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Issue 67 | October 2020
Covering Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton, Riverside & Stourton
No 1 RETURNS TO BEESTON
In this issue:
Commercial traffic returns to the Aire
page 2
Thyme for action in Hunslet page 5
Campaign to restore a through bus route to north Leeds successful by Jeremy Morton
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irst Bus has announced that the No 1 service will return to Beeston from Sunday 4 October 2020. The service will operate 8 buses per hour Monday to Friday daytime; 6 buses per hour on Saturdays and 4 buses per hour on Sundays. However the service will no longer run through to Holt Park, but terminate at Lawnswood School near the Ring Road in West Park. The service which previously ran from Beeston to Holt Park via the city centre and Headingley was replaced in September last year with the No 10 service which only ran between Beeston and City Square. The change was said to be due to major roadworks on the Headrow as part of the Connecting Leeds project to improve bus reliability amongst other objectives. Those works have now reached the stage where buses can travel in both directions again. With First Bus refusing to guarantee reinstatement of the route following the works a campaign group formed last year and a public meeting was held with Councillors and representatives from First Bus.
A through service will operate from Sunday 4 October Brandon Jones, Head of External Relations at First Bus said: “The change from 4 October is part of a review of services that takes into account both the re-opening of the Headrow and the impact of the Covid pandemic on both passenger demand and bus resource.
Service 1 will operate between Beeston and Lawnswood School and will replace the Beeston – Leeds service 10. The service will provide 8 buses per hour Monday to Friday daytime and will directly reconnect Beeston residents with both the north of the city centre, Headingley and West
Park. Operating to Lawnswood will allow us to provide a more resilient bus network in the area with Holt Park continuing to be well served by other bus services. Full timetable details will be available shortly. “On behalf of First West Yorkshire, I’d like to thank the Beeston community for their
patience during this period and hope the change will be well received.” Cllr Andrew Scopes (Beeston & Holbeck) commented: “I’m delighted that the number 1 bus route is being reinstated (even though it is a slightly shortened route). I’d like to thank those involved in the ‘Defend the number 1 bus route’ campaign for their part in getting the route back. Whilst public transport isn’t being used as much at the moment due to the global pandemic, ensuring we can make journeys around the city is still vital. “Finally, I’d also like to take this opportunity to encourage people to wear face masks whilst travelling on public transport.” A spokesperson for the Defend the Leeds number 1 Bus Route campaign said: “This is a fantastic result and bus users across Beeston will be thrilled. If the 1 route had been permanently lost the impact on the health, wellbeing, social, education and employment outcomes for this community would have been catastrophic. We look forward to getting back on our route and will be ready to defend our bus at any time in the future!”
Landmark sign restored
page 19
Pearl-Natasha has Moved On page 22
NEWS SCHOOL LIFE
2-10 13
COMMENT
16-17
HISTORICAL
18-19
WHAT’S ON
20-21
ARTISTIC LIFE 22-23 SPORTING LIFE 24
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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2 News
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First barge of aggregate docks at Knostrop wharf
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‘Farndale H‘ on the Aire and Calder Navigation at Whitley Bridge, loaded with Grit Sand for AC Aggregates, en route to Knostrop Wharf, Leeds Photo: Maik Brown
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500 tonne capacity barge arrived at Knostrop on 23 September marking the first load of a new service carrying marine dredged aggregates from Hull to Leeds. This is the culmination of many years’ hard work by various groups. It started with Leeds City Council’s minerals planning policy decision to safeguard a number of wharves,
including ones at Knostrop and at Stourton so they could be used to unload aggregates and other cargoes. Behind this lay a wish to see more use of marine dredged aggregates in Leeds and West Yorkshire rather than from inland quarries with consequential road haulage. The use of marine dredged aggregates (from the North Sea) is a
sustainable activity as nature replenishes the deposits at sea. Not so with land based supplies. The use of 500 tonne capacity barges avoids using heavy vehicles from inland quarries. Each barge will take 18 articulated lorries, each carrying 28 tonnes, off the crowded M62. Barges emit 75% less CO2 than heavy lorries. They cause less dust and less noise
than lorries. Barges can help to reduce air pollution and improve the well-being of Leeds citizens. The combination of using marine dredged aggregates and of using barges for transport to Leeds is a winwin for the environment. With increased construction activity expected in Leeds, this is a very good time to be using barges to bring aggregates and other construction materials into Leeds. David Lowe, Commercial Boat Operators Association (CBOA) chairman said: “We have worked hard with Leeds City Council planners to create the basis for increased use by barges on the waterways of Leeds. Today is the realisation of many years’ efforts. The proposed inland Port of Leeds at Stourton will increase the opportunities for more barge use.” Andy Collins of AC Marine Aggregates, the company whose aggregates have been brought to Leeds, said: “The use of barges from Hull means we can enter a
new market for us – the area around Leeds and into West Yorkshire. We have been bringing sea dredged aggregates into Hull for some years to serve the local markets. We are grateful to the CBOA and their member firms for enabling us to turn into a reality our hopes to improve the environment by using “green” transport and extending the use of aggregates from a sustainable source.” The area being used at Knostrop is seen as a temporary phase. The Canal & River Trust’s wider ambitions are to see the development of a 10 acre site at Stourton. Full planning permission has been obtained and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have offered £3.17m towards the costs. The Trust is now seeking the balance of the funds required. The business plan is based on moving 200,000 tonnes a year of marine aggregates – the equivalent of 8 barges a week.
New jobs at innovative Hunslet engineering firm H
igh-voltage power specialist Engineered Systems Electrical (ESE) is planning to create new engineering jobs and apprenticeships at its Leeds headquarters as a result of innovative green technology that is set to become be a key component in the sustainable infrastructure required for large-scale electric vehicle charging As electric vehicle ownership grows rapidly, with more than 136,000 pure-electric cars already on the UK’s roads by July this year, ESE’s new external low-voltage distribution unit is set to revolutionise the capability of large organisations such as garages and supermarkets to easily and sustainably increase the number of charging points at their outlets. The innovative product, which will be built at ESE’s Hunslet engineering facility, supplies and installs equipment that transforms high-voltage electricity from the grid to the low-voltage power needed for vehicle charging, as well as multiple other uses. Designed for
environmental sustainability, with 90 per cent of its components sourced from within a three-mile radius of the factory, the external low voltage distribution unit is undergoing final tests and will go into production by the end of 2020. ESE managing director Michael Keith said: “This is a really important development for us and we have had huge interest in this new technology, particularly from organisations that are providing electric vehicle charging or have expanding electric vehicle fleets of their own. “The growth in the electric vehicle space really is happening exponentially and our new product will ensure the infrastructure for charging vehicles can keep up with the pace of that change. We expect to be creating several new jobs over the coming months in order to meet demand for the external low voltage distribution unit.” ESE, which employs a workforce of 30 including four apprentices, is taking part in this year’s Leeds
Manufacturing Festival, which will showcase career opportunities in the city’s engineering and manufacturing to school leavers and graduates. The festival launches in October with many of Leeds’ 1,800 manufacturing and engineering businesses involved in a diverse ESE apprentice Jack Kelly said: programme of online events. “It is a myth that manufacturing “The opportunities created by our new technology, which is not only and engineering are not viable extensible but offers a vastly career options. A company like ESE reduced footprint when compared really is at the cutting edge of with existing equipment, are a technological development and to perfect example of why engineering be part of that is truly exciting. Like is such an exciting industry to work many modern businesses in the in for young people,” said Mr Keith. sector they are creative and flexible, “Our apprentices tend to stay with and it is that approach that has seen us for the long term and we currently the business survive and grow, even have seven members of the team through lockdown.” Leeds Manufacturing Festival is who started with us as apprentice by the Leeds electricians and have all developed organised into different roles within the Manufacturing Alliance and Leeds Chamber of Commerce. Schools, business. Tracey Dawson, managing director businesses, and students can find more at of Daletech Electronics and chair of out the Leeds Manufacturing Festival leedsmanufacturingfestival.co.uk.
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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News 3
Cross Flatts New restrictions Active Travel introduced to keep Neighbourhood Leeds safe from Covid-19 postponed
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urther restrictions on different households mixing have been introduced in Leeds to help curb a rise in cases of Covid-19 and keep people in the city safe. The latest seven day Covid19 rate in Leeds is 98.5 per 100,000 people, with 8.4 per cent of those tested being positive and cases showing a consistent upward trend for a number of weeks. Following detailed discussions between Leeds City Council, the government, Public Health England and partners, Leeds was named as an area of intervention on Friday 25 September, meaning extra measures were put in place to control the spread of the virus within the community. Being named an area of intervention means new rules and guidance which is specifically geared towards how Covid-19 is spreading in Leeds have been introduced. These measures mean that: • People in Leeds cannot meet or host people you do not live with in private homes or gardens unless they are in your support bubble. A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. • You cannot visit someone else's home or garden even if they live outside of Leeds, unless they are in your support bubble. • People can still come inside your home or garden for specific purposes. These include where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble; to attend a birth at the mother’s request; to visit a person who is dying; to fulfil a legal obligation; for work purposes, or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services; for the purposes of education or training; for the purposes of childcare; to provide emergency assistance; to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm; to facilitate a house move; to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person. • Existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their
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Covid-19: the city needs to pull together to avoid further restrictions parents, or one of their parents will remain exempt. • Friends and family can also still provide informal childcare for children under 14. In addition to these restrictions, people in Leeds are also being advised: • Not to socialise with people you do not live with, unless they are in your support bubble, in any public venue either in Leeds or elsewhere. Examples of public venues include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions and parks. • Not to visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances. • To follow all relevant transport guidance when making a journey into, within or out of the areas affected, wear a face covering on public transport and try not to share a car with those outside your household or support bubble. Restrictions will be continually monitored and reviewed and additional measures could be brought in the coming weeks if required. Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council said: “We are acutely aware that nobody wants to see further restrictions placed on life in
Leeds and alongside our partners we have been doing absolutely everything within our power to avoid that. “But the safety of the city and the public simply has to come first and we have now reached a point where we all need to take additional steps to contain the spread of this terrible virus within our communities. “How long these new measures last and how much further they may need go in the coming weeks and months will depend on everyone playing their part. We know there has already been some excellent partnership work taking place across the city and this will continue to manage outbreaks and help everyone stay safe. “Building on that sense of community spirit, I’d appeal to everyone to follow these rules, consider the impact your actions could have on others and take your share of the responsibility for protecting our city.” The new measures come after months of extensive work by agencies and partner groups across the city which has seen increased testing, community engagement and public awareness campaigns. This has also been supported by work alongside the city’s universities to prepare for the imminent arrival of students to start the new university year in Leeds. Victoria Eaton, Leeds City
Council’s Director of Public Health said: “Any restrictions on seeing the people close to you are incredibly difficult to take but these rules have been put in place to protect families, friends and neighbours from a virus which is spreading at a dangerously rapid rate. “It’s vital that we all play our part in containing that spread by sticking to the latest rules and guidance and ensuring that we don’t put ourselves or each other at unnecessary risk.” General advice continues to be: • Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds • Keep a safe distance wherever you can • Cover your face in enclosed spaces • Stick to the national rule of six and try to limit contact wherever possible • Isolate when you need to/are advised to e.g. after a holiday abroad, contact with someone with the virus, contacted by test and trace, in a bubble in education with a positive case – and draw on community support where needed. For details on all current coronavirus guidelines and advice visit the government website gov.uk/coronavirus or Leeds City Council coronavirus information pages leeds.gov.uk/coronavirus.
