Artists have an extra week to make their submissions for Kirkstall Art Trail. The deadline for submissions via CuratorSpace has been extended to Tuesday, 9 April 2024.
Established artists, those just starting out, crafters, workshop facilators, and those who have that one friend who’s creations should be shared with the wide-world, they all have time to get their submission in via Kirkstall Art Trail’s CuratorSpace page.
There are some other opportunities available during the weekend of Kirkstall Art Trail. There are two community art projects, a poetry trail, and a photography competition Capturing Kirkstall.
Kirkstall Art Trail. Stephen Cole, Arresting Images on Instagram.
Kirkstall Art Trail was recently awarded funding for the 2024 event from Leeds City Council’s Inner West Leeds Community Committee. The organising group are looking for businesses to provide sponsorship to help support the event which attracted more than 1,400 visitors in 2023.
Reflecting on their involvement with Kirkstall Art Trail, Mindy Goose said: “For me, as a person who has become disabled and consequently unable to work, it has given me purpose. I also love feeling like I’m a real part of the community, that I have value!”
Kirkstall Art Trail takes place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2024 between 11am-5pm, with venues across Kirkstall hosting artists and workshops. KAT2024 is a free event, maps will be available during the week to help visitors make their way around.
Local men’s mental health and suicide prevention project, Man About Town has found a new venue to hold its fortnightly Vinyl Picnics.
The first Vinyl Picnic since late last year will be held on Sunday, 21 April at Carole’s Kitchen café in Tong Road.
A poster advertising the event states the picnic is ‘for the benefit of men, not at the exclusion of women’.
Venue: Carole’s Kitchen. Photo: Google
The philosophy behind the Vinyl Picnic is for men to meet in a safe space to socialise and listen to records played on a portable record player.
Participants are welcome to bring their own vinyl, group facilitators also bring records to play. The Vinyl Picnics run alongside walks on alternate Sundays, from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
The project has been running for almost five years and also holds a music group that meets on Wednesdays at 10am at Woodhouse Community Centre.
For further information, contact Jonathan on info@creativeframe.org.uk and there is also a Man About Town Facebook page.
Two West Leeds fundraisers have put their best foot forward and completed the first in a series of sponsored walks to raise funds for a Wortley-based mental health charity.
As reported by WLD, Paul Abraham, of Bramley, and Damon Cooper, of Farsley, are taking part in the walks to raise money for the James Burke Foundation, which has its headquarters in Proton House, off Tong Road. They are hoping to raise £500 between them.
Paul and Damon.
They started at Wigan Warriors’, idolising Andy Farrell and reach the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens. Damon followed this walk by walking from the Shay to Odsal straight after!
Between them, they have so far raised £315, plus gift aid.
Mum Sharon Burke set up the foundation in 2018 in memory of her son, James, a former University of Leeds student and LURL player. James, an explosive force on the rugby league field, represented Jamaica in the 2014 Commonwealth Games but tragically took his own life in 2017. Sharon started the foundation to address mental health issues, confront stigma, and foster a deeper understanding of these challenges.
The duo are planning further fundraising walks in August and October.
The Fulneck Moravian Museum is thrilled to announce its grand re-opening this year by guest of honour, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Cllr Al Garthwaite.
Join the museum on Wednesday, April 3, from 2pm, for the reopening. This reopening heralds a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself once again into a rich collection of Moravian heritage and exhibits.
Run by volunteers, this is currently the district’s only social history museum, and explores the heritage of the Fulneck Moravian settlement from its inception through to the mid 20th century.
As well as the many interesting objects and stories collected from around the world, there is also the delightful settlement of Fulneck to explore with its Georgian and Victorian buildings, and stunning views across Tong Valley.
To help celebrate this civic occasion, there will be refreshments served close by in the Fulneck Boys Brigade Hall, everyone is welcome.
The museum will be open every Wednesday and Saturday afternoons 2pm to 4pm from April 4 until the end of the Heritage Open weekend on Saturday, September 14.
Volunteers hope to see you soon and enjoy what’s on offer, but please consider a donation to help with running costs, and if you’re interested in history please come back and see us again!
