Community reporter Noelle Williamson continues her look at memory cafes and similar activities in West Leeds.
One Friday I hung around the entrance to Horsforth Hall Park until I decided that two ladies sitting talking on a low wall were also there for Walk and Talk.
That’s how I met Sheila and Dee, and then Maureen and Lyn, Kirpal, Gari – and Nicki and Katherine from Horsforth MHA – and Roisin on work experience. Later we were joined by 93-year-old Phyllis, newly restored to health and walking faster than I could on a sultry morning – and half a dozen more.
Although we set off together, we soon strung out into chatting pairs and clusters, with Gari and me halfway between the tortoises and the hares.
It was a gorgeous walk along a tree-shaded path with a gentle rise, into the community garden where you could pick whatever was ripe, as long as you left some for someone else, then an easy circuit of the Japanese garden.
Doubling back, some took the shorter, shady route and some the longer one in full sun, then out by the gate we came in by, and across the road to Café Yoga, where we were greeted like old friends and all stayed for ages, talking about jobs and careers we’d left, places we’d been, all sorts.
I had never met any of these people before but it all felt so easy, and I look forward to going back.
More details from MHA Horsforth on 0113 259 1511.
MFA Farsley also do Walk and Talk in Hainsworth Park on a Tuesday morning.
Crime writing fans! This is your pass to duck under the crime scene tape. As part of the 2025 Farsley Literature Festival, Truman Books are presenting Crime Day at The Old Woollen.
Taking place on Sunday, 2 November, what better way to spend an autumn day than celebrating crime-writing. The day consists of three crime events in one sitting, and even more authors.
The packed schedule features entertaining, hugely interesting and interactive events. You can attend just one event (£15), head to two (£25) or attend all three (£35).
11am: Whodunnits: From Page to Stage, Screen and Beyond with RC Bridgestock, JM Hall & Natalie Anderson
True crime experience meets narrative craft. Join RC Bridgestock, JM Hall, and Coronation Street actress Natalie Anderson as they explore crime storytelling across novels, stage, radio, and screen.
Together, the panel will reveal how crime leaps from case files to page, stage, radio, and screen – exposing the craft, cunning and storytelling secrets behind the perfect whodunnit.
1pm: ‘Locked Room Crime’ with Tom Hindle, L.D Smithson and Rachel North
A luxury airship. A remote sea fort in a reality TV show. A private island. We’ll be in conversation with three bestselling authors about their latest novels and their locations; delving into the unfailingly entertaining subgenre of ‘locked room crime’.
3pm: A Thrilling Interactive Crime-Busting Afternoon with Antony Johnston
This unique interactive experience invites you to play detective, examining clues, questioning suspects and piecing together evidence to crack the case. Guided by Antony himself, you’ll be immersed in a gripping whodunnit where your decisions shape the investigation. Perfect for mystery lovers and puzzle solvers alike, this is your chance to put your sleuthing skills to the test. Will you be the one to solve the murder?
Multi-generational raving in action. Photo: Sam Gillinder
By Sam Gillinder
Dance Music Archive hosted an epic party dubbed the “end of summer BBQ” at the Project House in Armley.
Dance music archives, run by Andi Durrant and Nick Riley, keep the line up of DJ’s relatively secret prior to their shows so that people come along with the anticipation of great music rather than attending purely to see huge names in the industry.
In the words of Andi this creates a “nice atmosphere” and attracts people of all ages for “multi-generational raving”.
On the day though some last-minute alterations to the programme were needed. Utah Saints were called at the last minute to headline the event and had to come straight from Headingley Stadium where they had been playing at a Leeds Rhinos match.
The people came in droves to this party as this year’s summer season draws to a close and celebrated with music from the electronic dance music scene.
Seven different DJs performed during the night, including the Utah Saints.
Despite the disruption the night was incredible.
The euphoria began to build from the start.
Jonathan Ulysses, a regular DJ out in the clubs of Ibiza most notably Space, took to the decks and smashed it!
