Community groups in West Leeds can now apply for funding from Leeds City Council.
The Inner West and Outer West Community Committees inviting organisations to apply to their Wellbeing and Youth Activity Fund, for projects starting after 1 April 2020.
Funding is only available to community or voluntary groups, commercial organisations operating on a non-profit basis or a council department or statutory service.
The Inner West Community Committee covers Armley, Bramley & Stanningley and Kirkstall wards, while Outer West covers Calverley & Farsley, Farnley & Wortley and Pudsey Wards.
Organisers of Armley Parkrun have turned their attention to kick-starting the New Year with a bang – after celebrating a successful event on Christmas Day.
200 people took part in the Armley parkrun Christmas Day event, including Santa! Picture copyright: Stephen Holt Dashing through the park, she forgot to bring her sleigh! Picture copyright: Stephen Holt
Usually held every Saturday morning, the extra 25th December event saw 200 participants and 25 volunteers converge on Armley Park to exercise and socialise together.
Everyone is sure to get a welcome response at Armley Parkrun. Picture copyright: Stephen Holt All smiles at Armley parkrun. Picture copyright: Stephen Holt
Some highlights from the day included:
4 people who enjoyed their first ever parkrun;
16 people achieving a personal best time;
25 different running clubs being represented;
“Tourist” runners from Aldershot who enjoyed their first parkrun in Armley and
Wendy Mundy attended her 50th parkrun, while her brother Steve Low and fellow runner Graham Prince both hit their 100th milestone!
4 x pre-event setup: help the run director set up the event doing tasks that could include placement of equipment, setting up the start/finish area and placing signs/cones to indicate the route
2 x barcode scanners: scan the runners personal barcode before and after the event
1 x finish token support: responsible for handing out position tokens to all participants
1 x funnel manager: responsible for the smooth operation of the finish funnel so that participants can be logged correctly when they finish
7 x marshall: a crucial role that the event cannot be held without – guide and encourage the participants around the course warning them of any obstacles or hazards, as well as ensuring that other park users are aware of the event
3 x post-event close down: help pack away all the equipment
1 x token sorter: sorts the finish tokens into the correct order ready for next week
No experience is necessary to volunteer.
Armley parkrun is one of nine weekly events that take place in Leeds with the other West Leeds run being the ever-popular Bramley Parkrun.
Set up by local mum of two Michelle Gittins, the Armley course covers 5000m (5K) including tarmac and grass and sees participants embark of three laps around Armley Park.
Everyone is welcome to join the friendly event, whether you wish to walk, jog, run or just pop down for a chat.
People who can help by volunteering or who need any further information are asked to contact the organiser by commenting on the Facebook Page or by e-mailing armley@parkrun.com.
Police have issued advice following an increase in the number of thefts from parked cars and vans in Armley and Bramley.
A large portion of these incidents involve the vehicle being left insecure or with items of value left on show inside.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:
“Please ensure your vehicle is parked locked and secure and any items of value including mobile phones, dashcams, sat navs, holders are removed before you leave your vehicle.”
If you have any information in relation to vehicle crime, contact police on:
Having shone playing in the amateur game in Leeds, Bramley quickly swooped to sign Graham Idle in 1969, writes Paul Abraham.
Nobody could have predicted when he made his debut as a substitute for scrum-half Horsman in a 9-22 home defeat against Keighley that Graham would finish his career after 740 professional matches over 24 years and nine clubs later.
After another three substitute appearances Graham started for the first time against Dewsbury in December when he played on the right wing in a 14-5 victory.
He finished his first season with 10 appearances as well as 7 from the subs bench, playing on both wings, full-back and loose-forward.
The 1970-71 season saw Graham establish himself as a first team regular and finished the season with 32 starts and 3 substitute appearances, again playing at full-back, left-centre, second-rower and loose-forward.
He scored his first two tries in a 35-2 thrashing of Hunslet at the famous Parkside ground and then added another try during a 13-5 home win versus Blackpool Borough.
The following season saw a try in a 27-11 victory at McClaren Field and one in a 11-46 defeat at Wilderspool against a rampant Warrington side.
Apart from a game at full-back in a 7-18 home loss versus Bradford Northern, Graham had now made the second-row position his preferred shirt.
