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Issue 68 | November 2020
Covering Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton, Riverside & Stourton
NOWHERE TO GO The homelessness crisis in our communities by Ed Carlisle
W
inter is upon us, and many of us are preparing (this year more than ever) for 'hibernation': spending more time at home, with the heating on, taking it slow. But some are not so lucky. Homelessness is a growing struggle in our city, and nationwide: a life and death battle, brought home locally by the recent tragic death of a homeless man – Edward Franklin - on Hunslet Moor, aged just 36. This month, we're exploring the challenge and the tragedy of homeless. We're featuring the stories and voices of people who are or have been homeless; the reasons behind it; the issue of 'hidden homelessness'; the particular situation facing some people seeking asylum; what the Council, charities, and others are doing; and what we can each do to make things better. Homelessness is a growing problem. Nationwide, numbers of people sleeping rough have doubled in the past decade, with an estimated average of 5,000 people sleeping on the streets every night; last year saw over 440 people sleeping rough in Leeds, with an average of 33 on any given night. But this is only the tip of the iceberg: those who are visibly homeless, on the streets. National charity Shelter estimate there are at least 380,000 people homeless in the UK, including over 50,000 children: 1 person in every 200 (so south Leeds is likely to have hundreds, if not 1000+). But
Photo: Shutterstock most are so-called ‘hidden homeless’: people not on the streets, but existing from day to day on sofas and floors of friends or family, in cars, sheds, squats, hostels or temporary accommodation. The government's 'Everyone In' scheme during lockdown earlier this year created a temporary solution to street homelessness: the vast majority were temporarily housed in hotels. But that has now ended – and homeless charities are reporting a steep increase in street homelessness. Dave Hedley runs Homeless Leeds Support, a voluntary outreach group. He told us: “We and other groups are
doing our best, but it’s a nightmare situation, and it’s getting worse. Lots of services are just no longer there, with government cuts; there are more and more restrictions for people on the streets; and a lot of regular people are struggling financially, so donations have really dried up. At the end of the day, we just need more compassion in the city; after all, we’re all just two steps away from homelessness”. And the underlying causes have only deepened. The complex mix of factors which cause people to become homeless include: insecure or lost employment; breakdowns in relationships (including where friends and family
become too stretched to support others); transition out of care or the armed forces; the housing crisis and inequities; the inhumane welfare system; mental and physical health, and cutbacks to related services; and drug and alcohol addiction. Meanwhile, residents across South Leeds have noticed a visible local rise in homelessness (especially tents, and begging) in the past year. Many residents insist the majority of street homeless people they encounter are no trouble – ‘genuines’ who are just down on their luck. Yet there are anti-social impacts relating to
homelessness upon established communities – including begging, drug and alcohol abuse (and the waste – often hazardous – that goes with it), and crime. But what is it like to be homeless? Street homeless people have a life expectancy of just 44; 1 in 3 experience direct and deliberate violence; and they are 9 times more likely to commit suicide. And whilst it’s difficult to collect statistics about people who are ‘hidden homeless’, there is plenty of evidence as to the multiple negative impacts of people lacking such a basic need as secure housing People we met echoed much of this. Dean told us that homelessness is “Utterly and totally soul destroying.” Others spoke of the frustrations of battling bureaucracy, of death and suicide, of facing aggression and stigma. Daz told us: “Living on the streets is awful, really hard – and it’s harder than ever now, with Covid”. Wayne speculated that “People are becoming less caring; I’d ask everyone to be understanding and less judgemental.” And Paul added that people “Just stopping and talking, or giving a friendly smile – that makes a big difference”. Tough times lie ahead for us all – but Gandhi once said that “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”. So, what are we going to do? Turn to pages 6 and 7 for more on this complex issue.
In this issue:
Working on the railway
page 8
Chippies keeping Holbeck Together page 10
A book for every child in Holbeck
page 14
Betty’s virtually unstoppable page 24 NEWS
2-11
HOMELESSNESS 6-7 BIG PICTURE 11-12 SCHOOL LIFE 14-15 COMMENT
16-17
HISTORICAL
18-19
WHAT’S ON
20-22
ARTISTIC LIFE
23
SPORTING LIFE 24
Get the latest news at www.southleedslife.com - new stories posted daily
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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2 News
About us South Leeds Life is written by and for local people. People who live, work and play in the LS10 and LS11 areas of South Leeds. The website and newspaper are produced by South Leeds Life CIC, a social enterprise registered with Companies House, No 9998695. South Leeds Life is a member of the Independent Community News Network.
Our aims To inform people of events, activities, issues and opportunities taking place in the South Leeds community; To encourage the involvement of the wider community in communicating their experiences; To foster community spirit and involvement; and To provide a platform for local people to contribute and respond to community life more fully. South Leeds Life is pleased to publish views from across the political spectrum, provided they comply with our editorial guidelines. We remain a neutral publication with a diverse readership, as such we do not endorse any particular political party.
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Homes in Holbeck’s Recreations area set for refurbishment A
proposal to refurbish and improve the energy efficiency of 150 homes in Holbeck has been approved by senior councillors. At the executive board on Wednesday 21 October, members approved a recommendation that £3.9m be allocated to revamp the properties primarily made up of private sector stock built before 1919, in the Recreations area of Holbeck. Previously, 153 properties in the
Recreations received a host of improvements such as new roofs, windows, doors, yards and walls which was provided through phase one of the ‘Holbeck Group Repair’ initiative. External wall insulation to improve the thermal efficiency of the pre-1919 solid wall stock in the area was also undertaken and has provided a host of environmental and financial benefits to residents. These have included saving an estimated 1,450 tonnes of CO2 per
‘Improvement in Phase One included insulated cladding and new windows
annum and helping to reduce fuel costs by an estimated 25-30% or around £350-400 per annum. The creation of 14 bin yards linked to the homes, which removed individual bins off the streets, increased recycling rates, reduced fly tipping and also greatly improved the general street scene. As part of phase two the initiative will seek to replicate the improvements and success of the work which was carried out in phase one to more properties in the Recreations. The council has successfully bid for £2.65m from the government to improve privately owned homes within the area as part of phase two. The council will use money reserved for the improvement of council houses to invest in its own properties, making it a scheme worth £3.9m overall. The ‘Holbeck Group Repair’ scheme forms part of the council’s commitment to undertake and secure improvements for residents living in areas that were identified as
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six priority neighbourhoods in the city, which includes Holbeck. This would support work to tackle a range of issues from poor quality homes to fuel and child poverty and unemployment. Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, said: “Regardless of where people live in Leeds they deserve a home that’s of good quality and fit for purpose. In Leeds we have some older housing that need significant improvement that isn’t always up to our modern day standards. That’s why we are expanding this work to update and improve existing homes in the Holbeck community. Set out in the executive board report are proposals to move forward with phase two of the ‘Holbeck Group Repair’ scheme, which already as part of phase one has transformed 153 properties residing in the Recreations area of Holbeck. “These improvements to mainly private sector properties built before 1919 have not just led to residents receiving much needed refurbishment work to their homes in a priority neighbourhood area where there is great need and many different social and economic challenges. It has seen real benefits for the people that live in this area including reducing their fuel costs, whilst also bringing around a number of wider environmental improvements. It is for this reason that we want to progress this work further as part of phase two by including a further 150 properties located in the Recreations.”
Real Junk Food Project moves into new Stourton HQ T
he Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) has signed a 12-month lease on a 11,915 sq ft industrial unit at the former Copperworks in Stourton – owned and managed by Brighouse-based commercial and industrial lettings specialist and landlord, Towngate PLC. Born to tackle rising levels of food waste, the social enterprise started as a single café in Armley and has inspired over 120 projects across seven countries. The organisation’s new home on Haigh Park Road will be a place to store intercepted food, which will then be re-distributed to the Kindness Sharehouse within the Ridings Centre, Wakefield. The supermarket has no prices on its goods, instead asking customers to ‘pay what they feel’ – providing access for all, without the stigma attached to food poverty or waste. TRJFP has also supported local hubs, including Slung Low in Holbeck, with supplies of food to include in food parcels to local people during the pandemic. In 2019, TRJFP intercepted approximately 400 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 950,000 meals. In the first 12 weeks of lockdown in
2020 alone, the team intercepted double that amount – comparable to 1.9 million meals. Adam Smith, founder and CEO of TRJFP, commented: “Whilst Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem of food waste, it’s important to understand this issue does not just exist because of the pandemic. There are food consequences of every wider social, political, and economic occurrence we go through, from Christmas to Brexit and the devastating floods earlier this year, to name just a few. “Tonnes of produce never reaches its intended destination, and special action needs to be taken to prevent it ending up in landfill until fundamental changes are made to the system. Whilst we are immensely proud of the new warehouse, it’s a bittersweet achievement really, as our growing organisation sadly reflects a rising problem. We’ll have truly succeeded when systematic changes have been made and we no longer need to do what we’re doing.” Tom Lamb, property manager at Towngate PLC added: “It’s a real pleasure to be able to
Volunteer Mark Swarbrick in the warehouse. work with TRJFP – the work it does is not only inspirational, but vitally important to people and the environment. “The Stourton site should make the perfect home for their warehouse operation. The close proximity to the M1 and M621 will also be extremely beneficial when distributing food supplies, while the location will ensure easy access for
Photo: Lorne Campbell / Guzelian
those looking to donate food directly.” The warehouse also benefits from an adjoining yard area and ancillary office accommodation, as well as ground level loading doors and large power supply. The Copperworks site was acquired by Towngate PLC in 2003 and is popular with industrial occupiers given the proximity of the national motorway network.
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November 2020 | South Leeds Life
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News 3
Consultation on new council Council houses to benefit from housing for Middleton £24m green heat investment T
housands of council tenants across Leeds are to benefit from significantly cheaper energy bills as part of a transformational new programme to improve council housing and cut the city’s carbon footprint. As part of the council’s commitments to invest in green technologies it has gone out to tender for a provider to design, develop and deliver six new district heating networks that will reduce carbon emissions, help residents save money and improve the wellbeing and comfort of those living in council properties. The council is exploring a range of green technologies to power the six new networks,
Artist’s impression of the courtyard of the extra care apartment block
A
s we previously reported in May, Leeds City Council has appointed Wates Construction Ltd to build new council housing on the Throstle Rec site in Middleton. Early plans are now being consulted on before a full planning application is submitted. 176 homes are set to be built on the site, a mix of extra care apartments, bungalows for disabled adults and general needs housing. 2.27 hectares of land is to be kept as public green space, the current proposals for the green space include natural areas for play and dog walking, landscaping and sustainable drainage features to promote biodiversity and an area which could include, or be used as a sports pitch. The consultation is keen to hear from people who currently use this space as to the improvements they and facilities they would like to see. The land was previously occupied by flats, which were demolished some years ago because they were incapable of being brought up to a decent standard for tenants. As well as Throstle Rec the site extends across Middleton Park Avenue to include the former Middleton Skills Centre on the junction of Sissons Road. The breakdown of new properties is as follows: • 60 x 1 and 2 bed apartments within an extra care facility building • 16 x 1 bed flexible bungalows for adults of a working age – fully wheelchair accessible • 100 x 2, 3 and 4 bed general needs homes.
Leeds City Council plans to deliver 1,500 new council homes over the next five years to meet increasing need in the city – pressure on council housing stock is increasing with an average of 170 bids for each home advertised. Commenting on the plans Cllr Paul Truswell, speaking on behalf of his fellow Middleton Park Councillors Judith Blake and Kim Groves, said: “We are delighted to have secured one of the first major developments of new council housing in Leeds for almost 30 years. “Half of the Throstle Rec site
Proposed site layout
will provide much-needed new council homes. The other half will be greatly improved open space. We are working with the Wades Charity, which owns part of the site, and are consulting local residents on what they would like to see on the green space. “As Councillors, we see every day the desperate plight of people stuck in unsuitable, inadequate or overcrowded housing. Providing growing numbers of people with the homes they desperately need has been increasingly difficult given the sale of council houses, and the fact that these
could not be replaced. This new development will have a significant impact on meeting that housing need.” If you would like to comment on the plans please contact the Council Housing Growth team by emailing: councilhousenewbuild@leeds. gov.uk or call (0113) 378 2815. Local residents in the immediate area have also received a Freepost comment card. There will be a further opportunity to comment when the full plans are submitted for planning permission in due course.
Member for Communities, said: “Earlier this year, I met with council tenants already experiencing the benefits of being connected to Leeds’ first low carbon district heating network. “Thanks to this major new investment in six new district heating networks thousands more residents will soon be able to stay warm for less too, which we know can make a real difference to our physical and financial wellbeing. “Not only will this investment directly benefit many residents for years to come, it will also help decarbonise more of the city’s homes—and cut the council’s own carbon footprint— as we lead by example and
Council housing in Holbeck including the potential use of ground and air source heat pumps or biomass systems, to provide residents with more sustainable and affordable heat. The £24 million investment follows the success of Leeds’ first district heating network, which will provide low carbon waste-powered heat to 1,983 homes by the end of 2020. In Leeds, around a quarter of the city’s carbon emissions come from the energy used to provide heat and hot water in our homes. By connecting residents in 1,485 properties to greener technologies, the programme will save around 950 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year while also helping tenants save a typical 10% on their energy bills. The programme will also benefit employment and create local apprenticeship opportunities in the green industries. Councillor Debra Coupar, Deputy Leader and Executive
work towards becoming a carbon neutral city.” Neil Evans, Director of Resources and Housing, said: “As the largest social housing provider in West Yorkshire, we know that council homes have a significant impact on the city’s carbon footprint and we take that responsibility seriously. “The average Leeds City Council property is already more energy efficient and cheaper to keep warm than its private sector counterpart and we will continue to invest in our buildings to help our tenants and reduce our environmental impact. “This major new investment in green technologies and district heating networks is a great example of that and builds upon actions that we are already taking to improve energy efficiency, such as retrofitting older council homes and requiring new build council homes to meet a minimum B rating.”