Bramley Buffaloes’ former captain Lochlan McGill is enjoying this time down under, having swopped west Leeds for Tumut in New South Wales.
“I was captain at Bramley. We had a few good seasons. We got some finals, won a league, then an opportunity came up to go to Australia through Jordan Anderson. Along with my friend, Castleford’s Toby Mallinson, I jumped at the chance,” explained McGill, who plays half back and hooker.
“It took a while to sort out visas and when I arrived, I did some sightseeing in Sydney. I’ve settled into the style of play and I’m grateful for this life opportunity which is helping me develop my rugby league career.”
Local tourist material describes Tumut as ‘a blossoming picturesque area near the Snowy Mountains whose 6,000 inhabitants enjoy an abundance of natural wonders’.
“It’s certainly got excellent weather,” says McGill. “And there’s lots of space – unlike at home the houses aren’t on top of each other.”
McGilll’s younger brother, 15-year-old Reuban, recently won his first boxing bout at the Bramley Villagers home show.
McGill saiid:”I was unhappy about missing his fight. I’ve seen the video and I’m proud of how well he handled himself. It’s great that my younger brother knows how to box and prove how tough he is. Just how every teen boy should be.”
As for McGill, plans are not definite. “I’ve a one-year visa and a one-year deal with the Tumut team The Blues. I’ll see how this season goes, and if I enjoy my rugby and my time in Australia, I’ll probably look to extend my stay.”
Farsley Celtic lost 3-1 at Spennymoor town yesterday. Photo: John Baron/westleedsdispatch.com
By John Baron
Farsley Celtic slid into the relegation zone for the first time this season following a comprehensive 3-1 defeat at a grey, wet and muddy Spennymoor Town.
Heavy rain meant the pitch, which has been the subject of an early morning inspection, was difficult for both teams. But it was the home side who emerged winners thanks to goals from Will Harris, Reece Staunton and Rob Ramshaw after Ben Atkinson had put The Celts ahead.
The defeat means Farsley have won one of their last 12 league games, losing eight and scoring just seven times in the process. Wins for relegation rivals Darlington and Rushall Olympic mean The Celts now languish in the fourth relegation spot in the Vanarama National League North, with just four matches remaining.
The visitors from West Leeds started the game well, nullifying the threat of playoff hopefuls Spennymoor. And they took the lead in the 17th minute, top scorer Ben Atkinson stroking an opening goal past Brad James in the Spennymoor net.
The home side slowly started to control possession without forcing a save from Farsley keeper Zan Luk Leban. But the visitors’ solid defensive work was undone in the 35th minute.
Reece Staunton’s whipped free kick from the edge of the box was only parried by Leban, Danny Greenfield latched on to the loose ball before being upended in the box by a rash George Smith challenge. Will Harris scored the resultant penalty to drag the Moors back on level terms.
Two minutes later the home side almost took the lead as Greenfield steered his shot into the side netting following a testing Ramshaw cross.
The Celts could still be pleased with their efforts as they went into half time at 1-1. The second half, however, was dominated by the home side.
Leban brilliantly tipped over a Spennymoor header on 55 minutes, but was beaten on 72 minutes thanks to an outrageous stroke of good fortune for the Moors. Staunton’s long cross somehow found its way directly into the top corner for 2-1. Leban then denied Harris when he went clean through on goal following a defensive mistake.
But the home side made it safe late on, Ramshaw going through on goal as Farsley pushed forward and the midfielder finished his tenth league goal of the season to secure the win.
In a season which has seen The Celts sit comfortably in mid-table for the most part, they now have four games left to avert an alarming slide, with critical back-to-back games against Peterborough Sports and a crunch trip to fellow strugglers Darlington on the horizon, before entertaining Buxton on the final day.
Of further concern to The Celts will be an injury which forced off defender George Smith. Added to existing injuries to defenders Rudy Misambo and Isaac Assenso and the upcoming three-match ban for Tom Allan, The Celts’ already stretched squad will be tested further.
Concerns have been expressed over this busy Kirkstall junction. Photo: Google
A spate of crashes at a notorious Kirkstall junction has prompted calls for action from motorists.
