Farsley Celtic were beaten at Fylde, heightening relegation fears. Photo: Thomas Ritchie
By Thomas Ritchie
Farsley Celtic lost out in an important clash in the fight for survival, going down 2-1 at fellow strugglers Blyth Spartans.
Jimmy Spencer had cancelled out Connor Thomson’s opener, but the hosts would strike with three minutes remaining, JJ O’Donnell striking to hand Blyth the three points that sees them leapfrog the Celts.
Blyth started the game on the front foot, and would take the lead inside 15 minutes with the first real threatening attack for either side.
Corey McKeown cut in from the left, and saw his curling effort hit the upright, but if Farsley thought the danger was gone, they were wrong. Patrick Almond collected the ball on the right and delivered a superb cross to the back post where Connor Thomson was waiting to convert from close range.
That seemed to spark Farsley into life, and they almost drew level when Frank Mulhern’s curling free-kick was tipped over the crossbar by Alex Mitchell.
The Celts had further efforts on goal from Will Hayhurst, and Mulhern again, but Mitchell stood strong to save from both.
With half-time approaching the hosts came within inches of doubling their lead. Angelo Cappello saw a strike from the edge of the box deflected agonisingly wide of the upright before, from the resulting corner, Dave Robson produced a magnificent save to turn the ball away from the top-right corner.
And that would prove to be a crucial stop as within 60 seconds Farsley were level. The visitors broke down the left, and Mulhern played a terrific ball through to Jimmy Spencer who slotted home first-time to complete a clinical counter-attack.
The second half was a much scrappier affair, with Farsley’s only real chance coming to Spencer, when his effort on the turn was blocked.
The pressure on the Celts’ goal intensified, with the Spartans having a number of successive corners in the final 10 minutes.
Ultimately, that pressure would tell, JJ O’Donnell getting the run on his man at the front post and glancing home Nicky Deverdics’ delivery.
Farsley would have one final chance deep into added time, but Mulhern fired a half-volley just wide at the near post, and with it went the Celts’ chance of taking something from the game.
To compound Farsley’s misery, influential midfielder Chris Atkinson was sent off after the final whistle.
Farsley were leapfrogged in the table by Flyde and slipped to second-bottom, three points ahead of Guiseley, who were hit for six at home to promotion chasers Gateshead. The Nethermoor side have a marginally better goal difference as the battle to avoid the drop moves into its final three weeks.
Celts boss Russ Wilcox was critical of his team’s performance on Friday and said the late defeat was a tough one to take ahead of a tricky test ahead of the visit of playoff chasers Stockport on Monday:
The origins of Armley Library date back to 1874, when it was part of the main Armley Sunday School.
As books were so expensive the school loaned them out to interested scholars. Years later in 1901 following the Libraries Act, the Sunday School moved to Wesley Road and in 1902 the current building named Armley Library was established on the same site.
In the same era the word “library” conjured up images of an old building, holding old leather chairs, reading tables and acres of books arranged alphabetically by author with fines levied for overdue books. And it might have stayed that way had the internet not been invented.
The accessibility of e-books, music, videos etc onto mobile reading devices like the Kindle, I-pad or smart phone meant that the library had to adapt or become redundant.
Happily most libraries embraced the change and began to offer things other than books. Armley Library now offers a range of services including DVD and CD hire, and access to computers.
It has more recently developed into a community hub offering advice on savings, financial matters, housing, social, welfare and well being issues, a far cry from its humble origins in 1874.
For more of Susan Johnson looking at the history beneath your feet on Armley Town Street, follow this link.
Our eighth anniversary in March attracted customers from near and far with some new faces and many young families.
Free facepainting by our friendly face painter, Debra Austin, and some exceptional Juggling from Matt Tiffany, proved to be a popular combination!
Our guest stallholders created a celebratory feel with Northern Shakers ready mixed cocktails and Tipsy Bakes alcohol infused cup cakes. Regulars Yorkshire Chocolatier launched a liqueur fondant range while Woods Brownies included a ‘no alcohol’ rum and raisin brownie too!
