning disabled artists rally to protect their charity
M
H
wouldn’t be able to develop the skills and confidence they need to go on to become working artists. “We know our work makes a real difference to our members and to the cultural life of the region. But like many arts organisations, we are facing significant financial pressures that have brought us to this critical moment. Without additional support, we will have to make difficult decisions about our future programme. “Our members want to make big change through big art to help challenge perceptions and inspire change for many years to come. We hope our community in Leeds and beyond will stand with us by supporting our crowdfunder and helping secure Pyramid’s future.” The response to Protect Pyramid’s Future has been immensely positive. Since launching just over a week ago, the crowdfunder has received donations from more than 60 supporters and has already raised 15% of its £20,000 target. The funds raised will help ensure Pyramid can continue providing life-changing creative opportunities for artists with learning disabilities and autism as it reshapes itself for the future. To find out more about Protect Pyramid’s Future or to donate, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/pro tect-pyramid.
“When you first walk into Health For All, you don't get that clinical, stuffy charity vibe at all. Instead, it feels like walking into a busy, warm living room where everyone is welcome. The walls are covered in colorful posters for youth groups, cultural lunch clubs, and support sessions, and you can immediately tell this place is the heart of the
iddleton Park is amongst seven of Leeds’ most popular parks to have been awarded the Green Flag Award after being recognised as being of international quality. Golden Acre Park, Kirkstall Abbey, Middleton Park, Otley Chevin Forest Park, Pudsey Park, Roundhay Park and Temple Newsam Estate are all managed by Leeds City Council and have yet again been listed among the best in the country. The announcement comes as the internationally recognised standard for parks and green spaces celebrates its 30th year. The Leeds parks are some of a record breaking 2,391 in the UK to achieve the award this year. The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing,
Middleton Park Visitor Centre
community. It's a space where the fight against local poverty, isolation, and health inequalities isn't just talk - it's something you can actually feel happening around you. Projects in Action The Lychee Red Group This group brings together Chinese seniors in the community who gather to participate in healthy slow movement exercises to keep their muscles active. The sessions feature authentic, traditional Chinese recipes to make members feel truly at home all completely free of charge. The group coordinators conduct personal verbal checks on individual members, inquiring about their overall well-being and daily lives. Within this space, members share an incredible sense of belonging, practicing the fundamental aspects of a supportive family. Next Stop Cafe Another vital initiative supporting people who have relocated to the community from Hong Kong. Sharing similar warm qualities with the
Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world. Some of the Green Flag parks in Leeds have received the award every year for over 15 years. Councillor James Gibson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environment, said: “We’re really proud to have these brilliant parks in Leeds once again be recognised as some of the best in the country. “It is a real testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of our teams and the volunteers who work hard to care for these spaces, ensuring it’s maintained to a high standard for visitors and residents to enjoy every single day.”
Lychee Red group, their sessions feature an exercise plan tailored specifically to maintaining shoulder joint mobility. The group's clear purpose is to make its members feel at home and surround them with people in
the community they can easily relate to. Crucially, they also provide pathways to job opportunities so that members can build a stable livelihood functioning as a true family indeed. Enhanced Visiting
David Oladapo
olbeck-based arts organisation, Pyramid, has launched a crowdfunder with help from its members to secure its future amidst rising costs and funding cuts. For over 35 years, Pyramid has been supporting people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and develop as artists. Growing from an art group that used to meet in the long since closed Meanwood Park Hospital, the organisation is led by artists with and without learning disabilities and autism, supporting nearly 60 learning disabled and autistic artists each year. Pyramid delivers over 1,500 hours of creative workshops while contributing to leading research on inclusive arts. Despite the significance of this work, Pyramid finds itself at a crossroads as it faces funding cuts, rising costs and an increasingly challenging fundraising environment. The new Crowdfunder, Protect Pyramid’s Future, aims to raise £20,000 by 1 September to strengthen the organisation’s long-term sustainability. Donations will help protect Pyramid’s weekly art groups, flexible studio time, and individual artist support, while
Working with ceramics helping the organisation develop a new line of products for retail that showcases their members’ artwork to a wider audience. Alfie, an artist with a learning disability, has been a Pyramid member for over six years, travelling from North Yorkshire to attend the organisation’s accessible studio space and unique, person-centred art programme. When asked about his experience as a Pyramid member, Alfie said: “I love coming to Pyramid as
it is a place where people listen to my ideas and help me develop. I have learnt lots of new things at Pyramid and it was a dream come true to work on projects with a professional film maker. Pyramid has given me so many opportunities to make art and advocate for myself.” Mindy Goose, Trustee of Pyramid, said: “Pyramid is incredibly unique in the support we offer artists like Alfie. Without us, many people with learning disabilities and autism in Yorkshire
Balwinder commented: “His words show the kindness, care, and community spirit that make Health For All so special. They are a wonderful reminder of the difference our staff, volunteers, and trustees make every day.” “A big thank you to every staff member who supported and interacted with David during his placement and helped make it such a positive experience.”
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
12 School Life
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
Hunslet Carr Primary School goes Green in all areas
Ofsted gives the Middleton St Mar
S
taff, pupils, and families at Hunslet Carr Primary School are celebrating at the end of the summer term following the publication on 14 July of an Ofsted inspection which took place on 2 June. Under the new report card system, the school achieved the ‘Expected Standard’ across all evaluated categories, with personal development and wellbeing reaching ‘Strong Standard’ as indicated by the green report card. The report highlights consistently high-quality education and a thriving, inclusive community at Hunslet
Carr Primary School, which serves 350 pupils in Hunslet. As well as the Strong Standard Personal for development and wellbeing, the school achieved the Expected standard for behaviour and attendance, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, achievement, and early years. In addition safeguarding standards were confirmed to be met. Behaviour and personal development: “Behaviour in school is a genuine strength” – Ofsted 2026 In lessons, pupils engage with
one another with respect and collaborate enthusiastically. At social times, the atmosphere is warm and inclusive. Pupils are “polite and welcoming,” demonstrating good manners toward classmates. Discrimination is rare, and staff respond swiftly when it occurs. Under Ofsted’s new framework, personal development and wellbeing achieved ‘Strong Standard’, recognising that leaders provide a wide range of opportunities supporting pupils’ character and self-belief. The school’s pastoral team offers consistent support, with lunchtime nurture
programmes helping pupils feel safe. All pupils participate in extracurricular activities to develop their interests and talents. Outdoor learning at the school’s allotment enriches experiences, alongside residential trips and visits to Parliament. Curriculum and leadership: The curriculum is broad and well-organised, with reading, writing, and communication at its forefront. All classes read, discuss, and write together daily. Many pupils start with language gaps; pupils speak about their learning with confidence and depth. Leadership and governance were praised for their commitment to the school community. Leaders are highly visible and available to speak with parents and pupils at the gate daily. Staff are proud to work at the school and speak warmly about leaders who support their wellbeing. A school where every child belongs: Headteacher Martin Lumb said: “We are incredibly proud of this Ofsted outcome. This result reflects the dedication of our staff, the resilience and enthusiasm of our pupils, and the support of families. We have created a school where every child belongs, where behaviour is excellent, and where every child believes that Impossible is Nothing. We are particularly pleased that inspectors recognised our inclusive ethos and the breadth of opportunities we provide.”
Teaching Assistant retires after 34 years of dedicated service by Sue Knowles
B
eeston Primary School has said a heartfelt farewell to Mrs Corcoran, who has retired after an outstanding 34 years of dedicated service as a teaching assistant. Throughout her career, Mrs Corcoran has supported hundreds of children on their learning journey, helping many to develop a love of reading and grow in confidence. Her patience, kindness and unwavering commitment have made a lasting difference to generations of pupils and their families. Outside the classroom, she
was always happy to volunteer for the school’s residential visits to Ingleborough and Lineham Farm. Her enthusiasm, care and encouragement helped create unforgettable experiences and lifelong memories for countless children. Over more than three decades her dedication, compassion and genuine care for every child have earned the respect and admiration of colleagues, pupils and parents alike. Her exceptional service and contribution to Beeston Primary School will be remembered for many years to come. Mrs Corcoran
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
by Jeremy Morton
T
he latest Ofsted inspection at Middleton St Mary’s C of E Primary School has found that the school meets the expected standard across the board and is strong on Attendance and Behaviour. In their report, which was published on Thursday (16 July 2026), Inspectors commented that: “Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly and nurturing school. They feel safe and know that they are important. Pupils receive a warm welcome at the start of the day. They develop very positive relationships with staff. Pupils get started with their early bird activities willingly and enthusiastically. They want to be in school and they attend well. “Pupils enjoy being involved in decisions that the school makes. They are truly listened to.” In their finding about Attendance and Behaviour they said that: “Pupils’ attendance is high. Attendance for disadvantaged pupils and for pupils who have other potential barriers to their learning has improved markedly.” And that: “A positive culture of high expectations for pupils’ behaviour is evident everywhere in the school.
Pupils celebrate with Headteacher Na “Pupils expect the highest standards of behaviour from each other.” On Curriculum and Teaching the report states: “Reading is taught to a high standard. Teachers model how to read tricky words and sentences. Pupils read a wide
Cockburn students jo C
addick Construction welcomed a group of year 8 students from Cockburn MultiAcademy Trust to its SOYO Block D development site in Leeds city centre, as part of Ahead Partnership’s Shaping Our Future programme, which aims to prevent young people from becoming Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). The four-year engagement programme, which launched in February, provides the students with a valuable opportunity to develop essential employability skills and build confidence through a series of engaging activities designed to broaden their understanding of future career pathways. Over the course of three days, 40 students visited Caddick’s SOYO Block D project, Moda Living’s first student development off York Road. The pupils were tasked with a tower-building challenge, encouraging teamwork, communication and problemsolving skills, and participated in
Students from Cockburn Laurence Calv a goal-setting and actionplanning session, helping them to identify personal aspirations and the practical steps they can
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
School Life 13
Email: info@southleedslife.com
green light to ry’s Primary School
South Leeds youngsters in the running for Leeds Children’s Mayor D
akota from Hunslet Carr Primary School and Libby from St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in Beeston are amongst 11 candidates for the position of Leeds Children’s Mayor 2026. Earlier this year children in Year 5 were encouraged to write a manifesto setting out a project that they would implement if elected by the young people of the city. Each manifesto address one Leeds’ 12 Wishes for a Child Friendly Leeds. Dakota addressed Wish 1: Children and young people know how and where to get support for their mental health and wellbeing if they need it -
omi Wood at Middleton St Mary’s range of books and enjoy reading about new concepts, such as periods of history or different religions.” And of the school’s Early years provision they noted: “All leaders are focused on the fundamental importance of the early years.
“Leaders and governors have invested in the learning environment, resources and staffing to ensure that children have a high-quality experience that helps them to learn and develop well.” Headteacher Naomi Wood commented:
“We are absolutely delighted with the report. “It reflects the commitment and hard work of the staff team and governors. “I feel very privileged to be the Headteacher of such a wonderful school and have such amazing children.”
oin inspiring careers programme
vert Academy on site with Caddick take to achieve them. Through a guided site tour of the SOYO Block D site and trying their hand at bricklaying, the students
gained first-hand insight into the scale and complexity of a live development and learned about the wide range of careers
involved in delivering major construction schemes. The students also heard from Caddick Construction Group’s Managing Director, Paul Dodsworth, who shared his story of starting his career as an apprentice bricklayer and the opportunities it created. For the duration of the programme, the students are supported by a dedicated group of volunteers, selected by Ahead Partnership to attend every workshop, build meaningful relationships with participants and provide ongoing encouragement. Their consistent presence helps create a supportive environment where the students feel comfortable sharing their ideas, ambitions and concerns. Caddick’s collaboration with Ahead Partnership forms part of its continued commitment to supporting local communities and inspiring the next generation by providing engagement opportunities that connect education with industry.