he implementation of the Active Travel zone in the Cross Flatts area of Beeston has been postponed following feedback from residents. The scheme, which involves blocking roads to close rat-runs and encourage walking and cycling for short journeys, is one of three to be introduced in Leeds. Cross Flatts was due to be the first, but after Councillors asked for a delay to address residents’ concerns, it will now follow schemes in Chapeltown and Hyde Park schemes. The scheme will be adjusted to deal with problems raised, such as the difficulty in turning right onto Dewsbury Road. A revised plan will be hand delivered to all affected households after the chaotic distribution of the original scheme details by post. An online Question & Answer session was due to take place on Tuesday 29 September. The scheme which was due to be implemented this month is now due to be implemented
in October. Cllr Gohar Almass commented: “Following concerns raised by the residents myself, Cllr Angela Gabriel and Cllr Andrew Scopes met with senior council officers to demand a delay to the implementation of the Active Travel Neighbourhood in Beeston and for the scheme to be re-worked to take account of the feedback already given by you. “We are pleased to confirm that the council has agreed to a delay and to revise the proposals. Once we have an updated timeline we will communicate this, including when details of new proposals will be available. “We would also like to thank everyone who has commented on the proposals.” The online consultation is still open and will remain open for comments throughout the trial period of the scheme: leedscovidresidentialstreets .commonplace.is/schemes/ proposals/beeston/details
Planters will be used to temporarily block roads to traffic
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife
4 News
On the beat
by Insp Lucy Leadbeater
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have now been writing this column for nearly 18 months and I just wanted to introduce myself again to anyone that is new to South Leeds Life. I am the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector (NPT) for South Leeds and lead a team of Sergeants, police officers and Police Community Support Officers who work hard to problem solve issues in your area, engage with residents and businesses, conduct early intervention and prevention of problems and strive to make South Leeds a safer place to live and be. The summer holidays seem like a distant memory and we are now into our planning for the next period which includes the darker nights and bonfire period. I have recently chaired a bonfire planning meeting with a number of key partners and elected members from south Leeds to discuss this period and how we can reduce the anti-social behaviour that we often find increases around this time of year. Bonfire night will feel very different this year with the Covid restrictions however, we are working in partnership to ensure that residents do not suffer anti-social behaviour and
issues with fireworks as we have seen in previous years. As the nights get longer, we move into our ‘darker nights’ period. This can often see an increase in offences such as burglary and theft from motor vehicles. Please help us by target hardening your vehicle and premises and reducing the opportunity for you to become a victim. Crime prevention doesn't have to cost a lot of money here's a few simple steps that everyone can take to improve their home security : • Always lock your doors and windows even when you’re at home • Always take keys out of locks and keep them in a safe place • Don't leave keys in reach of the letterbox or cat flap, or on view through a window • Make sure items such as car keys, laptops, tablets, phones and cash cannot be seen through a window • Don't leave power cables or charger units for laptops and tablets plugged in and on show • If you're out, try to make your home look occupied by using a timer switch to control lights • Make sure Euro cylinder locks have achieved - TS 007 (3 star rating) or Sold Secure Diamond Standard for lock cylinders (SS312) • If you have a burglar alarm always remember to switch it on when you leave the house or when you go to bed • Why not start a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your area? (If you would like further information on this please contact our NPT). As part of my team we have a very experienced Crime Prevention Officer who is able to give detailed advice to you. Should you wish to discuss your
A cannabis farm in Holbeck seized thanks to community intelligence
home or vehicle security then please contact us via our email address InnerSouth @westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. There is also a wealth of information on our West Yorkshire Police website including a ‘minute on a Monday’ Crime Prevention video - www.westyorkshire. police.uk/advice/ourservices/minute-monday-crim e-prevention-advice/minutemonday-crime-preventionadvice We continue to tackle the illegal supply of drugs around the Inner South area and this is something that is often flagged to me at community meetings. This month I was very grateful to receive a phone call from a resident in Holbeck who wanted to pass on their thanks to my team. They had reported concerns about drug dealing and my team responded quickly and were able to take positive action which identified a cannabis farm. Tackling the supply of drugs is a priority for each of the inner south wards and as I have said previously we rely on community information that we can develop into intelligence so please report your suspicions or concerns. I am very proud of my team and the work that they deliver day in and day out. We are experiencing a really challenging time in policing at the moment and this period is unlike anything I have dealt with in my 17 years’ service. Despite these challenges and the risks that officers face every day they, and I, are still passionate and committed to delivering the best service we can to you. Please stay safe and look after yourself, your loved ones and the wider community.
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County Lines Operation D
etective Chief Inspector Fiona Gaffney leads West Yorkshire Police’s response to county lines crime. “County lines crime can involve lots of different crime types – particularly drug dealing and human trafficking and often sees ‘hardened’ criminals using children or vulnerable adults to do their dirty work. “These hardened criminals will often look to groom their victims – so they start of being a child’s best friend – offering them designer trainers or other such luxuries – and then gradually groom them into a life of drug dealing. “Through Programme Precision – which sees the Force and partners working together to tackle serious and organised crime – we are doing all we can to tackle county lines crime. “But by knowing the key signs to look out for you can help to protest yourself and / or loves ones who may be vulnerable to being exploited in this way – before it is too late.” During a national intensification week, focussed on County Lines crime in September officers across Yorkshire and the Humber: • Seized more than £25,000 worth of suspected class A drugs, nearly £50,000 in cash and 15 mobile phones
Raiding a house during operations against County Lines ccrime • Arrested 69 people • Identified 123 vulnerable people and engaged directly with 226 people considered vulnerable • Made 6 referrals to the National Referral Mechanism • Visited 147 properties where cuckooing is thought to take place. Detective Inspector Mark Catney leads the regional response to county lines crime said: “At the centre of county lines crime are children or vulnerable adults – they are victims who need our help and a lot of our work this week was identifying those at risk and safeguarding them. “As well as helping victims we have also sent out a strong message to those who involve themselves in this type of criminality – it will not be
tolerated.” If you are a parent, guardian or carer these are some of the signs to look out for to spot if a child is involved in county lines crime • Persistently going missing from school or home or being found out of their local area • Getting money / clothes or mobile phones that they can’t explain • Receiving an excessive number of texts or phone calls • Having a relationship with controlling / older people or a gang association • Leaving home or a care facility without explanation • Suspicion of self-harm, physical assault or unexplained injuries • Significant decline in school performance • Significant changes in emotional well-being
Crackdown on violent crime welcome in Hunslet & Riverside K nife crime has risen nationally in the past 10 years, but following the introduction of the West Yorkshire Police initiative, Operation Jemlock in April 2019, the region continues to buck the trend. Speaking in response to the most recent data released on the operation, the Chair of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel and Ward Councillor for Hunslet and Riverside, Mohammed Iqbal, has welcomed the difference that the police operation is making in the region and in his local community. Councillor Mohammed Iqbal (Hunslet and Riverside) said: “I’d like to congratulate West Yorkshire Police on their continuing success through Operation Jemlock in reducing violent crime and particularly knife crime committed against young people. “Residents will be pleased that over the past year we’ve seen a significant reduction in both knife crime and robbery
Cllr Mohammed Iqbal outside the George IV pub, closed by the Police achieved through this effective police operation which reached 3,000 arrests earlier this summer. “Against a backdrop of national cuts to police and preventative services over the past ten years, it is encouraging to see that here in West Yorkshire, this targeted initiative is continuing to have a positive impact on our
communities. “It is so important that people feel safe in Hunslet and Riverside, and my ward colleagues and I are not complacent on the need to show that crime will not be tolerated here. “We will continue to back any measures that go towards making our community a safer place.”
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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News 5
Report reveals shocking suicide rates in Gypsy and Traveller community
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eeds GATE, which works to improve the quality of life for Gypsy and Traveller people across West Yorkshire, has revealed shockingly high statistics of suicide cases and poor mental health among the community in its latest report. The charity links this worrying find with a number of factors including negative experiences involving social exclusion,
accommodation, financial security and employment – all leading to poor mental health. One Leeds GATE staff member said: “You cannot underestimate the impact of racism and discrimination on our members’ mental health. Someone may be coping okay, then a little thing will happen which reminds them of the
challenges and barriers they face just because they are a Gypsy or a Traveller and this will set them back in their recovery.” Not only this, but once a community member falls down, an unequal access to healthcare services combined with low literacy levels means it is very difficult for Gypsy and Traveller people to pick themselves back up. For example, a recent NHS survey found 39.3% of Gypsy and Traveller people are unhappy with their access to a GP, compared with only 26.2% in the non-Traveller community. The Don’t Be Beat report, which has officially published on World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September 2020), reveals how Leeds GATE learns of a new case of completed suicide every two months. In other words, a minimum of six
suicides take place every year in this community alone. These figures are mirrored across the UK, with members of the Gypsy and Traveller community being, on average, between six and seven times more likely to end their own life compared to the rest of the population. But Leeds GATE is suggesting a tried and tested solution, their Don’t Be Beat project. This model delivered a mental health advocacy service, embedded peer support groups and provided ‘SafeTalk’ training to groups and organisations in contact with Gypsy and Traveller people such as the community members themselves, the Leeds GATE staff or clergy in both the Church of England and Catholic Church. This was done in order to encourage a space of informal, relaxed
conversation. The Leeds GATE staff also delivered Gypsy and Traveller awareness training to statutory healthcare professionals working in the field of mental health, to ensure these people are included instead of alienated. Having carried out this programme for over two years, Leeds GATE has seen very positive results. One member, 33-year-old James, suffered from complex mental health conditions as well as being an unpaid carer to a number of relatives who he shared accommodation with. Through SafeTalk sessions, James opened up about this and now has weekly therapy sessions through the NHS in which he sees his new mental health support worker. He reports that his stress levels are much more manageable and his life has
changed for the better. Chief Executive of Leeds GATE, Helen Jones, said: “Right now, there’s lots in the news about a pending mental health crisis in the UK due to Covid-19. But many Gypsy and Traveller people were already in this crisis before lockdown. “Plus, when a suicide does take place, the shockwaves it sends around such a tight-knit community is unimaginable. Unfortunately, this knock-on effect often leads to another tragedy. “Ultimately, there is no such thing as a ‘hard to reach’ community, but there is such a thing as systems that have been set up to exclude certain types of people. We have shown that there is a better way.” The full report can be downloaded from the Leeds GATE website: leedsgate.co.uk
The Drysalters pub is saved T
he planning application to demolish the Drysalters pub in Beeston and build a drive through coffee shop has been rejected by Leeds City Council. In a decision dated 14 September 2020, officers said: “The Public House is considered to form a valued and sustainable facility and which has a strong social objective in supporting communities health, social and cultural well-being both primarily locally within Cottingley / Beeston / Churwell and secondly in a wider catchment across the City of Leeds and beyond in its patronage and connections to Cottingley Crematorium and Leeds United Football Club. “The loss of the Public House would reduce the community’s ability to meet its day-to-day needs in an area where other immediately accessible opportunities are very limited. It is not considered that the introduction of a coffee shop / drive-through premises would give a suitable alternative offer to this community loss.” Officers also rejected claims from the developer that the pub was not a going concern, for which they failed to produce any evidence and ignored the new food offer being provided
by Naan’IzzaCo, part of The Indian Curry Cardinal Group. Hayley Guy from the Save The Salters group told South Leeds Life: “I am overwhelmed at the response we have had from the #savethesalters Facebook group, we have over 2,000 members and it’s been really proactive. We’ve had over 100 objections to the demolition, even the local Labour Councillors have objected in our support and have backed us all the way. “The council’s decision to refuse the demolition and building of a coffee shop is a fantastic outcome for the community, and I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to object and get involved with the petition. “We will be having a meeting soon to discuss what happens next, and hopefully we could get a potential investor to buy the pub and keep it for the Cottingley community. “It’s also somewhere safe and better managed for Leeds United away fans to visit when football is on. It will stop antisocial behaviour in the city centre if the away fans have somewhere close to the ground to go for a pre and post match pint, also stopping fans drinking alcohol in the streets.”
Thyme for action Hunslet Tenants & Residents Association are working hard to reinvigorate the planters in their neighbourhood. Rosemary and thyme are amongst the herbs in these beds in the Hemmingways being tended by Strewart Walton (Hunslet TARA), Cllr Paul Wray and Katie Bell (Housing Leeds). An ‘ edible beds’ project is now being planned, which will see fruit and vegetables growing in planters on the Rochefords. Gardening equipment and plants have been funded by the Housing Advisory Panel in response to requests from tenants to improve the flower beds. A lock up garage has been available by Housing Leeds to store equipment and supplies.
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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6 News
Free electric bike trials for Leeds commuters C
ommuters in Leeds can now borrow an electric bike free of charge for up to two weeks as part of a new council initiative to promote sustainable travel. Electric bikes, which make cycling easier and more accessible for many, have surged in popularity over recent years. It is hoped that the trials will encourage more commuters to leave their car at home and build more sustainable and active habits. By switching their commute to a zero emission electric bike, workers could
Managed Approach protests continue
the climate emergency, we’ve set ambitious targets to increase active and sustainable travel. We’re committed to increasing cycling by 300% and this new scheme is a great way to help do that. “The new e-bikes scheme is a continuation of our support for cycling following the launch of the pop-up bike hub last month, which provides secure bike parking in the city centre. “Not only does cycling improve the health and wellbeing of people living and working in Leeds, but encouraging
by Jeremy Morton
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“E-bike” by emma.halasz82 via Creative Commons save money, reduce their carbon footprint and help keep the city’s air clean. A single charge will assist cyclists for dozens of miles and the bikes can easily be charged at home or work using a standard socket. Both fixed and folding e-bikes are available to borrow. The scheme will be based at the new pop-up bike hub at Kirkgate Market and follows the success of the council’s similar ‘EV Trials’ scheme earlier this year, which gives businesses, charities and other organisations the opportunity to trial an electric van at no cost. Anyone that lives and commutes in Leeds and is interested in trialling an electric bike can visit the new pop-up bike hub at Kirkgate Market or find out more by visiting www.leeds.gov.uk /ebiketrials. Councillor Lisa Mulherin, Executive Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainable Development, said: “As part of Leeds City Council’s transport vision and efforts to tackle
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more people to leave the car at home and take up cycling will reduce our carbon footprint and improve levels of congestion.” Councillor James Lewis, Deputy Leader and Executive Member with responsibility for Air Quality added: “Since launching the electric van trials scheme earlier this year, participants taking part have invested in cleaner and greener vans of their own so we’re excited to launch this similar offer for electric bikes. “As part of our transport strategy, we’re working hard to make cycling an everyday choice for people in Leeds. Electric bikes have a really exciting potential to make it easier and more accessible to many. “I’d encourage anyone—especially residents who enjoy cycling but have never previously considered it as a viable alternative to driving—to take part in the trial and find out first hand whether an e-bike could be right for them.”
nother banner was unfurled in Holbeck on Monday14 September protesting against the continuation of Safer Leeds’ Managed Approach to street sex work in the area. Feminist group Leeds ReSisters hung a banner from the disused Holbeck Viaduct at the bottom of Domestic Street with the message ‘Women Are Not For Sale.’ The banner was weighted with £5 in loose change, which they said represented the price of oral sex in Holbeck. This is the third protest in a month of action, following another banner on Whitehall Road and a vigil on Holbeck Moor on Saturday 5 September where members of Leeds ReSisters were joined by members of Save Our Eyes and the newly formed Stand Up For Holbeck group. A spokesperson for Leeds ReSisters told South Leeds Life: “There’s women in the city who feel its rather ironic that Leeds is aiming to be a woman-friendly city, but completely overlooking the fact that we have the equivalent of a red light zone in a poorer area of our city.
