Christ Church Upper Armley Primary School. Photo: Google
By John Baron
An eco-pod will be sited in the grounds of Christ Church Upper Armley Primary School, after council planners granted planning permission.
The eco-pod would be a space that meets the specific needs of a disabled child for learning, therapy, and relaxation.
A design statement submitted with the application states: “The eco pod will not only support the individual needs of the disabled child but also serve as a resource for inclusive education, promoting empathy, environmental stewardship, and wellbeing among all pupils.”
A council planning officer’s report approving the application concluded: “The proposal is in conformance with the policies set out within the development plan for Leeds.”
The 13 square metre pod will also feature a Sedum green roof.
Green-fingered volunteers from Calverley in Bloom have won Silver Gilt in RHS Yorkshire in Bloom Competition.
The team look after 16 barrier baskets, tubs and several beds for pollinators in Victoria Park.
The award comes as the In Bloom group marks 25 years of planting.
Judges visited Calverley during the summer and were impressed with the ‘well maintained’ allotments run by Calverley Horticultural Society.
They added: “Victoria Park is a well used and loved area providing excellent facilities such as cricket, tennis, bowls, football and a playground. Calverley Parkside School use it as their playing fields. The hedgehog garden is a marvellous project and used by the school children. The guttering on the fence is a great way of collecting water.
“The children created some great posters for 25th anniversary perhaps next year they could create posters to encourage more volunteers which could be placed around the village perhaps in the shops and cafes.”
Judges also lauded the ‘sympathetic restoration’ of Grade 1 listed Calverley Old Hall by the Landmark Trust.
Their comments were welcomed by Councillor Andrew Carter, who is chair of Calverley in Bloom. He said: “We are delighted to have won this award, particularly as it was our 25th anniversary.
“I want to particularly thank our small band of helpers – and also Michael from the Parks Department, who looks after Calverley Victoria Park. His help has been invaluable.
“The Judges particularly mentioned the support we got in the park, and that all the businesses on the route have provided floral displays, particularly mentioning yet again the Little Coffee House, where the display was stunning.
“Many thanks to the young people at Calverley Parkside School for the posters they created and gave to the judges for the 25th anniversary. Next year it will be Calverley Church of England School’s turn to provide posters.
“The positive comments from the judges meant a great deal to our handful of volunteers. We particularly wanted to win an award this year, as it is 25 years since Calverley in Bloom began, thanks to then councillor and former Lord Mayor of Leeds, the late Frank Robinson. We always need volunteers and they are welcome to contact me.
“We are already planning for next summer, taking on board the judge’s constructive feedback.”
Yorkshire in Bloom is a voluntary regional organisation that administers the RHS Britain in Bloom Campaign.
A new men’s group held its first session at Bramley Community Cafe this week.
The Chat and Chew group will run as taster sessions for the next six months.
The group will meet on the last Monday of each month from 1pm (the first was held on 29 September).
reative Frame volunteers Jonny and Tish.
Lead group facilitator Jonathan Parker said: “The sessions provide a free meal and the opportunity for men to come together, offer peer to peer mentoring and support a new community asset – the Bramley Community Cafe.”
The Chat and Chew group is part of the Man Made ‘Come Talk To Me’ project.
Jonathan told WLD: “The Come Talk to Me project is a male suicide prevention project that aims to break down barriers of misunderstanding, prejudice, and isolation by creating a safe space where participants can share personal narratives, challenge stereotypes, and build lasting connections.”
The project will also address common challenges like trauma, anxiety, depression, and stigma around seeking help.
Jonny Grimes, a volunteer men’s group facilitator, said: “Jonathan put me into some training to help facilitate men’s groups. I then planned and organised this Chat and Chew group with Jonathan. I feel like it’s gone perfectly well. We had nine members and I’m really looking forward to next month.”
To book a free place for the next Chat and Chew session, planned for 27 October, contact Jonathan by email at info@creativeframe.org.uk.
The Bramley Community Cafe is situated in Bramley Shopping Centre and is open from 9.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.
A height restricted barrier will be installed at Kirkstall Abbey car park to prevent travellers’ caravans and other large vehicles from entering it.