Dakota Many schools in Leeds have wellbeing teams, learning mentors and activities that help children look after their mental health. There is also MindMate, which gives advice and support to children, young people and families. These things work well because they give children safe places to talk and ask for help. One of my ideas to improve is something we do in our school. “Crew time” is an opportunity for a class to come together and discuss feelings. It can include a “sunny check-in” where children share how they are feeling. I think having more time to talk about worries would help some children feel happier and less alone. Leeds could support schools by organising more wellbeing workshops, putting up posters about where children can get help and creating opportunities for school councils to share ideas about mental health, such as forums. Children can feel worried, lonely or stressed, and other
times they might not know who to talk to. I would like to try and help children all around Leeds know where they can get support if they need it, other than their schools. Mental health is an important part of our wellbeing because it affects how we think, feel and cope with everyday life. Even if it is just talking to a trusted adult, sharing worries with a friend or taking part in a calming activity, these are all ways to support mental health. Even if it is a small thing, it can still help. Kindness is one of the most important tools that everyone has. By encouraging initiatives, we can help create a kinder and more inclusive environment for everyone. Libby’s manifesto links to Wish 12: Leeds is an inclusive city for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities In Leeds, children with special educational needs and disabilities can find it difficult to take part in sports. Even though there are some fantastic opportunities available, not everyone knows about them or can easily access them. This can make children feel like they don’t belong and stop them from being active and enjoying the same experiences as their friends. I believe every child should have the chance to be active, make friends, build confidence and experience the world of sport. I know my own confidence has grown since taking part in new physical activities. Leeds already has some amazing organisations that support inclusive sport, including the Libby
Leeds United Foundation, Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Leeds Riding for the Disabled, and others. I have been lucky enough to take part in some of these! I think we could do even more in schools and across Leeds: • Hold “Try Something New” sessions in schools where local clubs visit and children can try different sports. • Provide more inclusive sports sessions across Leeds. • Organise a Leeds Inclusive Sports Festival where children can try new sports, celebrate their success and make new friends. • Raise awareness about activities already available in Leeds to families by displaying posters in schools and including information in newsletters. • Inclusive sports teams in schools – I feel all children should be able to represent the school in a sports team. I believe every child should feel included, be proud of who they are and know that anything is possible. I want to improve access to inclusive sports across Leeds so that every child with special educational needs and disabilities can play, belong and achieve. Voting is now open for children and young people up to 18 years old. Click here to read all 11 manifestos and cast your two votes. Voting closes at 5pm on Friday 25 September, with the new Children’s Mayor announced on 13 October.
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
14 Comment
In our view Data Centres If we have learned anything this summer is that climate breakdown is leading to longer, hotter, drier summers in Britain. As a country we need to be building reservoirs and reconfiguring the national grid for sustainable electricity. Unfortunately there is little profit in these projects so privatised utility companies are loathe to undertake them. There is a profit in building data centres, so these go ahead despite how much water and electricity they require to run. Water and electricity supplies will be stretched in years to come, surely we should be prioritising air conditioning in schools, hospitals and care homes over asking ChatGPT to draw you a poster for your event.
Celebrating our heritage The annual festival of history Heritage Open Days - is upon us again. As well as the many events listed on page 18 which range from sport to manufacturing and transport, we are celebrating two new murals enlivening the street scene in Beeston. Suffragette and trade unionist leonora Cohen and football manager Howard Wilkinson may not appear to have much in common, but they each tell part of the amazing story of our South Leeds communities. And community is at the heart of the very welcome news that Thwaite Mills have new owners. Will you heed to call to help make the site a vibrant part of our historic landscape?
The October issue of South Leeds Life will be out on Wednesday 30 September The deadline for submissions is Thursday 24 September
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
Your letters and comments A woman’s place Thank you Elizabeth Nash. This really resonates with me. I had no idea that girl’s grammar school places were at such a premium. I passed the 11 + and gained a place at Allerton High, which was at the time an all girls grammar. I also wanted to work in a lab, but was told I could be a nurse, teacher or secretary. None of these appealed and I did end up working in a laboratory for a starting wage of £4 a week. Subsequently, I got a place at Agricultural College, and was given a partial grant from LCC. Had I gone to art college, I would have been fully funded I still don’t understand the logic. My future father in law was also a Leeds City Councillor, he coached Andrew Carter, who is still a Councillor.I suspect Elizabeth may have overlapped with Jack Rhodes because her name is very familiar. I have always stood up for women’s rights, and still do now. Barbara Rhodes Thank you, Elizabeth Nash, for this timely reminder of the restrictions posed upon women and girls’ lives, expectations and aspirations in the nottoo-distant past (A woman’s place, July-August 2026). It strikes me that the restrictions you experienced always bore down more harshly upon working-class girls and women, and still do. It is easy to take women’s participation in public life and work for granted, without understanding that our present rights were hard-won, and had to be campaigned for by preceding generations of women like you, and their male supporters. It is important too to acknowledge the role of the welfare state during the 50s, 60,s and 70s in providing universal healthcare, and education, including early years provision, decent housing and basic benefits, freeing working class women in particular from some of the burden of domestic work previously undertaken by them, to the benefit of men, women and children. However, the welfare state and public services have been under attack since the 1970s, and every cut that makes life harder for women endangers our ability
A woman’s place: Elizabeth Nash with the Waterworks Committee visiting Farnley reservoir in September 1973 to participate fully in public life. There are even those who argue that “things have gone too far”. They don’t accept there should be equality of opportunity, are opposed to equal pay for equal work, attack abortion rights and access to contraception, and who think women’s role is, as in 1930s fascist Germany, “Kinder, Kirche, Küche” (children, church, kitchen). Unfortunately, instead of opposing the cuts and calling for taxation of the wealthy to pay for restored services, some of these dinosaurs are entering councils and government with their backward-looking ideas. So we can’t afford to be complacent. We all – men, women and children – suffer if women’s rights are eroded. We all need to say we’re not going back, and campaign to defend and improve public services and women’s rights, as human rights. Sue Talbot
working out how much material needed for each suit. It seemed the normal way of things that in a very large open plan general office all the ‘workers’ were women and all the bosses were men. I never questioned it at the time. Linda
A really interesting read especially as I did the same job as her at Peter Pell tailoring factory on Westland Road,
It is wonderful to hear that it will be back to its glory days again and resurfaced with a new life. I hope they use stain glass windows, I’m always fascinated at how beautiful they look in churches. A scared place back to being respected again Shaz Akhtar
Your Leeds City Councillors Beeston & Holbeck ward Includes Beeston from Cross Flatts Park to the Ring Road, Cottingley and Holbeck. The three councillors are:
Shaf Ali (Labour) Matt Rogan (Green) Andrew Scopes (Labour)
0113 378 8810 0113 3788266 07860 400645
shaf.ali@leeds.gov.uk matt.rogan@leeds.gov.uk andrew.scopes@leeds.gov.uk
Hunslet & Riverside ward Includes the city centre, Beeston Hill and Hunslet. The three councillors are:
Ed Carlisle (Green) 07738 921277 ed.carlisle@leeds.gov.uk Mohammed Iqbal (Labour) 0113 226 8796 mohammed.iqbal@leeds.gov.uk Paul Wray (Labour) 07528 512649 paul.wray@leeds.gov.uk
Middleton Park ward Includes Belle Isle and Middleton. The three councillors are: Rob Chesterfield (SDP) 07586 951132 Wayne Dixon (SDP) 07852 311717 Emma Pogson-Golden (SDP) 07794 577586
rob.chesterfield@leeds.gov.uk wayne.dixon@leeds.gov.uk emma.pogson-golden@leeds.gov.uk
Wesley Street chapel So glad Mosaic Church are taking the Methodist church over for community use (Church secures historic Beeston building for community revival, JulyAugust 2026). It's been neglected for years and a sad sight. Judith Roberts I moved with my family to Wesley Street from Dewsbury Road Methodist Church in 1951, went to Sunday school and youth club, got married there in 1973. Many happy memories . Muriel Rogers
I used to go to Wesley Street Chapel every Sunday when I was in my twenties. My first husband was assistant Scout leader there and we also used to run a youth club there back in the day. Our son, Tim, was Christened there and he used to go to Sunday School. Nigel and both his parents had their funerals there, too. So many lovely memories... Yvonne Ugarte Yeah, yeah, yeah… Sorry, but we’ve heard the same story so many times over the last 20 years. Someone identifies potential in the grand old building. Sometimes they even commence works, but then LCC planning start changing the goal posts,
and the project becomes unfeasible, and grinds to a halt. It will be great if someone can actually pull it off, but don’t hold your breath. Julie Leathley I love that the building will be brought back to life. I think I went in once in the late 1980s to brownies! I’m really liking the positive response too. I can't help but notice the difference between the way people react if they think there's a tiny chance a building might be turned into a mosque though... Sarke Ailuros
Children’s play I need to share how I feel about the kids on the football field on Moor Road. I live in the semi assisted dwelling at the back of this field. I suppose you think I’m about to complain. No, I’m not whinging, I’m delighted. To hear the kids being kids and personally remember how different it can be. Those kiddies playing football etc are just being kids. They aren’t on street corners causing bother, they are just having fun. And I’ve seen the work they put in here because I can see it all from my window. Sadly, I’ve heard complaints from our place. We are not kids as we were once. This life has moved on, but as a 65-year-old I’ve realised we live in a different world and it’s got to be give and take. Leave them alone, we may have lost our innocence, but don’t let them. And remember, we’re all sisters and brothers in this world. Name supplied
Join the debate Comment online; by email: info@southleedslife.com; or post to: 28 Back Burton Grove, Leeds, LS11 5JH. Letters may publication.
be
edited
for
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
Comment 15
MP’s notebook with Hilary Benn MP
A
t the end of July, I was invited to speak to the 25th anniversary gathering of the British-Irish Parliamentary Reporting Association. It’s a unique body which brings together all the people who make sure that we can read every single word spoken in all the parliaments of the British Isles - Westminster, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney. I began my talk by telling them about my earliest memory of sitting in the visitors’ gallery of the House of Commons with my father was when I was about eight. I gazed down at the benches below, and my eye was caught by an old man sitting just below the gangway on the Government side wearing a black jacket and pin-striped trousers. What I noticed was that his legs were swinging because they didn't quite touch the ground. I turned and said “Dad, who's that?” and my father replied “That Hilary, is Winston Churchill”. I didn’t understand at that age what an extraordinary political career
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
Churchill had had, having first been elected to the House of Commons in 1900. And during that career, he made many famous speeches, especially when he became Prime Minister in the Second World War. We know everything that has been said in Parliament because of the diligence and professionalism of the Hansard reporters. When you think about it, turning a speech, which may include hesitation and “ums” and “eers” into a cogent piece of text is quite a skill in itself. Scribes – as people who write things down used to be called - have occupied a notable place throughout history, although one unnamed English scribe in the 10th century described the job as follows: “Because one who does not know how to write thinks it is no labour, I will describe it for you if you want to know how great is the burden of writing. It mists the eyes, it curves the back, it breaks the belly and the ribs, it fills the kidneys with pain and the body with all kinds of suffering…. For as the last port is sweet to the
sailor, so is the last line to the scribe.” You can almost feel the pain in what he wrote! The essence of the job has not changed, but the way reporting is done has, of course, evolved over time with the advent of radio and then television and voice recognition software. But what we these days take for granted – the ability to read exactly what our Members of Parliament have said in the House of Commons - wasn’t always thus. Whenever I take visitors around the House of Commons, I always stop at a painting just before you go into Central Lobby. I’ve always known it as “the Bible in the Fields” and my grandmother had a print of it above her fireplace. It depicts a group of people in a field. In the centre of the painting is a man dressed in black with a book on his knees, surrounded by noblemen and farmers, and I always ask my visitors to describe what is going on. Some of them notice that the woman in a pink dress is looking not at the man with the
book, but in the opposite direction, as is the man on the left. They will often say “she looks anxious” and I reply “well she is, and the man on the left is the lookout”. Why? Because what they were doing was illegal at that time. They were reading the Bible. And why was it illegal to do so in England in the 15th century? Because those who had power - the bishops - did not want those who did not have power ie ordinary people - to be able to read what the Bible said for themselves, for fear that they might dispute the interpretation put on it by those in authority. A reminder that words, arguments, ideas and information are all about power, and that is why the existence of a written record in all of our parliaments and assemblies is so important because it enables all of us to read what has been said. Some of those words are memorably recorded in another painting. It depicts the moment on the 4th of January 1642 when King Charles I forced his way into the Commons chamber hoping to arrest five MPs - only to discover that they had flown. When he demanded to know where they were, the then Speaker – William Lenthall – famously replied: “May it please Your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this House is pleased to
direct me whose servant I am here.”’ This must have been an electrifying moment. The Speaker of the House defying the Monarch by explicitly asserting that his loyalty was to Parliament and not to the King. Charles I withdrew, the Civil War broke out the following August and the rest is history. And, of course, we remember that moment at every State Opening of Parliament when Black Road has the doors shut in his or her face and has to knock three times in order to gain entry to our chamber. A reminder all these years later that the Monarch’s representative comes into the House of Commons because we let them in and not because he thinks he has a right to be there If you go back to the 18th century, the Speaker urged MPs to find a way to stop the publication of unofficial reports of parliamentary business which were becoming increasingly popular. After a short debate, the House resolved that it was “a
Email: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk Website: www.hilarybennmp.com Constituency office: Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS7 1AB Tel: 0113 244 1097
Poet Tony Harrison, Beeston born and bred by Hon Ald Elizabeth Nash
L
ast year, in September 2025, Tony Harrison died. He was born and grew up in Beeston in a working-class family. His father was a baker and his mother a ‘homemaker’. From an early age he was clever, being able to read before he went to school. He won a scholarship to Leeds Grammar School which allowed a few free places to gifted children. He went on to Leeds University reading Classics. Harrison wrote numerous plays based on ancient Greek stories, perhaps the most famous being ‘Lysistrata’. But perhaps he will be remembered mostly for his poem ‘V’. He was always conscious of the big divide between the poverty and hardships working people had and those whose lives were easy because of wealth. He wrote ‘V’ after visiting Holbeck Cemetery during the time of the miners’ strike to find graffiti on the gravestone of his parents and beer cans strewn around it.