The warm spring sunshine really made for a perfect family friendly morning in Farsley.
Join us next on St George’s Day, 23rd April, when we will have the Festival team providing a craft workshop who, with your help, will be building a Village to display at this year’s event held on the Jubilee Weekend. Enjoy our regular stallholders like Calverley Beekeepers, Country Store, India Express & Yorkshire Pie, and inside – Florentina, Tracy Haigh, Stiltwalker’s and Friends Book Sale. Guesting outside this month are Cabbage Patch Bakery, Wildwood Florist, Love2Grow eco cleaning, and in St John’s hall find Little Shop of Wood & V-Happy Crafts, Tropic Skincare & the team from MHA Farsley with goody bags for all.
We provide some seating indoors and out for when you’re ready to order a hot sandwich or just a drink – you can select from a range sold at the Beantastic stall or choose a Fairtrade blend from the Market Kitchen (still manned by a family bubble).
Looking ahead to the summer markets, you can expect regular attractions and entertainment plus more visiting stallholders.
Once again we take this opportunity to thank you for your attendance and thank our more familiar traders who (barring illness) have been a constant throughout the Covid troubles and we hope you continue to support them too.
A Burley-based independent cosmetic vehicle repairer has helped to support mercy dashes of crucial supplies to Ukraine.
Dan Besau, Smart Repairs’ founder and co-owner, has worked closely with the Leeds Ukrainian Community Centre to provide clothing, food and medical equipment for the embattled country.
Dan said:
“Like so many people across the UK, I have been horrified and appalled by what is going in in Ukraine. To see the suffering of innocent and helpless Ukranians has been heart-breaking and, as a company, we have been determined to help in any way we can.
“I have been in close contact with Slava Semeniuk at the Ukranian Centre in Leeds, after being introduced by a mutual friend. Slava has been organising trips to Ukraine and we have been both proud and delighted to help.
“Together we have packed two lorries full of supplies, with much-needed non-perishable food, medical supplies and clothing for men, women and children. We know these have arrived safely and have been gratefully received.
“I would like to thank employees and customers of Smart Repairs, notably Leeds car dealership JCT 600, for raising thousands of pounds to pay for these supplies and for the fuel to get to Ukraine. Their generosity has made a real difference.
“We have also been able to store all these supplies at our headquarters in Weaver Street in Leeds, making sure everything was safe and secure before the trips to Ukraine began.”
Smart Repairs recently bought the 18,000 sq ft freehold premises at Falcon House in Weaver Street, Burley, where the supplies for Ukraine were stored.
Nicola Lee, of Mill Creations with her apprentice (and daughter) Isabel
By Michael Crossland
A Farsley haberdashery company has seen business boom since the start of the pandemic.
School of Sew, based in Sunny Bank Mills, have reported an increased interest in sewing since the first lockdown.
Booming: School of Sew has drawn in people following the pandemic. Photo: Michael Crossland
Nicola Lee, owner of the business said:
“If the pandemic’s done us any good it meant that lots of people had spare time, and were crafting. They’ve really got the bug.”
Nicola noted how demand for sewing machines rose to the amount that suppliers were unable to keep up. “You could not get hold of them at all, they were like hotcakes, even now it’s hard.”
This popularity has remained after the pandemic ended. She added:
“As soon as we opened back up people came in and said ‘it’s so nice to touch fabric and not have to get it off the internet. It’s not the same just sitting at your kitchen table ordering things.”
Nicola also explained her belief that sewing can be helpful with mindfulness, another reason she feels it has gained popularity since the start of the pandemic.
“A lot of people have come for a kind of therapy,” she said. “People off with stress, anxiety.
“We have people that come and say, no that can’t have been two hours, or they’ll come to a three-hour workshop and say ‘I’ve just not thought about anything at all for three hours’ so there is that element to it. People share things and they really look forward to it.”
During the pandemic, Nicola’s business also began sewing scrubs together for hospital staff, and managed to complete around 800 sets, helped along by a £4,000 donation on the group’s just giving page. “It was a great community thing,” she said. “We had so many people asking to help.”