“There’s been a recent review that we don’t really think was particularly independent, that didn’t take into account sufficiently the problems that local people have faced and the issue that Leeds has a long history of violence against women. “We’re thinking about women who’ve lost their lives and how the presence of the managed zone has an effect on male attitudes towards women in the city.” Michael from Stand Up For Holbeck
added: “We’re just fed up with what the Council are doing. They’re abusing the residents, they’re not taking any notice of the residents.” An Independent Review of the Managed Approach, undertaken by academics at the University of Huddersfield, was published earlier this summer. A report from the Listening Well project which discussed the issues with residents is still awaiting publication.
The vigil held on Holbeck Moor, 5 September
Find vetted service providers with Leeds Directory L
eeds Directory is Leeds City Council’s online source of information about a range of local trades, community care, support services, activities and events that support people to live the life they want to live. You do not have to be online to use the service as you can contact us over the phone on (0113) 378 4610 weekdays 9am-5pm and our friendly operators will talk you through the options available to you, depending on your enquiry.
We will supply the information in the way that works best for you. There are over 1,500 organisations and services that may assist and support you (or someone you know) in a variety of ways, towards living well and more independently. These include for example, home and garden maintenance; equipment to help with daily living tasks such as cooking or getting washed and dressed; home care; and home security. Organisations that
provide one-to-one support or services around the home and garden are checked and vetted. These providers are marked with our ‘green tick’. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, everybody needs to know about Leeds Directory – as an important link into essential and necessary services, such as trades that can help with repairs in the home to keep you safe and well. Information is regularly updated to include notifications from
organisations about how they are operating in line with current government and public health guidance. While activities and events that take place outside the home are cancelled until further notice, many organisations are offering online activities, telephone-based services and other social connections. Please – take a look at our easy-to-use website www.LeedsDirectory.org – try it out and spread the word.
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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News 7
Steph McGovern welcomed to Fireworks Leeds Dock by Canal & River Trust cancelled
Steph McGovern arrives by Water Taxi. Photo courtesy of Channel 4
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taff from waterways and wellbeing charity, Canal & River Trust were on hand to give a warm waterways welcome to their new neighbour Steph McGovern. On Monday 14 September the former BBC Breakfast presenter launched her new daily lunchtime television
show – Steph’s Packed Lunch. Steph arrived at her new studio at Leeds Dock via water taxi on the Aire & Calder Navigation, welcomed by a socially distanced crowd – with music, dancing and cheers. Becca Dent, strategic
programmes delivery manager and Jade Wilkes, community roots engagement coordinator helped to escort the water taxi in the waterway charity’s canoes. Lizzie Dealey, partnerships and external relationships manager joined Joy Van Rensburg,
community & youth events coordinator to cheer on Steph from aboard the Trust’s workboat ‘Beale’. Local boater Caleb Price and his wife Fiona were also on hand to cheer from their narrowboat. Caleb was one of the first to bring his boat into the newly regenerated Clarence Dock area almost quarter of a century ago, with the 1996 opening of the £42.5million purpose-built Royal Armouries Museum. Becca Dent, strategic programmes delivery manager said: “In the absence of Leeds Waterfront Festival this year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve really missed seeing Leeds Dock draw in the crowds coming to enjoy music, performance and
activities on the water, so it was especially great to be giving Steph a warm waterways welcome. “With the new studio overlooking the water at Leeds Dock, it would be great to see Steph and her guests making the most of this fabulous waterside setting and getting afloat themselves by canoe or even paddleboard.” Pete McCabe, community engagement manager (Yorkshire & North East) for the Trust, said: “It was really great news for the city when Channel 4 decided to relocate to Leeds, and we’ve been really keen to work with them to show off our fantastic network of waterways and highlight the amazing work of our staff and volunteers.” Steph’s Packed Lunch is broadcast live on Channel 4, weekdays from 12.302.10pm, with a mixture of entertainment, lifestyle and celebrity guests, plus a changing panel of audience members reviewing the day’s news and chatting to celeb guests.
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he popular November 5 bonfire and fireworks in Middleton Park has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The council-run annual event often draws thousands to Middleton Park – alongside five other events across Leeds at Roundhay Park, East End Park, Bramley Park, Springhead Park and Woodhouse Moor. Council chiefs say it would not be possible to ensure that sufficient controls could be put in place to host the events safely and not put pressure on public transport. A council source said: “It has been necessary to reluctantly make the decision to cancel the annual bonfire and firework displays that were due to be held in November 2020.”
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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8 News
No 6 gets a rebuilt boiler V
intage steam locomotive “Swanscombe No 6”, which was built in 1935 and worked in a cement works in Kent, has received a rebuilt boiler. The Middleton Railway launched an appeal to help pay for the repairs and thanks to people’s generosity, we were able to send it away for repair a few months ago. Despite problems found because of Covid-19, repairs have now been completed and the boiler now sits on the locomotive, ready for testing and reassembly. This engine should be ready for service in 2021. The railway is currently operating on Sundays only until the end of October (plus Wednesday 28 October 2020).
Trains will run hourly, on the hour from Moor Road station, from 11am to 4pm. Return fares are £7 adult, £3 children, or £18 family (up to 2 adults and 3 children). As Middleton Railway is governed by the laws affecting all public transport, face masks must be worn on the train, but under 11s are exempt. In order to maintain social distancing, places on the trains will be limited, so you are advised to book in advance. You can book online, or by phone on 07931 778 843 (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm). You can full details of all the arrangements on Middleton Railway’s website at: middletonrailway.org.uk or find them on Facebook.
The boiler being craned into position at Middleton Railway
Credit Union launches £17m Christmas loan pot L
eeds Credit Union has revealed that more than 76% of its members have changed their Christmas plans due to Covid-19, with 35% saying they’ve been affected significantly. Following a week of Government decisions - which are set to shape how the country operates over the next six months - the Credit Union has announced the findings of a survey of its 37,000 members, looking at how the ongoing pandemic is impacting this year’s festive period. With the majority of respondents saying they usually spend between £500 £1,000 on Christmas, this year 43% of those surveyed said they will be spending less this year. And where they will be shopping has shifted too, with members five times more likely to now use online retailers than high street shops. Having saved members £1.8 million in high-interest repayments during the run up to last year’s festive period, LCU is determined to ensure those struggling to cope financially this Christmas, don’t turn to unethical payday, doorstep or loan shark lenders, with the launch of a £17million ‘loan
£2.5 million to help Leeds communities tackle climate crisis £
2.5 million of National Lottery funding is CR ISIS going to a partnership of Leeds organisations to work with communities across the city to take action, tackle climate change and create over 40 local jobs and distribute £400,000 in community grants. The grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will bring together a partnership of local organisations across the city, including Our Future Leeds, Voluntary Action Leeds, Together for Peace and Leeds Tidal. They will work together with the goal of creating a zero C
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carbon, socially-just and liveable city by 2030. The new project will involve setting up 16 community hubs specifically focused on supporting big ideas to tackle the climate emergency, as well as creating over 40 local jobs and distribute almost £400,000 of grants to local community groups to help them and take action on climate and social justice. Across Leeds there is a growing interest in climate action, with the city declaring a Climate Emergency and adopting a zero-carbon target last year. In addition, last year the city saw monthly Youth Strike for Climate protests on the steps of Leeds Town Hall and the landmark Citizens’ Jury
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reach a set of recommendations on what the city should do about the emergency of climate change. Through this new project – which is made possible thanks to National Lottery players – people and communities across Leeds will take the lead in shaping the city’s transition to zero carbon in a positive and fair way. To help achieve the city-wide climate goals and build on the work already started across the city, the project will set up the Leeds Climate Assembly, which will see communities come together to share ideas and exchange achievements and share learnings. The five-year project will not only help the local environment, but will also
pot’ - which will be available for the next three months. Discussing the survey findings and launch of its Christmas campaign, Chris Smyth, CEO at Leeds Credit Union, said: “Undeniably, we are living in a time of never before seen uncertainty, with many finding themselves in unexpected financial difficulties. It has never been more important that as a Credit Union, we step up and ensure as many people as possible across the region have access to affordable and ethical borrowing, and that they are kept away from those looking to take advantage of the situation. “With so many of our members highlighting that
Covid-19 has impacted their Christmas plans this year, we are determined to offer them the certainty of flexible and fair loans, and the launch of our £17million Christmas pot is the biggest amount we have ever set aside to help those who need it most.” The survey also highlighted that many people have yet to begin their Christmas shopping and planning, a further indication that the period of uncertainty may still yet affect more people. Leeds Credit Union, which was this year named as the region’s best lender, has reinforced its member services provision during lockdown, setting up additional contact numbers for members to get in
touch. A new mobile banking app has also been made available ahead of its official launch so members can access their accounts remotely. Leeds Credit Union is a financial cooperative set up to give member’s access to affordable loans at a fair rate of interest and competitive savings plans. Credit Union members enjoy our straightforward, honest approach to their money. Leeds Credit Union is a community focused organisation with 37,000 members and is one of the largest in the UK. Leeds Credit Union is a ‘Mutual’, meaning that it is owned by members for member benefit alone. Leeds Credit Union is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, so the first £85,000 of a member’s savings are completely safe. As well as its city centre branch on Kirkgate, Leeds Credit Union has branches at Dewsbury Road Community Hub in Beeston and St George’s Centre in Middleton. For more information visit their website at: leedscreditunion.co.uk
create jobs and amplify the voices and agency of young people. Paul Chatterton from Our Future Leeds said: “Leeds was instrumental in kickstarting the industrial revolution, and now the city can lead the green revolution and tackling the climate emergency. This really does mark out Leeds as leading the way in terms of climate action in the UK”. Richard Jackson from Voluntary Action Leeds said: “Through the hubs, communities will be able to draw on the wealth of activity and experience of climate action across the third, public, research and business sectors in Leeds to help them develop locally owned Climate Emergency Community Plans. This approach means that communities will lead conversations about how the climate emergency will affect them and draw up priority actions that will make best use of local knowledge to address local needs”. Shannon Jackson from Youth Strike Leeds said: “As a city it is essential that
we do not replicate pre-existing inequalities by ensuring those often unheard, are now heard loud and clear. It’s great to see this funding mobilise so many organisations behind bringing those voices forward, and to have this funding recognise the need for climate justice and our global responsibility to act now”. This grant is one of the first fourteen grants to be announced as part of the National Lottery-funded Climate Action Fund, a ten-year £100 million fund that will reduce the carbon footprint of communities demonstrating what is possible when people
take the lead in tackling climate change. All the projects across the UK will work together, share their learning and be active participants in a broader movement of change within and beyond these communities. The Climate Action Fund is part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Environment Strategy which has seen significant National Lottery investment through community-led projects that are focussed on activities that not only improve the environment but use it to enhance the lives of people and communities.
Avoid high interest loans with Leeds Credit Union
School strikers calling for action on climate change last year
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News 9
Healthy holidays thanks to Holbeck Together recipe packs I
n a bid to promote healthy eating habits, alleviate holiday hunger and help out parents to feed their families during the school holidays, South Leeds not-for-profit organisation Holbeck Together has run a bi-weekly initiative providing food packs and recipe ideas for families.
and dinner with a variety of different ingredients and recipes to encourage the whole family to cook together to make wholesome and nutritious meals, such as cottage pie and cauliflower, potato and pea curry. All participants receive a folder to collect their favourite
Collecting a recipe pack from Holbeck Together Funded by Leeds Community Foundation’s Healthy Holidays Fund, parents have been able to collect a box of food accompanied by an easy-tofollow recipe card from St Matthew Community Centre in Holbeck on a Tuesday or Thursday throughout the summer holidays. The initiative follows the closure of schools and the major issues surrounding food poverty in young children in the most deprived areas of the region, Holbeck being one of them. To date, over 250 boxes have been prepared and handed out to over 20 families and the initiative shows no signs of slowing down. Boxes have been created for breakfast, lunch
October 2020 | South Leeds Life
recipes into a tailor-made recipe book full of the meals they most enjoyed, which includes nutritional information and tips on how to eat healthily and happily. The project focuses on making meal-times a little easier for families and taking some of the pressure off parents by reduce the financial risk around trying out a new dish that you’re not sure will work! Rachel Bulloch, a parent living in Holbeck said: “The food activity packs not only help me to plan healthy and nutritious meals, but the kids all get involved and we have such a fun time together preparing and eating the meals.