The Cemetery was a shortcut route from Elland Road to where many Leeds United supporters lived. At the time Leeds were huge rivals of Derby, a particular soccer team he mentioned in ‘V’. V stands for ‘versus’ or perhaps ‘victory’ or perhaps ‘verses’? He writes: “These Vs are the versuses of life from LEEDS versus DERBY, Black/White and (as I have known to my cost) man v. wife Communist v. Fascist, Left v. Right” I visited Holbeck Cemetery and was immediately struck with the contrast between the ornate memorials of the wellto-do and those of poor people. In one corner of the Cemetery there are 46 “Guinea Graves” where poor people were buried along with nine other strangers in the same grave at a cost of a guinea each (£1.1shilling, now £1.05p). The names were engraved on the gravestones along with how old they were when they died. Not many of the names lived to an old age
and what I found particularly sad were the names of babies with their age in months. The guinea graves date from 1857 to as late as 1940. The contrast was a score or more of very elaborate monuments with obelisks abounding on most of them. The biggest and most ornate of these, now a grade II listed monument, was a family grave starting with Rowland Marsden JP who was the Mayor of Leeds 1874-75. He died in © Bloodaxe Books 1875 so perhaps On top of the monument is a he did not outlive his term of sculpture of a figure kneeling office. Marsden made his at a lectern. money from inventing and In 1987 Channel 4 televised manufacturing a stone crusher. the reading of ‘V’ which is full
notorious breach of privilege of this House for any news-writer in letters or other papers to give theirin any account of the doings or other proceedings of this House, or any committee thereof, as well during the recess as the sitting of Parliament, and this House will proceed with the utmost severity against such offenders”. It was no idle threat, for offenders were fined and they were imprisoned. A battle ensued, and it was eventually won in 1909 when Hansard became the Official Report. Why should this matter so much? Because words - once carved in ‘stone’ - become part of an invaluable historical record of what we said, and why we said it, and how we voted and what the consequences were. And in an age of fake news and amoral algorithms, and lies and distortions, the parliamentary record - Hansard - stands as an unimpeachable source of the truth. The spoken word faithfully recorded for eternity.
of four-letter words and this prompted a debate of censure in Parliament. However, better knowledge and understanding of the poem has led to it now being included in A level examinations. The poem discusses the social division between them and us and losing contact with our roots. In 2004, after the ward boundary changes I moved from representing Holbeck (which had included some of Hunslet) to Hunslet Ward. One of the first problems my colleagues and I had was the proposal by the then City Council to demolish the
wonderful Hunslet Library built in the Art Deco style. Council officers told us a load of rubbish such as the roof, which was letting in water, was irreparable. At the time, each councillor was given a large amount of money to spend on capital projects in their wards. My colleagues and I wished to spend ours on restoring the Library. The ruling coalition of parties running the Council, refused to effect repairs and actually took some of the money away from us because we had not spent it! I wrote to Tony Harrison asking him to support our campaign to save the Library. He sent me a very nice postcard wishing me well in the campaign but regretted that he was suffering from ill-health and could not take on any more work. I have kept that card and treasure it. My party regained control of the Council in 2010 and repairs and restoration of the Library took place. It is now so attractive that Council organisations situated outside the building applied to move in. The number of visitors and readers increased. This was a classic division of them and us by political parties forgetting their roots!
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
16 South Leeds Lives
Pathways for positivity with Shannon Humphrey
I beg your pardon I
was gritting my teeth, thinking, “But I’ve already told you this three times…” It’s so frustrating to be told you haven’t mentioned something before when you know fine well you have, and in this case, several times. The person in question had been distracted during our previous conversations. Scrolling through their phone, half an ear on the conversation, both eyes glued to their screen. I got the odd muffled agreement, but I could tell they weren’t really listening. Bit rude, and I suppose I could have said something about it.
But, let’s be honest, most of us have either done it or been on the receiving end of someone distracted by what’s going on around them. A phone, the TV, a pet, a child, or a chore that needs doing. And I know it’s not always easy, or practical, to down tools, as it were, and give someone your full, undivided attention. But when did we at least stop trying to be available to the person we are with? Half-in, half-out conversations seem to be the norm these days. People’s lives and brains are so busy that
they’ll be doing online banking, making tea, replying to a WhatsApp group chat, all while having a conversation with you. So it’s perhaps no wonder that snippets of information get lost in the wind. When our attention is split, we rarely take in everything that’s being said. And when we don’t properly take something in, we’re much less likely to remember it. Memory isn’t just about recollecting facts or information. Before something can be accurately remembered, we have to pay enough attention to it in the first place. When we give somebody our full attention, we’re not only
showing them courtesy; we’re giving our brain a much better chance of absorbing, processing, storing and later retrieving what they’ve told us. And memory, like so many things, benefits from being used. One of the nicest things you can do for another person is to ask about something they’ve told you. “Did you try that new restaurant you mentioned last week?” “How did the dog get on at the vets?” Those little questions can mean an enormous amount. Because what you’re really saying is: “I remember what you said.”
Wild Life with Duncan Wells
Red Kites and the people’s woodland T
he heatwaves in July and early August, with the sweltering temperatures and lack of rainfall, has left parks, lawns and farmland parched, brown and dry across South Leeds. Only now, after a few rainy days, is the grass beginning to show a hint of green again. Whilst the beautiful weather has been enjoyable for many of us, the unusually high temperatures has placed an additional strain on some of our local wildlife. You may have noticed that some species of trees are turning brown and shedding their leaves to preserve the moisture in their branches and trunks, some crops have wilted and fruiting plants have been ripening too prematurely (blackberry bushes were fruiting much earlier in the summer than usual). It is likely we will experience extreme temperatures more frequently in the summers to come, so as well as thinking about how we might need to adapt to regular heatwaves, also consider how you can help your local wildlife cope as well. Hedgehogs and other small mammals can struggle to stay hydrated so it can really help to put a shallow bowl of water on
A Red Kite in flight. Photo: Paul Johnson the ground for them, whilst birds can struggle to maintain their body heat as they don’t perspire, so keeping a bird bath topped up with water for them to cool down and providing bushes, hedges and shady areas for birds to hide away and stay cool are all
valuable ways of giving nature a helping hand. Other species however have been flourishing in the hot sunny weather, butterflies in particular. A few weeks ago, I spent a pleasant afternoon as part of a guided nature walk focused on identifying
butterflies and trees in Middleton Park. It was organised by members of Friends of Middleton Park who run guided walks throughout the year which I highly recommend. Over the course of the hour and a half walk, the friendly group spent time identifying species of butterflies such as gatekeepers, small blue, speckled wood and meadow brown and marvelled at the variety of magnificent trees in the park and differing habitats. Just across the road from Middleton Park, half-way up the hill on the right-hand side, as if you are heading towards the bike park, you may have noticed a small new car park has recently opened which provides access to a network of footpaths into the parkland and tree plantations on the former South Leeds golf course. This reclaimed greenspace and rewilding project is becoming another important
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
“I remember what matters to you.” “I was listening.” And who doesn’t want to feel that level of vaildation? We all want to feel seen, heard and understood. Remembering the details of somebody’s life is one of the simplest ways of showing them that they're important to us. It also gives relationships, new and old, roots to grow from. You ask a question. They answer it. You remember the answer. You ask about it again later. And vice-versa. Those are the hallmarks of a healthy long-term relationship. Suddenly, it’s more than a series of random conversations. You’re building a history together, deeper and more meaningful as time goes on. You’re creating memories. Try this little experiment. Next time someone is talking to you, put your phone down. Turn away from the screen in front of you, unless it’s a
FaceTime call. Stop whatever else you’re doing. Look at them. Actually look at them. And listen to what they have to say. Don’t think about your reply. Don’t compare their story to something that’s happened to you. Don’t mentally write your shopping list, or start yapping over them, or butt in when they pause to take a breath because you have a funny or interesting anecdote you’re dying to add into the mix. Just listen. Absorb it. Enjoy the moment. Because one day, the things we remember about the people we love won’t necessarily be the big, loud, conversations. It’ll be those everyday, seemingly throw away conversations that didn’t mean much at the time, but mean everything now. I heard you. You mattered to me. I was there.
haven for South Leeds wildlife and contributes to the council’s ambitions in combatting the climate emergency. If you take the footpath up from the car park to the top of the hill you are treated to an impressive view across the valley looking out over the White Rose Centre and across to the fields behind. Keep an eye out in the skies above, as this is an excellent spot to see soaring birds of prey, especially red kites and buzzards as they make use of the thermal air currents from the rising columns of warm air on the edge of the hillside. From this vantage point you can get to see them gliding effortlessly, covering a vast area with minimal effort. Red kites are magnificent large birds of prey and can be identified by their red-brown colouring and forked tail, which they use to steer and hover briefly before investigating potential food sources. They became officially extinct in England by the end of the 19th century and were only reintroduced and bred at Harewood house in 1999. Since this time their numbers have increased and their range has spread across many parts of the city, including South Leeds. They do well in urban areas as they are primarily opportunistic foragers and scavengers, typically depending on decayed animals, roadkill, earthworms and human scraps for food, which they occasionally supplement with small mammals and birds. It is possible to see them anywhere in South Leeds if you keep an eye out. When I make an effort to pay
attention, I usually manage to get a brief sighting of one at some point during the day circling near where I live near Millshaw in Beeston and on the odd occasion, I’ve been treated to a red kite swooping low over the back garden, right over my head. Each encounter with these graceful, powerful birds stirs something deeper in me—a sense of wildness, a sharpening of the senses and a feeling of awe that seems to reach back to a more ancient, untamed time. Sadly, experiences like this are becoming increasingly rare in our modern, sanitised and urbanised lives. Yet the return of the red kite to our Yorkshire skies is a reminder that nature does not have to be confined to distant lost landscapes. Through ambitious rewilding efforts, and making space for wildlife, even our cities can still surprise us with moments of genuine natural wonder. So perhaps, as September arrives, and more frequent wet weather returns with the season turning, we can reflect back on a summer that has taught us to appreciate another, more familiar natural wonder: rain. Something so fundamental to life that has become so ordinary to us that we barely notice it, until, that is, when it comes in short supply. Wonder and gratitude therefore, is not only to be found in the extraordinary moments when a red kite suddenly appears above our heads, but if we take time to notice, it is also to be found in the everyday miracles that sustain us, and the life all around.