In September, when the School of Sew reopened after lockdown, Nicola also opened her new haberdashery shop, Mill Creations, replacing what was once her curtain business.
Shortly after she was to find out that the BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee celebrity special was to take place in Sunny Bank Mills.
“They interviewed actor Anthony Cotton just outside my window there. I got very excited!” she added.
Nicola also hopes that the programme’s new season taking place at Sunny Bank will again give a further boost to business. Sunny Bank is expected to feature on the BBC One programme again on Wednesday, 27 April 2022.
“We get busier when the Sewing Bee is on anyway,” she said. “It always kind of gets the juices going.
“I did drop a line on Patrick Grant’s Instagram to say if they ever wanted to come in they were more than welcome.”
Nicola also hopes that the Sewing Bee coming to Farsley can be beneficial for the region. In particular, in attracting a younger audience.
“Whenever you get any correspondence, or any articles, they always link Sunny Bank Mills with Heartbeat and Emmerdale because they were filmed here, but for much as my daughter she hasn’t got a clue what Heartbeat is and only just maybe Emmerdale.“
Nicola also noted how due to the success of Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley is quickly becoming a destination spot for tourism.
“Farsley is a very buzzing place now” she said, “I’ve been here six years and it’s so much busier, and a lot of that is down to the regeneration of Sunny Bank.”
Sunny Bank Mills now plays host to around 80 businesses, employing around 800 staff.
The former HSBC Bank in Pudsey. Photo: Google Maps
American multi-national coffeehouse chain Starbucks is interested in taking over the former HSBC bank site in Pudsey, it has emerged today.
WLDreported earlier this week that an application for a ‘certificate of proposed lawful development’ to change the use of building from a bank to a coffee shop had been submitted to Leeds council’s planning portal.
The applicant was named as Church Court (Morley) Ltd, with the agent listed as Huddersfield-based Code L6 Architecture. WLD has learned that the local applicant is working alongside Starbucks with the proposal.
The building has remained empty since HSBC closed its branch, at the corner of Church Lane and Robin Lane in Pudsey, in October 2020. The building, which has a guide price of £475,000, is currently listed as being ‘under offer’ on property firm Mark Brearley & Company’s website.
Trish Smith, chair of the Pudsey Business Network Forum, gave a lukewarm reception towards Starbucks and encouraged people to support local independent business in the town over the weekend. She said:
“This Easter weekend I’d encourage people to walk around and get to know your local area. Go for a walk in the park and then maybe support a local business if you can. The independents were helping people out during the pandemic, we need to support them now.
“If you can afford it, please buy a Pudsey Lottery ticket and get more Pudsey Pounds circulating around the town. Let’s really get behind our local independents.
“We have some fabulous independent shops in Pudsey. We need to embed ourselves now as a shop local community before the likes of Starbucks move in. I’m not against big business but we can’t allow them to close our indies.”
The Pudsey Lottery was set up to support local businesses during the pandemic and encourages people to ‘shop local’. It has so far achieved a total prize fund of £22,200, with 53 independent Pudsey businesses benefiting. The most money spent in one business is £2,500, with six others close to or over £1,000.
The Pudsey Lottery is fully licensed by Leeds City Council and is managed though the Pudsey Business Network Forum.
The planning application is due to be decided by council officers by 22 May 2022.
The Moss Swing Bridge site in Rodley photographed in April. Photo: John McEvoy
Developers building a new swing bridge which will link to a planned housing development in Rodley have warned it could now be August before work is completed.
The new Moss Swing Bridge over the canal was supposed to be open by May, but work has failed to progress as expected – much to the disappointment of volunteers at both Rodley Cricket Club and Rodley Nature Reserve, which both rely on the bridge for easy access.
The nature reserve has been closed to the public since early January to allow for work on the swing bridge ahead of 66 new homes being built on the adjacent Airedale Mills site, which has been disused for some years. The reserve has only this month started to trial limited opening hours on a Sunday.
Rodley Cricket Club: ‘Worrying’ delay
Problems: Rodley Cricket Club
Chair of Rodley Cricket Club, Steven Bradbury, warned the logistical and financial impact of the delays on the club would be ‘immense’. He said:
“I am extremely concerned about the delay to the completion of the access bridge and the negative impact that this will have on Rodley Cricket Club.