He finished with 26 appearances and 10 from the bench in a season that saw Bramley defeat red-hot favourites Bradford Northern in the second round of the RL Challenge cup in front of a record McClaren Field attendance, before losing at home to Warrington in the quarter final.
Bramley started the 1972-73 season by winning their first four matches, which included Graham scoring a try in the 13-10 home victory over Batley.
A try in the impressive 13-9 home win against Wakefield Trinity was followed later in the season with the only Bramley try in a 7-13 defeat at York.
This season was to stat of a golden era for the club as they achieved a place in the following season’s new First Division by finishing in the top 16 to cement their place.
Two landmarks were reached by Graham this season as he made his 100th appearance in the amber and black in a 24-17 victory at Barrow and then his 100th starting appearance in the hard fought 7-7 at Whitehaven.
The 73-74 season will go down in Bramley history as their most successful in the professional game.
They lifted the BBC Floodlit Trophy for the first piece of silverware in 94 years of existence (defeating Wakefield away, Castleford and St Helens at home then travelling to cup kings Widnes and earning an historic win in the final).
They also reached the semi-final of the John Player Trophy, another highlight being a 17-13 Good Friday victory at Headingley to secure the place in the following season’s First Division.
Throughout the incredible season, Graham was one of the first names on the team sheet and played in 41 of the 42 first team matches played, only missing the 20-12 home win on Sept 15th against Hull in the first round of the John Player Trophy.
Graham crossed the whitewash five times during the season, including two in two games in December against Whitehaven at home – winning 21-12 – which was followed by a shock 16-14 win at Hull Kingston Rovers.
Others tries scored were away at Whitehaven (won 19-12) and at home to Leigh (won 41-20) and Hull KR (lost 10-27).
Had Graham been playing for a “big name” club then surely he would have been selected for the Great Britain tour of Australia at the end of the season especially after his Yorkshire county appearances.
The following season saw Bramley relegated in a disappointing season after the highs of the previous season.
Graham was, as ever, a shining light throughout the season with his colossal tackling stints. He played 34 times in a season, which brought him tries at home to Hull in the JP Trophy (won 15-6) away at Featherstone (lost 14-26) and in the home victories against Bradford Northern (21-5) and Rochdale Hornets (16-6).
The final match of the season, an 8-23 away defeat at Warrington on the 16th April, was to be Graham’s 201st and final appearance for Bramley before a record transfer fee was received for the Bramley club as Wakefield took him back in to the top division where he deserved to be.
While Bramley fans were saddened to see him leave they hoped he would finally get the recognition and honours he deserved for his loyalty and tireless efforts for the club.
But this wasn’t the end of his Bramley career as he returned to play in the final nine matches of the 1986-87 season making his return in the 1-5 home defeat to Rochdale on the first of March.
Graham brought the curtain down on his Bramley career when he played in the play-off defeat at Swinton on 26th April.
Graham appeared in the 1979 RL Challenge Cup final for Wakefield as they lost to Widnes and then a move to Bradford brought him a Championship winner’s medal and two Yorkshire cup runners-up medals.
He is in fifth place on the list for the most Rugby League appearances in a career and is still highly respected throughout the sport of Rugby League. A true legend not just for Bramley but in Rugby League.
A Conservative General Election candidate in Leeds West has defended the Labour MP he ran against earlier this month.
Mark Dormer was the Tory candidate in Leeds West and campaigned in Kirkstall, Bramley, Farnley, Wortley and Armley.
But he was unable to oust sitting Labour MP Rachel Reeves, who held onto her seat with a reduced majority of almost 11,000.
MP Rachel Reeves
A Twitter spat saw two accounts accusing Ms Reeves of being “the real problem” and saying that she does “not have the interests of their constituents at heart”.
But Mr Dormer issued a defence of his former opponent.
I was the @Conservatives candidate for Leeds West, I spent five weeks knocking on doors and was repeated told how much @RachelReevesMP did for the area.
Your views are inaccurate and ignorant and your abuse and vile anti-semitism has no place in politics or society as a whole.
“I was the Conservatives candidate for Leeds West, I spent five weeks knocking on doors and was repeated [sic] told how much Rachel Reeves did for the area.
“Your views are inaccurate and ignorant and your abuse and vile anti-semitism has no place in politics or society as a whole.”
His message has been retweeted thousands of times since.