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
South Leeds Lives 17
Local history with Ken Burton
Mann’s Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Company T
he Mann Family of this article was started by William Mann and Elizabeth Mann (nee Stanniforth) and this was Williams’s second marriage. His first marriage to Elizabeth Hutchinson on 4 January 1849 at St George’s Church, Leeds, but unfortunately Elizabeth died on 14 July 1856. William’s second marriage to Elizabeth Stanniforth took place at Norton Parish Church, Sheffield on 3 June 1858. Her parents were Thomas and Ann who farmed 170 acres at Herdings Farm, Norton and at the time of the wedding William was 50 years old and Elizabeth was 20 years old. William also seems to have been a man of independent means. Their were four children from the marriage, William Hutchinson Mann born in 1859 in Leeds who took to engineering and became a partner in Pullan & Mann, Brick Machinery Maker, Cambrian Works, Holbeck; James Hutchinson Mann was born in Leeds on 2 May 1860 at No.3 St George’s Terrace - the one we are interested in; Annie Mann born in Leeds in 1862; George Hutchinson Mann was born in Montreal, Canada, he never knew his father who had died before he was born. James Hutchinson Mann started his formal education at the age of 7 years at the Leeds Collegiate School from 1867 to 1875. His initial technical training was carried out as an apprentice at the Leeds Works of J&H McLaren a company formed in 1876 by John and Henry McLaren to manufacture traction engines and agricultural implements. James Mann was one of their first apprentices starting in 1876 while living at No.2 Eva Villas, Potternewton. He became principal draughtsman at McLaren’s in 1881, a position he held for four years before becoming Works Manager in 1885. On 29 October 1885 James married Georgina Ball at St Nicholas Church, Pendoylan, Glamorgan, a small Welsh village between Bridgend and Cardiff. The couple had two
sons Arthur Sidney born 28 July 1893 and Arthur born 12 January 1895. In 1887 James left the Midland Engine Works of J&H McLaren to start work as a draughtsman at the Britannia Iron Works of William Marshall Sons & Company in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, later he was put in charge of the Traction Engine Department and during 1888 and 1889 he was living at Morton a little village about a mile north of Gainsborough. 1890 saw him leaving Marshall’s to start back at McLaren’s as the Chief Draughtsman, but after four years he left to start his own business in partnership with Sydney Charlesworth who was also an ex-apprentice of J&H McLaren. Sydney Charlesworth was born in Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury; on 31 August 1862. His father was John Charlesworth, a farmer living at Headfield, who had married his cousin Judith Ann Charlesworth on 28 October 1858. The couple had two other children, an older son Matthew Henry born on 18 August 1860 and a younger son John born on 9 May 1865. Little is known of his early life other than he was employed at the Midland Engine Works of J&H McLaren and in 1891 the national Census records Sydney as an Engine Fitter Apprentice and one report stated that from January 1885 to April 1888 he worked at the Richard Garrett Works at Leiston in Suffolk. Aged 31 Sydney married Annie Horsfield at Isle Lane Chapel, Holbeck on 5 December 1893 and it was recorded that he was living at Lydgate House, Horbury, Wakefield - his brother John’s house. Annie was one of five children and her father was John Napoleon Horsfield, a chemist and druggist at 81 Sweet Street, Holbeck, although at the time of the wedding he was deceased. Annie’s mother Ellen Horsfield was originally from Halifax. Forming a company of the type proposed and so late in the steam traction era was a bold and risky venture but after a few years it was able to
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
establish itself as a respected producer of steam carts and wagons. When James Hutchinson Mann and his younger brother George Hutchinson Mann purchased the works in Canning Street, Dewsbury Road on 7 June 1893 they had previously been used as a Brass Foundry under the name of Chadwick, Smith & Company and in the few years before being purchased by the Mann Brothers, Walter Foster, a machine broker used it and
An advert from 1920
this meant that the previous owners had left it complete with steam engine, boiler, shafting, going gear, piers and beams for a Goliath (crane) and other fixtures. In 1894 the ownership of the Canning Street Works transferred from James Hutchinson Mann and George Hutchinson Mann to James Hutchinson Mann and Sydney Charlesworth when they went into partnership where they were to produce traction engines, stationary engines, and road rollers. One of their most notable inventions was the single eccentric reversing gear; this compact device allowed the sequence of valve opening of a steam engine to be changed both in terms of
‘cut-off’ and ‘direction’ without the need for link motion and all its associated levers. In 1898 they produced an agricultural steam cart on behalf of Phillip Parmiter using the front end of a conventional traction engine and a roller at the rear. This was one of the first practical load-carrying road vehicles. Mann realised the potential for this machine and went on to develop this into his ‘Patent Steam Cart’ - to which the title of the successor company referred. In 1898 Charlesworth left the Company after Mann became involved in a Patents case on the development of his steam cart. There seems to be some doubt on the date because on 5 June 1897 it appears that the entire property was transferred back to George Hutchinson Mann in the form of a mortgage presumably to raise additional capital for the benefit of the business. 1899 saw the Company reformed as Mann’s Patent
Steam Cart and Wagon Company and by 1901 the success of the Patent Cart was so great that it was decided to leave Canning Street, now too small, and construct a new works in Pepper Road, Hunslet and the move to the new premises was completed by December 1901. The large, modern, wellequipped works was an ambitious move and was initially very successful and the period up to and including the First World War was the heyday of the Company. The main products of the Company were their 3-ton and 5-ton wagons, however these were produced in a whole range of variations such as an articulated sixwheeler, gully cleaning wagons, brewers wagons, bus bodied wagon, municipal dustcart, street watering wagon, tar spraying wagon, tipping wagon, and many more. The company also produced a range of tractors for both road and agricultural use while another product for municipal use was their lightweight patching roller used for road repairs. The company produced their superb Mann Express Wagon in 1924 with a shaft drive, high-speed engine and fully enclosed cab but unfortunately this wagon was not a commercial success because it was still steam powered. By 1926 the company was in trouble and in spite of trying to find extra finance it was not possible to save the company and in 1929 the works closed completely. In 1929 the Mann Company was purchased by Atkinson Walker Wagons who were also manufacturers of steam wagons and they renamed the company Mann’s Steam & Motor Wagon Company. However, Atkinson was in a poor financial position and as a result sold the Mann business in 1930 to Scammell and Nephew of Spitalfields, London E1. Scammell produced a few Mann wagons largely from the spares they had acquired and so ended all production of Mann vehicles. James Hutchinson Mann provided leadership for the companies under his name and he remained Chairman until the business was sold in February 1929. James was a dedicated steam man with a total distrust of the internal combustion engine. He never owned a motor car and he always used the train to travel from Weeton where lived. James died at his home ‘Foscote’, Weeton, on 22 November 1956 and was buried alongside his wife, Georgina, in Weeton Churchyard. Georgina had died on 26 February 1940 and James saw out the lives of his two sons.
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
18 What’s On IN BRIEF Walking with Belle Isle Senior Action Are you interested in keeping fit and active in older life? Why not join our Walking Group? It’s free and we go to various venues throughout Leeds. You’ll make new friends and enjoy the feeling of getting out and about. Every Monday, 11am-4pm. In the Winter when the weather is bad, we go Mall Walking at the White Rose Centre. This is usually followed by a Pub lunch. We have a Walk Leader who plans all our walks, and every walk day is different! Why not come along and join us at the 59 Centre, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU. Tel: 0113 270 9426.
Social group for learning disabled adults People in Action, a Leeds-based charity, has been running its Changing Lives Clubs for over a decade.There is a club in Beeston and 5 more around Leeds, for local learning disabled and autistic people to come along, spend time with friends and make new ones, while trying new activities. The members lead the decisions on what activities happen at the clubs, and decide what they want to do each week. The clubs often have visitors such as musicians, theatre companies and fitness teachers, to run activities. Carers are welcome to accompany members. The club in Beeston runs on a Friday from 6.30-8.30pm and costs £6 to attend. For more information, please contact Sherieda on 0113 244 3729 or email sherieda.joseph @peopleinaction.org.uk or visit www.peopleinaction.org.uk
Holbeck Together Parents and Tots After a nice summer break, Holbeck Together’s popular Parents and Tots group is getting ready to welcome local families back from Monday 7 September, 9:30-11am. The group provides a friendly, welcoming space for children aged 0–5 and their grown-ups to come together, play, socialise and make new friends. Sessions include a range of fun activities such as free play, toys, crafts, singing and stories, with opportunities for parents and carers to meet others from the local community.
Wild Play and Bushcraft Head to Skelton Grange Environment Centre in Stourton for their annual Open Day on Saturday 5 September. Come along and play, explore the site, have a go at natural crafts. There will be craft activities for all ages, woodland play and outdoor games. The cafe will be open, selling homemade cakes and savoury treats, or enjoy a pizza from our wood-fired pizza oven. Friday 11 September is Apple Day. Spend the morning picking apples from our many trees on site and the afternoon using a press to squeeze some fresh juice Skelton Grange Environment Centre is on Skelton Grange Road (over the bridge) LS10 1RS. Find full information and tickets at: www.tcv.org.uk/skeltongrange/courses-events
Introduction to Performance Skills Workshops Together with Leeds People’s Theatre, Slung Low have an exciting opportunity for adults (18+) to develop skills and confidence in performance. Further to some sessions held earlier this summer, the final two workshops in this current programme will welcome adults of all ages and backgrounds to explore different performance techniques covering movement, vocal skills, text work and character development. You can sign up for one or both workshops, but as places are limited, please only sign up for sessions you’re confident you’ll be able to attend. These sessions will be held by Slung Low’s Morven Macbeth, a highly experience actor and theatre-maker. Wednesday 16 and Wednesday 23 September 6pm-8pm, at The Warehouse in Holbeck, Crosby Street, Holbeck, LS11 9RQ
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
Discover South Leeds history at Heritage Open Days 2026 T
his year the Heritage Open Days Festival, England’s largest festival of history and culture, has chosen the theme of Architecture, and events in South Leeds offer insights into religion, industry, sport and entertainment. Leeds Civic Trust has worked with organisations across the city to put on over 100 events for the festival which runs from Friday 11 – Sunday 20 September 2025. We’ve picked out some local highlights, but you can find the full programme and booking details at www.heritage opendays.org.uk. Hunslet’s Rugby History South Leeds Stadium, Middleton Grove, LS11 5DJ From Union to the 1895 Northern Union breakaway to Rugby League, explore the 143 year history of Hunslet RLFC. In the Phoenix bar at South Leeds Stadium, you will find old Minute books, artefacts and lots of pictures and information. Learn about the triumphs of the first team to win All Four Cups, first team to have an American player, first team to have joint Lance Todd trophy winners. See the Hall of fame, Heritage Certificates and Timeline. Browse the extensive programme collection. Friday 18 September, 7:30-9pm Middleton Railway – site of the first steam trains, an illustrated talk Moor Road, Hunslet, LS10 2JQ Middleton Railway was where the world’s very first proper steam engines ran. Starting in 1812, the Leeds locos hauled 90-100 tonnes of coal into the city, we even have a bit of track from 1812 to show you. Staff will give an
Minute books and memorabilia at Hunslet RLFC illustrated talk 10am, 12pm, 1pm and 3pm on each weekend of the festival. Although entry to the museum and the talk are free, you will need to buy a ticket if you want a ride on this, the world’s oldest continuously-operating railway. Visits to DePuy Synthes St Anthony’s Road, Beeston, LS11 8DT An opportunity to visit a historical manufacturing site in Beeston. The site has been here since the 1950s as a Medical Devices Manufacturing Facility, supporting the pioneering manufacturing of Charnley Hip Stem which has led the way for standards in Orthopaedics Hip Implants that are used today worldwide. On Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 10am-12pm, booking essential. Beeston - Rediscovered
Heritage (walk) Eileen Metcalfe can trace her family through several generations in Beeston and is keen to share her experiences of the area where she grew up and the stories passed on through her family. She is indebted to the wonderful publications of the Beeston Local History Society which have greatly added to her knowledge of the people and buildings of this ancient village. Friday 18 September 10:30am from St Mary’s Church, Town Street, LS11 8PN booking essential. William Gascoigne (16121644) or How a Spider put Leeds at the forefront of the Scientific Revolution Join David Sellers for a talk about William Gascoigne, a pioneer of modern precision astronomy who lived in Middleton at around the time of the Royal Charter whose 400 year anniversary we celebrate this year. Tuesday 15 September, 7:30pm, Belle Isle WMC, LS10 3PE. Architecture and Faith Connections in Beeston – Jamia Masjid Abu Huraira Catherine Grove, LS11 6LU Visit this splendid Mosque, built in 2018, and discover more about the faith, customs and culture of Islam. The tour will explain the symbolism on the bronze doors and the five floors used for prayers which have Writer David Sellers (left) at the unveiling of William Gascoigne’s Blue Plaque sufficient space to
accommodate 1,000 people each Friday. There will be an explanation of the five pillars of Islam, the importance of the Qur’an and how it was revealed to The Prophet and memorised and written down. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, head covering preferred but not compulsory and shoes to be left on entry. Saturday 12 September 10am12pm with tour at 10:30am. Timed to allow link with GNNSJ Gurudwara; both sites can be explored in the same morning. Architecture and Faith Connections in Beeston – the GNNSJ Gurudwara 78 Lady Pit Lane, LS11 6DP A warm welcome awaits at this imposing Gurudwara (Sikh Temple), beautifully converted from the former Ringtons Tea premises. You can find out about the Sikh faith, its traditions, customs and culture, including a tour and refreshments. There will be a tour of the building and an opportunity to ask questions. Sharing and equality are important aspects of the faith and this extends to food. You will be invited into the kitchen/dining area to sample the hospitality. Removal of shoes and a simple head covering will be required. This event is timed to allow an earlier visit to the nearby Jamia Masjid Abu Huraira (mosque) and so give the opportunity to explore two sites and two faiths in one morning. Saturday 12 September 11am-1pm with a tour at 11:30am. For event details and bookings visit: www.heritage opendays.org.uk.