The move comes from Leeds City Council and follows a series of illegal encampments at the popular car park.
Plans for a new barrier been welcomed by Kirkstall councillors Hannah Bithell, Andy Rontree and Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall).
In a statement, they said the movable barrier would enable coaches to be admitted when groups are booked to visit the museum and wider site.
They said: “We recognise that preventing camps on the Abbey car park does not solve the problem (it simply moves it elsewhere) and the council is working with the gypsy and traveller community on the need for more permanent pitches and legal negotiated stopping points.
“Nevertheless, we need to prevent camps at the Abbey car park, so that people can access the Abbey and Abbey House Museum, which has sometimes not been possible when the car park is out of use.
“We might need to get a barrier tailor made for the size we require. We will, also, have to get scheduled monument consent from Historic England and they may require us to have an archaeologist on site.
“Depending on how long this takes, we hope to have the barrier installed within a couple of months.”
The height barrier would still allow cars to access the site freely.
Did you know every Specsavers store is locally owned and run by optometrists and audiologists who have a deep investment in their communities and a commitment to providing excellent care?
Stores serve as community champions, encouraging support for local causes and actively participating in community life.
Meet the team at Kirkstall Bridge Retail Park:
Nick Ainley, Retail Director
The longest standing member of the team, Nick has been serving community for 31 years – 20 of those have been spent in Kirkstall.
“After more than two decades, it’s amazing to be working with new partners to make a difference for customers and staff experiences at Specsavers Kirkstall.”
Most rewarding part of the job: The colleagues I work with.
Interesting fact about your work people might not know: Our spectacles are hand made by local staff members at our store.
Fun fact about yourself: Achieved a golf handicap of 6.1.
Josh Brough-Ali, Hearing Director
Josh has been part of the Specsavers team since 2011, starting out as a shop floor assistant. He now oversees the Kirkstall branch’s audiology services, which he launched in early 2020, just two months before the first Covid lockdown, building the department from the ground up.
“It was definitely a challenging time to step into leadership, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved since then and the care we continue to provide.”
Most rewarding part of the job: Helping people to hear again – it’s so rewarding knowing you’ve made a real difference to someone’s life.
Interesting fact about your work people might not know: Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline, but treating it can help protect your brain. Hearing aids don’t just improve hearing – they can support long-term mental and emotional wellbeing.
Fun fact about yourself: Lived in Lanzarote for 12 months before joining Specsavers.
Summer-Leigh Sykes, Optical Assistant
Summer joined Specsavers Kirkstall three years ago, initially working on the shop floor for the optical team. She is now training in otoscopy and working toward becoming a qualified wax removal clinician.
“I feel so honoured to play a part in make hearing care more accessible to our local community. I’ve been based at the Kirkstall store throughout my time at Specsavers – it’s a fantastic team and a really welcoming environment for both staff and customers.
Most rewarding part of the job: Helping people feel seen, heard, and cared for.
Every day brings a new opportunity to make a difference.
Interesting fact about your work people might not know: Too much earwax can affect overall wellbeing. Something as simple as wax removal can restore clarity, reduce discomfort, and even improve balance. It’s a small procedure with a big impact.
What do you like to do outside of work: I’ve been helping launch free audiology clinics for the homeless, offering wax removal and hearing aid support. It’s a project I’m really passionate about, and I’m excited to see how it grows and helps those who need it most.
Fun fact about yourself: Has 20 tattoos.
Jennie Long, Optometrist Director
Jennie has been part of the Specsavers team for two decades, but she only joined the Kirkstall branch at the beginning of the year.
“It’s amazing being part of the long-standing team at Kirkstall. I hope by bringing new ideas to the table I can help the team continue to deliver exceptional service to our customers.”
Most rewarding part of the job: Teaching people something they didn’t know about their eye or ear health!
Interesting fact about your work people might not know: We are at the forefront of innovation at Specsavers and are now able to offer lenses to prevent young children becoming short sighted. Having had spectacles since I was 12, I wish this had been available when I started out.
Fun fact about yourself: Has worked in the circus.
What a great year it’s been down on the allotment.
