The Gatehouse Cafe at Abbey House Museum has closed and is being relocated. Photos: Susan Tellum
The Gatehouse Cafe in Abbey House Museum closed its doors for the last time this week.
The cafe is due to relocate from Abbey House Museum to the visitor centre at Kirkstall Abbey, with the cafe re-opening ‘soon’.
WLDreported last year on Leeds City Council’s plans to relocate the café, with the aim of making an additional £90,000 per year from 2023. The proposals came at the same time as the council decided to start charging non-Leeds residents for entry to the Abbey ruins.
Photographer Susan Tellum captured the cafe through the seasons in this slideshow:
The Pudsey Art Group hosted their exhibition at the Pudsey Wellbeing Centre on Saturday, which attracted art lovers from near and far.
This was the first exhibition since the inspiration and driving force behind the group, Geoff Lea had sadly passed away in the build up to the event.
The group, which meets every Monday between 1.30pm and 3pm, has been going for over ten years and while no actual tuition is given, the enthusiastic group meet up and share tips and advice in a friendly and non-competitive environment.
Here’s a slideshow of photos from the event:
If you fancy brushing up on the art front please feel free to call in when the group meets at the Pudsey Wellbeing Centre which is located at 23 Robin Lane, Pudsey LS28 7BR, you’ll be sure of a warm and friendly welcome.
Farsley Celtic's Ben Atkinson on the attack against Huddersfield Town. Photo: John McEvoy
By John Baron. Photos: John McEvoy
Farsley Celtic put in an improved first-half performance against a youthful and energetic Huddersfield Town ‘B’ side in their latest pre-season friendly.
The Celts are very much a club in transition, both on and off the pitch. A new management team, coupled with a new possession-based playing style and 11 new signings means pre-season was always going to be case of bedding people in while boosting fitness.
Building takes time and in the first half there were definite signs of a coherent playing style developing and players getting more of an understanding.
Marley Blair runs at a Terriers defender. Photo: John McEvoy
The Celts took the lead after ten minutes when Ben Atkinson pressed the Terriers’ defence in their own third.
After dispossessing the defender, he found youngster Joao Silva who slid a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the overlapping Marley Blair. His cross slipped through the fingers of Huddersfield keeper Chapman and went in off the post for Farsley’s first goal since their opening pre-season friendly at Brighouse three weeks ago.
Huddersfield drew level five minutes before the break, a bursting run down the left from lively Huddersfield winger Deru was capped off with him firing a fine strike past the impressive Jack Flint in the Farsley goal.
Ben Atkinson presses against Huddersfield Town at the Citadel. Photo: John McEvoy
The second half saw multiple substitutions from both sides, which disrupted the flow of the game.
Huddersfield took the lead just after the hour mark in unfortunate fashion for the home side. A short back pass from the Celts’ Ben Atkinson saw substitute goalkeeper Harry Allen’s hurried clearance blocked by the attacker before the ball flew into the back of the Farsley net.
It was the visitors who looked the more likely to add to their tally as the friendly petered out.
The Celts pre-season preparations continue on Tuesday night when they welcome National League side York City to The Citadel (7.45pm, tickets can be bought here) and concludes on Saturday with a short trip to Guiseley (3pm).
Crash courses at Bramley Baths are a fantastic way to introduce your child to swimming or to help them improve on their existing ability.
They’re run by qualified and supportive swim teachers in small groups, where attendees will learn the fundamentals of this valuable vital life skill – and they are also good fun in a friendly and supportive environment.
Bramley Baths, based on Broad Lane, are anticipating a high demand for these courses, so early booking is essential.
Crash courses are available to book for the following weeks with various times available:
Monday 24th July – Friday 28th July
Monday 7th August – Friday 11th August
Monday 14th August – Friday 18th August
Tuesday 29th August – Friday 1st September (four-day course).
Lifeguard: Bramley Baths. Photo: Lizzie Coombes
The children will have one daily half-hour session for the duration of that week.
The cost of the full course for the week is £42.50, unless you are booking the last week (four-day course) which is £34.
Classes vary in level from absolute beginner to more advanced levels. To book and for more details, contact Bramley Baths reception on 0113 2560949 or e-mail hello@bramleybaths.com.
The courses are popular and if you can’t get through, please leave a message and the reception team will get back to you when they can.
Summer of fun
The summer of fun continues during the school summer holidays at Bramley Baths with themed swims including Swim with Dinosaurs, Superhero Swim, and a Big Pink Pool Party, alongside family fun swims, under 8s swim and inflatable sessions. More details and full timetable on the Bramley Baths website.
Bramley Baths is in a beautiful grade II listed building and dates back to 1904. This year it is celebrating ten years as an independent community led enterprise.
Richmond House Care Home in Farsley. Photo: Google
By John Baron
Council chiefs have agreed to spend £150,000 demolishing the former Richmond House Care Home in Farsley.
The council closed Richmond House, off Richmond Road, in 2021 in a bid to save money and are looking to build some form of local authority housing in its place.