“It’s kept the girls occupied throughout lockdown and we have enjoyed eating together as a family. I’m really grateful to Holbeck Together for the scheme and we’ve learnt so much about cooking healthy food that feeds the whole family.” Speaking on behalf of the Holbeck Together, Elissa Newman, Chief Officer said: “We see first hand the challenges families face when it comes to preparing meals and feeding their children healthy and wholesome meals. The closure of schools has put food poverty, particularly in children in the spotlight and as an organisation committed to helping the community in Holbeck we needed to do something to address it. “Working closely with Leeds Community Foundation, we are able to provide not only vital food supplies, but cooking packs with nutritional information to support parents and children to cook together, to celebrate healthy eating habits and reduce holiday hunger. “We’ve heard back from participants who’ve said how much they’ve enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with their families, passing on skills to their children. The scheme has worked incredibly well to date and it is something we hope to continue in the future, to support families in Holbeck.” The project has been such a success that Holbeck Together are planning to run it in future school holidays.
We’ve been expecting you Mr Bond Residents at Aspen Hill Village care home in Hunslet enjoying a socially distanced outdoor screening of the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever
A healthy homemade Polish experience
Basia and Nicola welcome you to their Cafe n Diner for homemade Polish food
by Lucy Potter
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hinking of where you can find hot, quick, healthy, homemade food? Beeston’s Café n Diner is situated in the heart of the busy Dewsbury Road, near its junction with Tunstall Road. Cooking and serving authentic, traditional Polish meals is proprietor Basia, together with her daughter Nicola. Basia beams a wonderful smile, and her passion for food radiates from her daily creations. Surprisingly, she doesn’t like to have a set menu, as every day she feels like cooking something different and definitely diverse. On my first lunchtime visit I was instantly made to feel welcome, even though I only wanted a meal to take away – something quick and healthy that would keep me going for the rest of the afternoon at work. That first visit I went for the Beetroot soup; refreshing and delicious, light, but with chunky vegetables, and with a taste that called me back to the diner again. The next day I had tasty Mushroom soup with squares of homemade pasta, and the day after I decided to treat myself to a proper sit down meal, Chicken Schnitzel with buttery mashed potato, and a scattering of pomegranate seeds. If you’ve ever wondered how to use those unfamiliar jars you see in the world section of supermarkets, take a trip to this restaurant and savour the
sauerkraut, and see how herbs and other ingredients are used by this talented woman. One day, intrigued by my interest in her cooking, Basia introduced me to a traditional Polish dish called ‘Galareta z Kurczaka’ (flakes of chicken suspended in clear jelly, and dressed with vinegar) – an unexpected and delicious combination of flavours and textures. Although Basia originally wanted to be a hairdresser, the catering industry offered a more authentic path for her talents, and over the last 17 years she has worked in kitchens in Italy, Poland and the UK, and her style is influenced by different cuisines including Chinese and Brazilian. She also worked for a number of years as sous chef with the renowned Magda Gesller, a Polish version of Gordon Ramsey! Her favourite dish is ‘Pierogi’ (dumplings), from a recipe handed down by her greatgrandparents. As a child she would cook alongside her mum with a smaller pan, calculating the reduced portions to make the same meal to serve to her family. It’s memories like these that keep Basia inspired, especially when she remembers how much she made her dad proud. The restaurant itself is small but homely, and entering down the brightly painted wooden steps past deckchairs outside gives a holiday tavern feel. Basia opened the diner in April, right before lock down, so for many weeks had to operate a takeaway service instead. The
hard work paid off however, managing to find and grow a dedicated base of customers, many of whom don’t even bother asking for a menu anymore, but instead for just “anything you already have” – a testament to the quality of an ever changing selection, with a home-from-home feel. I wanted to find out more about this changing menu, so I recently managed to reserve a family table on a busy Monday, the day she offers discounted rates – all main meals £4, and soup £1.50. Prices usually range from £3 for soup to between £4.50-£8 for mains. Four dishes were brought out between us. Pan-fried sea bass, mashed potato with caramelised onion, garnished with chopped spring onions. Tender pork ribs and barbecue sauce. Succulent breaded chicken with mashed potato, and a generous pouring of homemade gravy. And last but not least, delicious homemade gnocchi with spinach in a creamy sauce – for the veggie. The meals were delivered on full dinner plates, and Basia doesn’t scrimp on the mashed potato which is a staple with most meals. Everything was filling and full of flavour, and sharing the food between us each dish was distinctly different, fully explaining the confidence of her regulars who come in and say ‘just give me anything’. And also explaining why we’ll be returning again soon! Cafe n Diner is at 258 Dewsbury Road LS11 6JQ 07426 936280.
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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10 News
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Riverside rubbish removal The weekend of 26-27 September saw a dozen residents from the H2010 riverfront neighbourhood in Hunslet, and supporters, clearing out rubbish from the River Aire. This event even saw some of the volunteers on the water in a kayak! The team gathered about 35 bags of rubbish, as well as large pieces of polystyrene, and more. The organisers are currently looking to form a 'Friends Of' group to steward this stretch of water: watch this space. And they are especially keen to hear from other locals with kayaks or boats who might be willing to get involved in future events.
United player’s new goal is homecare
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Peter Swan at his Hunslet office Happy Home Care Services is a completely family affair. Peter’s sister Janice Colbeck was a matron at the LGI for many years before she joined with her brother to become HHCS’s senior nurse. Peter’s son George helps out his Dad and he also volunteers for the Ciaran Bingham Foundation Trust. Peter admits it has been difficult setting up the business and there has been heartache, pain and a lot of paperwork and policies to arrange but his huge drive and enthusiasm for the project has got him where he is today – up and running and Care Quality Commission (CQC) approved!
If you are looking to place a loved one and need a personally tailored home care plan, Peter and his team will work with you to achieve that. His vision is to offer care of the highest standard and to look after your relative in the way he would look after his own Mum. If you have been seeking a personalised service with a family atmosphere and a lot of love for your relative, do get in touch. If you would like to join the Happy Home Care Services team and be part of providing quality care for the elderly, please visit their website, social media or give them a call on (0113) 292 4775.
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he nursery rhyme suggested we CR ISIS gather nuts in May, but Leeds Parks are asking us to collect them through October and November. Here’s an opportunity for a great family activity taking in nature, local green spaces and exercise. At the same time, you can help Leeds achieve its aim of planning one million trees across the city. Leeds Parks & Countryside service are asking residents to gather acorns, beech nuts, sweet chestnuts and horse chestnuts (conkers) over the coming months and take them to a collection point. The seeds will then be taken to Leeds Parks and Countryside Service’s base at The Arium and planted up and nurtured until they are ready to be planted out. Our local collection points are at the visitor centre at Middleton Park and Skelton Grange Environment Centre in Stourton. It's important that all species of seed/nuts gathered are mature i.e. not green or white, and free from damage or infestation. This is to try to ensure the seed are more likely to be viable. MA LI T
by Hazel Millichamp eter Swan had a 20 year career as a professional footballer scoring 62 goals in 445 games but his goal these days is very different. Peter is Hunslet born, his parents owned the newsagents on the Parnabys for 50 years. When his football career was winding down, Peter’s parents became ill. His Dad died 4 years ago and his mother had been hospitalised after a fall. Looking for a private care company that could look after his mother in the way he wished proved very difficult for Peter. He wanted somewhere that would put the care and attention into looking after his mother that he would provide himself. Sixteen months later and Peter has set up Happy Homecare Services to fill the gap he found for a friendly, family run service that puts as much care into looking after the elderly as they would for their own relatives. It has all come full circle for Peter as his office looks out onto Pepper Road and the football field where his sporting career began.
Gather acorns for a million more trees in Leeds A collecting event has been organised for Saturday 17 October, 10am-1pm from Middleton park Visitor Centre. Everyone is welcome to attend and to bring any seeds you’ve already gathered. Currently on average 17.1% of the Leeds Metropolitan District is tree canopy (9,434 hectares). To offset carbon emissions, Leeds would require the tree canopy to increase to around 33%, an additional 9,000 hectares. The Leeds Needs Trees!
programme will see an additional 1,250 hectares of woodland created in the city over the next 25 years. Trees benefit the environment in many ways including • Absorbing Carbon Dioxide and releasing Oxygen • Tree roots absorb water helping to prevent flooding • Providing wildlife habitats for birds and insects You can download an information pack from: theariumleeds.co.uk
South Leeds Life | October 2020
12 The Big Picture
Autumnal reflections Boats moored on the Aire & Calder Navigation in Stourton Photo: Jeremy Morton
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
The Big Picture 13
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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14 School Life
New secondary school set to open next September A
public consultation has opened on the planned new secondary school for South Leeds, the Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy, which has moved a stage closer and is now in a ‘preopening phase.’ The new school is set to be built on the site of the former Middleton High School next to Middleton Leisure Centre, off Ring Middleton. The new building is due to be ready for September 2022, but the school will open in temporary classrooms on the site in September 2021. The new school will address the shortage of secondary school places in South Leeds. Children currently in Year 6 wishing to apply for a place next year need to apply via Leeds City Council’s application process which is currently open and closes on 31 October 2020. You can find full details on the Council’s website: leeds.gov.uk The school will be an 11-16 provision with an admission number of 210 (7 form entry) and a full capacity of 1,050 students. As we previously reported the school is named after a former Cockburn pupil who won the Victoria Cross during the First World War. The school will be state funded and will be built and run
by the Cockburn Multi Academy Trust (MAT). Cockburn MAT already run Cockburn School, Cockburn John Charles Academy, Middleton Primary School and Cockburn Haigh Road Academy. As we have previously reported, local authorities such as Leeds City Council are no longer allowed to build new schools. You can view the consultation document via the Cockburn School website: cockburnschool.org/cockburnmulti-academy-trust, this goes into more detail about how the MAT approaches education, its ethos, approach to the curriculum, etc. David Gurney, Executive Headteacher of the Cockburn Multi-academy Trust said: “I am delighted that we have now progressed to the preopening phase of the Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy. The community of south Leeds is in need of more secondary places and this new school will provide an excellent education for these young people modelled on the success of our other secondary schools.” The consultation runs until Friday 23 October 2020 and you can contribute via an online questionnaire here, or join an online event on Monday 5 October, 11am-12pm.
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Coping with Covid at Cockburn schools
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ockburn Multi-academy trust has been delighted to welcome back students to Cockburn School, Cockburn John Charles Academy, Middleton Primary and Cockburn Haigh Road Academy. All students have made an excellent start to the term following the period of lockdown and long summer break. Learning in classrooms has got off to a great start with a focus on recapping important knowledge and beginning exciting topics for the new academic year. Students have been so positive and respectful, we are very proud of them all. A Middleton Primary student said “I’ve really enjoyed being back in class, learning with my
friends again.” Of course some parts of school life are different to keep students as safe as possible with staggered starts to the day and finish times. Year Groups are now operating in bubbles in line with Government guidance and each Year Group bubble has a staggered break and lunchtime. As government guidelines states that students are not required to follow social distancing within these bubbles. We are really pleased that students have very quickly got into the routine of sanitising their hands before and after school, and at the starts and ends of lessons. A Cockburn John Charles student said “it was easy getting back into the routine of learning again. I’ve been busy getting on with my
homework again.” Teaching staff in all schools have been planning excellent lessons and are enjoying delivering these back in the classroom. There is great engagement from students; in our secondary schools, class discussions have been enthusiastic with interesting and mature contributions from students. In our primary schools, children have been engaging in learning, exploring interesting new topics and also getting back to the basics of reading, writing and maths. Our new reception children have settled into school life really well, using the outdoor play areas to explore new concepts and make connections with the world around them in their new
learning environments. Our new Year 7 cohorts have also settled into secondary school life really well, making new friends, learning new subjects and enjoying challenging lessons. A Cockburn student said “I thought I might not know where to find my next lesson, but everyone was really helpful, it was easy for me.” All schools would like to thank all parents and carers for their support with ensuring such a great start to the academic year; students were punctual and prepared for learning with correct uniform and equipment. A great start to the academic year despite being in the most unprecedented and challenging year.
Be Curious with free family-friendly online events from the University of Leeds B e Curious, the University of Leeds’ annual family friendly research open event, moves online for 2020 with a jampacked programme, which aims to showcase worldleading research to the wider public. Launching on Saturday 10 October 2020 with a full day of live events, the fifth annual instalment of the hugely popular Be Curious showcase runs until Friday 23 October. With family events, fun activities, challenges and inspiring evening talks… there’s something for everyone
to enjoy! We’ll even be joined by YouTuber and BBC TV & Radio presenter Greg Foot, who’ll be taking us on a scientific journey into the deep dark ocean and telling us about his work with the Blue Planet II team. All events are free, but please note that some events require registration. Visit www.leeds .ac.uk/becurious to view the full programme and book your free tickets! You can find us on Twitter @UniLeeds Engage and follow along by using #BeCurious20.
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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16 Comment
In our view Winning ways This month we are reporting on three small but important victories: the reinstatement of a through bus service from Beeston; rejection of plans to demolish The Drysalters pub; and a delay to allow better consultation on the Cross Flatts Active Travel Neighbourhood. It’s easy to feel that as ‘ordinary’ people we will not be listened to by decision makers, but these events show that if we get organised and make a clear case we can those in charge listen and change their minds.