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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4 News
On the beat
by Insp Lucy Leadbeater
B
onfire night is going to look very different this year, sadly any organised bonfires have had to be cancelled including the very popular Leeds City Council event at Middleton. The police and other emergency services often see an increase in anti-social behaviour and nuisance type calls for service in the lead up to bonfire night. In order to try and reduce this we have had a series of partnership meetings with numerous agencies including police, Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team, fire, youth services, housing, cleansing as well as the Councillors. We have focused on the prevention of offences and whilst it is challenging in the current climate, we are working with some excellent projects to put on diversionary activities for young people. Despite all our efforts, we have seen an increase in calls
to police in relation to youths causing ASB with fireworks, we will take positive action where there is evidence of this. Leeds has secured a city wide injunction which is in force until 30 November and full details on the injunction can be found at www.westyorkshire.police .uk/news-appeals/injunctiontackle-misuse-fireworks-leedsgranted-court. If you are planning on having some bonfire celebrations please ensure that your activities are in line with the current restrictions in relation to Covid and the most up to date guidance on this can be
arrested and charged. He is awaiting his court appearance. Below are some handy tips on how to secure your premises. Hate Crime Awareness Week took place last month and we have been visible in communities to engage, raise awareness and address any concerns residents may have about hate crime. You may have seen us out and about in Middleton last month with colleagues from Leeds City Council in our new engagement vehicle. It is much harder to engage now, but if you see us please feel confident to come and
Come and speak to us about your concerns found at www.gov.uk. As I have mentioned in this column previously, the darker nights often sees an increase in burglary offences as well as other crime types such as theft from motor vehicle. This month we have had an excellent result with a prolific male who breaks into motor vehicles in both inner and outer south areas. The male was identified from CCTV by South Leeds NPT officers and some diligent investigations have linked him to numerous other offences for which he has been
speak to us, we will always ensure that we follow social distancing and keep you safe, we are still very keen to speak to residents and communities about local concerns or issues. Due to the increased restrictions in relation to Covid we are attending an increased number of ‘Covid breaches’, the majority of these being households mixing indoors. Please ensure that you keep up to date with the current restrictions and that you keep you and your families safe and look after each other.
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Holbeck’s ‘Listening Well’ campaign by Dennis Kitchen
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istening Well was a community led, community driven listening campaign focusing on community safety and the Managed Approach in Holbeck. The group aims to represent community voices on the managed approach and work to bring an end to street prostitution across Leeds. As a group they care deeply about Holbeck, the residents and the people who work here. They want to see Holbeck be a thriving community, where people are safe and are proud of where they live. The Voice of Holbeck group responsible for delivering Listening Well did not seek to collect negative feedback about the Managed Area, rather the events were designed to allow community members to voice their stories and experiences to support the development of a clear action plan to initiate change and accountable relationships with decision makers. The Voice of Holbeck Group a partnership of 10 community groups, schools, charities and churches: would like to thank all those who have taken part in the Listening Well events from February 2019 until March 2020. During this period over 500 people ranging from children, young people to 90+ year olds
bravely stepped forward to share their experiences and comments sharing their experiences of what life is like for them in Holbeck, specifically in relation to the Managed Approach. Community members who took part in the various events held throughout the Holbeck area were demographically diverse, included migrants (often seldom heard voices in communities). All events were attended by strategic leads from the council, police and Safer Leeds as well as local councillors. Their role at these events was to listen to residents sharing their experiences of living and working in Holbeck. The format at each of the events was important: everyone sat together, with the strategic leads listening to individual table discussions. The goal was to provide people with a supportive space to share
potentially distressing experiences that could be heard and recorded. Since March 2020 details of all the stories, experiences and comments have been collated into a report. This work has been undertaken by an independent body, ‘Centre of Health Promotion Research’, Dr Louise Warwick-Booth and Susan Coan at Leeds Beckett University. This report is now in a draft state and will be forwarded in the first instance to Strategic Leeds, Councillor Debra Coupar, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Communities and our Ward Councillors for their comments and deliberations. It expected that this report will be ratified and made public in November. Full details of the report, its conclusions and the response to it from Safer Leeds and Council Representatives’ will be reported in the next issue of South Leeds Life.
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News 5
Middleton becomes Asda’s new sustainability store O
n Monday 19 October Asda opened its new sustainability trial store and unveiled a new plastics reduction strategy with a promise that customers will not pay more for greener options. The supermarket has partnered with some of the UK’s most popular household brands including PG Tips, Vimto, Kellogg’s, Radox and Persil to create the store in Middleton. The store is designed to help shoppers reduce, reuse and recycle with ease and Asda estimates the numerous initiatives being trialed in Middleton will save one million pieces of plastic per year. Asda will use the Middleton store to test and learn which elements of its new offer appeal most to customers and can be developed at scale to be
November 2020 | South Leeds Life
potentially rolled out to more locations in 2021. And to encourage customers to shop sustainably, the supermarket has also launched ‘Greener at Asda Price’ a national price promise that loose and unwrapped products will not cost more than wrapped equivalents. The new store includes the following features: • 15 huge refill stations offering customers a selection of more than 30 household staples sold in refillable format. • Products include a selection of different Kellogg’s cereals, PG Tips tea bags, Quaker Oats, Lavazza and Taylors of Harrogate coffee beans, Vimto cordial and Asda’s own brand rice and pasta. • The refill zone includes popular brands of shampoo, conditioner, Persil laundry
detergent, hand wash and shower gel from Unilever brands such as Simple and Radox sold in refillable format – a retail first. • 53 fresh produce lines in total sold in loose and unwrapped format including 29 new lines such as cauliflowers, mushrooms, apples, cabbages and baby plum tomatoes. In addition, all Asda plants and flowers are sold either unwrapped or with a paper wrapping. • Removal of the outer plastic wrapping on several popular Heinz and Asda Brand canned multipacks including beans and soups. • Recycling facilities for items that are difficult to recycle in kerbside collections such as crisp and biscuit packets, plastic toys, cosmetic containers and toothpaste tubes.
• Asda’s first reverse vending machine for cans, plastic and glass drinks bottles and a hanger recycling facility that will be rolled out across all stores. • The store will also showcase sustainable fashion lines through George including clothing made from recycled polyester and coat hanger-less denim. • A new community zone for pop ups and partnerships with charities; the first is a threemonth trial with the Salvation Army of a Drop and Shop outlet for customers to donate their unwanted clothing and bric-abrac seven days a week. • A partnership with PreLoved a vintage wholesaler who will be selling bespoke vintage clothing from well-known brands. In line with the opening of its new sustainable store, Asda
has launched its new strategy for plastics and sustainability. Asda recognises that sustainable shopping must be affordable and accessible to all customers and commits customers won’t pay more for greener options. The company is also committed to generating zero carbon emissions by 2040, reducing waste by 50% and having a net regenerative impact on nature no later than 2050. In 2018, Asda set a weightbased target of 15% reduction in plastic packaging by 2021, with the company removing over 9,300 tonnes of plastic from their own brand products since then. Now it has introduced an additional commitment to remove 3bn pieces of plastic from ownbrand products by 2025. It has also committed to introduce over 40 refillable products by 2023 and invest in 50 closed loop and circular projects by 2030, working closely with waste management companies, recyclers and product developers. Roger Burnley, Asda’s CEO and President said:
“Today marks an important milestone in our journey as we tackle plastic pollution and help our customers to reduce, re-use and recycle. We have always known that we couldn’t go on this journey alone, so it is fantastic to work in tandem with more than twenty of our partners and suppliers, who have answered the call to test innovative sustainable solutions with us. “During the next few months we will listen to customers and colleagues’ feedback on Middleton so we can understand how we can continue to reduce our environmental impacts, whilst continuing to deliver quality service at a great price.” Nina Schrank, lead plastics campaigner at Greenpeace UK said: “Asda’s new sustainability store reflects what people are looking for - the opportunity to go plastic free. By offering innovative refill stations, loose fruit and vegetables and plenty of sustainably sourced household goods, they have bought what used to be a niche shopping experience into the mainstream, all under one roof.”
Morrison’s Community Friends of the Aire Champion is here to help A T
hroughout the Covid crisis Morrisons supermarkets have been supporting members of the community. Debbie Wren, the Community Champion at the Hunslet store, has been in touch to remind people of their Doorstep Deliveries service. This is designed for elderly and vulnerable people that can’t shop because they are isolating or shielding. You can order any items stocked at the store and a delivery will be made the following day between 10am6pm, there is no delivery charge for the elderly and vulnerable. To order Call 0345 611 6111 and select Option 5; if the request is urgent, please contact Debbie helping with community VE Day celebration last May Debbie on 07811 715811
group of residents from the h2010 development in Hunslet are founding The Friends Of The Aire because we care about the River Aire and the environment in our area. By connecting like-minded groups from the surrounding communities, we will be organising and participating in area litter-picking activities and general tidy-ups along the River Aire between Leeds Dock and Knostrop Weir. We also intend to lobby the Canal and River Trust, Leeds City Council, and other landowners on riverside matters. The new group was set to hold its inaugural meeting, online, as we went to press. Members of the community are encouraged to join the organisation as well as its Facebook group for further information. Upcoming events include: Canal & River Trust (CRT)-sponsored Waterborne River Cleanup (with canoe instruction) on Saturday 7 November from 10am - 4pm A recent clean up day on the River Aire
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Voices from the street Mental health support for rough sleepers A
Volunteers prepare to take food and warm bedding, and a friendly smile, to rough sleepers in Leeds
S
outh Leeds Life spent an evening helping the Homeless Leeds Support team, run by Dave Hedley, in the city centre, and talking with people who were sleeping rough. These were some of their stories and insights: Levi: “I got caught in a spiral of short-term private lets, and failing to get anywhere with bidding for Council houses, so now I’m in my tent. We need to start looking at giving better support to young people moving into their first homes, to break these cycles.” Adam: “I want to get back on track, but suffer with a serious back injury, so finding work is impossible. So many people I know have died, especially in winter.” Jamie: “I was in and out of
prison, but have stayed out of trouble these last years, and got a flat that I was sharing with my partner Vicky. “But then I missed a phone appointment because of my anxiety, and we lost the flat. We got a tent, but someone slashed the roof and nicked the poles. Everyday is getting worse, and if I had the balls to do myself in, I’d do it.” Wayne: “My wife and I are grandparents, and had a nice bungalow together, but my wife now has serious degenerative dementia, and we had to sell the house to pay for her nursing home. Here on the streets, I’ve been beaten up, pissed on, and worse. There’s a lot of stigma, and it seems people are becoming less caring. I’d ask people to be understanding
Dean’s story W
e spoke to Dean Smith about his historic experience of being homeless. This is his story: I was born 1971 in South Leeds. Born in Hunslet then onto Holbeck and Beeston. I had a regular upbringing. Ingram Road Primary School, Hugh Gaitskell Middle School and Matthew Murray High School. I started work at 16. In reality from the outside a normal life. Except I was bullied quite a lot at school and by ‘friends’. I took my first proper drink at 15 and it made me feel different straight away. I felt safe, loved, invincible. I searched for that feeling for another 21 years and never found it again. Those 21 years included failed relationships, failed fatherhood, loss of jobs, friends, loved ones and family. A failed marriage, failed fatherhood again. In December 2005 I was arrested for drink driving while living in Scotland. I was convicted in February
2006 and was lucky to get a fine and a ban. The months from February to November 2006 read like a BBC drama. Suicide attempts, brushes with the Police, double incontinence. The world of an active alcoholic. Sofa surfing is the term I would use.The unseen side of homelessness. At 36 I found myself living back with one set of parents, then the next. Everytime my alcoholism got worse. Everytime I would lie, cheat, steal, ruin friendships and relationships. You get the picture. From there I went to my uncles, then friends, then acquaintances. Everytime wearing out my welcome due to my drinking, thinking and terrible attitude to everyone and everything. Eventually I had nowhere else to go. I was still on the mortgage in Scotland, therefore not classed as homeless due to the fact I could just go back there (words that were actually said to me). The experience of being
and less judgemental.” Paul: “I struggle with mental health, but – because I’m not on drugs anymore – I don’t get a key worker. Time goes so slow on the streets, but people should just stop and talk with us, or just give a friendly smile – that makes a big difference”. Daz: “I was living somewhere, but it was deemed unsafe, so I had to move out. And now, because I’m a man, I’m low priority for housing, and the Council say they have no duty of care towards me. “Living on the streets is awful, really hard: I’ve suffered violence and theft so many times. And it’s harder than ever: with Covid, the streets are much quieter, and no-one has cash. It can take 6 hours to get £1.” homeless was utterly and totally soul destroying. It's a feeling that will never leave me. To feel so totally and utterly alone is the saddest place any human being can be. No self worth, self respect, self confidence and the feeling of been unloved is overwhelming. How the hell did I get here? I ended up in emergency accomodation through Leeds Housing. The first place was in Harehills then onto Hyde Park. Harehills was horrific. There was a drug runner in the house and every other day the shared lounge would be full of drug users and drinkers. Hyde Park
Being homeless was utterly soul destroying was a totally different story. Having said that, no matter where I went I had ‘me’ to deal with. After months and months of applying for housing through LCC I was given a flat in Beeston. My active alcoholism was still running my life at this point and it was still chaos. In late October 2006 I attempted suicide.
new team of mental health professionals is reaching out to help people living on the streets and others who are facing homelessness in Leeds. The Specialist Therapeutic Outreach Team is part of Forward Leeds, the city’s alcohol and drug service. Operational Manager at Forward Leeds, Anne Hobbs, said: “Our workers are there for the most vulnerable people in our city - those who have both mental and physical health problems as well as alcohol and drug misuse problems. “Many of those living on the streets in Leeds have suffered multiple traumas in the past. People may be familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but trauma can also lead to depression, self-harm, alcohol and drug misuse, psychosis, relationship difficulties, dissociation, suicidal thoughts and an increased risk of poor physical health.” She said those affected had
Trauma Informed Mental Health Practitioners Marlisse Elliott and Matt Hanson difficulty engaging or staying engaged with the services that were able to meet their needs. The workers are trained to understand these issues and now work with individuals to improve their lives and help them to recover from substance misuse issues with Forward Leeds. The team works alongside already established Safer Leeds Street Support Team and other support services in the city to ensure collaborative and
streamlined working, with the full intention of bringing about positive change for this vulnerable client group. Trauma-informed care is about creating the conditions to improve people’s treatment. A person’s past experience of trauma can affect the way they react to experiences in the present. Everyday situations can be very distressing, leading them to behave in ways that could appear aggressive or overly defensive.