A warm, dry-ish spring followed by a hot, even drier summer made for very good growing conditions, providing I could keep up with the watering, especially since the hosepipe ban meant schlepping watering cans from the water butts. That was quite a workout!
The good weather meant some crops were early. Broad beans were plentiful and tasty, I’ve frozen loads – we’ll be having those well into the new year. The peas came early too, those that the mice didn’t scoff, that is.
Brussels sprouts will be in the ground for some time yet, well netted to protect against pigeons. Once they’ve been nipped by the first frost, those sprouts will be at their best and ready to pick.
The potatoes just keep on giving and came out of the ground with no holes and, more importantly, no blight. They’ll keep us going through the winter. Thornless blackberries were huge and juicy, I had so many, I made batch after batch of jam.
Once you’ve tasted home-made jam, you never want shop-bought again and it makes great gifts. Leeks and shallots are maybe a bit smaller than I’d expect. They probably didn’t get as much water as they needed, they’d definitely qualify to be in the wonky vegetables section at any supermarket, but still, like all wonky fruit and veg, they are very usable and good to eat. One crop that has done particularly well this year is squash.
I planted three varieties, Butternut, Crown Prince and Bush Baby. The plants throw out long vines which produce both male and female flowers, only the female flowers will make fruit, so, harsh as it seems, the males are discarded. Left unchecked, the vines would work their way to my allotment neighbour, so the experts recommend to nip off the ends once four fruit have started to form.
I slid flat stones and slates under the fruit to raise them from the soil and stop them rotting, and there they will stay until the leaves die back. They need to be left in a cool, dry place for the skin to thicken and should keep well into the new year.
Mine are going into the greenhouse, which is looking a bit sorry for itself now, after all the tomato plants have gone.
Tomatoes were another crop which did well this year, both in the greenhouse and outside. I’ve made passata, sauces and chutney.
Tomatoes that are green now have little chance of ripening, so I’ve made them into a sharp chutney, which will mature just in time for Christmas. I’ll have some of that with cheese on Boxing Day as I peruse the seed catalogues and choose what I’ll grow next year.
Life at Kirkstall Valley Farm may be busy, but there is always time for a chat and a cup of tea!
As autumn days take over from the long hot summer days, the big harvests of the store crops have come rolling in.
First onions, then potatoes followed by the pumpkins and winter squash the other week. These are all stored carefully, in insulated containers, so that over the next few months, they can come out for the weekly veg boxes, right through to early spring.
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We all the love the quality of the veg, grown right here in Kirkstall at the farm, and as a new volunteer Dan said: “When I started getting a veg box, I could not believe how good the tomatoes tasted, so different from the normal supermarket ones.”
But you may be surprised to learn that the farm is not all about the fantastic healthy veg.
This summer has also seen a bumper crop of new people coming down to get involved with the farm and to help out at the volunteer sessions. All are welcome to come down for just one session or as and when you can make it, or to join a regular session every week.
Volunteer sessions are run on Monday afternoons, Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon, plus Saturday mornings. You can pop in at those times to find out more or e-mail Jen, the farm administrator, on kvf.admin@kvdt.org.uk.
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It may be a bit muddy but it is always fun, and you can either get stuck into something really physical for a work out, or help with tasks like seed sowing or bagging up of salads for the veg boxes.
With three large poly tunnels you can even stay out of the rain on super wet days! The poly tunnels are now filling up with a range of salads to be harvested in late autumn and winter.
Keeping the tunnel soils in good health is super important, and at KVF no artificial fertilisers or chemicals are used, just top notch home made compost, as well as some green waste compost and well-rotted manure.
If you would like to come and have a walk round the farm look out for the next open day on Saturday, 25 October, there will be refreshments, tours, pumpkin carving and a warm welcome!
The open day promises something for all ages. Children (and grown-ups too) can join in with pumpkin carving from 11am–2pm, while a guided farm tour at 11am will showcase the fields and crops that supply local households with fresh produce.
A variety of refreshments will also be on offer, including hot drinks, hot dogs, soup and samosas.
For those keen to get involved in the day-to-day life of the farm, the regular volunteering session will run from 10am–11am.