Ms Reeves Tweeted her thanks to Mr Dormer a short time later.
I was the @Conservatives candidate for Leeds West, I spent five weeks knocking on doors and was repeated told how much @RachelReevesMP did for the area.
Your views are inaccurate and ignorant and your abuse and vile anti-semitism has no place in politics or society as a whole.
“Got to say, this means a lot,” she said. “When the Tory candidate who challenges you for your seat recognises the work you do locally. Thank you @MarkCDormer. More of this in politics in 2020 would be a good thing! #moreincommon#leedswest.”
A Will Hayhurst brace and goals from Jack Higgins, Dave Syers and Nathan Carman saw Farsley Celtic grab all three points against local rivals Bradford Park Avenue.
The Celts scored five second half goals without reply – and WLD photographer Simon Cullingworth was on hand to capture the action on a Mexican-themed day at The Citadel.
Santa, his elves and reindeer have been busy delivering Christmas presents to all the good children around Leeds and now they’re tired – so tired they’ve had to stop for a nap at Kirkstall Abbey! writes Keely Bannister.
You’re invited to come down to the Abbey Road venue and take part in the Sleepy Santa Trail to help find Santa and his crew.
The free activity is run by Leeds City Council and is open from 10am until 3pm and will remain so until Friday 3rd January.
We’ve highlighted the work of countless local community groups and organisations and connected people to events, council decision-making, latest developments and local democracy in general.
Community reporters
Arguably our biggest success is training almost 40 ordinary West Leeds folk from a variety of backgrounds to tell the stories of where they live through our community reporters training courses.
Our first batch of community reporters graduated at Bramley Lawn earlier this year.
Since May, they’ve compiled almost 300 articles ranging from local history and money-saving ideas through to covering community events and reporting on big council decisions in West Leeds. Check out their work here.
Financial supporters
We’ve also got more than 40 local people who support us financially each month through ongoing donations through our Patreon site and via direct debit. Thank you for helping a small social enterprise like us to pay our bills!
Support: Community quiz nights at the Abbey Inn. Photo:
We’ve brought people together through our regular community quiz nights (and raise much-needed cash at the same time) and given people the chance to shape the news through our community news cafes.
We’re all volunteers, led by community
What people often don’t realise is that everyone connected to WLD is a volunteer.
Our nine-strong board run our parent social enterprise called West Leeds Community Media. They have put in countless hours to run events, attend meetings, run stalls at festivals, write funding bids, run our finances etc etc.
They help keep this small, independent, community-led media organisation going. WLD wouldn’t be here without them and I thank them dearly for their work, support and friendship.
National influence
WLD has been helping develop and support the wider community news sector, which consists of trusted independent organisations like ourselves who are attempting to forge a sustainable alternative to mainstream media across the country.
We’re a member of independent press regulator Impress, who earlier this year asked us to join 11 other organisations in London on the new Independent Publishers Taskforce to explore the challenges and opportunities facing independent publishers.
We attended a few meetings in London and have contributed towards the formation of a new charity called the Public Interest News Foundation. Details here (we get a mention!)
The Foundation will work directly with the public and news publishers to promote citizenship, community development and high ethical standards of journalism.
Independent Community News Network
We’re also a founder member of the Independent Community News Network (ICNN), which is a representative body for community news outlets based in Cardiff. We sit on the advisory board and recently attended its annual meeting in Birmingham to discuss a variety of issues.
Thanks so much for everyone’s support – without YOU we couldn’t do any of this.
But what of the future?
Moving into print
With more people contributing to the Dispatch and more people reading it (1.6 million page views this year, up 26.5% on last year) there’s a real danger of burnout.
Our stats – 2019 shows an increase in page impressions and visitors against 2018. Source: Google Analytics
Most people don’t appreciate the sheer number of hours this job demands each day, the sheer relentlessness of it and the stamina needed to keep the site going.
As editor I put in a minimum of 24 hours a week into WLD, on top of the paid day job. It’s tough and takes its toll on family life.
In March/April we’ll be moving into print. This means more work, but it’s the right move for the organisation.
West Leeds Dispatch went into print as a one-off pilot in 2015. We’re looking to repeat this in 2020
We’ll be reaching people who are unable to read us online. And critically small local businesses and community organisations tell us they’re desperate for an affordable platform in which to advertise.