Industry and innovation We are told that we live in a postindustrial Britain, that Hunslet was once an engineering heartland, but no more. ESE and many other local engineering firms are proving otherwise. We may not employ the same numbers as once we did, but manufacturing and innovation are still very much of South Leeds life, 200 years after the Industrial Revolution started here.
Don’t take risks with the vulnerable Leeds has introduced further restrictions to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Whatever you think about the rights and wrongs of the specific regulations, and there do seem to be some inconsistencies in the government’s approach, we all have a responsibility to follow the rules. It’s not OK to say you don’t care and you’ll take your chance, you are playing with other people’s lives. The restrictions aren’t there to spoil your day, they are there to stop the spread of the virus to people who will be badly affected or even die from Covid-19 - your proverbial granny. So please, just wear a facemask in indoor public spaces and keep 2m apart from people who are not in your household or bubble.
Your letters and comments Cross Flatts Active Travel Having seen the speed that some people drive at up and down Cross Flatts Avenue anything that will slow them down has to be a good thing. The council should also stop people parking on the pavement on the same road because it means pedestrians can only get past by walking in the road. Stu I’m very much looking forward to seeing the Council’s revised proposals for improving our local environment and reducing the impact of cars in our area. At the same time making our communities safer when, which surely we will get to eventually, we return to something like normal conditions with hundreds of cars exiting Elland Road on match days for example and using our streets as rat runs. Phil Goodfield If you want to create a safer space for children to play out, why not use this money to make Cross Flatts Park safer, with better lighting, cameras and policing to prevent anti-social behaviour? I’d also suggest that not many people are cycling in the area for several reasons: getting up Beeston Hill after a shift at work on a bike is off putting; petty crime in the area means any bike owner seen storing a bike in a shed is likely to not have it terribly long; and not many workplaces have secure locations to store the bike at during a shift. Plus I would not feel safe cycling through the fiasco crime hotspot that has been created in Holbeck - the so called Managed Zone is a magnet for criminal activities. Kirsty Shaw-Williams The park is already much more safe and useable, thanks to the work of the Friends group and is well-used by the local community. As for cycling, I live and cycle in the area. I have done so for the nigh-on 40 years that I’ve lived here. The problem isn’t hills, it’s cars. Thé increase in traffic volume, speeding and careless driving has been noticeable over the years. I’m also a keyworker, working shifts and I live on one of the affected streets. The noise from cars
Photo: Living Streets (and quad bikes) day and night is dreadful. Frankly, there were at least two brilliant things about lockdown: being able to cycle to work and back feeling safe and without traffic fumes; and being able to sleep peacefully after a 12 hour day or night shift. So these proposals look excellent to me. Anything that makes it less convenient to drive is good news for all our health and safety. Sue Speeding drivers should be stopped. No question. Normal drivers should not be inconvenienced by this type of thing. It’s like some people on the consultation with gardens front and back saying they enjoyed the children playing in the street. They live one street away from a park and children should be taught not to play on the roads not encouraged to do so. And if a child got injured because they were playing in the road and a reversing car having to do a three point turn to get out of their street did not see them what would happen if the ambulance was delayed because it had to do a circle of the area to get to them? Linda Good news–emergency services were consulted very early on and have no concerns about this plan. If you think about it quieter streets with less traffic are actually easier for emergency vehicles to navigate. Tina
Your Leeds City Councillors Beeston & Holbeck ward
Includes Beeston from Cross Flatts Park to the Ring Road, Cottingley and Holbeck. The three councillors are:
Gohar Almass 07445 878 333 gohar.almass@leeds.gov.uk Angela Gabriel 07946 632 468 angela.gabriel@leeds.gov.uk Andrew Scopes 07860 400 645 andrew.scopes@leeds.gov.uk
Hunslet & Riverside ward Includes the city centre, Beeston Hill and Hunslet. The three councillors are:
Mohammed Iqbal 0113 226 8796 mohammed.iqbal@leeds.gov.uk Elizabeth Nash 0113 275 8594 elizabeth.nash@leeds.gov.uk Paul Wray 07528 512 649 paul.wray@leeds.gov.uk
Middleton Park ward Includes Belle Isle and Middleton. The three councillors are:
Judith Blake Kim Groves Paul Truswell
0113 378 9000 judith.blake@leeds.gov.uk 07891 741 832 kim.groves@leeds.gov.uk 0113 378 8811 paul.truswell@leeds.gov.uk
Bile Beans sign Another disgusting waste of council tax payers money, people in the area are suffering incredible hardship during this Covid19 pandemic. Paul Wood The sign hasn’t been restored it’s been vandalised. It’s only vaguely reminiscent of the original. Stephen Topp I think it looks good, the local people who live in this ward like it
and approved it. They hold a residents meeting once a month and it was put to a vote. Paul Conway
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Top Tweets Keep up to date, up to the minute, by following South Leeds Life’s Twitter feed: @SouthLeedsLife. Twitter is the 140 character ‘micro blogging’ site. It’s free and you can sign up at twitter.com. It’s a great place to find the very latest news. Here are some of our favourite recent tweets: @LeedsZarach As we all start back to school, it’s worth remembering lots of family situations may have changed over the past few months. If a child in a Leeds school is without a bed or food as a result of poverty crisis, please get in touch. Bex@zarach.org
I saw that sign from being a kid. My granny lived on Woodville Mount, the house is still standing, had the coal yard opposite. Mam took us up there twice a week to see granny and grandad. He died, then granny, then my mam. I for one love it. Ann Lee Mathers
Cycle routes Try an electric bike! They’re ideal for the majority of us who aren’t supremely fit and thus struggle with steep hills/ strong headwinds / heavy loads. No, Leeds is not the ideal city for cycling due to its topography, inclement weather and (ironically) the fact that most developments over the last 50 years have prioritised cars and traffic flow at the expense of everyone else, but there are ways of making it more attractive. The alternative is choking to death on the products of millions of exhaust pipes, and a self-fulfilling prophecy where even those who don’t want to drive everywhere have no choice because the area is so hostile to those without cars. Rich
Barges on River Aire The old ways still do have a place in modern life. Great to hear of this initiative. Hopefully other cities with the capacity and facilities will follow suit. Tracey Liddle
@LeedsCC_News Secondary school place applications are open! Did you know that providing just 1 preference doesn’t increase your chances of being offered a place at that school. We recommend you use all 5 preferences. Find out more at orlo.uk/JWA4P @WYP_RPU Black Bull Street, Leeds - This Road is subject to a 30mph limit. The driver who was driving at more than twice the limit, thought he was ‘only’ doing 45mph. #PleaseSlowDown #SpeedKills #Fatal4
Something worth going to see going through the locks! Chris Ibbotson
Join the debate Comment online; by email: info@southleedslife.com; or post to: 224 Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds, LS11 7BW.
Corrections & clarifications Ian Liptrot In our September edition (Belle Isle volunteer retires after 20 years, p21) we incorrectly credited the article to Peter Sutton. The article was in fact written by Carla Yeomans.
@rh0desy Straw hats & bonnets were invented in Beeston, Leeds by Isabel Denton in the early 17th century. She was “cursed with a prodigal husband” & needed her own income. She started selling her own creations & before long was generating £7,000 of sales per year.
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Comment 17
MP’s notebook by Hilary Benn MP
S
ince March, our lives have been dominated by Covid. As I write, Leeds has just been put under new restrictions which mean that families won’t be able to see anyone else in their homes. It is the rising rate of infections in our city that has made this inevitable and we all have to do our bit, but the longer this goes on, the more we will debate whether we have got our response right. There isn’t an obvious answer, so I thought I'd devote this month's column to my reflections on the dilemma we face. In most people, Covid causes no symptoms or a relatively mild illness. But for a small proportion it can lead to
October 2020 | South Leeds Life
hospitalisation and in some cases death. The older we are, and the more medical conditions we have - like diabetes and heart disease the greater the risk we face. Some of those who get it are left with long-term problems. And because we are social beings, someone who catches the virus and may not even realise it can then pass it on to someone else who may be put at serious risk. That is the argument for trying to limit the spread of infection. The original lockdown reduced the number of cases significantly but the economic cost of doing so was enormous, and governments around the world are grappling with how to balance the threat to health and to the economy. Some
sectors are in a state of despair – eg aviation, theatres, conferences, sport, the arts and weddings. A very large number of people who rely on those sectors for work can see no means of earning a living in the near future, while the support, if they have been getting it, is now being reduced. Unemployment is rising sharply and lots of families are finding it hard to pay the rent or the mortgage. The Government must look after them. Some people have written to me to argue that we should be following the example of other countries. Back in March, the questions were “why haven’t we already locked down like France and Spain?” Six months on, people say we should follow Sweden which has had fewer
restrictions, but whose death rate per head of population is not far behind ours. What about the apparent contradictions? It's OK for people to sit in a relatively crowded pub and watch a football match but they can't go into a socially distanced stadium to do the same. And the ever-changing rules cause confusion. There’s a multiplicity of scientific voices which have different theories about what to do. This is not surprising really given that there's a lot we still don't know, but for those taking decisions it's really quite difficult. Having said that, there are some basic things which our Government has got wrong. The original lockdown was too late, care homes were not protected, there wasn’t enough PPE to start with and the testing system has left worried families waiting for tests. This isn't good
Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds Central constituency which covers Hunslet, Middleton, Belle Isle, Beeston, Holbeck, Cottingley in south Leeds as well as the city centre, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Little London, Lincoln Green, Burmantofts, Richmond Hill and Osmondthorpe. Contact: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk, www.hilarybennmp.com Constituency office: Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS7 1AB; Tel: 0113 244 1097
enough because swift results really do help contain the spread of the virus. And what about our freedoms? Some say that the Government has no right to tell us what do, and they protest against masks and even vaccines. I don't understand the fuss about masks as they seem to me to be a prudent step to restrict the spread of the virus. At heart, is the moral question. Should the freedom of one person to do what they want extend to giving the virus to someone else to whom it may cause serious illness or even worse? Parliament’s job is to strike the right balance, but there is no denying the great toll of the restrictions in terms of loneliness and mental ill health. When will this all end? The answer is when we get a vaccine that can reduce our chances of getting the virus and more medical treatments that reduce symptoms and death rates. Here we have seen some progress because doctors now understand more about the illness they're dealing with. Finally, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone in our city who has
Hilary Benn MP been working so hard throughout the past few months; the workers who are delivering vital services, NHS and care home staff, the public health teams who are doing local track and trace, the employers, businesses and schools trying to keep their workers, customers and children safe and the extraordinary voluntary effort there has been to look after those in need. Amid all the worry and uncertainty about the future, it is this collective solidarity and spirit – of which South Leeds is such a good example - which offers us the greatest hope. Stay safe.
Plans to make pavements accessible for all by Bruce Davies “Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost.” Inferno. Canto One. Dante Alighieri (Trans: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
R
egardless of whichever side of the political divide you come down on, right now one thing is certain; 2020 is a year which leaves us standing at a major crossroads, as a society and as a species. That crossroad exists at the edge of a great precipice over which we could quite easily topple, and at the foot of a great mountain that will take a great deal of strength and fortitude to climb. For, whichever option we choose the future will be difficult, but one thing that is certain is that the straightahead path has been lost to us forever. This piece of writing is actually to inform the reader that under new proposals antisocial parking could be banned in order to make pavements safer for people with disabilities and families. A review has found that a third of people with visual impairments and almost half of wheelchair users were not willing to go out because of issues around antisocial pavement parking. The proposals put forth include a London style nationwide ban on pavement parking, the improvement of the traffic regulation order process
to make it easier for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas and giving councils the power to fine those who park on paths. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Parking on pavements means wheelchair users, visually impaired people and parents with push chairs can be forced into the road, which is not only dangerous, but discourages people from making journeys.” That itself is rather boring in its perfunctory practicality. It is information that will be read by many car drivers as a downright nuisance, pedestrian road users as a blessing, and it will leave cycle and scooter users unconcerned as it does not mention them. It is this attitude that is at the heart of the matter, and the root of certain societal problems. Instead of asking how does this affect me, the question perhaps should be, how does this affect others? Rarely, when people talk about the issues surrounding things that can bring about great change, do people look beyond the effect that it has on their own personal circumstances. Listening to the radio throughout 2019, I heard many radio phone-in shows in which people were up in arms about not being able to get to work on time because of the irresponsible and undemocratic behaviour of Extinction Rebellion. When the pandemic lockdown occurred in March 2020 it only took two weeks for reports to start coming in of the lowering of pollution levels worldwide, mountains that had been
obscured from the view of local towns against the lives of working people for in India by smog suddenly becoming whom life is already difficult, but, at visible for the first time in thirty years. the same time we must consider what Areas with previously dangerous the long-term affect will be on the lives levels of pollution saw, not only a great and health of those who come after drop in the levels of pollution, but a us, our children and other people’s positively pre-industrial levels of air children. quality. The argument that humans As Sting sings in the song ‘All This have little impact on the ever changing Time’ “What good is a used-up world environment, used by many who and how can it be worth having?” disagree with the motivations of XR, As we have seen recently with the has been, post-lockdown, left in subject of mask wearing; suggesting tatters. that the mask protects others and not In his statement, Shapps also said the wearer is reason enough for many that “A key part of our green, post- to argue that there is then no reason Covid recovery will be encouraging to do it. more people to choose active travel, Sometimes laws and policies have such as walking, so it is vital that we to change because of people’s refusal make the nation’s pavements accessible for everyone.” All of these seemingly disparate elements do have an impact on one another and as we see the cars returning to the streets in pre-lockdown numbers, so too do we see the return of the pavement parkers, waiting for friends in the shops with engines idling, clogging the airways and the passageways. Of course economy and livelihood is essential to our way of life as well and we must balance the effect of protest Another case of selfish parking in Beeston
to address their own behaviour, and how it impacts those around them. As I have talked about in the pages of South Leeds Life in the past, we need to understand the position of others in relation to ourselves where such things are concerned. The slight inconvenience of an ablebodied person having to park slightly further away from their destination, far outweighs the inconvenience and danger posed to the pedestrian, in particular the disabled, children and elderly, by cars parked in a careless and thoughtless fashion. In the future we may need to think more about the interrelatedness of these and other such considerations.