“The senior season starts this weekend and runs through until mid-September. The extended closure period will include all the junior season. We have been unable to secure an alternative ground and will have to play at Rodley this summer or not play at all. Whether we can run all the junior coaching sessions, including the successful All Stars under 7s programme, is still to be determined.
“Notwithstanding the logistical difficulties in getting stock/supplies to the site and waste away from the club, we also have issues with some umpires and spectators (older parents/grandparents) being unable to walk along the canal.
“We are trying to communicate with our players, parents and opposition to car share as much as possible, but there will inevitably be an issue with parking. We have several events that we will not be able to host due to the logistical issue of getting equipment to the site and these include a mixture of community, club and charity fundraising events.
“The financial impact on us will be immense but equally worrying is the potential negative impact on our membership. As a club which has grown significantly in recent years and now running 10 teams while still recovering from the impact of Covid, we are unsure what the effect of the disruption will be on our senior and junior membership.”
Mr Bradbury said the club does not object to the principle of the housing development, but did submit an objection to the timing of the bridge replacement. He told WLD:
“We were originally advised that the bridge would be back in use in early May, which slipped to early June, but to have no vehicular access for virtually all the cricket season is much worse than we anticipated.
“In fairness, the developer has promised to improve access to the cricket club as part of the works and to cover any loss of income during the original closure period and we expect them to honour that agreement.”
Nature Reserve volunteers ‘upset’
Closure: Rodley Nature Reserve.
Rodley Nature Reserve’s Jeremy Knapp said further delays in the scheme impacted both the wider community and the Reserve’s volunteers and was frustrated over the extended period of limited access to the site. He said:
“We are very upset at this extension. We will try and find a way of accommodating things with limited access and will continue to carry out our habitat work, but we are highly disappointed.
“It seems quite clear that the bridge was removed before all the relevant permissions and designs were in place. Our main aim with the development is to make sure that both the nature reserve and the River Aire corridor are preserved.”
A statement on the Reserve’s website added:
“Currently the Trust has no detailed information about the reason for the delay but has been assured that the developer is preparing a revised proposal. The Trust is working closely with local councillors, Leeds City Council planning officers and Yorkshire Water to ensure rapid progress is made to protect the interests of the Reserve, its users and local communities.”
The Sunday opening will continue for a trial period, with access via the canal towpath.
Moss Bridge was demolished by developers earlier this year – but installing its replacement has been delayed. Photo: Mark Stevenson
Councillors’ concerns
Labour councillors in Bramley & Stanningley and Calverley & Farsley Wards – Cllrs Peter Carlill, Caroline Gruen, Jools Heselwood and Kevin Ritchie – issued the following statement:
“We are extremely concerned about the delays and further complications with the replacement of the bridge.
“Before commencement of any works to the bridge, the developers were required to provide a timetable of works and full details of the replacement bridge for approval by the planning department. This was to allow the design, function and safety of the bridge to be checked ahead of the works, to allow comment by other stakeholders, iron out any issues, and to allow the planning department to discuss alternative access arrangements.
“It is our understanding that this didn’t happen and they removed the existing bridge without permission – putting them in breach of the planning conditions on their outline development, and causing a totally unnecessary delay along the way while the design and operation of the new bridge is reviewed.
“There was also an expectation that they should have consulted with the nature reserve and the cricket club regarding the timetable, however we understand both were given details of when works were starting at short notice and not consulted in a meaningful way.
“As ward councillors we will be doing whatever we can to minimise the delay to the replacement bridge, assist the other parties affected, and to seek alternative access in the meantime.
“To touch on the wider development, currently the site, which sits within the Bramley and Stanningley ward, has outline planning permission only. A detailed planning application has been submitted by a different party and is expected to be determined at a plans panel meeting later in the year.”
Residents can view the details of the full application and make comments online at https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk and search for reference 21/09266/RM.