Contractors have started to fence off the site this week ahead of demolition, which is imminent.
A council report published yesterday said: “The demolition of the building will mitigate the ongoing operational costs of holding the property, including security and maintenance costs, whilst also reducing the risk of anti-social behaviour which disused buildings can often attract.
“While it is acknowledged that re-use of the building would be preferable to demolition … there are no alternative uses identified. However, the demolition will be undertaken in a way which maximises the amount of material which is recycled for new uses.”
The area has been earmarked for council housing in the future, although no decision has been taken on what type of housing and which age range it will be aimed at.
Richmond House was a 20-bed residential service in Richmond Road, Farsley. It offered short-term care and support to people who require convalescence following a hospital admission. Council officers in 2021 said average occupancy since 2018/19 was 55 per cent and its gross annual budget was £742,000.
Learning the art of crown green bowling in Stanningley Park. Photo: Alyssa Randell
By Alyssa Randell
Fancy having a go at something new? Stanningley Park Bowling Club is hosting a fun bowler and beginner pairs competition on Sunday 30 July.
Complete novices are heartily encouraged to take part and will be paired with a more experienced player, so don’t worry if you’ve never tried crown green bowling before, you will be hooked from the first roll!
Crown green bowling is a very inclusive sport incredibly popular in the North, making it the perfect Yorkshire Day activity.
It is quick to pick up and has very simple rules making it enjoyable for the whole family; something for grandchildren and grandparents to do together. All necessary equipment will be provided on the day but please wear trainers or flat closed toe shoes.
There will be a minimum age of 10 years to enter the tournament but younger children can come along to enjoy some fun lawn games. All U16s must be supervised by an adult. Dogs on leads are also permitted.
The gates will be opening at 1pm to register your attendance and give you the opportunity to learn the basics from one of our club members before the competition starts at 1.30pm.
It is free to enter and there will be a small Yorkshire-themed prize for the winning pair.
The club will be serving low-cost refreshments such as hot and cold drinks, cakes and ice creams but please note the venue is cash only. The clubhouse has toilet facilities but is not wheelchair accessible.
Stanningley Park Bowling Club is situated within Stanningley Park. You can find the entrance on foot via the path near the rose garden. There is limited parking in the car park on Half Mile Lane and the nearest bus stop is on Intake Lane.
Learning the art of crown green bowling in Stanningley Park. Photo: Alyssa Randell
The club also runs regular social bowling on Wednesday evenings 6-8pm and Saturday mornings 10.30am-12.30pm until the end of September so feel free to come down anytime to try it out. The first session is completely free.
Leeds Council is carrying out testing for radon gas levels in nearly 10,000 homes across the city, in a move it’s described as “robust and proportionate”.
The council confirmed in April it was testing as a “precautionary measure” alongside the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), but insisted there was “no suggestion” residents and their properties were at risk.
Radon is a natural, odourless and invisible substance which is in the atmosphere everywhere, albeit generally in small doses. High levels of it, however, have been linked to health problems and cancer.
Just over 9,100 council properties have been identified by the UKHSA as having between a one and five per cent risk of having excessive radon potential, a council scrutiny meeting was told on Thursday.
It is in these homes that the council is testing, with Morley, Middleton and Rothwell the areas where the risk, although still believed to be very low, is higher than in other parts of the city.
A further 45,000 council homes are believed to have a risk factor of between zero and one per cent. Privately owned properties, which could be just as easily affected, are not included in the data.
Adam Crampton, the council’s head of property management, told the meeting: “Radon gas is not just a risk in Leeds, it’s UK-wide. There are areas of the country, particularly in South Wales and south-western England, where it’s a signficantly higher risk than in Leeds.
“There’s little by way of data or information to support any concern that it’s a higher risk in Leeds, be it empirical or anecdotal. But equally that doesn’t allow us to prove that the risk is low.
“In consultation with the UKHSA, we’ve developed what we perceive is a robust and proportionate approach to testing right across the city.”
The issue was brought to the council’s environment and housing scrutiny committee by Middleton councillor Wayne Dixon (SDP), who said he wanted “reassurance” that people are safe.
Stuart Long. Photo: David Spereall
The matter has also previously been highlighted by campaigner and Kirkstall resident Stuart Long, who claimed his mum’s death from ovarian cancer was linked to radon gas levels in that part of the city.
Mr Long, of Stanmore Grove, stood in May as an independent candidate at the local elections in Kirkstall on that platform. He is campaigning to get the council to take the issue more seriously as a health authority and to better protect both its social rented tenants and its home owners across the city.
Dawn Bailey, the council’s chief officer for public health, said high levels of radon were linked to a greater risk of lung cancer, although smoking remains the biggest cause of the disease.
But she told councillors that places such as Kirkstall, Morley, Middleton and Rothwell were not “outliers” for lung cancer deaths, meaning there are generally no more cases there than in other areas.
She added: “But we’re very vigilant and we’ll keep an eye on this. We’re working with partners to make sure this continues to have the attention it needs.”