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18 Historical Life
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St Matthew’s church, Holbeck
St Matthew’s church, before the spire was added
O
by Ken Burton
ur story starts with an earlier chapel which stood on the corner of Towngate (St Matthew's Street) and Stocks Hill. The old Chapel dedicated to St Catherine, which is noted in ancient documents as being built between the years 1079 and 1179, and was rebuilt on the same site in the 17th Century. This ancient Chapel was mentioned in a Bull granted by the Pope to Ralph Paganell who lived at the time of William the Conqueror and was given by the same Ralph Paganell in 1089 to the Priory of the Holy Trinity at York. No pictorial evidence has been found of this church, but Whitaker the historian describes it as, 'a dark mean edifice', so we can safely assume it was not an architectural masterpiece. It was used for Sunday School after St Matthew’s had been built and the old village stocks were stored under the altar. The old village stock used to stand on the corner of Stocks Hill, hence the street name commemorating this. The old church was known as the Chapel of St Catherine’s, but the locals named it the Bell Chapel. It would have been here, that the Holbeck Choir
made history in 1767 when on Christmas Day part of Handel’s Messiah was performed. This would appear to be the first performance of this piece of music in Leeds. It was also to this place of worship that Ralph Thoresby used to wander down Water Lane to visit his friend the Reverend Dennison. If you consult an old map of the area, you will find the street we now call Bridge Street just across from Stocks Hill used to be Dennison Road. It was on a map by Fowler of Leeds in 1831 that I first found a documented evidence of St Catherine’s. The St Catherine’s Chapel and St. Matthew’s new church are shown on the map and listed in the index. The date over the door of St. Catherine’s was 1632 and the date on the gallery was 1646 but the records shown that in 1624 there was great excitement in the area due to the building of the new church; this was St. Catherine’s Church. With the increase in the population caused by the influx of migrants brought in to work in the local textile mills and engineering works in the early part of the 19th century in Holbeck, the old church and churchyard, which was about 1⅔ acres was found to be fast becoming inadequate so a new
church was required along with a larger churchyard. In 1819 the Vestry met to discuss an extension to the churchyard but nothing came of this and in 1827 it was decided to replace the chapel and RD Chantrell was commissioned to design its replacement. The old church was demolished in 183637 and all the materials sold by order of the Archbishop's Court. The chapel stood at the bottom of the present graveyard, the memorial to Matthew Murray giving a clue to this. A man of such importance in the community, his grave would have had a prominent position in the old graveyard. The Lady of the Manor, the Marchioness of Hertford, donated the site of the new church and an extended graveyard of about ⅓ of an acre. The Foundation Stone was laid on 5 August 1829 and the church was consecrated on 4 January 1832. The architect was RD Chantrell, who later went on to design the Leeds Parish Church (now Minster). It was built for the sum of £3,786 by the Parliamentary Commission and was a handsome structure in the early English style containing seating for 1,200 parishioners. Originally it was to have had a spire but this was abandoned because of shortage of funds, but in the mid-19th Century the present spire — rather more elaborate than that intended by Chantrell — was added. The Perpetual Curacy was valued at £70 and was in the patronage of the Vicar of Leeds. Known locally as Holbeck Church, St Matthew’s was one of the ‘million’ churches (another in the area being
Christ Church on Meadow Lane, now demolished). In 1815, the Tory Parliament voted £1 million towards setting up new churches in manufacturing areas where the population was rapidly increasing; Holbeck was awarded £3,400 of this grant. However, there were problems almost from the outset. The church suffered through the lack of a good Priest and it wasn’t until 1855 that a new man, John Hutton Fisher Kendall (1815-1879), turned the fortunes of St. Matthews. A new spire was erected in 1860 and the church was completely refurbished, alterations paid for in the main by a local man John Naylor. The impressive stained glass is by RB Edmundson & Son of Manchester. Holbeck in those days was known as a town. In 1833, the town school was just behind the Verger’s house in Towngate and was in need of repair. In 1834 an application was made to demolish the old church of St. Catherine’s, and build a new town school for children of all denominations, and in 1837 money was spent on the churchyard but it was to be six
St Matthew’s community centre today
years before anything was done about the school. The site was donated by Hugo Charles Meynell Ingram, the then Lord of the Manor. Once again the architect Chantrell was called upon to design the school. The new school originally contained two houses — one for the school master and one for the mistress. Holbeck was included in the Home Office's list of proposed burial closures in 1854. The Vestry tried to persuade the Home Secretary that the churchyard was not full and presented no hazard to the public, they also claimed that the churchyard contained 12 acres, but this it is suspected must have included Holbeck Moor to obtain this figure (there is no record of any consecration of burial ground since 1832). The Home Secretary was not convinced and ordered the closure of the churchyard, there was an Order in Council dated 7 December 1855 which ordered the closure on 1 April 1856 but, protest was delay this by about 15 months. However, the delay in providing its replacement,
Holbeck Cemetery, meant that the churchyard remained open until July 1857 (Holbeck Cemetery, named because it was the cemetery for Holbeck, not in Holbeck, opened on 1 July 1857). The churchyard is now an open space dominated by the iron obelisk erected in memory of Matthew Murray of the Round Foundry by his workers, he is buried in the vault below. The church would stand almost unaltered until 1964 when a serious fire damaged the fabric of the building. The community was quick to rally to the aid of the church and a fund was set up to restore the building to its former glory. Slum clearance and redevelopments from the 1930s combined with the decrease in churchgoing resulted in the closure of St Matthew’s, the last service being held on Sunday 1 August 1976. It re-opened in July 1982 as a Community Centre for the people of Holbeck. The Registers before 1812 have been transcribed by the Thoresby Society and these, and those after 1812, are deposited with the West Yorkshire Archive Service.
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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Historical Life 19
Balm Road’s Bile Beans advert restored by Andrew Price
W
hen a modern advertising hoarding was removed from the end of a row of houses at the Balm Road junction in Hunslet Carr several years ago it revealed an old hand painted sign promoting Bile Beans. This type of advertising sign was the forerunner of the modern advertisements papered on wooden boards and were common place in the past on the old terraced street ends throughout the city and is part of the heritage of Hunslet. The sign was fading away and in desperate need of restoration. It featured on the BBC regional TV program ‘Inside Out’ and was discussed on Radio Leeds. The sign is one of only two
remaining wall painted advertisements for Bile Beans. One had already been restored in York so Hunslet Carr Residents Association asked Councillors Iqbal, Nash and Wray (Hunslet & Riversiude) for help in making it possible for the Hunslet sign to be restored as it represented a Leeds based company. Charles Fulford and Ernest Gilbert first sold Bile Beans in Australia in late 1897 and established the Bile Bean Manufacturing Company in Leeds in 1899. It was claimed that the formula for Bile Beans was a plant source known only to Aboriginal Australians. It’s actual ingredients included cascara, rhubarb, liquorice, and menthol. Trading under the name CE Fulford Ltd other common products were
produced including Zam–Buk ointment, Pep Pastilles and Vitapoint hair conditioner. After setting up in England in 1899 the company spent about £60,000 a year in advertising its products. Placards, pamphlets and newspaper promotions took the form of testimonials claiming “life changing cures”. When Radio Luxembourg started longwave commercial radio broadcasts in English in 1933 its first advertisers were Fulfords Bile Beans and Zam– Buk ointment. Bile Beans remained popular throughout the 1930s and 40s and continued to be sold until the 1980s. Examples of the tins and packaging can be seen in Leeds museum. The business was so successful Frank Fulford was able to
The restored Bile Beans sign in Hunslet purchase Headingley Castle in Leeds in 1909 and the family donated artworks to Temple Newsam. After receiving funding from Leeds Inner South Community Committee the sign has now been restored and whilst
Exploring the hidden history of Leeds’s magnificent machines E
xported across the globe, they were the extraordinary engines which helped power Leeds to the summit of industrial excellence. But their unrivalled efficiency was also harnessed to support the growth of huge mining, railway and forced labour operations in hundreds of colonial territories. Now, thanks to an innovative partnership project at Leeds Industrial Museum, new light is being shed on the complex legacy of the city’s world famous machines. Through a fascinating collection of archive material and images, curators at the Armley Museum and historians at Heritage Corner are working together to re-examine the
many different ways Leedsmade locomotives and engines were used. Exporting engineering and railway products had enabled Leeds companies to amass vast fortunes over hundreds of years, which in turn boosted the growth and success of the city as an industrial hub. Many of those companies were also heavily involved in supplying equipment for empire-building by Britain and other colonial powers in places like Sierra Leone, where Leeds loco builders Hunslet Engine Co. and Hudswell Clarke exported at least 103 locomotives which were put to work on the controversial Sierra Leone Government Railway. Colonial railways were
usually built so valuable natural resources like ores, diamonds, gold, palm oil and groundnuts could be extracted more efficiently from occupied territories and local populations were often taxed to cover the costs of building them. Gildersome company Robert Hudson also completed a huge order in 1924 for the Loanda Railway in then Portuguese West Africa, which The League of Nations later found was built using forced labour. John McGoldrick, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of Industrial History, said: “Leeds quite rightly has a long and proud history as an industrial trailblazer and a city which led the way in invention and innovation. “But that success came at a price for people from other parts of the world, where Leedsmade machines were a driving force behind colonial expansion and the widespread plundering of natural resources. Fowler traction engines, built in Hunslet, used in South Africa during the Boer War
“By using the knowledge and resources we have today and working with organisations like Heritage Corner, we can acknowledge the different and contrasting aspects of our city’s heritage and present a more balanced and complete picture to our visitors.” Already housed at the museum is Leeds locomotive Aldwyth, twinned with another Manning Wardle locomotive Nellie which was built for the Sierra Leone Government Railway in 1915. The museum has previously worked with Heritage Corner to explore those links and the historic African presence in Yorkshire. Heritage Corner’s Jordan Keighley said: “At Heritage Corner our mission is to use research, performance, and collections to challenge misinformation surrounding British colonialism, whilst positively improving the representation of Africans in Europe. “Working with the brilliant staff at the Leeds Industrial Museum we have delved into the archives to uncover the forgotten experience of the colonial worker, and how their contribution fuelled Britain’s Industrial Revolution. With so much of our country’s wealth being dependent on this trade we can ask: ‘where is the monument to the diamond miners, or the railroad layers, or
preparing the wall for the renovation the restoring artist found an even older advertisement underneath. The remains can just be seen above and below the renovated sign. Hunslet Carr Residents
Association would like to thank the property owner for allowing the sign to be restored, the Councillors for supporting the project, Leeds Inner South Community Committee for funding and the Artist for his restoration work.