There have been three crashes within a week at the four-way junction that connects Kirkstall Road, Abbey Road and Kirkstall Lane, and Leeds City Council chiefs have promised to install new traffic cameras in May to improve safety.
One motorist – Monica Tailor – contacted WLD earlier this week to voice her concerns about the accidents.
Ms Tailor said: “I have to drive through this junction every day to get into work in town. There have been so many crashes there over the years – I don’t know why the council are taking so long to sort it. I’ve also seen so many near misses there I’m getting nervous about driving through it.
“Someone will get killed here if something doesn’t happen to sort it out.”
Another added: “Cars jump the lights, use the wrong lanes and will cut around the junctions to go in Kirkstall Bridge retail park. It all backs on up to Burley Road and you can queue for 20 minutes just to come down to the traffic lights. It’s a joke!”
Councillor Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall) posted an update on social media last week. She wrote: “Following recent crashes at the Kirkstall Junction (including three last week), Hannah Bithell, Andy Rontree and I met a Senior Highways Officer at the junction at 8.30am this morning. We looked at records of crashes at the junctions for the past five years.
“The two major patterns of collisions are right turn conflicts (mainly turning into Abbey Road) and red light violations. We will be taking the following actions:
“We will shortly be installing cameras to enforce the yellow box marking – this is approved and will be delivered in the coming months once the manufacturer has supplied the cameras. There will be a six-month warning period before fixed penalty notices (fines) are issued to offenders (this is a government statutory requirement).
“We will raise the red light violations with the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership to see if the location would qualify for red light cameras – there are certain criteria to meet so it will depend on us demonstrating the case
“We will discuss the potential for some minor changes to the traffic light sequencing with our Urban Traffic Management and Control team. Any changes to the sequencing, for example a right turn filter onto Abbey Road will produce a longer cycle through the traffic light phasing and therefore an increase in traffic queues, so we need to weigh any benefits of changing the sequencing against the disbenefits of more congestion. Changes to the sequencing may help but would still require drivers to obey the lights and take care when making their turns.
“In addition to the above we will look into the junction in more detail this year and see if there are any further changes that would help reduce collisions, noting that there is a limited budget with lots of demands for road safety works elsewhere in the city, so we would need to make a robust case for the funding (which is likely to be significant).”
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said there had been 14 recorded injury collisions at the junction in recent years, four of which were “serious”.
The spokesperson said in a statement: “We are aware of local concerns about safety at this busy junction, with the primary cause of collisions there being driver error.
“Following a successful application by the council to the Department for Transport last year for relevant powers, new traffic cameras are due to be installed at the site in May this year and it is hoped they will lead to a reduction in the number of collisions.
“The cameras will enforce two prohibited right turns, one from the A65 Abbey Road into Bridge Road and the other from Bridge Road onto the A65 Commercial Road.
“Further to this, the council has commissioned a traffic survey that will allow us to review signal timings at the junction and consider other possible measures to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
“This work is very much in line with our Leeds Safe Roads Vision Zero 2040 Strategy, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries caused by collisions.”
It was Easter fun all the way at the Broadlea Community Centre in Bramley this weekend when the Bramley Care Bears community group hosted a free Easter event.
The fun included an Easter egg hunt, the making of Easter cards and a “name the bunny” event.
Photographer Paul Abraham was on hand to capture the celebrations. Here’s a slideshow of his photos:
Here in Upper and Lower Wortley Cemetery is the headstone for Captain Wilfrid Edwards VC, died 1972 (Wilfrid spelled incorrectly). The graphics include the Victoria Cross medal. But official war graves and headstones are confined to casualties during or immediately following either World War. So what happened here? Ivor Hughes offers an explanation.
CWGC headstones are a standard size and shape. Captain Noel Chavasse, VC and Bar, was killed in Belgium during the Battle of Passchendaele and is buried in a CWGC cemetery nearby. His is the only CWGC headstone with two Victoria Crosses. Photo: Ivor Hughes
For the record
Wilfrid Claude Edwards was born near Norwich in 1893. By 1901 he was living in Leeds.