While farm tours, food and drinks can be enjoyed without booking, places for pumpkin carving should be reserved in advance via Bookwhen here.
Thai boxer Isaac Hussain is delighted that teenage fighter Fergus Smith has qualified to fight on a prestigious event later this month in Bangkok – and has made it his ambition to emulate his fellow Horsfordian.
“I’m delighted for Fergus, obviously,” said year 11 Horsforth School pupil Isaac.
“Just getting selected is a tremendous achievement and it encourages everyone else to keep working to achieve our goals. I’m also motivated and encouraged by Ubaid ‘Bad’ Hussain at our gym who’s also a ONE championship fighter and a strong role model for younger people progressing in the sport.”
At 16, Isaac is already an experienced Muay Thai fighter having taken up the sport aged eight.
He said: “For the last four years I’ve been training with Jompop Kiatphontip at his gym in Sheepscar.
“I’ve won nine of my 12 bouts these last two years including one on a recent show in Bolton where I defeated Emil Majstrak. All of us young fighters want to get on the ONE championship to compete in Thailand.
“I spent two weeks there last Christmas. The training was intense as we were constantly pushed both mentally and physically. I enjoyed meeting other boys from western countries and making friends with Thai children our age who are already experienced fighters. I’m keen to go again.”
“We’re proud of our son, how committed he is to the demanding training required to make a success of the sport,” stated Isaac’s dad Mabs.
“Jompop and the other coaches offer high quality training both in terms of knowledge and experience and their ability to get the best out of their pupils as these develop skills. Most of all Isaac fits in well at a gym where there’s a lovely, nurturing family atmosphere.”
Anyone prepared to back Isaac as Horsforth’s next Thai boxing champion can contact Mabs Hussain by e-mail at mabs@empowernextgen.co.uk or Instagram @Mabs1935. Kiatphontip Leeds is on the top floor of Stamford House on Cross Stamford Street LS7 1BA. (E-mail info@muaythai-kiatphontip.co.uk or call 07547 000 091).
Rodley Homes Ltd have this week submitted updated landscaping plans, which includes new details of the proposed boundary treatments. According to documents submitted with the application, the previously approved plans erroneously included an outdated layout of the site.
Previous proposals for the site have attracted hundreds of objections. There had also been concerns over the installation of a new swing bridge which leads to the former mills site.
Householders living in Horsforth will pay extra precept over the next two financial years to help cover the costs of creating a new community hub in the town.
Horsforth Town Council is leasing and developing 3 and 5 The Green – which also houses Horsforth Museum and The Stables – into a multi-use community space.
To ensure the building is fully completed, equipped, and open for community use this year, the Town Council is seeking a Public Works Loan of £200,000, subject to approval by the Secretary of State.
In June the council launched a public consultation to ask if Horsfordians supported an approximate a 3.8% precept rise, or an additional 77p per Band D property annually to cover the cost.
The results were in favour of increasing the precept and the council has proceeded with the loan application.
Horsforth Town Council chair Gill Garvani said: “The downstairs at number 3 is nearing completion and we are hoping that building works will be finished in the next few weeks.
“All of the information for the loan to complete phase two of the works has been sent to the Secretary of State and we are awaiting the outcome of that application.
“We do not have a definite opening date as yet, but current thinking is to have a soft opening towards the end of the year, with a more formal opening at some point in the new year.”
The results of the consultation were:
Are you in FAVOUR of the parish council going ahead with the proposed loan? Yes 126; No 54.
Are you in FAVOUR of Horsforth Town Council going ahead with the proposed loan for 3&5 The Green development if it includes a council tax precept increase? Yes 121; No 60.
The development of the buildings will not affect the normal operation of the museum, which has contributed towards the cost of a lift to improve accessibility.
Number 3, once completed, will provide public spaces, available for hire at “reasonable cost” to cover ongoing maintenance of the building, for community activities and events such as youth groups, community organisation events or meetings and adult learning and activities.
Town and parish councils set a precept payment amount to cover the amount of money required from council tax payers in the area and represents the difference in the councils estimated income against their planned spending requirements.