plantation workers?’ “This work takes nothing away from the genius of Leeds, but builds deeper inclusion by highlighting the sacrifice and contributions of many nations to Leeds’s growth. Working with IVE: Ignite and the Geraldine Connor Foundation we hope to use these hidden histories to educate and empower the younger generation.” Each Leeds Museums and Galleries site has social distancing and hygiene
measures in place and booking in advance at some sites is essential. New visitor routes are also in place and some venues have limited access to some areas ensure visitor safety. Booking is not required at Leeds Industrial Museum. More details of arrangements at individual sites, advice for visitors and details about how to book can be found at: museumsandgalleries.leeds. gov.uk/reopening-information
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20 What’s On
What’s On Your guide to events and activities across South Leeds in October All events listed here have been planned around current Covid-19 restrictions and booking is often required, please contact the organisers to make sure the events are going ahead as the situation changes Please check that regular events are not affected by school holidays, 24 October - 1 November Every Monday Manorfield Hall Food Bank 9-11am Newhall Road, Belle Isle Community Gardening (women only) 10-11:30am Old Cockburn Sports Hall, Beeston Book via 0113 277 3330 Digital Cafe 12-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553 Family Bubble 2-3pm Cross Flatts Park, Maud Avenue entrance Book via 0113 277 3330 Disabled Adults Chair Mobility 6pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Beeston Park Place Book: 07783 786776 Kickboxing 7-8:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street
Every Tuesday Holbeck Together Shopping Trip to Morley 9am-12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Walkie Talkie 10-11am Cross Flatts Park, Maud Avenue entrance Book via 0113 277 3330 Holbeck Together Outreach Meal Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Middleton Elderly Aid Walking Group 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly
Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 Yoga 6pm Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: 07576 113269 Kickboxing 7-8:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street
Every Wednesday Social Cycling Group 10am Beeston Village Community Centre, Beeston Park Place Book: 07783 786776 Community Gardening (women only) 10-11:30am Old Cockburn Sports Hall, Beeston Book via 0113 277 3330 Walk & Talk Group 10:45am-12:30pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 Holbeck Together Outreach Meal Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Slimming World 1-9pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Active Tennis (women only) 1-2pm Cross Flatts Park, Maud Avenue entrance Book via 0113 277 3330 Middleton Elderly Aid 1 to 1 Computer Training Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050
Changing your furniture? Donate it to support people with Learning Disabilities
Every Thursday Slimming World 9am-1pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Holbeck Together Shopping Trip to Hunslet 9am-12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Social Supermarket Coffee Morning (older adults) Charity Shop 10am-12pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 Holbeck Together Outreach Meal Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Middleton Elderly Aid Walking Group 1:30-3:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 Craft Afternoon 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 Yoga 7-8pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street
Every Friday Manorfield Hall Food Bank 9-11am Newhall Road, Belle Isle Tone & Stretch Exercise Class 10am Beeston Village Community Centre, Beeston Park Place Book: 07783 786776 Holbeck Together Outreach Fish & Chips Meal Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Chair Based Exercise 1:45pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 Friday Night Quad Skates Night 6:30-8:30pm LS-TEN Skatepark, Kitson Road, Hunslet Book: ls-ten.org
Every Saturday Yoga 10:30am Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: 07576 113269 LS10 Walking Group 11am-12pm Book: 07787 390563
Every Sunday Middleton Railway 11am-3pm Moor Road, Hunslet Book: middletonrailway.org.uk
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Thursday 1 October Talking About Mental Health 1-2pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Saturday 3 October Volunteer Rangers 10am-12pm Holbeck Cemetery, Beeston Road fb.com/leedsparks Monday 5 October Coffee Morning (Families) Charity Shop 9:30-10:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553
Wellbeing & Mindfulness for New Parents 10:30am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Tuesday 6 October Hamara Job Club 1pm online Book via 0113 277 3330 Beeston Hill Residents Meeting 6:30-8pm online via Zoom: bit.ly/Beeston HillMeeting6Oct Thursday 8 October Eating and Wellbeing 2-3pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Tuesday 13 October Hearing Aid Clinic 9:30am-12:30pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book 0113 288 7570 Movement & Meditation 10-11am online via Zoom. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Thursday 15 October Talking About Mental Health 10-11am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Saturday 17 October Seed gathering 10am-1pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre fb.com/leedsparks Monday 19 October Coffee Morning (Families) Charity Shop 9:30-10:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553 Tuesday 20 October Movement & Meditation 10-11am online via Zoom. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Hunslet Moor Residents Meeting 6:30-8pm online via Zoom: bit.ly/HunsletMoorMeeting20Oct Thursday 22 October Eating and Wellbeing 11am-12pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Sunday 25 October Holbeck Together Outreach Sunday Lunch Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Tuesday 27 October Free outdoor play session 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre. Book: fb.com/friendsofmiddletonpark Wednesday 28 October Middleton Railway 11am-3pm Moor Road, Hunslet Book: middletonrailway.org.uk Free outdoor play session 1-3pm Middleton Park Visitor Centre. Book: fb.com/friendsofmiddletonpark Saturday 31 October The Lion Inside by LAStheatre 2-3pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book via slunglow.org
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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What’s On 21
New adult learning courses now available in communities across Leeds A
n exciting programme offering adults the chance to learn a new skill or improve their knowledge of different subjects and topics has been officially launched. Running throughout the academic year, a variety of courses for adults aged 19 and over will be available through Leeds Adult Learning, commissioned by Leeds City Council. Funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the aim of the £2.2m programme is to provide adults with the confidence and skills to access job opportunities or new skills to support a
personal/family interest. Whether you are interested in learning how to use your smart phone or tablet, grow your own vegetables and eat more healthily, improve your English and maths or to build your selfconfidence whilst learning something new and meeting new people, there really is something for everyone. Covid-19 has been a huge challenge in so many ways and many people have lost their job, their confidence or maybe just wondering how they can make a fresh start. Adult Learning could be just the thing. Social distancing rules
means that we cannot offer all our courses on site at the moment but we are working hard to do this safely as soon as possible. In the meantime we already have well over 100 courses on line, ranging from arts and crafts to digital skills, training for work, CV’s and online job interview preparation. Many others are based on distance learning using study packs and other courses can be held outside. All the information you need about where a course is running, if its on line or distance learning can be found on our easy to use course finder website.
A Mindful approach to managing anxiety by Shannon Humphrey
A
nxiety is the most commonly recognised mental health condition. It affects 1 in 6 people in the UK. There are various types of anxiety and reasons why they develop. One of the main triggers of anxiety is the crippling fear of a future event. The idea of something bad, humiliating, hurtful, sad, or painful waiting to happen. The current global pandemic has seen an increase in mental health conditions, particularly anxiety, which is no wonder given that people are more concerned than ever about their future. School closures, financial pressures, isolation, illness, cancelled appointments, being unable to visit loved ones in care, are just a few of the worries keeping people up at night. Let’s not forget, celebrations, weddings, birthdays, holidays, Christmas 2020 … As Leeds is hit with further lockdown restrictions, it’s inevitable that we look back at the challenges of the past six months and wonder, what’s next? As every newspaper, TV channel and social media feed is full of worst-case pandemic ‘what ifs’, it’s easy to see why feelings of anxiety can run away with our thoughts and make us fear for the future. From the second we wake up to the minute we go to sleep we are switched on thinking machines, processing
thousands of thoughts, feelings, and emotions every day. Most of them are repetitive thoughts and behaviours so we don’t think them on purpose, just like scratching an itch or yawning. We tend to plod through life, one day rolling into the next. As well as practical thoughts, like what am I going to have for lunch? Or, I need to be at a certain place at a certain time, we have other more personal feelings that have the power to affect the way we think about ourselves and our future either positively or negatively. Mindfulness is the practice of living in the now. It is being aware of what you are doing purposefully. It means paying attention to what is going on in your life. This can be as simple as listening to the words of your favourite song, eating a meal without distractions, enjoying the flavours of your food. Taking a mindful walk in a local park, noticing the change in seasons, the colours of the falling leaves, noticing the sights and sounds of the world around you. Mindfulness is clinically proven to ease the burden of anxious overthinking, stress, depression, addiction, fatigue, and physical pain. It’s also said to boost the immune system, encourage self-acceptance, kindness, concentration, and brain function. While ever you are engaging your mind with your current tasks, no matter how normal that may be, you aren’t worrying about the future. It recharges your brain and gives
Photo: Shutterstock The Leeds Adult Learning course finder website www.leedsadultlearning.co.uk is an easy way to discover a course that is just right for you and also includes an integrated journey planner with bus routes and maps to help you find the best and easiest way to travel to courses. Courses are free for adults in receipt of benefits or those in work but earning less than £17,004 per year and is delivered by a range of different organisations. These include recognised learning providers such as Leeds City College, Swarthmore Education Centre, and smaller
it a much-needed rest from overthinking. The more you practice the easier it becomes to deliberately focus your attention on the things you want to think about, rather than worrying about the things you don’t. Put simply, mindfulness is good for you. It can be done anytime, anywhere by anyone. You don’t need to set time aside, have special clothing or be sat in silence to do it. Literally anything can be done mindfully. Three Easy Mindful Practices 1. Mindful conversation. Put away any distractions- phones, games etc. Turn off the TV and have a mindful conversation where you listen and engage fully with the person you are speaking with. Give them your full time and attention. 2. Have a mindful bath or shower. Feel the sensation of the water on your skin, notice the temperature, is it hot or cold? Smell the shower lotion or bath bubbles, what is the fragrance. When you dry off, notice the texture of the towel against your skin is it ruff or soft? 3. Mindfully lay in bed, feel the sensation of the bed beneath you, is the mattress comfortable? Is the bed warm or cool? Can you smell the washing powder on your sheets? For more mindfulness and wellbeing tips or to join an 8 week Mindfulness Course www.pathwaysforpsotivitiy.com World Mental Health Day is 10 October 2020
community based organisations such as Nari Ekta, Learning Partnerships, The Conservation Volunteers (Hollybush) and many others. Last year around 7,000 adults took part in more than 1,000 adult learning courses opening up new opportunities for adults to learn and develop their confidence. One of the people to take part in the Leeds Adult Learning programme was Sophia who enrolled on an Upcycling course to help her save money on buying new clothes, by reviving her wardrobe. Sophia then joined another more advanced course and
developed her skills in sewing further. Her interest and confidence in her abilities led her to complete a Diploma in Dress Making and Fashion Design which she passed with distinction. “I was looking for something to improve my well-being and connect more with others. Luckily, I found an adult learning course at my local community centre the Cardigan Centre, the course was called Upcycling: Wardrobe Revival. Adult learning certainly helped me to discover a hidden hobby which is now becoming a passion which I plan to turn into a profession.”
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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22 Artistic Life
Pearl-Natasha has Moved On by Deborah Davies
W
hen Pearl-Natasha Waungana Doherty dropped her newly made music video: ‘Moved On’ into a local Facebook page I listened and wanted to know more. Despite my lack of journalistic experience and shyness, I was not going to let the opportunity of talking to a musical talent living in Beeston pass me by. What I received instead of an interview, was an experience, which was both celebratory and a cautionary tale of a world without creative input. Pearl-Natasha settled in Beeston via Derry in Northern Ireland, after spending her formative years in her birth country of Zimbabwe. After minutes of chatting she exuded the optimism, wisdom and caution I feel is present in the many people I have met of mixed heritage and cultural background. Pearl-Natasha studied Sports Coaching in Leeds, and for a while was in-between her life in Derry and her new life in Leeds. After trawling around the usual student living hotspots, she decided on a home reasonably close to a friend in Morley. Pearl-Natasha described flying into Leeds, spotting a house in Beeston on Gumtree, being given 2 hours to view by the landlord and leaving with an overwhelming sense of community and home. I ask about her journey into music: “All my memories have music centred at them. My birth father is Ndebele which is a tribe in Zimbabwe and they are (a) very, very musical culture, very big dance culture and my mum is from Harare which is the capital city and is very Shona focused … that is another very musical city … the languages are quite melodic and pentatonic … so music was always a form of expression. …
Beeston-based singer Pearl-Natasha Music had the words that I didn’t want to say out of my own mouth. “When I was doing sports I started to sing more but always… performing alone… I got very comfortable singing to myself and singing in big empty spaces to myself.” The transition between being a private singer and a shared public persona is a recent outlook: “It is only recently that I have said it’s not actually a secret power, I actually should let people know what I can do.” The period of time between 2018 and now was a time of change for Pearl-Natasha, instead of a rapid release of songs, perhaps seeking approval: “Now, I don’t care what people think but there is definitely something I want them to see (and) hear, and that is actually me … the reason why I am happy with the Moved On video is because I
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recognise the girl in that video as the person I am at home, I recognise my authentic self.” I have become familiar with the disingenuous usage of ‘authentic self’; PearlNatasha’s usage is a call to humans, especially women, everywhere. It is no mean feat to remind strangers there is a fundamental need to be human, and within that humanity a need to be creative.
“You pick up a piece of yourself in the song and you walk home with it and it’s yours” Her song writing grew out of this self-expression: She sees parallels to Tracey Chapman’s poems put to music approach. “My first song Autumn Sky was actually a poem.” I miss-guess her musical influence: I venture she has a church background. She laughs at me and states her love of Country Music: Dolly Parton, Kenny Rodgers and Tracey Chapman. The penny drops and I recognise that influence in Autumn Sky – where her soft vibrato and lilting tones takes me straight to country greats. Do not be fooled, Pearl Natasha will not be pigeonholed, she describes her music as “Pop - because for me pop is short for popular, it is a bit of an Afrofusion. I am the epitome of an intersection. I am African, I am a black woman, I am a member of the LGBT
community, I was raised in Ireland, I speak multiple languages. “The more people realise we are a diverse profile the more we will hear different sounds. I make pop as in it’s relatable, there’s a take away, you pick up a piece of yourself in the song and you walk home with it and it’s yours.” Pop music in 2020 no longer denotes factory driven hits but a freedom of expression. Her ease in her own skin is portrayed effortlessly in her recently made video ‘Moved On’ where she celebrates her love of Leeds by a musical walk through the city she has come to love and call home. Pearl-Natasha’s enthusiasm is contagious and it is obvious she is determined and justified in her recent decision to pursue creativity full time. Reading between the lines (she is not the complaining type) I suspect these past few months have been somewhat of a personal battle. She began lockdown working from home in recruitment “in the highest paid job I had ever had” and “having the funds to fund my music at the leveI I’d like to do it.” Pearl-Natasha says that Covid has turned her life 360, she was working many hours, her gigs were drying up and she was dealing with unprecedented stress levels until: “Money, not that it became irrelevant but perspective hit really quickly … do you know what? You’re a person, you’re not a workhorse. You are a person first and if you get this virus at this stress level you are
gonna die. “I literally left my job, but I am writing the best music I have ever written, I am eating again and sleeping again.” I suggest that her background in sports would see her take a disciplined approach to her creativity, but she vehemently denies this. “I am not disciplined whatsoever. My boyfriend says for a singer I never hear you singing. That’s the truth, I should sing all the time, but I realise whereas before I needed that burning sensation - I am actually writing down, I am actually being real now. “I’ve got my own words and if that means I will spend 3 hours on one verse it’s because I want my words to be heard as me now. There is no discipline as far as I can see it; it’s a journey of just finding your truth.” I struggle to see beyond my subconscious bias of discipline being the only way to succeed but come to realise an organic way of working is not synonymous with ‘no work’. It is obvious the urge to write songs and share her voice will drive Pearl-Natasha’s musical pathway. Pearl-Natasha is a natural storyteller. She describes her Zimbabwean friends’ confusion over the need for UK citizens to be told to wash their hands. “They (Zimbabweans) have a very good pandemic response. The behaviours are intrinsically adopted into culture. In our culture when I walk into your house the first thing I go and do is wash my hands, I take my shoes off. These are things that
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife are ingrained into our society.” I reflect on the importance of having conversations about how other cultures and countries approach everyday life, and the richness of learning through this type of sharing. I will be washing my hands if you invite me around your house anytime soon. Just before it is time to leave the ubiquitous Covid-times Zoom call, Pearl-Natasha leaves us with a heartfelt message. Her message touches a raw nerve. She implores us to look into our lives and consider how much of an impact creative practice has: “At the end of the day from the moment you wake up, til the moment you go to bed it is the creative industry that keeps you entertained. “From the radios to your visuals to the fact that your car is even aesthetically pleasing that is due to our visions, our ideas, our hard work.” She, along with many other creatives feel neglected, the self-employed are renowned tax payers and yet the support they’ve received has been patchy at best.