To report concerns about the welfare of anyone on the street Ring: 0113 245 9445 or email: leeds.SOS@cgl.org.uk If you are at risk of becoming homeless, contact Leeds Housing Options Ring: 0113 222 4412 or email: housing.options@leeds.gov.uk Once I was released from hospital, again, I went straight for a drink. I had no idea that day would be the start of a new life. After I couldn't keep the 1st, 2nd and 3rd drink down I gave in, I surrendered. That was 13 November 2006 and I haven't had a drink of alcohol since. I moved from that emergency accommodation into my flat in Beeston and started a 12 step programme. I am married to a beautiful, living woman who I adore. It has been a rocky road at times, as life can be, but we get through it together. She is also in recovery. We have been together over 13 years and married for 11 years. I stay very close to the 12 step programme that has helped me over the years. I work full time and now live in a 3 bedroom house in Farnley. I could go into all the things and people I have lost, but I prefer to be very grateful what what I have today. I am currently working alongside Growing Rooms in Leeds to set up a running project. These guys are where I was 141/2 years ago and I want to give them something to help
Dean has his life back now with their wellbeing and self worth. I have gone from a hopeless homeless alcoholic to been a member of society again. I work, run marathons and other events, I am chairman for South Leeds Lakers who are a big part of my life. In my opinion not enough is being done on homelessness. Charities can only do what they
can. Local councils and the government need to get involved. These are people’s lives. They are not to be dismissed. It's a difficult to know what individuals can do. Empathy, a kind word even a ‘hello’ can go a million miles. Be kind most of all. That person could be your child, sibling or friend. There but for the grace of God go I.
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Homelessness 7
Councillors discuss city’s response to street homelessness A
Frontline support on the streets Simon on the Streets are an acclaimed frontline homeless charity in Leeds. They welcome direct contact from people who are homeless, or people supporting them; and they are reliant on public support - financial and and in kind. Full details at simononthestreets.co.uk
Homelessness and migration M
igration adds further complexity to the housing and homelessness crisis: how much is it a factor? In South Leeds, the arrival of new communities has undoubtedly caused a squeeze on affordable local housing. However, nationally, migration is arguably only one of several reasons for the housing shortage. There are fewer that 20,000 homes nationally being used to house asylum seekers. The number of refugees adds a further estimated 150,000 homes. And other new migrant communities live in a further estimated 1 million homes. But writers like academic Danny Dorling insist the 2011 census shows the UK has more rooms per person than any point in history. He and others argue that the single biggest housing issue is distribution. Recent decades have seen a huge growth in second home
ownership (there are now over 700,000 nationally): houses that sit empty most of the time, as investments or holiday getaways. There is also ‘land-banking’ where big housing developers buy up then sit on empty land, as an investment, or waiting for property prices to rise. And yet another big factor is the lack of smaller homes for older people into move into – to release big family homes. Meanwhile, a disproportionate number of new migrants experience homelessness – especially work migrants who fall into unemployment, or people whose asylum claims fail. These typically have limited or zero access to public funds, so are even more helpless than UK citizens, sometimes for years on end. In Leeds, organisations including PAFRAS, the Red Cross, Solace, and LASSN have worked alongside thousands of
volunteers to support these people for many years – with temporary accommodation, food, and other services – and therefore taken the pressure off other frontline homeless schemes. Ways you can help locally include volunteering with LASSN’s award-winning ‘Grace Hosting’ project, which sees homeless people seeking asylum staying temporarily with you; dozens of South Leeds residents have been involved, and have many good stories to tell (visit our website for those stories). There is also an urgent need for fosters carers for unaccompanied child refugees: visit migrationyorkshire.org.uk. And food and financial support is also welcome at the local
report into the city’s approach to rough sleepers was discussed by senior Councillors at Leeds City council’s executive board on 21 October. The independent report was commissioned following the deaths of ten people living on the streets between October 2017 and March 2019. The report found that over 400 people had slept rough in Leeds at least once during 2019 and that 500 people had been recorded begging on at least one occasion during that time The report also detailed the work of the Street Support Team, set up in 2018, to coordinate approaches by the council and other agencies including the police and charities. The team work across the whole city, not just the city centre. The report concluded that this approach was working, charities. And with particular reference to asylum, campaigners are pushing: for people seeking asylum to be allowed to work, so they can support themselves; and for an amnesty for all those seeking asylum for over 10 years. For more info, visit: refugeecouncil.org.uk.
but that lessons could be learned and improvements made. Commenting on the report, Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, said: “Firstly, I would like to express our respects and sympathies to the families of those who have sadly died in the circumstances which have led to this independent review being undertaken. One death on our streets is too many and it is always a tragedy when it unfortunately occurs. “Many of the issues associated with people rough sleeping and/or living a streetbased lifestyle are extremely challenging and complex. It was for this reason that in 2018 we set up as part of a city-wide approach a designated Street Support Team to ensure the best possible help could be offered. An update on the work
which has been taken is provided in this executive board report, along with an overview of what we are doing to meet the challenges offered by coronavirus to help those in need and an outline of our planned future work. “We know these are difficult circumstances, but even during this review we have been working on this and we are starting to see positive outcomes on the streets. We know we are not there yet but we continue to be dedicated to this work. “We are currently assessing closely the findings of the Independent Review in to the very sad deaths of those people rough sleeping on our streets. This will aid our work to ensure that no stone is being left unturned in our aim to do everything in our power stop these types of tragedies happening again in our city.”
What can we do? Learn Check out websites like crisis.org.uk and shelter.org.uk for information and stories on homelessness.
Give There are great local and national charities and groups working and campaigning with the homeless community, who need our financial support (via direct giving, or joining fundraising events). National bodies include: Shelter, Crisis, and Centrepoint. Local bodies include: Homeless Leeds Support, Simon on the Streets, Homeless Street Angels, Lighthouse, the Leeds Homeless Partnership, Community Kitchen, St Anne's, and St George's Crypt; full info at bigchangeleeds.co.uk.
Donate Many of these local organisations also welcome non-cash items, including: food and drink; sleeping bags, tents and camping kit; clothes; and toiletries. Please check with the organisations before donating.
Volunteer Many of these organisations are heavily reliant on volunteers; get in touch with them to find out about getting involved.
Connect
RIP John Pocock
Grace Hosting short stay accommodation
Photo: City Of Sanctuary
We are sad to report the passing away this month of south Leeds man John Pocock - who was for many years a stalwart of provision for the homeless in the city. Himself homeless and imprisoned whilst growing up, John turned himself around. He went on to manage several shelters for the homeless, including Lisbon Street in Leeds city centre, as a leading member of the Salvation Army. Read John's full obituary next month, or online at: southleedslife.com.
People who are or have been street homeless consistently relay that the kindness of strangers is a crucial lifeline when you're down and out. Take time to talk with people who are homeless, hear their stories, share food and drink with them, look out for them, and ask if you can support them. Most organisations advise against giving cash to people begging.
Campaign Write to our MP Hilary Benn, express your concerns about the growing homelessness crisis, and work with him and others for a fair and more compassionate political landscape.
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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8 News
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Lifeline grant for Middleton Railway
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he Middleton Railway Trust is one of 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. The £79,900 grant will enable the Middleton Railway to expand its museum to better tell the story of the pioneering work of John Blenkinsop and Matthew Murray who developed the world’s first commercially successful steam locomotive in 1812, whose work inspired George Stephenson to build his first steam locomotive and who laid the foundations of the once
hugely important Leeds locomotive building industry. The development of this industry helped create the Leeds of today with its diversified economy and strong research and educational sectors. It is the Trust’s ambition in explaining the work of these two giants of the Industrial Revolution to both introduce future generations to this important vital part of their heritage and to inspire future generations to become technologists and scientists. The grant will also enable the Trust to upgrade its conference and training facilities to improve its long term financial resilience and to be able to
Celebrating Middleton Railway Trust’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2020
support local organisations to train people in skills of the future. Charles Milner, Chairman of the Middleton Railway, said: “The Middleton Railway is the site of one of the most significant moments in the development of surface transportation; the first truly successful application of the power of steam to the movement of goods. “This was a tipping point in history when transportation ceased to be dependent on the speed of the horse or the strength of the ox but became dependent on the skill and ingenuity of man. “The story of the Middleton Railway and Blenkinsop and
Murray’s role in this pivotal moment is not well understood and the Culture Recovery Grant will enable the Middleton Railway Trust to take a very significant step toward properly telling this story. It will also help the Trust continue its important work of conserving and restoring artefacts which help tell this story and that of the Leeds Locomotive Building Industry. “At a time when the Covid-19 Pandemic is causing so much despair, this grant provides the Trust with a ray of light in the proverbial darkness. We are very grateful to the Government for this opportunity to continue with our long terms plans to tell the Blenkinsop Murray story.” During these challenging times it has been important for the Middleton Railway to continue at the centre of the community, opening to the public with new Covid precautions in place as well as providing a safe environment for volunteers to continue their valuable work maintaining and running the railway. Amongst all of this, one project has been particularly important to keep going, the Middleton Railway Youth Team. The scheme started in 2017 with a growing demand for opportunities available to under-18s. Since then the group has had a wide variety of
Sisters Ellen and Ailsa Sayles assisting with track work at Moor Road members, some from the immediate area but many from further afield including North Derbyshire and Lancashire. Members receive a preliminary safety induction, follow a structured programme of training and supervised activities while also receiving opportunities to qualify in a range of roles as they reach the appropriate age. Tasks are recorded in a log book and several of the Youth
Team have gone on to apprenticeships and degrees connected to what they have learnt with us. Tasks include restoration of locomotives and rolling stock, lineside clearance, routine maintenance of the trains and even learning to operate them. Those involved take great pride in their work and will doubtless be involved in the future of the Middleton Railway for many years to come.
Plantations consultation W
hether you currently use the Plantations or not, Leeds City Council would like to hear your views on how this green space in Middleton could be improved. The Plantations is a woodland area located to the south of the New Forest Village housing estate that is regularly used by local residents walking their dogs, riding their bikes or going for a stroll. The woodland, which includes over 9,000 trees and two balancing ponds, has been designed to incorporate footpaths, bridleways and multiple access points for the local community to use and enjoy. Middleton Park ward members and Leeds City Council’s Parks and Countryside Team are looking to make improvements to the Plantations, to ensure this space remains well used and loved. Councillor Judith Blake,
Middleton Park ward, explains “We know that the Plantations are well used by local residents but we want to know what can be done to make them even better. It is really important that people take the time to complete the survey to let us know what improvements they’d like to see, what they think works well and what doesn’t. “It is an area designed for community use and so we want the community to help shape its future.” To find out more and share your thoughts, please follow this link: surveys.leeds.gov.uk/ s/plantations-survey The deadline for completing this survey is Friday 20 November. The results of the survey and next steps will be shared via an online community meeting, details of which can be found at the end of the survey, and shared on local supermarket community notice boards.
Shears mate, thanks for the trim Residents and officials have been full of praise for the Leeds Eritrean Orthodox Church fortaking on the considerable task of cutting back a massively overgrown hedgerow. The 50m long hedge was blocking a poular pathway along the side of the Lady Pit Lane allotments in Beeston Hill - but it was unclear who if anyone was responsible or able to trim it back. However, the church volunteers (who operate out of a neighbouring property, the former West Hunslet Social Club, with the support of local campaigner Ed Carlisle, stepped up, took action, and made it right.
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News 9
Hamara’s cultural food parcels T
Getting the right food to the right people
he Hamara Healthy Living Centre, based on Tempest Road in Beeston, is one three food hubs that have been keeping people in LS10 and LS11 fed during the Covid crisis. But Hamara have taken on an extra task providing food parcels that are culturally appropriate, and they are distributed across the city. Hamara is now delivering over 300 cultural food parcels a week to 11 partner organisations. The parcels cover South Asian, African, Caribbean, Roma, Polish and Middle Eastern cuisines as well as a more traditional British offering.
Volunteer Co-ordinator Daniel Siggins explains that the scheme was supported by 35 volunteers who stepped forward back in March through the Voluntary Action Leeds’ Community Care Volunteering scheme. Many of those have now returned to their jobs and Daniel is keen to hear from anyone who can contribute some time towards the project. As well as the food parcels, Hamara is distributing 400 hot meals a week from its Beeston kitchen. If you need a food parcel please contact Leeds City council on (0113) 376 0330, or contact Hamara directly on (0113) 277 3330.
Redesignating the Holbeck Neighbourhood Forum by Dennis Kitchen
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he Holbeck Neighbourhood Forum was officially established to deliver a Neighbourhood Plan for Holbeck. A forum designation lasts for 5 years and as such the designation of the forum need to be renewed. Holbeck was selected as a frontrunner neighbourhood planning area in March 2012, one of four in Leeds. The aim was to ensure that everyone in the community has the opportunity to be involved in the making of the Plan and in March 2018 a referendum took place. A ‘yes’ vote involving residents and local businesses enabled the plan to be accepted and approved by LCC. A renewal of the governance and organisational structure of the forum is key to continuing the valuable collaborative work undertaken to date. The re-
important locally, including bidding for funding and continuing cross service cooperation such as planning, regeneration, highways, developers, landowners and community teams. Since the plan has been made this holistic approach to regeneration in Holbeck through community actions and partnerships has proved Dennis Kitchen with one of the public notices successful and designation of the forum recognised nationally as best requires a formal planning practice. This was recognised application and notices have when in 2019 the Holbeck been posted in October 2020. Neighbourhood Plan jointly won It is expected that the the national planning award for renewal of this local forum will neighbourhood planning. allow us to identify through a You can find full details of the Priority Plan, areas that are application to redesignate the
forum by clicking here, where you can also complete a short survey. The closing date for the consultation is Wednesday 9 December 2020. The Forum is committed to widening community participation and our constitution has been amended to include membership to anyone with an interest in Holbeck to join. Existing membership is representative of the area as it includes a cross section of residents, businesses and other stakeholders. However it is recognised that more residents are needed. New members are able to join the Forum by emailing bertiedog2000@yahoo.co.uk. If you are interested in helping to make Holbeck a better place to live and work then you will be most welcome. The Plan can be accessed through our web page at: holbeck neighbourhoodplan.org.uk.
Friends launch Park calendar T
he perfect Christmas present for lovers of South Leeds’s hidden green gem, Middleton Park, has arrived. The Friends of Middleton Park (FOMP) have created a 2021 calendar with twelve spectacular photos showing the many facets of the park. Alan Shaw, Secretary of the Friends of Middleton Park explained: “Every year the Friends have considered whether we could put together a calendar. This year we ran a photography competition during lockdown to highlight how fabulous the
park is, and it was very successful with lots of fabulous pictures sent on and a beautiful winner picked by the community. “We decided that it would be great to show off those entries that received the most votes in a 2021 calendar. All the profit we take from the calendar will be plowed back into all we do as a charity.” Calendars can be purchased at the Visitor Centre (when it’s open) for £5, or email info@fomp.co.uk for an application to order by post at £7.50 each including postage.