Conservative Calverley & Farsley councillors Amanda and Andrew Carter have also been looking into the issue. Posting on social media, they said:
“The replacement bridge is being undertaken by Dynamic Capital. Quite clearly insufficient thought was given to how this bridge was to be delivered, how it would operate in terms of opening and closing, and appropriate guarantees of access.
“This is the subject of ongoing debate at the moment. Why it was not properly thought out in the first place beggars belief.
“Both myself and Councillor Amanda Carter have insisted that from now on we are fully consulted and engaged in discussions. We have pointed out in the strongest possible terms that it is our residents in the village of Rodley who are most concerned and affected by this development, although the site itself is in the Bramley and Stanningley ward.”
Developer: “We are trying our best’
Ilkley-based developer Dynamic Capital and Investments has outline planning permission for the site, which includes replacing the swing bridge and carrying out road works to ensure access to the next stage of the development, which is proposed to be housing.
Work was initially expected to take a couple of months, then went up to five months – but this could now stretch to eight months.
Alan Poysser, a chartered engineer representing Dynamic Capital, admitted: ‘we’re looking at August at the moment’ but stressed they were doing all they can to minimise disruption to the community.
He suggested changes to the design of the bridge in January were the main reason for the delay. The bridge is now due to include electrical components, as opposed to being purely manual.
“I understand the concerns of the both the cricket club and nature reserve and we are working to get the scheme completed as soon as we can. It’s the changing of the design in January, at the request of the Canal and River Trust and Yorkshire Water, which has caused problems.”
My Poysser said that the old bridge was ‘near the end of its life’ and ‘not in a good condition’ and the new bridge would last for the next 120 years.
“This will be a significant upgrade on the one that was previously there and they will benefit from that bridge immeasurably,” My Poysser said. “The abutments [the substructure at the end of a bridge span which support it] had moved, meaning it was difficult for people to open the swing bridge.
“Had the bridge failed and we hadn’t come along with this proposal, people might have been looking at a year to 18 months without a working bridge.”
My Poysser liaises between Dynamic Capital and the contractor for the work, Guildford-based Land and Water Services Ltd. He said Dynamic Capital had offered to cover any financial loss to the cricket club and reserve but conceded that there was a lot of work left to do on the site.
More traffic modelling needed
Local councillors have been looking into the delays, and say that the developer is required to provide further information to the council’s planning department. This includes traffic modelling as it will take longer than anticipated to operate the new-look bridge, which may have knock-on effects for both traffic accessing the site and canal traffic.
Music From The Attic performing at Kirkstall Forge
A fundraising evening to support the Leeds Together for Ukraine Appeal will be held at Kirkstall Forge on Friday, 29 April.
The leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, will welcome guests at 6pm. There will be the opportunity to enjoy Ukranian food, live music performances by Music from the Attic, a silent auction and other activities, with the Butlers bar at Kirkstall Forge opening from 4pm.
Lucinda Yeadon, community liaison manager at CEG, said:
“We hope as many people as possible are able to come along to Kirkstall Forge, enjoy music from live bands, sample Ukrainian fayre and help to raise much-needed funds to support refugees.
“I would like to thank Leeds Rhinos and other local businesses which have kindly offered some great prizes for our auction. Any businesses wanting to donate, please get in touch. Everyone who comes along to the event will also be given free sunflower seeds to plant in solidarity and support for Ukraine. #sunflowersforukraine.”
The event is being organised by Kirkstall Forge developers CEG, in partnership with Leeds City Council, Leeds Together for Ukraine and the Leeds Ukrainian community.
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:
“The way that residents in Leeds have responded to the crisis in Ukraine has been truly inspiring. We have seen many, many examples of people doing their bit to help those in need, not least by making donations to the council’s Leeds Together For Ukraine fundraising appeal.
“The support already being shown for the Kirkstall Forge event is further testament to our city’s generous nature, and hopefully it will raise a significant amount for a very deserving cause.”
Anyone wanting to donate to the Leeds fundraising campaign for Ukraine can do so using this link.
For further information about the event, contact Lucinda Yeadon on Lucinda.yeadon@ceg.co.uk or call 0113 322 6596.