He played out to the crowd with his self acclaimed style of “eclectic”. The bass during his set had the ground quaking.
Playing tracks from the likes of Rozzalla and Faithless the place was buzzing.
Andi Durrant stepped up next. During his set he actually mixed in brit pop elements from the likes of Blur and The Verve whilst maintaining the overall vibe of a classic Ibiza set.
Andi was then joined on the decks by Nick Riley and they played a set of great trance tracks, songs from dance music icons like Moby really had the crowd captivated.
But speaking of dance music icons it was then the turn of Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt aka the Utah Saints.
With the atmosphere already at fever pitch they treated the audience to what could be described by quoting the title of one of their tracks “something good”. But this would be a monumental understatement.
To quote lyrics from another of their songs, the audience “wanted the best and they got the best!”
What a night!
Andi and Nick started the archives as a hobby during the covid pandemic. After the radio shows, through popular demand they decided to put on huge shows for their audience.
They have played out all over the UK, done remixes for the likes of Paul van Dyk and even supported Tiesto as warm up DJ’s.
Update Tuesday 30, September 2025: This article was amended to clarify the name Dance Music Archive, not Archives as originally stated.
West Leeds Muay Thai fighter Fergus Smith is eagerly anticipating his imminent journey to Bangkok to fight on a ONE Championship Friday night mega-show to be broadcast worldwide.
The younger of two brothers who have already built an international reputation in the sport, Fergus will be accompanied to Thailand by mum and coach Lisa Houghton-Smith and brother Finlay.
Fergus won the coveted invitation to appear on the ONE fight card following his win on the UK Road to ONE, a four-fighter tournament hosted by the Hitman Fight League.
Fergus defeated his former GB teammate Louis Fairhurst on points before going on to beat fellow national squad teammate Joe Lemaire in the final. This bout took place on Hitman’s Manchester show featuring Bad Company legend Liam Harrison.
Fergus has also added the WMO European Title and WBC Amateur World medal prior to securing his date and opponent for ONE.
Former Horsforth School student Fergus, who turns 19 this month, works full time at Bad Company and is a popular but respected by the younger fighters he coaches.
He said: “My life revolves around Muay Thai. Working at the gym allows me to schedule intensive training sessions easily.
“I love competing in Thailand where I can prove myself without having to satisfy expectations. Qualifying to box in front of up to ten thousand in the famous Lumpini Stadium is amazing. Like all fighters, I aim to win. I’m confident that this will be the first of many such appearances.”
Contact Richard Smith on 07885 270267 for information about Bad Company which relocated to Waterloo Way, Bramley nine months ago.
‘Grim’ changing facilities at Kirkstall Leisure Centre are to be refurbished following years of lobbying.
Work is set to include existing fixtures and fittings being stripped out in male and female changing rooms and new benching, cubicles, toilets and vanity units installed.
White hygienic wall cladding will be installed, the existing floor will be deep cleaned and new decorations added.
New resin flooring will be installed on the walkways of the main and learner pools, and in the small pool tank.
Kirkstall Leisure Centre. Photo: Google
The move has been welcomed by Kirkstall councillors Fiona Venner, Hannah Bithell and Andy Rontreee. In a statement they said: “After years of lobbying on behalf of our constituents, we have received the happy news that the swimming pool changing rooms are going to be fully refurbished!”
The refurbishment will take place between 10 November and 2 January, which will see the the swimming pool closed. Dry side activities such as classes, squash and gymnastics will continue to operate.
The Leisure Centre will be open at reduced times while work is taking place: Monday-Friday 8am-10.30pm (10pm on Friday) Saturday 8am-1pm, Sunday 9am-12.30pm.
The works have been welcomed on social media. One commenter said the ‘grim’ changing rooms also needed new flooring.
A grade II listed barn in Farnley will be converted into housing, after fresh plans were approved by Leeds City Council planners.