To check if your area has a high risk of Radon, use the map here.
Best foot forward: Forward Leeds staff Angela Clough, Dr Joe Tay, Helen Cook, Ally Wood-Ives and Sarah Miller
Staff from Forward Leeds will join volunteers and people who’ve been supported by the service on a 10K run across Leeds.
The aim is to raise awareness of hepatitis C on World Hepatitis Day (Friday, 28 July) and encourage people who feel they may be at risk to get tested and treated.
The runners will be going from the Forward Leeds hub in Armley to the Forward Leeds hub in Seacroft. Along the way they will call in at their hub in the city centre and St James Hospital, which is where people in Leeds get treatment for hepatitis C.
Forward Leeds Operations Director Helen Cook, who is one of the people running, said: “We are calling it ‘The Race to Eliminate Hep C’. It will be on the model of carrying the Olympic Torch, passing our baton from person to person to highlight how as a city, Leeds can work together to eliminate hepatitis C.
“Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that mainly affects the liver. Many people with the disease may be unaware they have it as symptoms are not always obvious at first but it can prove fatal. That’s why we are encouraging people, particularly in high-risk groups such as people who inject drugs, to get tested as quickly as possible.
“Treatment for hepatitis C these days is a simple course of tablets with no side effects and over 95% of patients are cured, so it’s worth getting tested and treated quickly to prevent further spread of the disease.”
The ‘Race to Eliminate Hep C’ will begin at Armley Park Court, the Forward Leeds hub in west Leeds, at 10.30am and hopes to arrive at Irford House, the Forward Leeds hub in east Leeds at around 1pm.
The baton has been designed and created for the event by Open Source Arts on Kirkstall Road.
Hepatitis early symptoms
Only around one in every three or four people will have any symptoms during the first 6 months of a hepatitis C infection. This stage is known as acute hepatitis C.
If symptoms do develop, they usually occur a few weeks after infection. Symptoms may include:
Household bin collections. Photo: John Baron/westleedsdispatch.com
By David Spereall, local democracy reporter
The vast majority of Leeds residents are set to have their bin collection days changed before the end of the year.
A bin lorry route review is being carried out by Leeds City Council, to take into account new estates that have been built over the last decade and make the service more efficient.
The council says all households will be informed of the changes around “two to three weeks” before they come into force, most likely in the autumn.
Local councillors will be consulted about the proposed changes beforehand.
The news was confirmed at a council scrutiny meeting on Thursday.
John Woolmer, the authority’s chief officer for environmental services, told the meeting: “It will be a challenge, because it will impact almost everyone in the city, in terms of their collection dates being changed.
“We want to implement this this year and we’re focused on doing that and getting this in place.”
Glass scheme could be piloted in Farnley & Wortley
Separately, the council is also hoping to introduce a pilot scheme where household glass will be collected separately from other recycled waste.
The trial could be rolled out in Horsforth, Wetherby, Killingbeck and Seacroft and Farnley and Wortley before the end of the year.
A report on the scheme said it would be “optional” for households in those areas, with residents involved likely to either receive a smaller wheelie bin or a box to deposit their glass in.
Collections would then take place every four weeks.
The report added: “It is likely that collections would start no earlier than 9am to mitigate against the noise concerns.”
A former caretaker’s house will become new office and meeting space for Stanningley Primary School.
Council planners this week approved the proposals at the school, off Leeds and Bradford Road, which also include extra car parking.
A planning statement accompanying the application states: “The school currently has limited office and meeting facilities on site which the change of use to the property would offer.
“The proposed scheme also seeks to reduce congestion on local streets which staff are having to park on.”
A council planning officer’s report approving the plans concluded: “It is considered that the development complies with the aims and intentions of all relevant policies and will not cause harm to visual amenity, nor residential amenity and highway safety.”
The application – which was approved subject to planning conditions including work starting within three years – can be viewed in full here.
Local businesses are being asked to step up and sponsor this year’s Bramley Christmas Lights switch on as organisers search for £10,000 to run the event.
The annual event attracts hundreds of people but hasn’t been held since 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and is this year due to be held in the Bramley bus station area and along part of Bramley Town Street.
Organiser Helen Garrand, who has voluntarily co-ordinated the event for many years, said there won’t be a switch-on unless there was support.
She said bringing in an event organiser to sort out the necessary consents, health and safety, crowd control, staging, fireworks/light show, a PA system, entertainment and the road closure of Bramley Town Street all cost money.
“We can include businesses’ logos in all publicity, mention them in press releases and they can have a free stall at the event. We want to promote them as much as they want to promote us,” she said.
Helen said the event already had £1,400 in the bank and that local councillors had also promised a contribution.
“The switch on event can’t run on fresh air,” she added. “It costs money. I know there’s a cost of living crisis, but please don’t let this great event go.”
Organisers say they had attempted to contact Bramley Shopping Centre owners LCP Group in a bid to hold the event at its usual venue, but had received no response.
Helen can be contacted on 07496 619360 or e-mail bramleylights@gmail.com.