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
Email: info@southleedslife.com
What’s On 19
The Great Middleton Park Show 2026 Battle of Holbeck Moor remembered supports Peace and Unity A
T
he Great Middleton Park Show returns for 2025 with a theme of Peace and Unity, on Sunday 13 September from 1pm to 4pm. The Show includes the traditional Produce Show, where anyone can enter a produce in a variety of categories including: Vegetables, Fruit, Flowers, Home Produce and Arts & Craft. Get your creative side going with ideas from our website at show.fomp.co.uk where you will also find the entry form. Bring along your own plant pots and join our cress planting. DJ Danny will be on stage where we have a great line up of music, dancers and games. There will be a climbing wall, circus skills and the Big Bike Fix. For animal lovers, we have Donkey Rides, Birds of Prey displays and Ferret racing. Alongside those will be a huge
The flower and produce marquee variety of stalls and food vendors. Our park café will also be open. The event is free to attend and all are welcome to attend. Our area has good access for those with mobility issues and there will be parking for our
disabled visitors. There is also parking available in our local area, but please park responsibly. Volunteers are vital to the running of our shows and we are always grateful for their help. It’s a great way to build
A New Era for Involve by Bruce Davies
O
n Friday 11 September, Involve Learning Centre, Whitfield Avenue, Hunslet, will be holding an Open Day to mark the next phase in our development as a place for community activity. We will be open between 11am and 3pm and will feature a host of our partner organisations such as Insight, the Friendship Group and Savage Martial Arts. Joanne Boyes will be there to promote her Employment and Skills workshops along with Centre for Warmth and the Green Doctors. But, it is not all about the practical stuff, there will be opportunities to Get INVOLVEd in fun stuff too. Edek
Get Involved at Involve in Hunslet
Thompson will be bringing his ‘Doodlechat’ project to South Leeds and encouraging you to come along and have a doodle, and if you don’t feel like doodling then just chat, and if you don’t want to do either then just come along and hang out for the company. Also Annie Whitehead will be promoting her Tuesday gardening sessions at Involve and Middleton based artist Alan Reynolds will be there on behalf of his current project the ‘South Leeds Artist Collective (SLAC)’. All of this is leading towards our next major project ‘Involve Tuesdays’ and ‘Involve Fridays’. The centre will be opening Tuesdays and Fridays between September 18th and the end of March 2027; these will feature
advice sessions from various organisations and art sessions run by Edek Thompson, SLAC and Middleton based artist Annabelle Richmond-Wright, more on these in future articles. We would like to invite all of the South Leeds Community to attend, whether you would like to come and Get INVOLVEd as a community member, volunteer, local organisation or even as a potential trustee! But for now all that remains is for me to leave you with the invitation to share this invitation with your friends and come and join us for fun and refreshments… For more information contact penny.lewis@involve.org.uk See you there
confidence and meet local people. If you would like to volunteer to help with this show or any other events at Middleton Park, please see our website below for details. Any help, big or small, is welcome.
n event to mark the 90th This will be followed by anniversary of the Battle discussion and some music of Holbeck Moor, when from Lewis Pugh. The event Mosley’s Blackshirts were aims to finish at 9pm. chased out of Leeds by 30,000 Stalls will include trade protesters, will take place on unions, campaigns and Sunday 27 September, 5-9pm. Bookmarks bookshop. Starting at the blue plaque at Please book via Eventbrite to St Matthew’s Community assist with catering. Centre, a procession will move to Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck on Crosby Street for talks, stalls, food and music. Mark Krantz, author of “Bye Bye Blackshirt”, a comprehensive account of the campaigns against Mosley, will be joined by speakers about the Battle of Holbeck Moor. The blue plaque at St Matthew’s
South Leeds Life | September 2026
www.southleedslife.com
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
20 What’s On
What’s On Your guide to events and activities across South Leeds in September We publish a weekly What’s On guide every Friday at www.southleedslife.com
Every Monday Money Buddies 9am-12pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Tea and Toast 9am-12pm BITMO’s Gate, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH Holbeck Together cafe 9am-12:30pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Parents & Tots Group 9:30-11am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Let’s Play! (under 5s) 9:30am12:30pm Hamara Centre, Tempest Road, LS11 6RD Trinity Network Tea and Toast 9:30-3pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle MEA Crafts Group 9:30-10:45am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Crochet & Knitting Group 10am-12pm Beeston Community Hub & Library, Town Street Sew 2gether 10am-12pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH Mums and Tots 10:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Monday Breakfast Club 10:30am-12pm Involve Centre, Whitfield Ave, Hunslet, LS10 2QE Tea and Bacon Buttie 10am-12pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU MHA Dance On 10:30-11:30am St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Story & Rhyme (under 5s) 10:30-11:30am Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Lychee Red Chinese Seniors Lunch Club 10:30am-1:30pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St BISA Walking Group 11am-4pm 59 Centre, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU Coffee Morning 11am-12pm Aspiring Communities, 49 Barkly Road, Beeston, LS11 7EN Coffee and Crafts 11am-1pm Cottingley Community Centre, LS11 0HJ MEA Bingo and Hoy 11am-12pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Trinity Network Indoor Curling 11:30am United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle MHA Soup & Sandwich 11:30am-1pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Holbeck Together Lunch Club 12-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck MEA Lunch Club 12-1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Trinity Network Lunch Club, Bingo 12:30-2:15pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Lunchtime meditation 12:30-1pm Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck Money Buddies advice Hunslet Community Hub & Library off Church Street, LS10 2NS Walking Group 1-3:30pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU
Green Gym 1-3:30pm Skelton Grange Environment Centre, LS10 1RS 50+ Women’s Friendship Group 1-3pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston, LS11 6JG MHA Craft Club 1-3pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Beeston Bookwormers Book Club 1:30-2:30pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Beeston Dancercise 1:30-2:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Children’s Gardening Group 3:30-4:30pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4-6pm Blenkinsop Field, Acre Road, Middleton, LS10 4JQ Ultimate Dance Academy 4:30-7pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, LS10 4AW Youth Group Multisports 4:30-5:30pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St Community Sports Session 4:30-5:30pm Clapgate Primary School, Cranmore Drive LS10 4AW MHA Yoga 6-7pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane BAFF Chair-based Exercise 6-7:30pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St ANDYSMANCLUB 7-9pm Leeds College of Building, Cudbear Street, Hunslet LS10 1EF ANDYSMANCLUB 7-9pm Involve Centre, Whitfield Avenue, Hunslet, LS10 2QE
Every Tuesday Tots Group 9-11am Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road, Belle Isle Digital Hub and Cafe 9am-12:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Stay and Play under 5s 9-10:30am BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH MHA Breakfast Buddies 9-11am St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Advice & Advocacy 9:30am-2:30pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Trinity Network Indoor Exercise 9:45am United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Help with completing forms 10am-5pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Mobile Hub & Library 10am-3:30pm near St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Grandparents Kinship Support Group 10am-12pm St George’s Centre, Middleton Breastfeeding Support Group 10am-12pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX Woodwork 10am Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Story & Rhyme (under 5s) 10:30-11:30am Beeston Community Hub & Library, Town St
Story & Rhyme (under 5s) 10:30-11:30am Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church Street, LS10 2NS Chair Based Exercise 10:45-11:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Bingo and Hoy 11am-12pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Cuppa and Company 11am-1pm Middleton Family Centre, Sissons Road, LS10 4JG MHA Lunch and Social 11am-2pm Arthington Court, Balm Road, Hunslet Hong Kongers Lunch Club 11:30am-1:30pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St MHA Walkie Talkies 11:30am-2:30pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Salvation Army Lunch Club 11:30am-1:30pm Salvation Army, Hunslet Hall Road, LS11 6QB MEA Lunch Club 12-1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Holbeck Together Lunch Club 12-1:15pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Lunch Club and Social 12-3pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU Trinity Network Lunch Club 12:30-1:30pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle MHA Line Dancing 12:30-3pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Women Only Swimming 1-2pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Improve Digital Skills 1:15-3pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH MEA Walking Group 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road. Healthy Hearts Advice 1:30-4pm BITMOs Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3QH MEA Line Dancing 2-3pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road. Help with Computers 3-7pm BITMOs Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3QH Hot Meal (free to BITMO tenants) 4-5:30pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road Free Football 9-13 years 3:15-4:15pm Grove Road, Hunslet Free Kids Sports 4:30-5:30pm West Grange Road MUGA, Belle Isle, LS10 3AW Cockburn Community Choir 5-6pm Cockburn School, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Girls-only Football 5:30pm Yrs 2-4; 6:30pm Yrs 5-7 The Hunslet Club, Hillidge Road, LS10 1BP Dance Fitness (14+) 6-7pm Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road Book: 07519 018675 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 6:30-8:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Old Elland Road Yoga 6:40-7:40pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, LS10 4AW
Hunslet Nelson Women’s Rounders 7-8pm Middleton Leisure Centre, Ring road Middleton, LS10 4AX NK9 Dog Obedience drop in 6:30pm Hunslet Methodist Church, Telford Terrace, LS10 2HR South Leeds Lakers Running Club 6:50pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston. Book: bit.ly/LakersRunning MINT Men’s Support Group 7-9pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3QH Middletones singing group (HFA) 7-9pm Laurel Bank Day Centre, Middleton Park Avenue, LS10 4HY NK9 Dog Training Workshop 7:45pm Hunslet Methodist Church, Telford Terrace, LS10 2HR
Every Wednesday Seniors Breakfast Club 9am-12pm Belle Isle Welcome Centre, St John & St Barnabas Church, LS10 3DN Open doors 9:30-11:30am St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Old Lane, Beeston Holbeck Together shopping trip 9:30am-12:30pm Bacon Butty morning 9:30-11:30am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road. Advice & Advocacy 9:30am-2:30pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Adult Maths Support 10am-1pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH Mobile Council Hub & Library 10am-12pm outside shops, Cottingley Holbeck Together coffee morning 10am-12pm Ingram Court Community Room, Holbeck Social Craft Space 10am-12pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH Trinity Network Keep Fit with Julie 10am United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Woodwork 10am Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Remember Together Group Young Dementia Leeds Hub, Cottingley Book: 07983 215865 email mcst@ageukleeds.org.uk Beeston In Bloom Gardening Gp 10am-12pm Millennium Garden, Cross Flatts Park Scrabble Club 10am-12pm St George’s Community Hub and Library, Middleton, LS10 4UZ Rags To Riches Sewing Group 10am-12pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX Little Lighthouse Playgroup 10:30am-12:30pm South Bank Sanctuary, 2 Hunslet Hall Road, LS11 6TT Beeston Remembered 10:30-11:30am Beeston Community Hub & Library,Town St Hunslet Litterpicking Group 11-12:30pm Involve Centre, Whitfield Avenue, LS10 2QE