Applicant Karl Shaw, of Morley, has submitted a listed building application for the conversion and alterations to Clock Barn, on the Farnley Hall Estate. Parts of the barn date back to the 17th century, and Mr Shaw aims to change it into a new dwelling with car parking.
A heritage statement submitted with the application says: “Whilst the proposed development will give rise to elements of harm, considered to be less than substantial in Framework terms, the harm is considered justified in the interest of securing a viable adaptive re-use of the building.
“The level of harm arising from the conversion has been minimised… and can be reasonably balanced against the public benefits of the proposal.
“Public benefits include heritage benefits and these include to benefits of securing a new use for the building and the refurbishment and reinstatement of the exterior fabric of the building.
“This will enhance and open out the significance of the listed building and enhance the setting of neighbouring designated heritage assets including the gazebo and potting sheds to the south and stable block and main Farnley Hall buildings to the east and south-east.”
A council planning officer’s report said ‘on balance’ the proposals should be approved.
A celebration brought members of the community together to mark the re-opening of the Ballroom in Horsforth.
The event was officially opened by the Head of Customer Contact from Leeds City Council, and was hosted by Horsforth’s branch of Home Instead, Horsforth Community Hub and Dementia Friendly Horsforth.
There was a speech by journalist Andrew Edwards who won the Dementia Hero Award for Broadcast Journalism in 2021. There was singing from John Robert, music from the Local Ukulele Choir, dancing from Deco Dance, a ballroom dance demonstration from MHA Community Anything Goes, a raffle and plenty of food and drink.
The historic ballroom is based at Horsforth Community Hub and Library. Guests included some who had their wedding receptions in the hall 40 years ago.
Enquiries about the space on projectdevelopmentteam@leeds.gov.uk.
Although the majority of readers of this article will probably be of retirement age or older, if you’re one of the 500 or so under-65s in the Leeds area living with Early Onset Dementia, be assured that the memory cafes, and more, are also for you, although most are on weekdays.
You might doubt that anything described as for anyone over the age of 55, including people with dementia and their carers, (the default profile on the Alzheimer’s Society’s excellent website) has anything to offer someone in their forties or fifties, especially if you live alone and are still able to work.
Before Covid 19, you would probably have been right, but Lockdown was a game changer.
On the one hand, younger adults who, before Covid, thought that the basic memory café formula (a safe, clean place to be, with refreshments, friendly people who won’t fuss and maybe an enjoyable activity) sounded very nice – for your nan! – felt differently in the dazed aftermath of lockdown: suddenly, Nan’s café sounded pretty good.
On the other hand, leaders and volunteers alike were sensitive to the new mood, and welcomed whoever came through their doors. Four years later, it’s worth keeping an open mind and checking what’s on offer in your neighbourhood.
Almost every group has email and a phone number for queries, and usually responds promptly. (See below) If you are still working, the main issue will probably be opening times, rather than age group.
It appears that the Saturday memory cafés in Calverley and Farsley and a monthly cooking get-together through OWLS in Headingley are your only options at the moment.
If you are free during the week, there’s a quiz on Zoom. If you want to do Zumba Gold in Bramley or Tai Chi in Horsforth, or go Crown Green Bowling in Headingley, or you need a lift to the supermarket from the Farsley or Horsforth pick-up points, as long as you can get there, you’re welcome.
Farsley MHA Face-to-Face befriending, 1pm to 2pm might also work for you. Not everything is indoors, or tightly organised activities. If you want to be out of doors, with company and the security of numbers, people meet up near Hainsworth Park, in Farsley, on a Tuesday morning, and at Horsforth Park on Fridays.
One Friday in July, I hung around the entrance to Horsforth Hall Park till I decided that two ladies sitting talking on a low wall were also there for Walk and Talk.
That’s how I met Sheila and Dee, and then Maureen and Lyn, Kirpal, Gari – and Nicki and Katherine from Horsforth MHA – and Roisin on work experience – and later 93-year-old Phyllis, newly restored to health and walking faster than I could on a sultry morning – and half a dozen more.