Belle Isle snappers Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation ran a photo competition as part of the launch of their new website www.belleisletmo.co.uk. The entries were judged by BITMO staff. Congratulations to Kirsty, Angela and Tina who each get a £20 voucher, their winning photos will be published on the website.
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10 News NEWS IN BRIEF Cyclists urged to slow down on tow paths The Canal & River Trust, the waterways and wellbeing charity that looks after 2,000 miles of the nation’s waterways, has launched an online campaign appealing for people riding bikes on towpaths to take it easy and slow down. The Trust has also launched a trial in a busy area for cyclists along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. In addition to the general message to cyclists to Stay Kind, Slow Down, this will look at how different interventions, such as signage, floor markings and speed inhibitors, can help to change behaviour..
LS-TEN achieves charity status Last month Hunslet’s LS-TEN skatepark finally received Charity status. Tosh Wilson commented: “This was no easy process but we got there. This is great for us as it means we can simply do more for the community. We already run a number of projects in and around Leeds with the simple aim of helping people. With the charity status we will now be able to run more projects to increase the amount of people we can benefit in the community.” LS-TEN have also updated thesignage at their Kitson Road base.
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The chippy keeping Holbeck Together by Bryony Redwood-Turner
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imon and Gail have owned Park Fisheries in Beeston for 19 years. Pre-Covid, members of our older community would meet every Friday at St Matthew’s to have a sit-down fish and chip lunch, rustled up by Simon and Gail and hosted by Holbeck Together. With a special discounted price for HT clients, it was a lovely way to welcome in the weekend: stalwart volunteers Ann, Gloria and Jayne would serve chef Julie’s homemade dessert and attendees would stay on for games in the afternoon. “I love Fish Fridays. The service is excellent and the fish is always fresh and tasty” said Jane Broadbent. When Covid hit, Simon got in touch to let us know they would continue to support our weekly activity in any way they could. Although we couldn’t continue our lunch and afternoon activities at St Matthew’s, we wanted to keep things as close to ‘normal’ as possible, with their favourite fish and chips delivered to their doors. That first week, Park Fisheries donated the fish and chips order for over 40 older members of the community free of charge. It was early on in the crisis and so much was still unknown, but they said they wanted to do what they could for those who couldn’t get out. “Without Park Fisheries staying open we would not have been able to provide what is one of our clients’ favourite meals. Simon and Gail are local heroes and always provide excellent service” commented Roy Minter, Driver at Holbeck Together. Instead of one driver who would rush the lunches back to St Matthew’s, we now needed a team of four to deliver the meals to individual
Gail and Simon of Park Fisheries on Beeston Road houses. Wanting to ensure that each client received a piping hot meal even at home, Park Fisheries bought four thermos bags especially for HT. On VE day, they donated another full round of lunches free of charge. “Park Fisheries have always been there to support us in any way they can and these exceptional months have been no different. A lot of businesses are feeling the strain and for many that would mean looking inwards more, but not Park Fisheries. “They always look outwards to the community and ask, ‘how can we support others?’. They really care about those living locally and have
acted generously during testing times. It sets an example to everyone and is the kind of leadership all communities need at the moment. We’re proud to call them partners!” said Elissa Newman, Holbeck Together’s Chief Officer. Despite working with a reduced team, Simon and Gail go the extra mile, adapting the system to enable our fantastic volunteer to sort the orders into delivery lists and get the meals out in record times. Despite the Friday lunch queues they never fail to have our order perfectly right and ready to go, and always with a cheerful smile.
Thank you to the whole team at Park Fisheries! Simon said: “It’s been very busy since March. Everyone is finding it difficult, all small businesses, but we’re finding a new normal. We’ve reduced our hours a bit but our priority is to continue doing what we’re doing. It’s been our most stressful year, but you keep going, we’ll find our way through it, we always do. “I couldn’t do it without Gail. She’s the backbone. A lot of people tell us we’re a well-oiled machine! We work well together, it just flows. There’s time you’re running round like silly idiots but it just works, I don’t know how! “The folk of Beeston are a lovely group of people, honest and hardworking. The people are the best bit about this community. You try to know people by name, it’s not always possible, but we try. There’s just such a cross-section of people, but everyone’s got manners, no matter who they are. They’re all lovely people in their own way. We treat everyone as an equal; doesn’t matter if have nothing or a lot, you’ll be treated the same. “We enjoy doing what we do, we love it. You can’t treat it as job, it’s a vocation. We wouldn’t be anywhere else and we’ll stay till we retire now. We definitely spend more time here than at home! “It’s great to work with Holbeck Together. Roy and Matthew are lovely, we have a great rapport. If we can help we will. Even if we’re stretched, we’ll do whatever we can. That’s our priority. “We just want to thank everyone for their support in these difficult times. We’ll do whatever we can to support the community.”
UTC students join the Big Bike Fix T
New streetnames for jam factory site New streetnames in Beeston will have a local flavour as a housing development on a former jam factory site moves forward. The site, on Old Lane will feature Strawberry Drive, named after The Strawberry Club of seasonal workers at the Morehouses jam factory. Apparently when boiling took place you could smell the wonderful aroma all over the district. The other new road will be named after Mary Gawthorpe a prominent suffergette who lived in Beeston. She taught at St Luke’s School. She later became a national organiser for the Women’s Social and Political Union.
he South Leeds Big Bike Fix project has continued to grow and evolve this month. The project has also now partnered with UTC (University Technical College) in Hunslet – and this is what Year 11 students Jack, Sam, and Bayley have made of their involvement in the scheme: Here at UTC Leeds, the three of us, along with a group of students from Year 11, have been supporting the Big Bike Fix, a project where we fix unwanted bicycles and donate them to children and adults who do not own a bike. By returning the bikes to the community, we are not only leading towards a more sustainable way of living, as they would otherwise have ended up as scrap, but we are also supporting people to access free bikes and have a
more active lifestyle. Following lockdown, we felt that whilst children especially have had a lot more time on their hands, that some of them are not using their time to be active, either through choice or because of financial constraints. Giving young people a free bike incentivises them to get outside and take some exercise, as well as putting a
big smile on their face to get a gift, especially if the child is from a less fortunate background. The Big Bike Fix group meets for two hours every Wednesday during UTC Leeds Soc time, a weekly enrichment afternoon based on a university society model. There are numerous societies to choose from, including Greenpower Soc (where
Students at the UTC in Hunslet are repairing bikes for community
students build an eco racecar) and BamSoc (where students design a renewable park and ride in conjunction with BAM Nuttall). Our Big Bike group consists of a collection of like-minded year 11 individuals who have come together to do something we love – engineering – and to give something back to the Leeds community. We all love using our mechanical engineering specialism to disassemble, fix and repair machines and, in turn, to make a difference to the environment. In an ideal world, Leeds would become the next Copenhagen - one of the leading cities in the world for sustainable energy and low carbon emissions. Recycling bicycles gives us an opportunity to contribute to this vision whilst
simultaneously supporting eco-friendly transport options, reducing our own carbon footprint. It is greatly satisfying to fix something that someone thought was worthless and to bring it back to near its former self. At UTC Leeds, we work with over 70 employer partners from across the region, some of whom have been fantastic in supporting our work on the Big Bike Fix. Leeds Welding company, MPM and RW Cook have donated to us powder coat paint so that we can refurbish the bikes to look like new. The Big Bike Fix team have fixed up hundreds of bikes since June, and we are really proud to be contributing to increasing this number each week. To find out more about the scheme, or get involved, find ‘The Big Bike Fix South Leeds’ on Facebook.
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News 11
South Leeds slimmers come back together after months of virtual slimming Sponsored content
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limmers from South Leeds are making a ‘comeback’ as their Slimming World groups , with Tace, Jane, Maria and Barbara saying they’re excited to be back helping members to lose weight and improve their health in person. Slimming World has been supporting members virtually in online weekly groups since March, when lockdown closed all of the organisation’s community groups. Now, following the current guidelines, real-life groups are open. And the team has put measures in place to ensure groups comply fully with government and local guidance and that their members can return safely to their muchloved Slimming World groups. Tace says: “I’m delighted to finally be back together with my members! Our virtual groups have been a vital lifeline of
support and I’m so, so proud of how my members have been there for each other through these difficult months and continued to lose weight and get more active. “There’s nothing quite like the magic of our real-life groups, though, and research of our members during lockdown has shown that while our members have loved attending their virtual groups they’ve missed the motivational power and accountability of meeting in person each week.” She says the health and safety of members has been the team’s top priority in planning the return of groups: “Members will find a few things have changed in our groups to ensure that everyone feels as safe, confident and comfortable as they possibly can. This includes appropriate social distancing, hygiene measures and shorter sessions, which we’ll be asking members to book in to before
attending. What hasn’t changed is the gorgeous warm welcome, feeling of togetherness and the joy of being ‘in it together’ week on week. “As well as looking forward to ‘that feeling’ of being back together with our existing Slimming World members, we can’t wait to welcome new members in South Leeds to our groups too. “Obesity is a huge issue in the news at the moment with
evidence showing that carrying extra weight makes it harder for the body to fight Covid-19, and the Government announcing brand-new plans to tackle obesity across the UK – which Slimming World are very proud be part of. “Plus, we know many people’s routines were turned upside down by lockdown and lots of us have been feeling more worried or anxious than usual, all of which can have an impact on making healthy
choices.” Barbara, who has lost 5 stones herself, says: “I want anyone who’s worrying about their weight or health – especially if they’ve put on a few extra pounds during lockdown – to know that there will be absolutely no judgement at a Slimming World group – just lots of understanding and a very warm welcome. “At Slimming World losing weight isn’t about going hungry – our eating plan is extra easy, very delicious and super generous. And moving more doesn’t mean running marathons – unless you want to, of course like me. “Our groups are hubs of recipe-swapping, idea-sharing and problem-solving activity. Through our weekly sessions, you’ll discover how to identify the stoppers and potential pitfalls that could send you off track – or that have maybe prevented you from reaching your weight-loss goals in the
past – and learn to develop strategies to overcome them. “The new healthy habits you’ll discover will soon become habits of a lifetime, and there really is no better time to start afresh when it comes to developing new lifelong healthy habits around food and activity because, as many of the members of my groups have seen, when you lose weight you’re already doing one of the very best things you can to future-proof your health.” We have groups in Hunslet, Middleton and Beeston running Monday to Saturday, for more information go to www.slimmingworld.co.uk . Due to new safety measures, all members are asked to book into a group before attending and you can discover what a real-life Slimming World group will look like with all safety measures in place here: www.slimmingworld.co.uk/bl og/discover-keeping-you-safe
South Leeds Life | November 2020
12 The Big Picture
Hunslet sunset Taken by a drone this image of Leeds at sunset looking north west. The H2010 flats and Hunslet Mill are in the foreground. The orange stripe is the John Smeaton viaduct and Hunslet Road, the building lit in green light is Bridgewater Place (‘The Dalek’) Photo: Stefan Rushworth
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November 2020 | South Leeds Life
The Big Picture 13
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14 School Life
Major investments in the education of children in South Leeds C
ockburn Multi-Academy Trust, in partnership with Leeds City Council and the Department for Education has building work across three different sites in south Leeds. At Cockburn School, the new three-story classroom block is nearing completion and will be ready to invite students into some exciting Science and Humanities lessons during the new half term. The impressive, modern building has taken shape over recent weeks and will meet the needs of the additional students that started at Cockburn School in September addressing the previous shortfall of places that we reported earlier in the year. Once the new classroom block opens its doors to lessons, a nearby area will be made into a permanent car park that will mean that an additional 47 staff cars would park on the school site rather than on Gipsy Lane. This will have such a positive impact upon reducing the amount of traffic parking on the road and make it safer for residents and students from the school. Meanwhile, students at Cockburn John Charles Academy will soon benefit from
a vastly improved dining space as building work on extending the current provision has recently started. The extension is necessary due to the increased popularity of the academy within the local community as a first-choice option when selecting a secondary school, which has led to the academy becoming over-subscribed in all new years of entry. The new dining block will provide space in a modern, open plan environment which will accommodate all students to comfortably dine in the academy at the same time, along with new toilet facilities. The building work is progressing at a rapid pace and is due to be completed and open to students at the end of March 2021. Finally, the newest member of the Cockburn MAT community has exciting plans for its opening in September 2021. Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy, named after former Cockburn student awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery in WW1, will be sited off the Ring Road, Middleton, Leeds. The Phase 1 opening date is September 2021 with Phase 2 of the school building planned
for September 2022. Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy will have an admission number of 210 per year group and the full capacity of the school will be 1050 students. The first cohort of Year 7 students will be the founding members of the academy, creating a real family feel. The Phase 1 building will be a state-of-the-art modern school building pictured below. Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy has a new website and promotional video which can be found at www.cockburnlca.org
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New classroom block nearing completion
Extended dining facilities
Phase 1 building design for the school
Scheme launched to give every child in Holbeck a book S
Slung Low’s Ruth Saxton reads to pupils at Ingram Road Primary School
lung Low, Holbeck’s own theatre company, has published a children’s book and launched an initiative that aims to give every child in the neighbourhood a copy. In early October three of the Slung Low team spent a week at Holbeck’s Ingram Road Primary School reading Emergency Story Penguin to the children and gave all 340 of them a copy of the book. “It was an absolute joy to take the book to the pupils at our local school, we all loved it,” says Ruth Middleton, Community Producer at Slung Low and one of the readers. “We do a lot of work with the school and when we discovered there were pupils who started at the school without books, we set about changing that. Now every one of those kids has at least one book.”
The company is renowned for both its theatre and the work it does with its local community in South Leeds; they operate a food bank, a cultural community college, and manage the country’s oldest working men’s club. Artistic Director Alan Lane believes that theatre companies should redefine what they do and how they operate. “There are kids in Leeds without books, without crayons – how can that be?” he says. “Every child should have a book and we’re determined that every kid in Holbeck will have one by Christmas.” This scheme is the first time the company is selling something that isn’t ‘Pay What You Decide’, but all monies will go back into printing more copies to sell and give away.