The Lunch Club 11:30am-1:30pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road Belle Isle LS10 3RR Holbeck Together Lunch Club 12-1:15pm Ingram Gardens Community Room, Holbeck MHA Cottingley Lunch Club 12-2pm Cottingley Community Centre, 115 Cottingley Approach Trinity Network Lunch Club 12:30-1:30pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Sew It Seams Sewing Group 1-3pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX Ladies Group 1:30-3pm Middleton Family Centre 256-262 Sissons Road LS10 4JG Walking Group 1-2:30pm meet at Asha, 43 Stratford Street, LS11 6JG Holbeck Together Craft Afternoon 1:15-2:45pm Ingram Gardens Community Room, Holbeck Parents & Tots Social 1:30-2:30pm Hamara Centre, Tempest Road, Beeston Walk and Talk (HFA) 2-3pm meet at Middleton Park main gates on Town Street Creating Community crafts 2-4pm Hunslet Community Hub & Library, LS10 2NS Tai Chi 2-3pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Children bike confidence 3:45-4:30pm Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, LS11 7NA Brave Words Drama Group (4-17) 4-7:30pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St Book: 07775 926166 Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 4:30-6:30pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Belle Isle. DAZL Dance (5-11 yrs) 4:30-5:15pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road, Belle Isle ACE Youth Zone (11-18 yrs) 4:45-6:45pm Middleton Free Table Tennis 5-7pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library Youth Group 5-6pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX DAZL Adult Dance Fit 5:15-6pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road, Belle Isle 3rd Middleton Scouts 5:30-7:30pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road Belle Isle LS10 3RR 1st SLAM Beavers (6-8 yrs) 6-7:30pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Cardinal Road, Beeston 51st Leeds (Hunslet) Rainbows, Brownies & Guides 6-7pm Rainbows; 6:15-7:30pm Brownies; 7:15-8:30pm Guides Involve Centre, Whitfield Avenue, Hunslet, LS10 2QE Women & Girls Cricket 6pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston, LS11 5TT Karate 6-7pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle 3rd Middleton Rainbows, Brownies, Guides & Rangers 6:15-7:30pm Rainbows & Brownies; 7:45-9pm Guides & Rangers St Mary's Parochial Hall, North Lingwell Road, LS10 3SR Food Cycle free hot meal 6:30pm St Luke’s Church, Malvern Road, Beeston LS11 8PD Holbeck Moor FC: Inclusive adult football training 6:30pm Holbeck Moor Line Dancing 6:30-9pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road Belle Isle LS10 3RR Veterans In Need Together 7pm St John & St Barnabas
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife Church, Belle Isle Rd, LS10 3DN Leeds Camera Club 8pm St George’s Community Hub and Library, Middleton, LS10 4UZ photoleeds.com
Every Thursday Tots Group 9-11am Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road, Belle Isle, LS10 3RR Music & Movement 9am-1pm Little Angels Playzone, The Sugar Mill, Beeston Parents & Tots Group 9-11am Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St Digital Hub and Cafe 9am-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Mobile Hub & Library 9:30am-3:30pm near St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Baby Group (up to 12 months) 9:30-11am BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, LS10 3QH Advice & Advocacy 9:30am-2:30pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Book: 0113 270 4600 Holbeck Community Shop 9:30am-2pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Ping Pong 9:30-10:30am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Trinity Network Craft 10am United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Kushy Nana (HFA Elder Bangladeshi Women’s Group) 10am-12pm Building Blocks Nursery, Maud Avenue, LS11 7DD Women’s Friendship Group 10am-12pm Hunslet Methodist Church, Telford Terrace, Balm Rd Craft and Gardening groups 10am-12pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU Mindful Makes / Woodwork 10-11:45am Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre Craft Group / Digital Inclusion 10:30am-12pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus Story & Rhyme (under 5s) 10:30-11:30am St George’s Community Hub and Library, Middleton Walking Football 11am-12pm The Hunslet Club, Hillidge Road Bingo and Hoy 11am-12pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Holbeck Together Line Dancing 11:30am-12:30pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck MEA Lunch Club 12-1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road MHA Lunch Club 12-1:30pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Free Soup and a Roll 12-2pm Church of the Nazarene, Lupton Street, Hunslet Holbeck Women’s Group (HFA) 12-2pm Ingram Gardens Community Centre, LS11 9SA Trinity Network Lunch Club 12:30-1:30pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Women Only Swimming 1-2pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston, LS11 6JG Warm Space & Computer support 1-5pm BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3QH Kushy Dil (Bangladeshi Women’s Group) 1-3pm Building Blocks Nursery, Maud Avenue, LS11 7DD
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
Online Computer class 1-2:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Group and Bingo 1:30-3:30pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus Women’s Creative Group 2-4pm Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church Street After School Games Club 3-4:30pm Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church Street Youth Club 4:30-6:30pm Welcome Centre, St John & St Barnabas Church, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3DN ACE Youth Zone (11-18 yrs) 4:45-6:45pm Beeston Community Basketball 5-6pm 14+ women & girls Cockburn John Charles Academy, Old Run Road, Belle Isle Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 5-8pm Hunslet Moor. Middleton Scout Group 5:30-7:30pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road, Belle Isle Book: scoutsmiddleton@gmail.com Sanctuary Youth (Year 7+) 6-8pm South Bank Sanctuary, 2 Hunslet Hall Road, LS11 6TT Boys and Girls Rugby 6:30-8pm Leeds Corinthians, Nutty Slack, Middleton, LS10 4AX Yoga 6:30pm St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Cardinal Road, Beeston Book: 07512 393228 Hunslet Nelson Women’s Rounders 6:30-7:30pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston
Beety Din Older Women’s Group 10:30am-1pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town St Bingo and Hoy 11am-12pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Fish & Chip Lunch 11:30am-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck MHA St Mary’s Lunch Club 12-1:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street, LS11 8PN MEA Lunch Club 12-1:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Trinity Network Lunch Club 12:30pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Insight Mental Health Peer Support Group 12:45-3pm Involve Community Centre, Hunslet, LS10 2QE Ballroom & Sequence Dancing 1-3pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane, Beeston 50+ Gup Shup Group 1-3pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Prize Bingo Afternoon 1:15-2:15pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Friday Social Group and Bingo 1:30-3:30pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3DU Chair-based Exercise 1:45-2:45pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road. Councillor surgery 2:30-3:30pm Hamara Centre, Tempest Road, Beeston LS11 6RD Free Football sessions (8-18 yrs) 3:30-5:30pm Holbeck Community Centre, Elland Road Active Communities 4-6pm Welcome Centre, St John & St Barnabas Church, Belle Isle Road, LS10 3DN Middleton Skaters 4pm (under 8s); 5pm (under 13s) Parkside Hub, Coopers Field, Belle Isle, LS10 3HF Table Tennis 4:45-5:25pm (7-11yrs) 5:306:15pm (12-15yrs) St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck DAZL Youth Club 5-7pm Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road Open Doors Men’s Group 5-6:30pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Girls Softball Cricket (8-11 yrs) 6-7pm Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, LS11 5TT South Leeds Lakers Juniors (Athletics) 6-7pm South Leeds Stadium Book: fb.com/juniorlakersleeds Youth Club 6-8pm The Gambia Welfare Society, Oak House, Balm Walk, Holbeck, LS11 9PG Suzaku Martial Arts Children’s gp 6-9pm Beeston Village Community Centre, off Town Street 1st SLAM Cubs (8-10½ yrs) 6:15-7:45pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Cardinal Road, Beeston 5th Middleton Guides & Rangers 7:30-9pm South Leeds URC Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle 1st SLAM Scouts (10½-14 yrs) 8-9:30pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Cardinal Road, Beeston
Every Friday Charity Shop and Warm Space 8:30-11:30am United Free Church, Malvern Road, Beeston Stay & Play 9-11am St Anthony’s Church Hall, Old Lane, Beeston MHA Nellie’s Cafe 9:30-11:30am Hunslet Nelson Cricket Club, Gipsy Lane, Beeston Digital Hub and Cafe 9am-12pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, LS11 9NR Affordable Breakfast 9am Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre, Belle Isle Breakfast Club 9:15-11:15am BITMOs GATE, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle Road Breakfast Club and Food Bank 9:30-11:30am Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road Belle Isle LS10 3RR IT & Computer Skills 9:30am-12pm Asha Neighbourhood Project, Beeston Toast & Games, Knit & Natter 9:30-11am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road. Hunslet RLFC Breakfast Club 10am-12pm Phoenix Suite, South Leeds Stadium, LS11 5DJ Breakfast / Coffee Morining 10am-12pm Cottingley Community Centre, LS11 0HJ Holbeck Together Dance On 10-11am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Hobbies Together (HFA) 10am-12pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX Bacon Butty Drop-in 10am-12pm BISA 59 Club, 59 Belle Isle Circus Julie’s Ancestry Group 10am-12pm and 1-3pm 26 Belle Isle Circus, LS10 3AE MHA Stretch & Tone 10-11am St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane, Beeston Green Team Volunteers 10am-3pm Skelton Grange Environment Centre, Stourton
Every Saturday Debbie Heart Theatre School 8am-12:30pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road, Belle Isle Cross Flatts parkrun 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park, Beeston, LS11 7NA
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
What’s On 21 Middleton Woods parkrun 9am Leeds Urban Bike Park Ring Road, Middleton, LS10 3TN Community Basketball 9-10:30am 8-12 years, mixed 10:30am-12pm Yr6-9 Girls 3:30-5pm U16/U14 Boys Cockburn School, Gipsy Lane, Beeston, LS11 5TT Holbeck Moor FC Juniors (4-6yrs) 9am Ingram Road Primary School, Holbeck Saturday Breakfast 9:30-11am Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Middleton Railway 10am-4:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet, LS10 2JG Coffee Morning 10am-12pm Aspiring Communities, 49 Barkly Road, Beeston, LS11 7EN Park Roll skating with LS-TEN 10-11am Cross Flatts Park, Beeston (near Maud Avenue) Adult Cycle Training 10am Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: bit.ly/CycleNorth Police Contact Point 10:30am-1:30pm St George’s Centre, Middleton, LS10 4UZ Rowland Road Play Patch 11am-2pm Rowland Road WMC, Beeston, LS11 6ED Ultimate Dance Academy 10am-12:20pm Cranmore & Raylands Community Centre ParkPlay 10:30am-12:30pm Brickfield Park, Lady Pit Lane, Beeston Champions Soccer Saturday 10:30-11:30am Hunslet Moor 3rd Middleton Scouts 12:45-2:15pm Manorfield Hall, Newhall Road Belle Isle LS10 3RR Youth Club 6-8pm The Gambia Welfare Society, Oak House, Balm Walk, Holbeck, LS11 9PG
Every Sunday Junior parkrun (4-14 yrs) 9am Top of Cross Flatts Park Middleton Railway 10am-4:30pm Moor Road, Hunslet, LS10 2JG Healthy Minds Cycling Skills 10-11am Watsonian Pavilion, Cross Flatts Park 16 Guidelines To Life 10:30-11:30am Jamyang Buddhist Centre, Ingram Road, Holbeck, LS11 9RQ Play For All (7-13 yrs) 11am-1pm Cross Flatts Park Big Bike Fix drop in workshop 12-4pm Harlech Avenue, Beeston Toning & Stretching with Julie 6:30-7:30pm DAZL HQ, Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road. Book: 07783 786776