Bradford Road, at Thornbury Roundabout Junction. Image: Google
A concerned West Leeds resident has launched a petition for permanent cameras to be installed on busy Bradford Road.
People living in the Bradford Road area and Calverley & Farsley ward councillors have long raised concerns about road safety.
This week Abi Van Rensburg launched an online petition to improve the safety of the road. The petition had gathered more than 1,800 signatures as WLD published this article.
WLD has regularly featured concerns about the safety of the stretch of road between Dawsons Corner and Thornbury Roundabout.
On Wednesday 27 April Bramley Elderly Action members will participate in a ‘Great Debate’ regarding the future of Bramley.
This discussion is also open to anyone aged 60+ in the area who would like to reflect on the changes to Bramley Town Street in the 1970s, to consider the effect this had on the community and to talk about Bramley Centre as it was and is now. You do not have to be a member of Bramley Elderly Action to attend.
We encourage the attendance of people who strongly believe that Bramley Town Street should have been left standing, but perhaps you saw benefits from the changes that took place?
We’d love for you to join us and to listen to what you have to say if this is the case. When these changes were made, what was lost? What remains? What could we revive and how? These are all questions that we will discuss and debate.
The debate will be guided by BEA facilitator Joanne Hartley and West Leeds Dispatch editor John Baron. It will be recorded and summarised in a West Leeds Dispatch article.
We will also be taking suggestions for other subjects and issues to discuss at future ‘Great Debate’ events.
This is a chance to have your say and influence policy and decision making.
If there’s something that you’d like this group of senior thinkers to consider and discuss, please contact us to let us know. This is an opportunity to harness the power of the wisdom, insight and lived experience of our community of people aged 60+.
The debate runs at Wednesday 27th April, 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Bramley Community Centre. Light refreshments will be served. Booking is not essential, but let us know you’re coming by phoning 0113 236 1644 so we have an idea of numbers.
Artist Ben Mills was commissioned to bring together people from the Calverley & Farsley ward where he lives and works.
Ben engaged people from the ward, which covers Stanningley Bottom, Farsley, Rodley, Calverley, as part of Leeds 2023 year of culture.
His project started last October when Ben took to social media to ask people questions about where they live, to provoke a response from the community to bring people together to share stories about their community.
His work culminates in a free creative community event ‘Common Thread’, which will tell the stories of Calverley, Farsley and Rodley on Sunday, 1 May, at a venue to be confirmed in Farsley*.
Ben describes himself as a co-creative artist, a galvaniser and a doer, and has been bringing people together from across the ward for creative meetings. These have taken place on evenings and weekends at various venues across the ward.
Ben designed creative artistic group activities that explored different kinds of art techniques, the process of making art and included visits from local artists.
Creative meetings were thematic, relating to the ward’s identity, heritage and geography. This gave people an opportunity to enjoy some unique experiences such as guided walks, creating a ward Monopoly board, writing a manifesto for the ward and baking a mythical beast.
It helped that Ben is a professional baker, who works at the Mill Kitchen bakery. He has an interest in combining baking and creativity and was on hand to guide people through the making process. And, of course, tea and cake was in good supply!
Ben said although he lives and works in the ward, he is relatively unknown and doubts if anyone knows he is an artist. He would be surprised if many people knew that the Mill Kitchen in Farsley has its own bakery.
Prior to this project Ben said he had less experience as co-creative artist and initially felt daunted by the task of bringing together a group of people who had no prior connection, varying opinions and experiences.
Ben described people from the ward as grafters – talented people with a surprisingly varied array of skills and creativity.
He is pleased that people had come away from the process with a feeling that they have been involved in something valuable and worthwhile. And he has found his experience in the ward will shape his own identity as a co-creative artist.
People have made new friends, built networks and have invested creativity into the future of the ward as the project has inspired the group to form a new creative collective, C.R.A.F.T (Calverley, Rodley and Farsley Together), which is open to all and the page can be found on Facebook.
‘Common Thread’, a free community crafting event championing the ward’s creativity, will be happening on Sunday, May 1in Farsley.