“We want to keep this going so we are asking people to buy two for £12 and we will donate one of them to a child. If I get my way every kid in Leeds will have a copy of Emergency Story Penguin,” Alan continues. Emergency Story Penguin follows Lady Grace Thompson and her crew on an adventure around the secret underground tunnels that connect every theatre where stories are stored and told. “We’re particularly pleased to be sharing this book with kids at this time, because encouraging people to understand that theatres and the arts are vital is needed now more than ever before, we believe that culture can change our world for the better” Alan concludes. Emergency Story Penguin is on sale now at www.slunglow.org
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Beeston Youth Theatre is here! O
n Wednesday 4 November Brave Words are launching two brand new youth theatre groups at Beeston Village Community Centre. With drama sessions for young people of all ages (517), they will be a great opportunity for children to learn acting skills, make plays, make friends and have fun – in a safe and creative environment. The sessions, previously held at Tenant’s Hall in Middleton, are relaunching in a
“Pay-What-You-Can” model – meaning that nobody will be excluded due to cost. Run by two professional theatre artists with more than ten years’ experience each, they aim to bring high quality drama workshops to the Beeston area. Artistic Director, Chris says: “We have a strong focus on creating an ensemble – a youth theatre where children and young people are equals, creatives, and work together as a young theatre company to make shows. It would be
rubbish if anyone felt that they couldn’t attend – so we place big emphasis on growing confidence, communication skills and creating a friendly and aspirational environment where young people can start their journey in theatre.” Sessions will run 4:30– 5:30pm (5-10 years) and 5:30–6:30pm (11 – 17 years) during term time, in the upstairs hall at Beeston Village Community Centre. For more information, email chris@bravewords.co.uk, or call: 07775 926166.
Cockburn and CJCA run virtual Progress Review parents evening Y ear 11 students have returned to Cockburn School and Cockburn John Charles Academy with a positive and determined effort to succeed. Traditionally the schools
would be preparing to welcome parents and carers into the school building in person to conduct their Progress Review Evenings but, under current government guidance, they are not able to administer these in
the same way. They have devised a process that will allow parents and carers to be informed of their child’s progress in all subject areas and to give advice on the areas their child needs to focus on to ensure exam success at the end of this vital year of study. Progress reports will be emailed to parents and carers and from Monday 9 November to Monday 23 November, subject teachers will contact home about how well students are progressing in their subject area. Cockburn staff very much believe that the link between home and school is vital to ensure student success, never more so than at the present time and hope that all parents and carers engage in this process to ensure the best possible outcomes for the students.
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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16 Comment
In our view House the homeless In this issue we have highlighted much good work that is going on in the city to help people living on the streets. We’ve also reported on schemes to improve older housing and to build new council houses. It’s good, but is it enough? Most people in South Leeds are just two missed pay packets away from losing their home. Sickness, an accident, a relationship breaking down - very simple life events can push you over the edge. As Dean says on page 6: “There but for the Grace of God...� We used to have a safety net for such things - it was called social housing. Councils and housing associations built and let homes to people in need. The security of a home allowed people to rebuild their lives. They might stay, helping to create stable communities, or they might move on freeing up the home for someone else in need. Since the 1980s social housing has been decimated. Tenants were offered the Right To Buy with a big discount, but Councils were not allowed to build new homes. The housing shortage has been growing year on year and now social housing is seen a scarce resource that must be rationed. The answer is very simple. We need a massive building programme of new social housing. And there’s never been a better time to do it interest rates are at an all time low. Once you see housing as an investment, rather than a cost borrowing to build is a no brainer. A building programme would also create jobs and building in green standards would help reduce the country’s carbon footprint. Unfortuately the present government are only interested in the private sector, where houses really are a commodity. The market says don’t build too many because that will push the price down and reduce your profits.
Your letters and comments New council housing It’s more than enough when its on your doorstep! Middleton Park Avenue is a nightmare at peak time, it takes me 40 minutes to get to work and 2 hours to get home. Who’s going to pay for this (£30 million) when the council have just wasted £7 million on the clean air zone. No doubt my council tax will be going up to pay for it. Posibility of a football pitch?! They are planning to build on two existing pitches. (Throstle Rec is the) last bit of green space, why couldn’t we have had our own Middleton Park at this end? They could have quite easily built it on land they sold off at the top of the golf course. It will end up with the whole field covered. Helen Fletcher We need more amenities to match the growing population of Middleton. Plenty of houses being built but no more doctors and dentists etc. Rachael Tosney Looks like a good plan to be fair. John Mace Great work keep it up. Kieron O'Hara And I bet they're gonna be flats - what about one bed houses there's still many people that live alone and want to get out of poxy flats. Julie Gray Building schools is no longer in the power of local government, the power was taken away by central government. Doctors are part of the NHS and there is already a shortfall in the number of GPs for existing practices. Dentists on the whole are part of the private sector. Juan Kossov
St Matthew’s Holbeck Although not currently a “local�, I do still feel a fondness for Holbeck. My mother, living at the time in the Willoughbys, married my father, a soldier in the Canadian Army (RCEME), at St Matthew’s Church in June of 1945. This was not her parish church (it being St. Edward’s on Brown Lane she said) so
New council housing in Middleton will include extra care flats for older people they needed to get special permission to wed there on the date they requested. Not long afterwards, my dad was demobbed and returned home. My mom had to wait for another year to be able to sail to Canada as a War Bride and set up a home with his family here in Ontario. I remain a Canadian but lived for almost two years in Holbeck and Leeds in the sixties with my grandmother, then my aunt and uncle and lastly on my own. During part of that time I worked at Lewis’ Department Store on the Headrow. My mother went back for visits numerous times over the years as did I with various family members and I have several photos of the church taken over the years when we managed to stop in Holbeck on our travels! Thank you for the article, my son discovered it for me. He was the last one of the family to visit and photograph St Matthew’s in 2017 on a work trip to Leeds. Maybe once these difficult times are over and done with, I can make the trip myself once again‌ Diane
In the 1920s/30s my dad went to St Matthews School which was then located opposite the church, next to Holbeck Moor, at the junction of Top Moor Side and what is now Holbeck Moor Road. I wonder if there are any school registers for this school that still exist? During the second world war it was used by the military. Before it was Beeston & Holbeck ward demolished, amongst other Includes Beeston from Cross Flatts Park to the Ring Road, Cottingley and Holbeck. things, it was used as a library I The three councillors are: believe. I think Towngate was on the Gohar Almass 07445 878 333 gohar.almass@leeds.gov.uk east side of the church parallel to Angela Gabriel 07946 632 468 angela.gabriel@leeds.gov.uk St Matthew’s Street on the west Andrew Scopes 07860 400 645 andrew.scopes@leeds.gov.uk side. They joined each other at Stocks Hill where the old police Hunslet & Riverside ward station once stood. Includes the city centre, Beeston Hill and Hunslet. The three councillors are: Steve Peacock
Your Leeds City Councillors
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
A very interesting piece of local history. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Now I also know where Meynell Heights got its name from. Jan
Barges on River Aire It is about time that more use
was made of the network of canals that are extant in Britain. As the article states barges are much more economical and less polluting than lorries. Leeds is ideally placed to take both the lead and advantage of this. We have, via the Leeds Liverpool Canal and the subsidiary canals, such as the Aire and Calder Navigation, to serve the needs of most of West Yorkshire as well as Lancashire as well as utilising the direct link between Hull and Liverpool. This service could be extended by having other goods transported by barge via the use of containers etc. This would, of course, lead to the need for building distribution depots beside the canals which would be built on the existing ‘Brown Field’ sites thus saving valuable Green Belt areas. In fact goods could be offloaded direct onto barges from ships at both Hull and Liverpool thus cutting out the need for even more lorries transporting goods along the already overcrowded Motorways and A roads. This would seriously cut down on the total amount of pollution generated by lorries etc and with new technology the barges could be powered by either electricity or be Hydrogen powered thus cutting down even more on pollutants. Stephen Clayforth As someone that lives on a boat this could go one of two ways. Very busy canals making life for live aboard boaters unpleasant due to noise, pollution, and the surf of huge passing barges. On the other hand some money put back into the canal systems could see some much wanted improvements. But being the skeptic I I’m I’d assume the businesses operating on the waters wouldn’t care much for the people living on the waterways. Alan
Join the debate Comment online; by email: info@southleedslife.com; or post to: 224 Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds, LS11 7BW. Letters may be edited for publication.
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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: @HolbeckTogether A huge thank you to Rachel and the team @MiddletonAsda for their donation of 40 pumpkins! We will have lots of fun making, baking and creating with these during October Half-Term as part of our Healthy Holidays support for local families!
@whiteroseleeds There’s lots of festive fun to get excited about! đ&#x;Ž„ ☃ đ&#x;Ž Although Santa’s Grotto is having a break this year, we have a host of fantastic surprises up our sleeves đ&#x;™Œ đ&#x;Ž‰ From fab new decorations to epic prizes. Oh, and just a world-exclusive event đ&#x;‘€ đ&#x;‘€ đ&#x;‘Œ Stay tuned!
@dukeofbeeston Today I will be giving the ÂŁ15 that BT sports are wanting for the Leeds game to @SlungLow at the Holbeck, who are feeding the good folk of South Leeds- and then going old school with the radio! #lufc #slunglow #FoodPoverty @WYFRS This #BonfireNight, we're asking people to #Respect the emergency services & to not have bonfires in their own gardens. Please don't risk being injured at a time when our @NHS are desperately needed in the fight against #Coronavirus.
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Comment 17
MP’s notebook by Hilary Benn MP
“
It is the Government’s responsibility to make sure that children do not go hungry.” These were the words of my parliamentary colleague Kate Green when she moved the motion calling for free school meals to be funded during the autumn half term, Christmas and Easter holidays. The Government has rightly faced a lot of criticism for voting the proposal down, not least from Marcus Rashford who has been leading the campaign. It was one of those moments when lots of people took notice of what had happened in Parliament and a reminder that the decisions taken by the MPs we elect do have profound
November 2020 | South Leeds Life
consequences for our lives. The odd thing is that back in the summer, the Government changed its mind and did provide free school meals over the long holiday. Like others, I really welcomed that decision because it made a big difference to the lives of many children and families in South Leeds. But if it was the right thing to do then, that I find it very hard to understand why it's not the right thing to do now given the worsening economic impact of Covid on jobs and family incomes. I've written before in South Leeds Life about the rising use of food banks. Last year it was over a million people across the country, but the pandemic has increased need, not least because local unemployment
has soared since March. Nationally, over 50% of those using Trussell Trust food banks at the start of the pandemic had never needed one before and families with children were the hardest hit. A third of households with children have experienced a drop in income due to Covid and despite the additional support that has been announced to replace the furlough scheme, how exactly is someone on the minimum wage meant to cope when their income has been cut by onethird but all their bills are still there? And don't forget all those people who got no targeted help at all because they fell through the cracks of the furlough and self-employed schemes.
All is not lost, however. Following the vote, there has been an extraordinary response from the public, the council, the voluntary sector, businesses and the Leeds United squad. With one voice they have said ‘we’re going to do our best to help’. From the offer of meals by big name brands and local restaurants, the Healthy Holidays programme run by the Leeds Community Foundation and Leeds City Council, the work of our local foodbanks and the money being raised by the Leeds United Supporters Trust and others, this collective determination to do something practical tells us two very important things about our city. The first is that we don't have to wait for Westminster to act; we can try and do it ourselves. And the second is that we have an extraordinary strength of community spirit and determination when faced with
Hilary Benn is our Member of Parliament. He represents the Leeds Central constituency which covers Hunslet, Middleton, Belle Isle, Beeston, Holbeck, Cottingley in south Leeds as well as the city centre, Hyde Park, Woodhouse, Little London, Lincoln Green, Burmantofts, Richmond Hill and Osmondthorpe. Contact: hilary.benn.mp@parliament.uk, www.hilarybennmp.com Constituency office: Unity Business Centre, 26 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS7 1AB; Tel: 0113 244 1097
Hilary Benn MP the prospect that some of our children will go hungry in the holidays, not because their parents don't care but because they don't have enough food to eat. The campaign will continue, and if the Government doesn't change its mind then we will press for another vote in Parliament before Christmas. On a happier note, I greatly enjoyed my Zoom question and answer session with the Year 4 pupils of Westwood Primary School in Middleton the other day. They had obviously thought
very hard about what they wanted to ask about my job and why I wanted to do it. We even managed to do a quick bit of mental maths in trying to work out how long it had been since women in the UK first got the vote. I've always believed that every single pupil should have the chance to visit the House of Commons at least once so they can find out what goes on in their – our – Parliament, but for the time being, in this Covid age, a Zoom visit will have to do. I'm very grateful to the school for making it possible.
What shall we do this Remembrance Sunday? by Rev Lindsey Pearson
I
used to have problems with Remembrance Sunday, thinking it was glorifying war. When I was a teenager/young adult in the 80s there was a lot of fear of nuclear weapons and as a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament I went on a few marches – I still have the badges somewhere. Thank God that threat seems to have lifted a bit. And the Falklands War and the reaction of some politicians and newspapers celebrating the deaths of Argentinians soldiers and sailors didn’t help. But over the years I’ve learnt to think differently about Remembrance Sunday. People I’ve met along the way, including old soldiers, have helped with that. I remember Harry. Over 20 years ago, when I was a vicar in Seacroft, Harry used to read the Kohima Epitaph on Remembrance Sunday. He was a World War 2 veteran and as he spoke he’d be remembering those who’d fought alongside him and not returned. A good man, Harry. He didn’t talk about what he’d been through. But he remembered. I’ve seen more of the work of the Armed Forces, their role in peace-keeping and some of the
difficulties they face. And when I worked for Christian Aid (an international aid agency) I remember talking with soldiers about the importance of rebuilding communities to be stronger, safer, fairer. Of course they don’t always get it right (none of us do) but there is much good work that goes on that we don’t see. And in members of the Armed Forces I see good qualities: commitment and loyalty, working together as a team, a practical approach and ‘can-do’ attitude, a doggedness to keep going even when things are tough and conditions worse than bad and you’re not sure you’re going to make it through, and being prepared to give your all. Boy, don’t we need those qualities now! And I’ve seen the effects of being in involved in conflict – mental and physical, and the effects on families too. Some of you will know far more about this than me, but suicide and homelessness amongst veterans are big issues. As a country we’ve come to appreciate Remembrance Sunday much more in recent years, as have I. I now understand it’s not about glorifying was. When we read the names in our Book of Remembrance, it’s not that we’re forgetting dead soldiers
elsewhere or other victims of war, it’s simply that they are from our community. So I watch the Festival of Remembrance on TV and I see young and old come together to share the skills they’ve learnt, hear something of the stories and people, to share a moment of reflection and to commit ourselves to peace. And in church on Sunday mornings we have our Remembrance Service where I read the Kohima Epitaph and I hold back the tears and keep my voice steady. But this Remembrance Sunday will be different. This dreadful virus means we can’t do all the things we usually do – no Parade Service with the laying of poppies on the altar at St. Mary’s, no going down to Holbeck Cemetery for the service led by St. Luke’s with the local Councillors. We’re not sure if we’ll be selling poppies in the Co-op in the week before. But we can still remember. So this Remembrance Sunday I encourage you to stand on your doorstep at 11am on Sunday 8th November and keep the 2 minute silence. And here is the Kohima Epitaph for you to say: When you go home today tell them of us and say, For your tomorrow we gave our today. Rev Lindsey Pearson is the Vicar of Beeston.