September Friday 4 September MEA Legal advice drop-in 9:30-11:30am Middleton Elderly Aid, Acre Road, LS10 4JQ Saturday 5 September Coffee morning 10am-12pm Church of the Nazarene, Grove Road, Hunslet Skelton Grange Open Day 11am-3pm Skelton Grange Environment Centre, LS10 1RS Hunslet Nelson CC v Streethouse 11:30am Gipsy Lane, LS11 5TT Beeston Repair Café 1-4pm St Luke’s CARES shop, 246 Dewsbury Road, LS11 6JQ
Sunday 6 September Litter Pick 1:30pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre Monday 7 September Middleton Community Group 6pm Middleton Elderly Aid, Acre Road, LS10 4LF Garnet and Oakley TARA 6:30pm St Luke’s CARES Shop, 246 Dewsbury Road, LS11 6JQ Tuesday 8 September Inner South West Community Committee 5:30pm Leeds Civic Hall, LS1 1UR Wednesday 9 September SEN-tastic drop-in 9:15-11:15am St Luke’s Church, Malvern Road, LS11 8PD Jobs Fair 10am-1pm Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church Street MHA Kurling 10-11am St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane, Beeston MHA Singing Sensations 1:30-3:30pm St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane Hunslet Tenants & Residents Ass 4-6pm Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church St, LS10 2NS Friday 11 September Police Contact Point 10am-12pm Cottingley Community Centre, LS11 0HJ Skelton Grange Apple Day 10am-3pm Skelton Grange Environment Centre, LS10 1RS Involve Centre Open Day 11am-3pm Involve Community Centre, Whitfield Avenue, Hunslet, LS10 2QE Saturday 12 September Middleton Pop Up Market 10am-2pm Middleton Park Circus Community/Reflections Cafe 10am-12pm United Reformed Church, Nesfield Road, Belle Isle Architecture and Faith 10:30am Jamia Masjid Abu Huraira, Catherine Gr, LS11 6LU 11:30am GNNSJ Gurudwara 78 Lady Pit Lane, LS11 6DP Hunslet ARLFC v Heworth 2:30pm Hunslet Club Sports Village, LS10 2AT Sunday 13 September Great Middleton Park Show 12-4pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street, LS10 3SH Better Beeston Litter Pick 1pm meet Lady Pit Lane South Leeds Community Kitchen 4-5:45pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street, LS11 8PN Monday 14 September Leeds United v Newcastle United 8pm Elland Road, LS11 0ES Tuesday 15 September DePuy Synthes tour 10am-12pm St Anthony’s Road LS11 8DT. Booking essential William Gascoigne talk 7:30pm Belle Isle WMC, LS10 3PE Wednesday 16 September DePuy Synthes tour 10am-12pm St Anthony’s Road LS11 8DT. Booking essential MEA Film Club: Romancing The Stone 1:30-3pm Middleton Elderly Aid, Acre Road, LS10 4JQ MHA Connie Crafters 3-5pm South Leeds Conservative Club, Wooler Street, LS11 7JH Performance Skills Workshop 6-8pm Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck, LS11 9RQ Thursday 17 September Police Contact Point 10am-12pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck SEN-tastic drop-in 12:30-2:30m St Luke’s Church, Malvern Road, LS11 8PD
St Luke’s Tenants & Residents 6:30m St Luke’s Church, Malvern Road, Beeston Hill, LS11 8PD Friday 18 September Beeston - Rediscovered Heritage 10:30am Meet St Mary’s Church LS11 8PN. Booking essential Hunslet’s Rugby History 7:30-9pm South Leeds Stadium, Middleton Grove, LS11 5DJ Saturday 19 September Leeds Dads Free Soft Play 10am-12pm Little Angels, Sugar Mill, Oakhurst Avenue, LS11 7HL Councillor surgery 11am-12pm Beeston Community Hub & Library, Town Street 1-2pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck, LS11 9NR Belle Isle Repair Café 1-4pm BITMO’s Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, LS10 3QH Councillor surgery 1:30pm BITMO’s Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, LS10 3QH Leeds United v Crystal Palace 8pm Elland Road, LS11 0ES Sunday 20 September Middleton Colliery Walk 1:30pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street, LS10 3SH Better Beeston Litter Pick 3pm meet Maud Avenue Monday 21 September Outer South Community Committee 4:00pm Leeds Civic Hall, LS1 1UR Tuesday 22 September Police Contact Point 10am-12pm Hunslet Community Hub and Library, off Church Street Wednesday 23 September Police & Anti-social Behaviour Contact Point 10am-12pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub & Library MHA Kurling 10-11am St Andrew’s Community Centre, Old Lane, Beeston Performance Skills Workshop 6-8pm Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck, LS11 9RQ Thursday 24 September Hunslet Remembered 10-11:30am Hunslet Community Hub & Library, off Church Street, LS10 2NS Police Contact Point 10am-12pm Beeston Community Hub and Library, Town Street Salvation Army Friendship Lunch 11am-1pm Salvation Army, Hunslet Hall Road, LS11 6QB School Open Evening 5-7pm Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy, Middleton, LS10 4AX
Friday 25 September Councillors’ Surgeries 4pm Beeston Community Hub & Library, Town Street, Beeston 5pm Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck, Crosby Street, LS11 9RQ 6pm Cottingley Community Centre Saturday 26 September Hunslet ARLFC v Siddal 2:30pm Hunslet Club Sports Village, LS10 2AT Sunday 27 September Friendly Brass Band 2-4pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre, off Town Street, LS10 3SH Battle of Holbeck Moor event 5-9pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, LS11 9NR - Slung Low’s Warehouse in Holbeck, LS11 9RQ Monday 28 September Beeston Hill Community Assoc 6:30pm Building Blocks Nursery, Maud Avenue, LS11 6TT Tuesday 29 September Survivor-led Sisterhood 10:45am-1:20pm St George’s Centre, Middleton, LS10 4UZ Wednesday 30 September Councillor surgery 9:30am Middleton Elderly Aid, Acre Road, LS10 4JQ Legal Advice drop-in 12-1pm Beeston Community Hub and Library, Town Street School Open Evening 5-7pm Cockburn John Charles Academy, Belle Isle, LS10 2JU
October Thursday 1 October School Open Evening 5-7pm Cockburn School, Beeston, LS11 5TT Hunslet Carr Residents Assoc 6:30pm Woodhouse Hill Community Centre, LS10 2DN Beeston Community Forum 7pm Beeston Village Community Centre, LS11 8DQ Friday 2 October MEA Legal advice drop-in 9:30-11:30am Middleton Elderly Aid, Acre Road, LS10 4JQ Police Contact Point 10am-12pm Cottingley Community Centre, LS11 0HJ Saturday 3 October Beeston Repair Café 1-4pm St Luke’s CARES shop, 246 Dewsbury Road, LS11 6JQ Sunday 4 October Litter Pick 1:30pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre
Publicise your event with South Leeds Life’s FREE listings Call/text: 07894 583966 Email: info@southleedslife.com Post: 28 Back Burton Terrace, Leeds, LS11 5JH
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
22 Sporting Life
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
Young divers swap Jamie from Belle Isle is top fundraiser pool for peaks to on White Collar Boxing promotion raise club funds B by James Bovington
Ryan, Paige and Zac
T
hree young City of Leeds divers are swapping springboards for walking boots as they take on Ingleborough, the highest peak in Yorkshire, to raise £3,000 for vital training equipment. Ryan, Paige and Zack, who each train four days a week with City of Leeds Diving Club based at the John Charles Centre for Sport in South Leeds, will lead fellow divers and their families up the Yorkshire peak on Sunday 6 September 2026, turning their own fundraising idea into a challenge for the wider diving community. Their challenge, From the Pool to the Peaks, aims to raise £3,000 towards new dry-land training equipment and the maintenance and replacement of heavily used diving equipment. The trio came up with the idea because they wanted to give something back to the club where they spend much of their week, while creating a challenge the wider diving community could take on together. At the summit, the group plans to raise the City of Leeds Diving Club flag above Ingleborough. City of Leeds Diving Club supports more than 100 divers every week, with a pathway stretching from children taking their first steps in the sport through to elite international athletes. The money raised will help fund equipment including gym mats and training blocks, alongside the maintenance of springboards, harnesses and other equipment used day in, day out by the club’s divers. Nicola Drinkall, Ryan’s mum and one of the organisers of the challenge, said: “The idea really came from the children. They spend so much of their week at the diving club and wanted to do
something themselves to give something back. “We’re incredibly proud that they have taken that idea and turned it into something the whole diving community can get behind. “The equipment gets a huge amount of use and is important for divers at every level, from children just starting out to those competing at the highest level. This challenge is about helping the club, but it is also about bringing everyone together and showing the team spirit that exists beyond the pool.” Ryan, Paige and Zack said: “We all love diving and spend a lot of time at the club, so we wanted to do something to help. Climbing Ingleborough will be a big challenge, but we wanted to do something we could take on together with our diving friends and families. “We’re really excited to get everyone to the top and raise the City of Leeds Diving flag at the summit. Hopefully we can raise lots of money for the club at the same time.” While City of Leeds Diving Club has a proud history of developing Olympic and international divers, it also provides opportunities for young people across Leeds to discover the sport, develop their skills and be part of a supportive sporting community. Fundraising helps the not-forprofit club invest in the equipment and facilities needed to keep those opportunities available to young people. The team is now asking people and businesses across Leeds and Yorkshire to get behind the challenge by donating or sharing the campaign. You can support From the Pool to the Peaks at: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wewill-climb-mountains
elle Isle’s Jamie Portrey is delighted to have raised a further £5,000 for charity as he competed for the third and likely final time in a whitecollar boxing event at Leeds Armouries organised by Ultra WCB and which makes his fundraising total over three events a staggering £18,000. “I haven’t won any of these contests unfortunately, but my motivation has always been to benefit myself and others. It’s nice to get a win but the whole ethos of Ultra WCB is accepting a personal challenge, seeing how you do and raising money for charities where a participant has a personal connection.” Self-employed fencer and father of four Jamie, 48, described the eight-week training at Bad Company gym in Bramley as “highly intense but highly beneficial although I’m now starting to feel my age. Participants are a cross section and not everyone is young and fit. I played rugby union for many years and still play the odd veterans’ game here and there. I’m a stubborn man and don’t back down once started. My opponent made me feel every shot but for me this has always been about the charity angle. The show at the Armouries was also twenty years to the day since I had a serious fall at work which could have killed me. Yet there I was
in my vest and shorts boxing in front of approaching a thousand people.” “I’ve worked closely with my chosen charities to ensure I fundraise in the most efficient way. I use fundraising packs including charity pots and buckets, sweepstake sheets and wrist bands. I’ve done football cards among friends and family and organised a race night and a darts competition in local pubs. But the main thing is to ask as many local businesses as possible and all my friends to sponsor me and buy tickets for the boxing event.” “My charities this time were Cancer Research UK and
Andy’s Man Club. Cancer Research UK in memory of a friend who lost his life to cancer and Andy’s Man Club in recognition of the excellent work they do helping me and other men face adversity. After three bouts it’s time to draw a line under my boxing but I’ll be continuing with annual charity work.” Bad Company’s Danny McKee cornered Jamie and others throughout the show. “The fights are amazing as those attending admire the grit, determination and courage on display as the boxers demonstrate how they’ve progressed over the eight weeks of training in which a
novice can learn as much as they’re willing.” Jamie Portrey agrees. “I relax pottering around in my garage making stuff and fixing things and L enjoy chilling on the sofa watching a film. However, I’d recommend to anyone to take the Ultra WCB challenge. The training is brilliant for fitness and losing weight and you’ll meet so fantastic people and make new friends for life. Give it a go.” If wanting to box on the next Leeds Ultra WCB show on 21 November sign up at ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk/si gnup. Participants must be 18 when the training starts at Bad Company in September.