“It’s a journey of just finding your truth” I ask what can be done to support the creative and her response is researched and swift: “Ordinary people need to make noise. Every time you are listening to a song on Spotify and you have Facebook or whatever, you should tag the government and say to them ‘how are you making sure this person is keeping their lights on?’’ “I really do think it should be that pedantic. Every creative should be saying: ‘you are listening to my music, if you like my art, if I am making you laugh on this camera, if I have improved your life because of the greatness I am- can you please go tell the government? Can you hold the government accountable?’” This is a relatively new experience for me, someone providing a practical solution to an issue when asked. With this Pearl-Natasha has closed a circle - I am as I was when I first heard her music, impressed, moved and intrigued. Natasha-Pearl will soon release an EP. Follow her activity at: iampearlnatasha.com www.instagram.com/ iampearlnatasha twitter.com/pearlNATASHA pearlnatasha.bandcamp .com (Don’t forget on anything you buy on Bandcamp on a Friday 100% of the revenue will go to the artist).
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October 2020 | South Leeds Life
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Artistic Life 23
Arts Together launches care homes project I
n recognition of the huge impact the current situation has had on care homes, Arts Together has launched a new project which will see music, drama and performance being used to boost the mental and emotional wellbeing of residents and their carers across Leeds. During September, Arts Together for Care Homes will see local freelance performers delivering socially distanced outdoor performances at the city’s residential homes. Artists taking part include poet Michelle Scally Clarke, opera singer Bibi Heal, singer Thandanani Gumede with pianist Dave Evans, and clarinettist Oliver Dover with cellist Michael Bardon. Alice Gilmour from the Community Partnerships team at Opera North, which coordinates Arts Together activity,
said: “As a network which provides a lynchpin between the diverse arts organisations and community groups in Leeds, Arts Together was in the perfect position to do something focused on the wellbeing of those living and working in residential homes at this difficult time. “It made sense to divert the generous funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation that had been ear-marked for events which can no longer take place as planned, to an immediate live arts experience which we were able to offer to those likely to benefit most. “Crucially, this project has the dual outcome of providing freelance artists with some much-needed work while also reaching out to local care homes who could definitely do with a lift right now.”
Tessa Smith entertaining residents and staff at a care home Arts organisations within the Arts Together network, including Holbeck’s Slung Low
Theatre locked down? Not for Wrongsemble! T
he coronavirus pandemic has, curiously, seen a flurry of creativity for Leeds family theatre company Wrongsemble, whose creative heart has kept beating through ground-breaking cross-company collaborations, and taking steps towards a hopeful future for the arts in our city. Earlier this year, Leeds family favourites Wrongsemble won the Child Friendly Leeds Award for Inspiring Creativity through Arts and Culture; the company was gearing up this Spring to open The Not So Ugly Sisters, a brand-new musical in co-production with Leeds Playhouse and Red Ladder Theatre Company. When theatres were prompted to temporarily close their doors on 16th March, these plans were stifled – but the company has been striving to keep its creative heart beating ever since, in a
staunch commitment to continue serving the families of Leeds with high-quality, accessible theatre. The company swiftly embarked on an ambitious collaboration with Holbeckbased theatre company Slung Low, supported by Leeds 2023. Working as part of a consortium of the city’s family theatre makers, the aim was to develop and test ways in which families could, safely, enjoy outdoor theatre this year. “The power of collaboration has never been clearer, or more necessary,” explains Artistic Director Elvi Piper. With support from Slung Low, the company performed Three, a mischievous musical adventure weaving together three famous fairy-tales, on a flatbed truck in the car park of The Holbeck Working Men’s Club. The audience watched from socially distant safety pods,
Wrondemble performing ‘Three’ in Holbeck in June
spaced with two metres either side, each occupied by a single household. The show was reprised later for Ingram Road Primary School, performed outside for the children of Key Workers. “Wrongsemble is the most exciting theatre company making theatre for families,” comments Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low. “To see the joy they brought to the families of Holbeck through Three was the highlight of our season. “Artists of this calibre working in direct contact with communities is what this moment requires, and it was such a pleasure to see that happening here at the Club, and the local school.” As for Christmas, while many theatres will still remain dark, the company will be taking the magic and excitement of their usual festive offer online with Humbug – a brand-new digital adventure for the whole family. Piper concludes: “We can’t wait to treat new and existing young audiences with a Covid19 responsive theatrical experience that they can enjoy from home. We’ll be releasing further details soon – so watch this space!” Details of ‘Humbug’ will be released in the Autumn, while ‘The Not So Ugly Sisters’ has been rescheduled to tour in Spring 2021.
Theatre, as well as Leeds Playhouse, Space2, Hyde Park Source and Opera North have suggested the performers for the project. These will range from various kinds of singers and musicians to poets and spoken word artists. Tessa Smith, a vintage jazz singer who runs the choir
at Slung Low, performed at four care homes during the pilot stage: “I am so happy that I can be involved with this Arts Together project. “It is a real joy to go and sing for the residents and to see how much they enjoy listening, singing and dancing along to
the music. “I feel very lucky to be able to provide this entertainment in these settings; it raises my spirits as much as theirs.” Arts Together aims to visit a broad spread of homes across the city, concentrating on those that have the greatest need. Jo Bailey, Wellness Co-ordinator for the Anchor Hanover care homes where Tessa performed, said: “Initiatives like these are hugely appreciated at a time like this when both residents and staff are having to adapt to a complex situation. Having Tessa really brightened up everyone’s day and brought them together. “It made such a difference being a live performance, and everyone appreciated being given the chance to enjoy a musical interlude from such a talented singer.” Performances follow all the current government guidelines on live performance. Arts Together is very grateful to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for the funding provided for its work.
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South Leeds Life | October 2020
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24 Sporting Life
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Elaine is Volleyball Parkrun restart date delayed coach of the year P arkrun announced on 25 September that it will not be restarting events in October as it had hoped. Parkrun has become an international phenomenon, encouraging thousands of people to take up physical exercise with a 5km run, jog or walk over a measured course each Saturday morning. South Leeds has two parkruns, Cross Flatts and Middleton Woods, which regularly attract 300 participants between them. Events were cancelled back in March as lockdown took effect, but outdoor sport, including running, has gradually been opening up over the summer. National organisers had been working on how to make events Covid secure and had hoped to restart by the end of October. However, in a statement they confirmed that the Government’s announcement earlier this week meant that plans were back on hold. Nick Pearson, parkrun’s Chief Executive Officer said: “Understandably, local public health leaders are anxious about groups of people gathering, and, whilst events such as parkrun are exempt from the six person rule, we feel, at this moment in time, that it would be insensitive to push forward with reopening.” South Leeds Lakers running club has taken a similar view, reducing their running groups back down to six. Ian Pickles, the Lakers’ Run Co-ordinator commented:
C
oach Elaine Brown of the Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club has been named the 2019-2020 Volleyball England Coach of the Year. The club, based at the Ruth Gorse Academy on Black Bull Street in Hunslet, was also a finalist for Club of the Year and two additional coaches were finalists for Young Coach of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. Brown says this achievement was a team effort among the Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club (LGVC), The Gorse Trust Academies, Gorse Gets Healthy and University of Leeds. Over the past year, Coach Elaine Brown has gone above and beyond developing volleyball across Leeds through her outstanding dedication, promotion of equality and inclusivity, and has methodically taught, coached and trained players according to their specific skills and needs. Brown works in a full-time position as a Volleyball Coach across The Gorse Academies Trust, is the Director of Youth Volleyball Development at LGVC and is the developmental coach at University of Leeds. Through these roles, she has introduced volleyball to over 6,500 students, trained staff and coaches across the Trust and Leeds Club, and led sessions among all junior Leeds teams, the Yorkshire Volleyball programme and at University of Leeds. In primary and secondary academies, Brown has adapted lessons per year group to build volleyball related motor skills, basic techniques, footwork, skills and game play. She has successfully launched after school volleyball clubs at each of the nine academies and has also provided CPD sessions for staff members in each academy so they will be better equipped and prepared to continue promoting volleyball. Top students compete in the Annual Gorse Games, and now that there is enough growth, a year round Gorse Volleyball League has been created. Through these efforts and talent identification, LGVC has a record number of junior players. The Gorse Trust has also launched a new programme, ‘Gorse Gets Healthy’ in which students are taught and encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle. As volleyball is one of the three major sports under GGH, Elaine provides extra volleyball focused fitness sessions, volleyball tutorial videos (GGH YouTube) and social media posts. She is also taking the initiative to develop beach volleyball in Leeds. Fingers crossed for approval on this proposal! Regarding the Leeds Gorse
“We can take more than six in a group as we are Covid Secure, but as a club we decided to stick with five plus a leader, just because your average member of the public doesn’t know England Athletics’ rules and we didn’t want people seeing us running in large groups with Lakers shirts on. And there may be further tightening of rules in the coming weeks.” Parkrun’s success is built on its open, friendly and encouraging ethos. It has helped many people start or increase regular exercise, with proven physical and mental health benefits. The social side is also important with many parkrunners making new friendships. Whilst many particpants will have continued taking exercise as individuals, many will have dropped out without the discipline of a weekly event. Nick Pearson added: “As we head into winter and face the many associated seasonal health issues (both in terms of COVID-19 and other mental and physical illnesses), we believe parkrun has an incredibly important role to play in supporting public health.” Mark Hodgkinson, one of the volunteer organisers of Cross Flatts parkrun told South Leeds Life: “We support the decision not to restart. Holding events would not send the right message to the public, but we do need to find a way to get parkrun going again that is safe for participants and volunteers; and has public support.”
Elaine Brown, Volleyball England Coach of the Year 2019-20 Volleyball Club, Elaine led the programming for sessions, and as a result, each team had their most successful year in terms of development, wins and team unity. The U15 girls’ team in particular, led by Brown and Lizzie Carrick, was due to play in the finals round of the National Volleyball Championship competition making this a record for the farthest level a junior Leeds team has reached. Elaine also led the Yorkshire Junior girls programme and provided much support for coaches. Additionally, Coach Brown has helped build a partnership between The Ruth Gorse Academy and the Men’s National Volleyball Team which has been a great success, and truly inspires the junior players to keep working hard and achieve their goals. To ensure the success of the women’s programme in Leeds, Elaine served as the assistant coach for the Women’s 1st team and made it a priority to aid in the transition of younger players moving up to higher levels of competition. In addition, Coach Brown is the Beginner and Intermediate Coach at University of Leeds and has also helped support the Leeds Beckett Women’s Volleyball programme on several occasions. Next year, Elaine plans to expand volleyball into
colleges starting with Elliot Hudson College, so youth in the area will have opportunities to develop and play at every level from primary, secondary, college, university and of course with the Leeds Club. As Coach Brown is an advocate for inclusivity, she organised the club’s first LGBTQ+ Open Play Day in conjecture with the Leeds LGBTQ+ Fringe Festival and plans on repeating the event each year. She has also laid the groundwork to launch a SEND sitting volleyball programme throughout the Gorse Trust and LGVC to ensure people of all abilities have the chance to play, develop and compete in volleyball. “As a woman of colour, I believe it is important to have diversity in sport. Collaboration is key; we are stronger together! “Growing up, I wish there would have been more role models in sport who looked like me, so now, it is my privilege to be that person for the young people I work with across Leeds. “As a coach, I am firm but fair. Teaching players how to become good teammates is crucial not only in volleyball, but also in life.” If you are interested in joining the Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club, please reach out on social media or visit leedsvolleyball.org.uk for more information.
Middleton Woods parkrun in happier times last year
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