Knitted poppies will decorate the trees in Holbeck Cemetery again this month
Remembrance Sunday 2020 The annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations in Leeds will look very different this year, due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Due to the risks posed there won’t be the usual service or military parade at Victoria Gardens in Leeds. People are being urged to undertake their own acts of remembrance at home by observing the national two minute silence, displaying an image of a poppy in their windows and watching the pre-recorded Act of Remembrance and wreath laying ceremony with the Lord Mayor, Lord-Lieutenant and Royal British Legion. Residents can download an image of a poppy from the Royal British Legion website at www.britishlegion.org.uk to display in your windows to remember those who died. You can also donate to the poppy appeal as a one off donation or a regular gift.
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
18 Historical Life
Disaster In Holbeck by Ken Burton
O
n Wednesday 28 October 1835 an event occurred that shook Holbeck and a wide area around the township of Leeds. The disaster was in the nature of an explosion in Mrs Maud's Fold, Holbeck Lane at the home of William Wood, a firework maker. It occurred at about a quarter past seven in the evening. This led to the destruction of three houses and damage to several other buildings, but worst of all the loss of nine lives. It can be seen by the date that this was on the run-up to Bonfire Night and William Wood and his staff would have been working from eight in the morning until midnight. On the evening in question at least one employee was working late at Wood's cottage, Susannah Dockray, she was one of several local girls who were paid one penny an hour by Wood to make 'squibs' and other fireworks. The law forbade manufacturers from storing more than 50lb of gunpowder in one place. Wood, probably in anticipation of a rush come the Guy Fawkes festivities, had stockpiled more than 130lb. Susannah was working by
candlelight in an upstairs room priming 'squibs'. At the end of her shift she went to snuff out her candle, usually this was done using a pair of scissors and the guttering candle loosed off a spark. Whether Susannah did not know, or had forgotten, but the room was crammed with one and a half barrels of gunpowder and already finished 'squibs'. When the 'squibs' ignited she attempted to beat them out but had no success, and her dress having caught fire, she ran down the stairs. Downstairs and unaware of the happenings upstairs Wood's wife Hannah was in the parlour talking to her daughter, also called Hannah, and a neighbour Mary Stephenson who was nursing her baby son Joseph as they talked. The first sign they knew of trouble was when a crackling hissing sound was heard and Susannah Dockray burst into the room screaming and engulfed in flames. Susannah stumbled out of the house still on fire, she was followed by Miss Wood and Mary Stephenson (she lived nearby). Mrs Wood on the other hand ran up the stairs shouting for water and to try and grab the lit explosives to throw them
out of the window. She didn't make it, barely reaching the threshold of the room in which the explosives were housed before the gunpowder exploded. Wood's wife was buried under the rubble of their house which was levelled to the ground and every article of furniture was either destroyed by the fire or crushed by rubble, the Stephenson house next door was destroyed and Mary Stephenson and baby Joseph were killed. The house of the Steads next door to the Woods was also destroyed and both the Steads were severely injured, Mr Stead died from his injuries the next afternoon (Thursday) leaving his wife shattered. Susannah who was in the room when the blaze started was taken to Leeds Infirmary suffering from extensive burns. Another neighbour, Mrs Walker was also killed but, miraculously, three others in the same house including a three-year old girl escaped. A James Walker lived in Mrs Maud's Fold in Holbeck Lane on the opposite side of the yard to Wood's house, their doors being opposite. He had previously spoken to Wood of the danger and his cavalier practices and had been
rebuffed, the constable would take no action nor would the landlord do anything about it. On the day of the tragedy Walker was weaving in his premises along with William Windsor who was at another loom. Whilst he was working Walker heard a noise of a cracker going off and looking out of the window he saw Wood's house in flames. He said to Windsor "Will, we must
H
ere’s a little more information linking to the restoration of the Bile Beans advert in Hunslet, featured last month. Bile Beans were pills which purported to cure everything from biliousness to “Headache, indigestion, constipation, piles, debility, female weakness, dizziness, sallow complexions, pimples, impure blood and liver, stomach and bowel troubles.” Wow! All that for only 5/- per tin. I’m guessing that they were just laxatives, though how they would cure “female weakness” I’m not sure. What many of your readers may not know is that the tin boxes they came in were made and printed in Hunslet at the firm of Charles Lightowler on Jack Lane. Charles Lightowler had been chief clerk at Alf Cooke’s printworks (now Leeds City College) when he set up on his own near Hunslet Salem Chapel in about 1891. His brother, William, who was a print foreman, joined him, thus starting the family
Bile Beans tins, manufactured in Hunslet business, which would be passed down to Charles junior and John Lightowler. When a flax mill on Jack Lane came vacant, the brothers moved the firm in, producing paper labels for tins as well as their growing trade of tin box manufacture. The tin plate came from Wales in flat sheets – Port Talbot, Trostre, Ebbw Vale – ready to be printed on by the Flat Bed Lithographic process. This process involved heavy slabs of stone up to 40 ins x 30ins which had been polished smooth on the top surface. On this was put the design using a greasy crayon. 1 roller then put water over, whilst a second put the first colour on, which was also
greasy so stuck to the design whilst not sticking to the wet parts. Up to 10 colours were printed to make a design, each colour being dried off in large ovens first. The more colours in a design, the more costly the printing, so many tins for medicine had just 2 or 3 colours plus a varnish layer. The sheets of tin were fed by hand into the printer at the rate of 1,200 per hour – heavy manual work – and stacked by women who then pushed racks of tin to the ovens. The designs were created in-house by the 8 or 9 artists employed. Later offset litho was used but the dangers of sharply edged tin sheets remained.
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quit directly" at the same time telling everybody downstairs to get out. He heard a loud report followed by another one, on the second report a barrel of gunpowder flew into the air and the house side blew in and the roof of the house fell in. To protect himself Walker put his head under the garn (yarn) beams, this kept the rubble from falling on him and Windsor and another man help pull him out from the rubble. The roof and wall of a maltkiln occupied by a Mr Ambler also on the opposite
side of the yard was forced in, but there was no loss of life although the building was badly damaged. On the 14 November 1850 the Holbeck Explosion Fund was set up to help the families that had suffered from this tragedy. It would appear that a piece of land near to the south eastern corner of Holbeck Moor and near to Sodom in Holbeck was purchased by the Fund to build four cottages with outbuildings to be occupied by poor persons belonging to the Holbeck Township.
Mrs Maud’s Fold would have been similar to Back Fold in Beeston (101 Town Street) photographed in 1915 ©Leeds Library & Information Services, via leodis.net
Bile Beans, Peps and Zam-buk by Pat Benatmane
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One of the contracts which the brothers won was with Leeds’ chemists, Fulfords, based on Carlton Hill, off Woodhouse Lane, and for them they made the Bile Beans tins as well as Peps and Zam-buk tins. Peps were cough pastilles which were for “Coughs, Colds, Bronchitis, Lung, Throat and Chest Troubles.” Amongst other things they contained menthol, aniseed, eucalyptus and glycerine, so even if they didn’t work, you would smell sweet. These were all produced between the wars, especially the 1920s, before the National Health Service, and when people tended to self-medicate as doctors’ visits cost money. Zam-buk was an ointment which came in a round tin. Its lid proclaimed it “The Great Herbal Balm.” It would be good for vegetarians today as it contained no lard or other animal fat or oil. If you believed the hype, it would cure whatever else you’d got left over after using Peps and Bile Beans, for it says on the lid: “For cuts, bruises, burns, scalds, sprains, piles, pimples,
eczema, bad legs, ulcers, ringworm, chapped hands, rashes, sores, insect bites, chafings, chilblains, rheumatism, cold sores…. Rub it in as an embrocation.” I think I’d be very careful rubbing that stuff on my piles – or using it on my cold sores straight after! However, “Unequalled for Sportsmen” as a tag line was a clever ruse. The inventors used rugby league as good publicity, paying famous players and teams to give testimonials. These included Fred Farrar of Hunslet RL endorsing the cream, as well as the New Zealand RL Tourists and Leeds players. The tins were delivered by horse and cart to north Leeds but if Fulfords suddenly needed extra supplies, these would be
put on a handcart and pulled by a labourer and an apprentice all the way, mainly uphill. Other tins which Lightowlers produced included OXO tins, custard tins, toffee tins, talc tins for export, worm destroyer, ballroom powder, and lots of health and liver salts tins. Eventually, the factory was compulsorily purchased to make way for Leek Street development. Armley Mills has a small display of the tins in its first room and holds the Lightowler Archives of sales books, pattern books and tins. I’m sure there will be quite a few Hunslet women who worked in that noisy factory and remember the last two printers, Bernard Barber and Alfred Smith.
Lightowler’s printed tins at their Jack Lane works
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Historical Life 19
Connecting Beeston with Town New book
showcases Civic Trust Blue Plaques
by Eric Smith
O
n the cover of October’s South Leeds Life there was a great picture of a No 1 Beeston bus, anticipating the return of the through service to north Leeds which had been broken at the end of August last year. I started to reflect on how, during my lifetime, Beeston has been linked to what we all call ‘Town’, and beyond. Suddenly, I remembered that 19 November marks the 65th anniversary of the closure of the No 5 tram service which had been operating for over 50 years. In the Yorkshire Evening Post of 15 November 1955 there was an article entitled ‘Crew of last tram sorry to leave friendly route’: ‘On Saturday the last Beeston Tram will leave from the Corn Exchange at 11:28pm returning from Beeston at 11:46. Its driver will be Mr Wilfred Jones, Moorside Road, Bramley, with Mrs Elsie Hackman, Woodview Mount, Dewsbury Road as his conductress. Both will be sorry to leave the route. Mrs Hackman said today “I like everything about the route, - I don’t even dislike the scenery – I was born and brought up there. I’ve never had any trouble, even with the drunks. Why is it so friendly? Maybe because so many old folk live there. They are such considerate passengers. The first run out of the depot has been at 4:18am. A lot of people travel early in Beeston – mostly postman on the first tram. And they are a happy lot, too even at that time of the morning.”’ On 19 November 1955 I travelled home from Sheffield. In the afternoon a friend from Marsden Grove, Graham Harker, and I walked to Beeston terminus (alongside some old cottages near the present bus turning circle which appeared months later), and for 3d went all the way to Vicar Lane where cars for Beeston reversed at the crossover outside the Cashdisia stores. In the evening Dad, who was deputy chairman of the Transport Committee, and I went up to the terminus to board the last car (No 240). We got off at Folly Lane and watched 240 until it disappeared round the bend by the Golden Lion. The construction of the line to Beeston had been quite a saga. By the end of 1899 the rails up to Beeston and along Elland Road had been laid. Horse cars displaced from already electrified routes could
A
A tram at the South Ridge Street stop on Beeston Road (3 October 1955) ©CC Thornburn be used, but not up Beeston two compulsory stops: the first Churwell Hill, when the driver Hill. Reconstruction of the at Cemetery Road / Tempest tried in vain to apply the track bridge over the railway and the Road and the other at the end brake. The tram ran away and need for a further generator at of South Ridge Street (there’s a overturned. the power station caused big tree there now opposite the One afternoon in the 1950s I delays. In January and February African supermarket). He said sat on Beeston Road and 1901 standards and overhead that all the trams on the recorded the trams heading for wires were erected and on 13 Beeston route should be Town at the start of the March the members of the City equipped with a mechanical afternoon peak. Trams came at Council’s Transport Committee track brake. So, for Beeston the two minute intervals with a No had a test run. The first foreman at Swinegate depot 3 for Harehills, a No 6 for passengers were carried on 18 had to allocate a suitably Meanwood, a No 5 for March 1901. equipped car. Swinegate and two No 5s for Trams from Beeston were At South Ridge Street the ‘Corn Exchange’ each ten running via Meadow Lane, driver turned a vertically placed minutes – a total of 30 trams Briggate (lower part), Duncan wheel attached to the an hour. street, New Market Street and handbrake column (driver’s Some Beeston folk are proud Vicar Lane through to right hand). This action moved to have the No 1 bus. But it’s Woodhouse Street and Hyde the track brake down to within not really our property. This Park. A month later, 19 April, a whisker of the tram rail. Then, number was given to the trams started running from if anything serious happened Lawnswood tram route in 1929 Elland Road to Meanwood, via on the gradient below the driver and they’ve had it ever since. At Briggate at first, but soon could easily clamp the brake one time in those crazy days afterwards via Vicar Lane. Note down onto the rail. At the Folly following deregulation, the No that this tram, then bus, linkup Lane stop the brake was raised 1 went, not all day, from the has been maintained again. I often wonder if there Lawnswood area towards Vicar consistently for just short of ever was an emergency! Lane and continued to 120 years. There were four other Dewsbury Road, Tempest An inconvenience at Beeston locations on the network where Road, Wesley Street to was the narrowness of Town this process was required: Cottingley. At times our No 1 street beyond Silver Street, Richardshaw Lane, Pudsey; has been a half-and-half 1 and necessitating a long length of Whitecote Hill, Bramley; Wood 4, 1 and 96 and 93 and 96. single track. It took until 1942 Lane, Rothwell; and Churwell Eventually it was back again. to resolve this. When Town Hill. And now it is back a second Street was widened to the line After 1938 Beeston Hill was time. of new houses, part of the the only one left as the tram You can read the full version Oldroyds, the extra track could network shrank. On 23 May of this article online at: be laid. 1923, there was a very serious southleedslife.com/beestonIn 1901 trams ran every 20 accident at the bottom of trams minutes from Town to the terminus, every 10 minutes to ‘Park Gates’ (top of Cross Flatts Park) and every 5 minutes to Malvern Road. A siding for these cars was built in Lady Pit Street (part of Malvern Road since the 1970s), alongside the Methodist Church. The rails, later disconnected, could still be seen in 1945! A Major Pringle from the Board of Trade came to inspect the new routes on 4 April 1901. He insisted that on the downhill journey from Beeston there should be The last tram from Beeston terminus (19 November 1955) ©John Kaye
new publication by Leeds Civic Trust showcases the people, places and events that have contributed to the story of the city of Leeds. The book features 98 Blue Plaques unveiled between 2001 and 2017 – the 30th anniversary year of the scheme. The book covers people and places across the city, from Sufferegettes Mary Gawthorpe and Leonora Cohen to rock band The Who. South Leeds is well represented, especially in the Industry and Invention section with a host of blue plaques in Hunslet’s famous ‘square half mile.’