Wilfrid was educated at Park Lane School. He worked as a tailor and then, in 1914, as a miner at Waterloo Main Colliery. He enlisted in the army on 4 September 1914, shortly after the outbreak of WWI.
Private Edwards was deployed to France in August 1915. He was wounded in the October and again in July 1916. He returned to King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1917.
On 16 August 1917 Private Edwards saw action in Langemarck, Belgium, as part of the three months long Battle of Passchendaele. There, and with all officers lost, he charged an enemy fort and took 33 prisoners. For which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Leeds received him as a returning hero on 10 October 1917.
Subsequently commissioned, 2nd Lieutenant Edwards was discharged wounded in 1919. He re-enlisted during WWII.
One of the thirty official CWGC headstones in Upper and Lower Wortley Cemetery. Major Thomas Leighton lived in Wortley and left his widow Gertrude. Photo: Ivor Hughes
After WWII
Wilfrid Edwards’ subsequent workplaces include a Ford factory in Germany and David Brown’s factory in Farsley. In 1972 aged 78 he died in St James’ Hospital. He had maintained ex-servicemen contacts between and after the wars and was given Freedom of the City in 1950. Those responsible for his burial at the time evidently wished to commemorate his achievements in both his honour and that of the City of Leeds. Hence the choice of military style headstone.
Before and after. VCT, a charity in Doncaster, restores non-CWGC war graves and memorials of Victoria Cross recipients. Here a family grave in Frimley including the name of Major Kenneth Muir VC. Muir was killed in 1950, outside the scope of CWGC graves. His body is buried in Korea. Photos: VCT
Nearly but not quite
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance of all official war graves, memorials and monuments for 1.7 million war casualties. WWI and WWII only. Worldwide and meticulously.
Although the graphics on CWGC war grave headstones can vary by regiment, religion and family chosen motto, the size and shape are uniform. A standard tablet with rounded top (see Chavasse and Leighton pics). No exceptions. Edwards’ headstone differs from that norm, albeit slightly. The top of such variants are described as “clipped” or “with shoulders”. Another difference here is that CWGC headstones include all initials but not the actual first name. This one was purchased and maintained privately.
Leeds (Upper and Lower Wortley) Cemetery is one of 1041 designated CWGC War Cemeteries in Yorkshire. Thirty war casualties are listed there. Wilfrid Edwards is not one of them.
The Victoria Cross Trust, Doncaster
Thank you VCT for confirming my observations about the headstone. VCT is a charity which, among other activities, undertakes the restoration and maintenance of dilapidated Victoria Cross graves not being maintained by CWGC. These can include family plots where the VC recipient is named among other family members. Edwards’ is one of theirs.
VCT’s website gives comprehensive information, with images, about their restorative and educational work. There is also a list of volunteer opportunities for veterans or their families.
The Citadel is the home of National League North club Farsley Celtic. Photo: Farsley Celtic
By John Baron
Ten-man Farsley Celtic secured what could be an invaluable point in their bid to avoid relegation as they drew 0-0 at home to Southport.
The Celts halted their run of four straight defeats to secure a hard-fought point against their fellow strugglers, despite the dismissal of defender Tom Allan for a second bookable offence 11 minutes from time. The Celts will be especially pleased with a solid defensive performance and a clean sheet, after conceding four in the first half against Hereford last Saturday.
The draw leaves Farsley in 19th place, three points above Rushall Olympic in the final relegation spot, and a point above Darlington in 20th.
The match itself saw little in the way of goalmouth action as both sides cancelled each other out.
The only save either keeper had to make was in the 90th minute, when Darren Stephenson’s left-footed strike was saved at the second attempt by McMillian in the Southport goal. The visitors then nearly snatched all three points two minutes later, but Bennett’s shot from the edge of the box went just wide.
The first half saw little in the way of goalmouth action, but the away side came closest in first-half stoppage time, when Hmami’s curling free kick flew over the bar.
The Celts travel to play off chasers Spennymoor on Monday, hoping to build on today’s solid display and pull away from the relegation zone.