Although we set off together, we soon strung out into chatting pairs and clusters, with Gari and me halfway between the tortoises and the hares.
It was a gorgeous walk along a tree- shaded path with a gentle rise, into the community garden where you could pick whatever was ripe, as long as you left some for someone else, then an easy circuit of the Japanese garden.
Doubling back, some took the shorter, shady route and some the longer one in full sun, then out by the gate we came in by, and across the road to Café Yoga, where we were greeted like old friends and all stayed for ages, talking about jobs and careers we’d left, places we’d been, all sorts.
I had never met any of these people before but it all felt so easy, and one of these Fridays, I would love to go again.
The services of the NHS Younger People With Dementia Service, in Armley, are beyond the scope of this article, but can be found here.
So, too, are The Young Dementia Leeds Hub’s services, at Inspire North, though they may be of interest. The Hub offers “day respite for younger people living with dementia, providing a structured programme of activities, taking a more creative, less traditional approach to day care.”
Typing Young Onset Dementia into the search bar at https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/ brings up around 170 items – a mix of information, advice and news: real life stories told mostly from by family members; and printed Q&As with people living with Young Onset Dementia. Strangely, typing Early Onset brings up only 128 items!
The Dementia UK website hosts My Life with Dementia – a Dementia UK podcast which is well worth listening to. Also at Dementia UK, if you search Young Onset Dementia, or follow this link there are pages and pages of links to 466 items covering health, menopause, money, driving, Council Tax… written for you, whether you have Early Onset Dementia, or are caring for another person who has it.
There’s also a link to the dedicated Young Dementia Network, which was established in 2016 and is a collaboration between people affected by and working in the field of Early Onset Dementia. The front page starts with the mission statement and ends with links to resources and webinar.
Kirkstall Valley Farm is opening its gates to the community this autumn, inviting everyone along to enjoy a day of seasonal fun on Saturday, 25 October.
Visitors will have the chance to meet the friendly farming team, take part in activities including pumpkin carving, and see first-hand what’s growing as part of the farm’s popular veg box and harvest share scheme.
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.
Dear sir,- Morrisons Swinnow Lane, kindly helped Park Spring Primary School raise funds for Year 6 leavers’ hoodies.
It took place on Saturday, 20 September. Morrisons’ kind and generous customers donated a massive £549.66. A big thank you to each and everyone.
When all the cash was counted, we were left with this memento in our bucket. A generous dad must have put this in along with his donation and we like to get it back to him.
Please can you help us trace the dad?
E-mail news@westleedsdispatch.com if you recognise it.
Horsforth’s walk and talk brings people together
Community reporter Noelle Williamson continues her look at memory cafes and similar activities in West Leeds.
One Friday I hung around the entrance to Horsforth Hall Park until I decided that two ladies sitting talking on a low wall were also there for Walk and Talk.
That’s how I met Sheila and Dee, and then Maureen and Lyn, Kirpal, Gari – and Nicki and
Katherine from Horsforth MHA – and Roisin on work experience. Later we were joined by 93-year-old Phyllis, newly restored to health and walking faster than I could on a sultry morning – and half a dozen more.
Although we set off together, we soon strung out into chatting pairs and clusters, with Gari and me halfway between the tortoises and the hares.
It was a gorgeous walk along a tree-shaded path with a gentle rise, into the community garden where you could pick whatever was ripe, as long as you left some for someone else, then an easy circuit of the Japanese garden.
Doubling back, some took the shorter, shady route and some the longer one in full sun, then out by the gate we came in by, and across the road to Café Yoga, where we were greeted like old friends and all stayed for ages, talking about jobs and careers we’d left, places we’d been, all sorts.
I had never met any of these people before but it all felt so easy, and I look forward to going back.
More details from MHA Horsforth on 0113 259 1511.
MFA Farsley also do Walk and Talk in Hainsworth Park on a Tuesday morning.
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