Co-author Dr Kevin Grady says: “It was a pleasure to write this book. The history of Leeds – as told through its people, places and events – is a fascinating one. I hope that people will enjoy the stories we have been able to tell in this publication.” Co-author Bob Tyrrell added: “Over the years, I have written many of the inscriptions on Leeds Civic Trust Blue Plaques, but a limit of 45 words means that we can only ever scratch the surface. This book enables us say so much more about the city’s rich history.”
The Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Company is commemorated by a Blue Plaque at Pickersgill Kaye works, off Pepper Road in Hunslet Subjects featured in the book include: • John Smeaton, Leeds Dock, Hunslet • John Fowler, in the car park at Costco, Leathley Road, Hunslet • Hunslet Engine Company, Jack Lane, Hunslet • Midland Engine Works, Jack Lane, Hunslet • Mann’s Patent Steam Cart & Wagon Co, Pepper Road, Hunslet • Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co, Pepper Road, Hunslet • Crown Point Printing Works, Hunslet Road • Middleton Railway, Moor Road, Hunslet • Leeds Co-operative Society, Marshall Street, Holbeck • Salem Chapel, Hunslet Road • Rev Charles Jenkinson, Belle Isle Road • Ivy Benson, Cemetery Road, Beeston • Albert Goldthorpe, John Charles Centre for Sport
Since 1987 Leeds Civic Trust has unveiled 180 plaques across the district celebrating people, events and buildings that have made a significant contribution to the city of Leeds. The Blue Plaques, typically made of cast aluminium, usually describe their subject in less than 45 words. All of the city’s blue plaques are sponsored, and the trust relies on volunteers to maintain them. The book is a companion to the earlier “Blue Plaques of Leeds” publication, which covered the first 66 plaques unveiled in the scheme. Since 2017 a further 16 plaques have been erected including William Gascoigne, Marshall’s Mill, Holbeck Working Men’s Club and Keith Waterhouse. You can purchase the book online (£14.99 plus postage and packing) by visiting leedscivictrust.org.uk or by emailing office@leedscivictrust .org.uk or by phoning 07942 670333.
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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20 What’s On
What’s On Your guide to events and activities across South Leeds in November 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
Every Monday Holbeck Together Shopping Trip to Hunslet or Morley 9am12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 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 Stay Connected 12-1pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553 Middleton Elderly Aid Dance 2-3pm Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 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 DAZL 14+ Dancefit 6-6:45pm Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road Book: 07519 018675 Kickboxing 7-8:30pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street
Every Tuesday 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 DAZL 14+ Dancefit 6-7pm Middleton Community Centre, Acre Road Book: 07519 018675 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 Beeston In Bloom working party 10am-12pm Watsonian Pavilion Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Community Gardening (women only) 10-11:30am Old Cockburn Sports Hall, Beeston Book via 0113 277 3330 Walk & Talk Group 10:30-11:45am from 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 Yoga (online) 7-7:50pm Book: 07576 113269
Every Thursday Slimming World 9am-1pm Beeston Parish Centre, Town Street Holbeck Together Shopping Trip to Hunslet or Morley 9am12:30pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Holbeck Together 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 Holbeck Together Craft Afternoon 2-4pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 DAZL Inclusive group 4:45-5:45pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road Book: 07519 018675 DAZL 14+ Dancefit 6-6:45pm South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road Book: 07519 018675 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 Danceabout chair based exercise 11-11:40am, 11:45am-12:25pm St Matthew’s Community Centre Book: 0113 245 5553 Holbeck Together Outreach Fish & Chips Meal Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Middleton Elderly Aid 1 to 1 Computer Training Middleton Elderly Aid Social Centre, Acre Road Book: 0113 272 1050 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 DAZL Explode 9:30-11am South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road Book: 07519 018675 DAZL Tinys - 3-5yrs 9:30-10:30am South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road Book: 07519 018675 DAZL 14+ Dancefit 10-11am South Leeds Youth Hub, Middleton Road Book: 07519 018675 Yoga 10:30am Cross Flatts Park, Beeston Book: 07576 113269 LS11 Women’s Walking Group 10-11am Cross Flatts Park Book: 07920 461253 LS10 Walking Group 11am-12pm Middleton Book: 07787 390563 LS11 Mixed Walking Group 11:15am Cross Flatts Park Book: 07920 461253
Every Sunday Mini Riders (8 and under) 9-10am LS-TEN Skatepark, Kitson Road, Hunslet Book: www.ls-ten.org Middleton Railway 11am-3pm Moor Road, Hunslet Book: middletonrailway.org.uk Saturday 31 October Holbeck Moor Halloween Trail 10am-12pm Holbeck Moor Book: 07920 461253 The Lion Inside by LAStheatre 2-3pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book via slunglow.org Signal Fires 7-8:30pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book via slunglow.org Monday 2 November Coffee Morning (Families) Charity Shop 9:30-10:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553 Tuesday 3 November Wellbeing & Mindfulness for New Parents 10:30am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Wednesday 4 November Dr Bike free cycle maintenance 10am-2pm Dewsbury Road Community Hub, Beeston Book: bit.ly/DrBikeDewsRd Thursday 5 November Talking About Mental Health 1-2pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Saturday 7 November Volunteer Rangers 10am-12pm Holbeck Cemetery, Beeston Road. Book: heather.wagstaff@leeds.gov.uk An Evening with Barrie Rutter 7:15pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book via slunglow.org Sunday 8 November Beeston Hill Litter Pick 1-3pm Meet at Bangla Square,
Lady Pit Lane / Stratford Street Monday 9 November Me Time wellbeing session 1:30pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck. Book: 0113 245 5553 Tuesday 10 November Wellbeing & Mindfulness for New Parents 10:30am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Wednesday 4 November Dr Bike free cycle maintenance 10am-2pm Hunslet Community Hub, Church Street Book: bit.ly/DrBikeHunslet Thursday 12 November Eating and Wellbeing 2-3pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Saturday 14 November It’s About Time 7:30pm The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book via slunglow.org Monday 16 November Coffee Morning (Families) Charity Shop 9:30-10:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553 Thursday 19 November Eating and Wellbeing 10-11am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Wellbeing & Mindfulness for New Parents 10:30am online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Talking About Mental Health 11am-12pm online. Book: fb.com/yourspaceleeds/events Saturday 21 November Whistlestop Opera: Cinderella 11-11:45am The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn. Book: slunglow.org Monday 23 November Me Time wellbeing session 1:30pm St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck. Book: 0113 245 5553 Wednesday 25 November Volunteer Rangers 10am-12pm Hunslet Cemetery, Middleton Road. Book: heather.wagstaff@leeds.gov.uk Sunday 29 November Holbeck Together Outreach Sunday Lunch Delivery 12-2pm Book: 0113 245 5553 Monday 30 November Coffee Morning (Families) Charity Shop 9:30-10:30am St Matthew’s Community Centre, Holbeck Book: 0113 245 5553
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What’s On 21
Action packed activities for young Stay Safe, Stay people with additional needs Connected in T
he Endorphins Group run action packed sessions for children and young people aged 8-25 years who have a disability or additional needs. They are designed to be a great way to socialise whilst exploring sports, drama, music, dance, games and crafts for all abilities. Weekly face to face sessions will be delivered each Saturday at the LS-TEN skatepark in Hunslet starting on 7 November 2020, 10am2:30pm. All sessions will have social distancing and Covid safety guidelines in place. Talking about Endorphins' work, Karl Wilson said: "We’re fully focused on
helping our customers to be healthy and happy in everything we do. Whether it’s our healthbased training programmes, workplace wellness initiatives, inclusive children’s and youth groups, community feel-good sessions or referred into wellbeing projects – we have something for everyone." The first session is free and then sessions cost £10 each week. Pre-booking is essential. For bookings and more information about their other sessions in Leeds visit their website: www.endorphins.uk or call 0330 133 2642. Madison, a young person who attends Endorphins sessions said:
Baby Week by Lucy Potter
B
“I really enjoy my Saturday sessions, we do lots of arts, and crafts all based around different ‘themes’. We play ball
games, and express ourselves through drama, and dance. It’s also a great way to make new friends. I really love it!”
Courses to raise your aspirations T
The Raising Aspirations team are here to help
he Raising Aspirations team at Health For All are running a number of small face to face groups starting this month. The team’s aim is to help people living in South Leeds get into education, training and employment • Confidence Building & Overcoming Barriers Mondays 9 November until 14 December, 10am-12pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX • ESOL & Employability Skills Tuesdays 10 November until
26 January, 10am-12pm Beeston Village Community Centre, Beeston Park Place, LS11 8DQ. • Upcycling course with a view to setting up your own business Thursdays 12 November until 17 December, 10am-12pm Tenants Hall, Acre Close, Middleton, LS10 4HX. Spaces are still available, please call the Raising Aspirations Team on 07487 664352 or email RA@healthforall.org.uk for more information and to book your place.
Dr Bike at the community hubs F
ree pop-up Dr Bike sessions will help sort out those loose brakes, jumping gears and flat tyres so that old bikes at the back of the shed can have a new lease of life. Dr Bike sessions are available at Dewsbury Road Community Hub in Beeston on Wednesday 4 November, 10am-2pm; and at Hunslet Community Hub on Wednesday 11 November, 10am-2pm.
The trained mechanics will be able to spend a maximum of 30 minutes per bike and carry out a full safety check and some minor repairs. If your bike requires more substantial repairs, they will be able to signpost you to the nearest independent bike shop participating in the Government’s £50 Repair Voucher scheme. The scheme is part of Cycling
UK’s Big Revival, a spokesperson said: “So whether you want to beat the traffic on a trip to the supermarket or are planning to fly to work on the daily commute, the Big Bike Revival is here to help you get back in the saddle. At Cycling UK, we have a passion for cycling, for the thrill of getting out in the fresh air, for feeling fitter in mind and body and for the
chance to chat about the ride with friends. We are pumped up to cycle and thanks to our pop-up Dr Bike sessions you can be too.” Both sessions are being delivered by The Bike College who will provide all the equipment, tools and parts. To book a 30 minute session with Dr Bike go to bit.ly/DrBikeDewsRd or bit.ly/DrBikeHunslet
aby Week Leeds is back for the fifth time between 9 – 15 November 2020 with many amazing events and activities. We’re excited to share the programme of events for #BabyWeekLeeds 2020 and invite you to visit www.babyweek.co.uk to find out more and to book your place. Baby Week Leeds, launched in September 2016, is an early years initiative helping to bring and celebrate services from across the sector together. Its aim is raising awareness of the baby's important growth and development mentally and physically in order to give the best start. To give you a flavour of the week, we have organised a half-day free conference for professionals focused on maternity and experiences
during Covid-19, mental health, health inequalities, early years and much more; Q&A session with experts for new and expectant parents and many more events throughout the week. Our partners have put a fantastic schedule of free taster sessions for all including nutrition, music, mindfulness, bonding with your baby and a session with Leeds City Museum. As we go digital, we have many new exciting blog posts by our partners, a fantastic resource page, the #DearFutureYou digital exhibition and hope to plant a tree for every baby born in 2020 in Leeds. Please visit the website and join the conversation on social media with #BabyWeekLeeds as we celebrate 5 years in Leeds. Please note, we will be adding more events running up to the week.
The Holbeck Choir returns T
he Holbeck Choir is returning this month for six weekly online sessions. Join the talented Tessa Smith on Zoom to learn and sing new songs and meet new friends from the comfort of your sofa. Everyone is welcome, no singing experience needed.
Tuesdays 7.15–8.15pm 3 November – 8 December To join please email: sally @slunglow.org or call 07305 155698. If you would like to join but require support in accessing Zoom please let us know and we'll be able to assist you.
Tessa Smith will lead you through some beautifully composed songs
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22 What’s On
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Be aware of stress Beeston Lantern Festival: and manage it Light in the Darkness by Shannon Humphrey
S
tress isn’t just a word, it’s a feeling. It can be a knot in your stomach, a headache that pounds like a hammer in your head relentlessly, a dull ache across your shoulders, neck tension, a tightness in your chest, crippling belly aches that have you dashing for the loo with no warning. It can be anger, that seemingly flashes from nowhere, to complete floods of tears within seconds. You’re probably not sleeping or eating properly which affects your focus and ability to solve whatever the issue is that has triggered these stressful feelings in the first place. The truth is that most of us will experience a degree of stress at some point in our lives. Maybe too many assignments to hand in at school, to going for a promotion at work, money worries, redundancy, moving to a new house, getting married, getting divorced, worried about family members mental health or wellbeing. There are literally 101 things that have the potential to cause us stress. The good news is that most stressful situations will be for a limited amount of time, and when the event or external situation has finished, for example- the contracts are exchanged and the house move is completed, the stress will subside and you’ll begin to feel better. The reason we have stress at all is to pump our body with hormones like cortisol that give us extra amounts of energy to complete a task, that’s why when we are stressed we can feel hyperactive, as though we can’t sit still or concentrate on anything for very long. Our body wants us to move and release excess energy. Thousands of years ago that extra energy would have been useful to our ancient ancestors who had to go hunting for food, or were fighting for survival against deadly predators, but in todays modern life stress is just one more inconvenience we could well do without. Stress usually stems from either a loss of control or wanting to have too much control over a situation. Last year 15 million workdays were lost in the UK due to stress and because of the uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought with it, it’s believed that the numbers of people suffering with stress will continue to
Photo: Shutterstock
increase for years to come. You may have heard that a small amount of stress is good for you, it gives you the extra push to get things completed on time. Having a goal or the pressure of an upcoming deadline can focus the mind and give you the determination to get things done. But feeling stressed out and worried about it can be extremely bad for you, especially if it’s left unchecked for a long period of time. Never ignore stress no matter how small it seems to be, if it’s ignored stress can become a serious long-term issue, leading to burnout, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, heart attacks, strokes and suicide. Here are my top 5 tips for managing stressful situations. 1. Ask for help. If you’re stressed about money, family matters, housing, health, employment, immigration or legal stuff, seek professional advice. Citizens Advice Leeds gives free impartial advice. They can signpost you to free organisations to help with your personal situation. 2. Lighten the load. Confide in a friend, a family member or colleague about your concerns they could have a practical solution that hadn’t crossed your mind. 3. Stress is built up excess energy- go out and get your body moving. Have a brisk walk, go to the gym, ride a bike. Anything to lower your cortisol levels to a more comfortable place. 4. Reduce caffeine. Excessive amounts of coffee, tea, alcohol or energy drinks will make you more hyperactive and less able to focus. They will also disrupt your sleep routine. 5. Be solution oriented and less problem focused. Ask yourself questions like ‘How can I …?’ rather than ‘Why can’t I ….?’ Just this subtle shift in how you approach a task will make it feel easier to achieve. National stress awareness day is 4 November 2020 Shannon Humphrey is a First Aid for Mental Health Instructor and wellbeing advocate. For details of educational, workplace and community courses, including stress awareness, mindfulness and anxiety courses visit www.pathwaysforpositivity .com or call 07470 887783.
by Ben Hutchinson
I
t is with great excitement we announce that the Lantern Festival will return in December and WE NEED YOUR HELP! 2020 has been a challenging year in many ways – we hope the Lantern Festival can play a part in brightening up the Christmas season and help the year finish well. Due to restrictions the Lantern Festival will look different – full details will be released over coming weeks but we are exploring a mix of public displays, online content and activities for you to take part in. You are invited to contribute to producing a piece of community art which will be displayed during the festival. The artwork will be made up of images submitted from people of all ages on the theme of HOPE. Pictures can be of anything and we are excited to see the variety and creativity of responses that are sent in.