Hunslet ARLFC donate sports kit for Ukraine A t Hunslet RLFC’s match against Keighley on 9 August, Hunslet Amateur Rugby League Club from The Oval took the opportunity to present Keighley owners, Kaue Garcia and Ryan O’Neill, with two full sets of rugby kit.. The two men have links with Ukraine and are planning to make a second trip there to deliver kit. The donation consists of one set of old Hunslet Warriors blue kit – socks, shorts and playing tops – and a complete set of the yellow child-size kit from the amalgamated Hunslet ARLFC. Rather than going to landfill, these kits will have a new life in a war-torn country, hopefully showing the young people in Ukraine that people have not abandoned them. Big thanks must also go to Kaue and Ryan for risking the long train journey, and thank you to Hunslet RLFC for hosting the presentation. Pat Benatmane (centre) on behalf of Hunslet Amateurs with Kaue Garcia and Ryan O’Neil from Keighley Cougars
www.southleedslife.com
Website: www.southleedslife.com
Email: info@southleedslife.com
Sporting Life 23
Hunslet Nelson crowned Bentley Blast champions
Hunslet Nelson’s T20 team with the trophy
by Anthony Ryder
H
unslet Nelson Cricket Club were crowned Bradford Premier League Bentley Blast T20 Group B champions after producing a superb all-round performance to defeat Heckmondwike and Carlinghow by 94 runs in Sunday’s final at Gipsy Lane. Batting first after winning the toss, Nelson made an explosive start through Andy McIntosh, whose 31 from just 15 balls, including six boundaries, laid the foundations for a
formidable total. Alastair Finn added 19 before Australian Luke Ajani took centre stage with another outstanding innings. Ajani struck a classy 74 from 46 deliveries, hitting six fours and two sixes as he anchored the innings throughout the middle overs. Supported by Sam Thewlis, who contributed a lively 24 from 15 balls, Nelson maintained the pressure on the visitors before late contributions from Kieran Humphreys helped lift the total to an imposing 179-8 from
their 20 overs. Defending 180, Nelson’s bowlers immediately took control. Harrison Tyldsley struck twice inside the opening overs before Sam Thewlis ripped through the middle order to leave Heckmondwike and Carlinghow in deep trouble. Tyldsley and Thewlis shared eight wickets in a devastating display of pace bowling. Thewlis finished with outstanding figures of 4-13 from his four overs, while Tyldsley matched him with 4-
South Leeds boxers in winning fight action by James Bovington
B
oxers who train with Tristan Haynes and Anthony Miller at their Beeston gym are celebrating wins on Haynes 16, the show recently held at The Angler’s club in Burmantofts and which saw the south Leeds men compete against boxers from clubs across Yorkshire and Lancashire. Middleton delivery driver Danny Weston, 36, was delighted to pick up his first Haynes Promotions title belt as he defeated Burnley fighter Andy Webster and thus remained undefeated in his five bouts, all of which have seen Danny get the win in less that the scheduled distance. “I was delighted to get the win on the same show as my fifteen-year-old son Tyler who had his first fight experience the same evening,” said Danny, now 36. “Father and son on the
September 2026 | South Leeds Life
same show. A first for the promotion apparently. I started training two years ago and was hooked after attending a show. This title fight is my fifth bout in just a year, and I’m proud to
remain undefeated. This was scheduled to be my longest contest yet at four two-minute rounds, but I knocked my opponent down three times in the second round leading to
25, reducing the visitors to 376 and effectively ending the contest before the halfway stage of the chase. Only Mustafa Bhatti, with a spirited 30, offered any resistance, but Matthew Varley claimed the final two wickets to finish with 2-19 as Heckmondwike and Carlinghow were dismissed for just 85 in 15.1 overs Captain Alastair Finn said: “It’s absolutely brilliant to win this competition for the first time. After reaching three finals and two semi-finals in the last five seasons, it’s extremely pleasing to get over the line, especially at our home ground. Tremendous credit has to go to the players for the way they performed on the day, especially in the final, to win so emphatically. “After our success in the Jack Hampshire Cup over the previous two seasons, it’s another trophy for the club’s collection. It’s really special to captain the side to this win. “Also special thanks to all the volunteers on the day that made it another great event at Hunslet Nelson” The 94-run victory secured Hunslet Nelson’s first Bradford Premier League Bentley Blast T20 Group B title, completing a memorable Finals Day triumph. Twelve months after the disappointment of finishing runners-up, Nelson returned stronger, producing a commanding all-round performance to deservedly lift the trophy. the referee waving it off.” “I want to stay humble about my success so far and take each fight as it comes. Although I get nervous the days before on fight day, I’ve always felt confident and buoyed up by supporters shouting my name as I enter the ring keen to have fun doing the business. This sport has helped me improve mentally and physically and be a better, more positive role model for my three children. I’ve made rapid progress and was proud to get our club’s ‘most improved boxer’ award in 2025.” Danny’s son Tyler “wanted a new activity and seeing how boxing has been great for my dad I decided to give it a go. I’m just so very proud that my dad is a semi-professional boxer. Mine was a skills bout which lets a novice boxer demonstrate what they’ve learnt without worrying about the result. I was well into it by the second round and people were impressed with the combinations of punches I threw. I enjoyed the contest and I’m pleased I had the confidence to get into the ring in front of a couple of hundred people.”
Club calls on community to “give old boots a new game” T he Hunslet Club is asking the South Leeds community to have a look at home for any football or rugby boots that are still in good condition but are no longer being used. These old boots could give another young person their chance to play. For more than 85 years, the club has been here for local young people, providing somewhere to come, somewhere to belong and opportunities to try something new. Football and rugby remain a huge part of that today. Young people are playing football every week, with 17 junior teams, as well as a thriving rugby programme. With 3G pitches giving even more young people the chance to get involved, the club wants to make sure that having the right pair of boots doesn’t stand in the way. A spokesperson for The Hunslet Club explained: “Maybe your child has grown out of them. Maybe they’ve been replaced by a new pair. Or maybe they’ve simply been
sitting at the back of a cupboard, waiting for their next outing. Whatever their story, your old boots could give another young person their chance to play. “It might mean joining their friends on the pitch. It might mean trying football or rugby for the very first time. It might mean discovering a sport they love. Or it might simply mean being able to join in without worrying about whether they have the right footwear. “A pair of boots might seem like a simple donation, but to a young person, it could be the difference between standing on the sidelines and stepping onto the pitch. “So, if you’ve got a pair of boots gathering dust at home don’t leave them in the cupboard – give them a new game.” To donate bring your football or rugby boots to The Hunslet Club reception and pop them into the Boot Drop collection box. Please make sure boots are clean and in good, usable condition.
Hunslet Thai boxer wins silver at Bangkok tournament Continued from page 24 restrictions eased in 2021, I joined Bad Company then on York Road. I thought it was amazing and just wanted to be part of it. Over the years my coaches Lisa and Richard have become like a second family to me, and I’ve built deep and hopefully long-lasting friendships with the other fighters. Ours is an individual sport but we perform better when mutual support and encouragement are offered. However, there’s no feeling to match winning in the ring and using the skills learnt to prove that I’m physically and mentally tougher than my opponent.” “Tournaments can be demanding. We always watch each other compete and the other thing we watch is our diet so that we make weight. In all combat sports competitors must control weight. Then there’s the heat. The sport has its potential dangers, but I don’t think about it. I just think about putting on a good performance. The first time I competed I was nervous, but coach Lisa helped me face it. I wanted to prove myself and I’m proud I did. The sport has built my confidence and made me resilient.” Charlie lives with stepmum
Louise. His father Rob passed away late in 2024 following a brain tumour diagnosis. “Thai boxing has helped me cope but I might never come to terms with it. My dad was only in his forties. He was an excellent guitarist and taught me to play. His fellow band member Ian had also previously succumbed to cancer. Last year I had the honour to play guitar with the remaining members of Dad’s band Milloy at EasyFest in Wakefield. It was an emotional moment. When I compete, I remember my dad. That makes me even more determined.” Coach Lisa is keen to commend Charlie. “We’re proud of Charlie. He was a quiet boy when he first came to the gym. It’s been good to see him become more confident and self-assured. Charlie’s both a talented fighter and a great person. He’s always keen to ask how other people are doing and is a calming influence to have around.” Charlie is currently working in construction but would like to return to Thailand for an extended training period. If possibly able to offer Charlie sponsorship, please contact him via Lisa at lisabadco@gmail.com or text 07885 270267.
www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | September 2026
Bluesky: @SouthLeedsLife
24 Sporting Life
Hunslet RLFC end season on a high note by Ian Pickles
H
unslet RLFC finished their Championship season in style winning three of their last four games and only narrowly losing away at Sheffield. In their final game Jimmy Watson bowed out after 14 Seasons with Hunslet on 23 August at the South Leeds Stadium scoring a try as Hunslet finished the year on a high against a dogged Rochdale Hornets side. Watson has been popular amongst Hunslet fans over the last 14 seasons, but there was love for him throughout the whole Rugby League community as he decided to call it a day still playing some of his best rugby. Also retiring was former French international Kevin Larroyer who has been at Hunslet for the past two seasons and turned in an aggressive exciting performance on his last career match. Head Coach Kyle Trout was happy to get the win for his retiring players and other
Myles Harrop celebrates Jimmy Watson’s 93rd club try for Hunslet in the popular fullback’s final game (Nathan Robinson/Apertunes) players moving on to pastures new, but he was frustrated Hunslet didn’t put in a classy
performance he knows they are capable off. Truth is Rochdale have been
good lately winning at Workington and Dewsbury, so this was a good victory for
Community junior rowing club takes on Britain’s elite
Hunslet. Although they made needless errors with the ball, they had more yards in them
A
L
eeds’s only community rowing club is celebrating its most successful season yet after winning seven medals at the British Rowing Junior Championships and competing at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta. Leeds Rowing Club trains on the Aire and Calder Navigation from its boathouse in Stourton. Following the impact of the Covid pandemic, the club had to rebuild its junior programme from scratch, today it has grown to over 100 junior members, with young athletes
from schools and communities across Leeds training together several times a week. That growth has been matched by remarkable success on the water. At the British Rowing Club Championships in Nottingham in July, the club’s crews secured seven medals, including a historic first gold medal for the J18 girls’ eight. Earlier in the season, the clubs’ junior women made the final of the Junior Women’s Double Sculls event at Henley Women’s Regatta, and the
junior boys qualified the eight in the Junior Eights event at Henley Royal Regatta, the world’s most prestigious rowing regatta. The achievements are particularly significant for a community club competing against some of the country’s leading fee-paying schools, which often have access to considerably greater funding, facilities and equipment. Jack Bailey, aged 16, who was part of the crew rowing in the Henley Royal Regatta Princess Elizabeth Challenge
Cup, said: “Competing at Henley and winning medals at the British Championships has been an amazing experience. We know some of the clubs and schools we race against have newer boats and more resources, so it makes us even prouder of what we’ve achieved together.” Although junior rowing is often associated as an elitist sport in private schools, Leeds Rowing Club is helping to make the sport accessible to young people from a much wider range of backgrounds.
than the opposition and always looked likely to win despite giving Hornets a 12-point start. Final score 28-18. Jimmy Watson picked up both ‘Tricks of the Trade’ Sponsors Player of the Match and Phoenix Bar Supporters Player of the Match. Watson will join Kyle Trout on the coaching staff next year after it was confirmed that Trout will be leading the club into the 2027 season. The Rochdale game marked Lee Gaskell’s 300th appearance for all clubs and he has extended his contract into the new season. Trout told Totoal RL: “Lee has always been a very good player, and he suits the free-rein style we like to use because he has that vision as well as experience. “Our approach needs reliable on-field orchestrators, and while he’s never been a highvolume type, he’s developed more of a voice. “There’s no ego about him either, so when he speaks, the rest of the boys listen.” We will report on signings as the club builds its squad and provide full match reports of every game next season.
Hunslet Thai boxer wins silver at Bangkok tournament by James Bovington
Leeds Rowing Club juniors competing at Henley
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
teenage Thai boxer from Hunslet who trains at Bad Company’s Bramley gym has just won a silver medal in a world championship tournament in Thailand in June. Charlie Bedford turned 18 three months ago. This was his first time competing as an adult. “I’m delighted to have been a member of Team England,” said former Ruth Gorse Academy student Charlie, who’s just completed a twoyear level two course in carpentry and joinery at Leeds College of Building. “I boxed three Mexican and
Charlie Bedford
one Canadian opponent at 60kg with each bout being three two-minute rounds. The final was closely fought and the Mexican opponent won. I will learn from it. I’m proud of what I achieved in this my fourth time in the national squad. I’d previously won a silver medal at 57kg in Bangkok in 2024 and then golds at 57kg and 60kg at the championships in Venice and Verona in 2023 and 2025. My girlfriend from Warrington also competed and like me won a silver. This made the tournament special.” Charlie started training in the sport of Muay Thai just before the pandemic. “When Continued on page 23