If you need some inspiration these questions or the photos may help: What brings you hope? What are you hopeful about? Where is hope in our community? What people, places or objects represent hope for you? Entries need to be in photo form and submitted through email to beestonlanternfestival@gmail.com to or on Whatsapp to 07419
366058. By submitting you give consent for your photo to be displayed to the public in a physical form at the Lantern Festival but also online on South Leeds Life and through Lantern Festival social media platforms. Photos should be submitted by Monday 30 November. More info on the Lantern Festival will be released over coming weeks – keep an eye on South Leeds Life and also our Social Media: Facebook.com/ BeestonLanternFestival and Instagram.com/Beeston LanternFestival. The Lantern Festival was launched in 2013 by the Churches Together in LS11 with the aim of bringing the community together and giving a chance to celebrate and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Over the years the Festival has gone from strength to strength with new ideas developing each year. Hundreds of people from all corners of our wonderful community attend each year.
Join the new litter campaign for Beeston Hill C
an a community change? All of our neighbourhoods locally are blighted with some level of littering and flytipping - but the Beeston Hill area is probably one of the hardest hit. A team of volunteers and residents - led by local campaigner Ed Carlisle and the local Green Party - are therefore embarking on an experiment to see if they can reverse that; and they would love to hear from others who want get involved. Starting last month (October), the team are now holding regular litterpicking sessions on at least a monthly basis (forthcoming dates are: Sundays 8 November, and 13 December), if not more often. These
will run between 1pm and 3pm, with a base on 'Bangla Square' (the paved area at the junction of Rowland Place, Lady Pit Lane, and Stratford Street). Attendees are welcome to join anytime during the events - or the team are also asking residents to take action locally anytime day or night, as part of a day-by-day campaign; if residents even just each pick up one piece of litter per day, it will make a huge difference. For the events, all ages are welcome, although under 16s have to be accompanied. All kit is provided - but attendees are asked to bring their own face masks, and gloves if possible. Covid-safe
procedures will be in place. For more info, visit fb.com/edgreenleeds. Coordinator Ed comments: "We all surely want to live in clean neighbourhoods - and whilst we're up against some big challenges, all the research shows that when people manage to create a tidier street or community, it largely stays that way. “People are far less likely to drop litter or flytip when they don't see other rubbish around. It'll take time to change local habits, and turn the tide - but if we focus on one area like this, get as many people involved as possible, and keep at it, we can really bring about long-lasting change."
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Artistic Life 23
Barrie Rutter returns to the stage in Holbeck O
ne of Yorkshire’s best loved actors Barrie Rutter OBE is set to make a welcome return to the stage for the first time since being successfully treated for throat cancer. An undisputed figurehead of Northern theatre, Rutter will perform his one man show, “An Evening with Barrie Rutter” on Saturday 7 November 2020 at 7.15pm at The Holbeck in Leeds, for an evening of tall tales and anecdotes, poetry and prose, all to help raise funds for the installation of a new lift at the much-loved South Leeds venue. Actor and director Barrie Rutter is best-known for founding the pioneering touring company Northern Broadsides with its ambition to deliver stories to audiences in fullblooded, unapologetic northern dialect in non-traditional spaces. The company became one of the foremost touring theatre companies in the country, winning widespread acclaim of audiences and critics alike. Barrie stood down as Broadside’s Artistic Director in 2018 after 25 years at the helm but, as this one-off fundraising performance will
aptly demonstrate, he has lost none of his fervour to have a good time with audiences. Barrie’s life is as fascinating as it is prestigious. The son of a Hull fishmonger, he was given a part in the school play by an English teacher who thought he had ‘the gob for it’. He discovered he loved the stage, and his career went from working with National Youth Theatre to performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Older readers may remember his appearances in the 1970s sitcom ‘Queenie’s Castle’, set in Quarry Hill flats. In 2015, he was awarded the OBE for services to drama. Barrie Rutter said: “I am absolutely thrilled at the invitation from Alan Lane and his team at Slung Low to perform at the Holbeck. What goes on in there is truly inspirational and I am delighted support this wonderful venue when I perform there on November 7th.” All proceeds from the evening will go towards the Slung Low’s fundraising campaign for a lift at The Holbeck in South Leeds, the oldest social club in the UK, thus making the venue accessible to everyone who
Barrie Rutter wishes to attend events and private functions. Generous supporters have already gifted £60,000 but the cost of the lift that unlocks this space for everyone is going to cost £150,000. Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low said: “Barrie Rutter is one of the reasons why there are so many amazing theatre companies in the greater north nowadays – he was a genuine trail blazer.
It’s such an honour to have Barrie perform at the club and delighted to share with our audience the opportunity to see a world class one of a kind performer here at The Holbeck.” ‘An Evening with Barrie Rutter’ will be at The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn on Saturday 7 November at 7.15pm. Tickets are Pay What You Decide. To book visit: www.slunglow.org/whats-on
just an exhibition about mental health, it is about the wellbeing of all. Change is fundamental to our very existence and it is change that makes us human. Linda Boyles, Arts and Minds Development Manager, said: “We never imagined when we started the exhibition 14 years ago, that it would grow to be such a well-loved and
anticipated feature of Leeds cultural calendar. Arts and Minds Network has helped chip away at the stigma of mental illness, by showcasing a wealth of undiscovered talent, and demonstrating how creativity can help people recover. We are thrilled to be celebrating the exhibition’s 14th anniversary.”
Arts & Minds A
rts and Minds Network’s 14th Annual Exhibition is their first to be launched online to reach art-loving audiences during the coronavirus pandemic. It showcases the amazing work of Arts and Minds members, many of them undiscovered local artists. The exhibition features over 40 artists who responded to the theme of ‘Change is Gonna Come’. The show is a celebration of wellbeing and mental health, and explores the links between creativity and mental health. But what are mental health issues? What is ‘wellbeing’? What defines ‘normal’? In today’s diverse society, there is no such thing as normal. We all have our idiosyncrasies and that’s what makes us human, so please, view this show that takes a healthy look at mental health. It’s positive, perky and proud.
November 2020 | South Leeds Life
Wrongsemble returns with an innovative Covid-safe Christmas show for all the family F amily favourite theatre company Wrongsemble return this Christmas with HUMBUG: a Covid-safe family show that promises to delight and unite all ages. This innovative digital production will allow families to enjoy seven filmed episodes of this exciting story throughout December, accompanied by an interactive HUMBUG ‘Fact File’ filled with 13 artefacts sent directly to their homes. HUMBUG takes place deep beneath the city, where a secret world full of wonder awaits; a place where wizards bake endless gingerbread, goblins bottle festive cheer, and there’s a whole department devoted to detangling fairylights! This is the Ministry of Make Believe… But recently, strange things have been happening at the Ministry. From nose-less snowmen, to exploding baubles, and a forest of bald Christmas trees – things are not quite right… It’s almost like someone (or something) is trying to sabotage Christmas! Together with Secret Agent Dash, audiences will help to solve the mystery and save the day! Starring a stellar cast of northern actors, and supported by cultural partners across Leeds including Leeds Libraries, Child Friendly Leeds, Leeds City College, Slung Low, 100% Digital Leeds, and Red Ladder Theatre Company, HUMBUG promises to transport the joy of Wrongsemble’s annual Christmas production into the safety of hundreds of audiences’ homes. Audiences will be able to enjoy HUMBUG throughout December, and rewatch as many times as they
like - sharing the experience with those they may be unable to meet in person. Elvi Piper, Artistic Director, enthuses “It’s vital that within all the uncertainty of the current climate, we offer families something definite they can look forward to at this time of year.” The show also promises to be one of the city’s most affordable and accessible seasonal treats for families in Leeds over the festive period. Heavily subsidised tickets – including free tickets for Looked-After Children, Carers, and Refugees and Asylum Seekers, along with integrated Access including Audio Description, Captioning, and an Episodic Narrative – will ensure an inclusive offer for communities across Leeds. “Christmas is a time of year that often shapes a young person’s outlook on the arts, via their first experience of theatre,” notes Chemeana Lacey, Creative Producer at Wrongsemble. “We want to give each young person in Leeds the chance to enjoy high-quality theatre alongside every and any member of their family in the broadest sense – from grandparents to newborns, and everyone in-between. This year is no different - in fact, it feels more important now, than ever!” Wrongsemble also have a brand new family musical ‘The Not So Ugly Sisters’, originally postponed due to Covid-19, premiering from 18–22 November at Leeds Playhouse, forming part of the theatre’s reopening season. A family ticket for HUMBUG costs just £10 from www. wrongsemble.com/humbug
‘Beautiful Chaos’ by The Perky Painter Think Leeds, with glitter! According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives (450 million worldwide). With current life changing events, there has never been a better time to raise the profile of these issues. But this is not
Alyce Liburd and Thomas Cotran in Wrongsemble’s HUMBUG
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South Leeds Life | November 2020
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Community Health Champions L
ooking for a volunteering opportunity? Passionate about improving health and wellbeing for your community? Have you thought of being a Community Health Champion? Community Health Champions are volunteers who are making a difference in their local community using their passion, skills and experience to help deliver groups and activities that can improve the health and wellbeing of their family, friends and neighbours. As a Health Champion, you can volunteer to help run an existing group or activity, or we can work with you and your
ideas to set up something new! Everything we do is led by what you and your community want, and through this we have set up a huge range of fantastic groups and activities such as Zumba classes, coffee mornings, arts and crafts, cooking classes, table tennis clubs, youth clubs, gardening groups and much more! Can’t wait to get started? Please email the Project Development Team at projectdevelopmentteam @leeds.gov.uk or call Grace Feeney on 07711 189421 for more information.
Selected for England squad
Celebrate victories Betty is virtually unstoppable your T Congratulations to local Beeston lad Darryl Ombang, who has been selected to join the England Under 16s football training squad. The 15 year old goalkeeper is a former student at Beeston Hill St Luke's Primary School, is now part of the Bradford City FC youth programme, and hopefully has a big future ahead of him. (Image: Bradford City FC)
by Ian Pickles
B
etty Barber from the Heath Estate, Beeston has been running for so long now she can’t remember when she first started, but like thousands of other athletes this year she was denied the chance to pound the streets of the capital because of Covid. Having secured a good for age place for Abbott’s World Marathon Majors at the Yorkshire Marathon in 2019 (4 Hours 35 minutes) which is well under the required time of 5 Hours, the 67 year old was looking forward to yet another challenge. Betty has completed 4 Marathons and countless long distance runs and wasn’t going to miss out on this, so when the Virgin London Marathon decided to go virtual she donned her running shoes and got out on the streets of Leeds. For Betty and the thousands of other runners Sunday 4
October 2020 was the big day, you could choose your own route, be it flat or hilly but you had to cover the 26.2 miles. One of the pluses of doing a Marathon is that the big crowds usually get you round, the cheering adds to the experience. So to do this alone with no cheering would be a big ask. Luckily Betty is a member of South Leeds Lakers running club and had plenty of running partners on the day. Her long time running buddy Liz Clark did the first 7 miles, before friend Richard Haigh joined in to cover the middle section. Betty’s husband Ray covered the last 7 miles, himself a run leader at the Lakers. Saturday’s rain had cleared up to leave a fairly warm Sunday for the occasion. Betty completed the 26.2 miles in a fantastic 5 Hours 34 Minutes. When asked why she liked running Betty replied: “My motivation is the feel
good factor at the end and a pot of coffee.” So Sunday’s coffee must’ve tasted good! Congratulations and well
done to all that completed the Virtual London Marathon, the ballots are open for next year so let’s hope it’s the real thing in 2021.
Betty running the 2016 Yorkshire marathon
he Health Programmes Team at Active Leeds would like to celebrate everyone's victories of moving more and being active during this time. This can range from dancing to your favourite song, to smashing a walk to any new habits which allows you to move more in ways that suit you. Keeping active with a long term health condition means every day is different, and resting when your condition demands it is all part of your journey. @ActiveLeeds would like you to contact us by message on Facebook or emailing us if you would like to inspire others and #tellyourstory. We encourage everyone of all abilities and ages to share their journey to keeping active, the ups and downs. We are seeking a number of ambassadors who are open to sharing their inspiration, story and tips on remaining active with a long term health condition. Please email health.
programmes@leeds.gov.uk or message us on Facebook @ActiveLeeds. We would also love to share some great resources which provide sessions, inspiration and support on keeping active. • Check out our Healthy at Home webpages on the Active Leeds website. • We run a timetable of live sessions on our app including Health Circuits and Tai Chi for Health. • The Active Leeds YouTube includes a Health Programmes section where you can find playlists such as ‘Start Moving’ or ‘Exercises for Older Adults’ • Find @LeedsLetsGet Active on both Twitter and Instagram for updates on all our work, sessions and information on moving more