The tabloid-size paper will be free and distributed via pick up points across West Leeds.
We’re really excited by this development and we hope the revenue will help us become more sustainable in the future.
Moving forward, we have a couple of exciting funding bids in the pipeline, and we hope to revamp our supporters’ scheme to make it more accessible. We will also be one of the organisations trialling Value My News, an ICNN initiative helping UK-based community publishers monetise their content.
As the decade comes to a close we want to thank everyone who has helped us in our mission to promote independent journalism in West Leeds, it is truly a community effort.
As we prepare to celebrate our fifth birthday in a few months, we’d like to raise a glass to an even brighter future in 2020!
If you haven’t already, support us by signing up to our e-mail newsletter below, or becoming a WLD supporter.
It’s been running annually for more than 20 years – and a popular free New Year’s Day minibus service run by volunteers will again take to the roads to link West Leeds travellers with Leeds city centre.
The hourly bus service is run by volunteers from the Farnley and Wortley green Party and operates through New Year’s Day.
It starts from Armley Town Street via the No. 15 route to Greenthorpe Road, then via Henconner Lane, Butt Lane, Cross Lane, Butterbowl Drive to the Butterbowl Pub, then via No. 42 Route to 5 Lane Ends, then via Greenhill Lane to the Leysholmes, then via Greenhill Lane to Five Lane Ends, then via No. 42 route to City Square.
Return journeys start at Bus Stop S3 on Wellington Street (next stop on from opposite the Majestic building) and continue by the reverse of the above. The bus will stop at all bus stops along this route.
Councillor David Blackburn (Green, Farnley & Wortley) said:
“It has to be remembered not everyone has transport of their own, yet some people still need transport on New Year’s Day due to work or need to visit elderly relatives or people in hospital.
“Now more than ever due the Climate Emergency, people should be encouraged to use the bus and leave the car at home, but how can they do this on New Year’s Day, when the bus companies do not provide any services?
“I ask that next year the bus companies give the public a New Year’s Day present by providing them with a service on that day, which would help people and the environment.”
For further details, contact Cllr Blackburn on 0113 2790336 or 07943 780914.
Farsley's Christmas tree collectors back in 2019. Photo: Farsley Festival
Farsley community volunteers are offering an environmentally friendly collection service to people living in the postcode areas of LS13 and LS28 wishing to dispose of their real Christmas trees, writes Keely Bannister.
Collected trees are turned into a versatile mulch which is sold the following year via the Farsley Festival shop website.
This circular economy system is why only real Christmas Trees can be collected – artificial trees cannot be turned into mulch.
Volunteer limitations mean that only collections within the LS13 and LS28 postcode areas can be accepted, and the organisers are always looking for extra hands and wheels.
Bramley parkrunners are still awaiting a restart date Photo: Simon Cullingworth
A running sessions aimed at those who can’t even run across the street is being started by Pudsey Pacers.
Pudsey Pacers’ RunTogether Adult Running Course starts on Monday 6 January and is designed for absolute beginners.
At the end of the course most will be able to run 5k.
The course runs for nine consecutive weeks and we meet in Pudsey Leisure Centre each Monday and Thursday at 6.30pm.
The nine weeks is followed by a parkrun on a Saturday morning.
Within the course experienced runners teach you how to run, gradually increasing the distance each week. They also provide advice on how to breathe, deal with stitch, what to wear, what to eat/drink – in fact everything to do with running and we have a lot of fun along the way.
The sessions:
Monday – advice and a run/walk and lasts approximately 90 minutes.
Thursday – run/walk only and lasts approximately 30 mins to an hour.
The cost for the full course is £15 which is payable in full at the first session.
A fundraising appeal to save Alternatively Vegan, a Pudsey café which opened less than a year ago has reached its target within three days – and the cash is still coming in! writes Anne Akers.
Angi Haist left her job at Leeds City Council to open the
café, in Richardshaw Lane and it soon became a popular eating place. However,
an unexpected debt which she couldn’t pay meant the business was under threat.
Her son Jack started at Huddersfield University in 2015, but within two weeks he became isolated and depressed and began to self harm. Angi brought him home and he left the university.
By March 2017, Jack’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he tried to take his own life. He survived, but was left with a brain injury which affects his mobility, speech and memory. Despite that, Jack volunteers at the café.
Angi had also suffered a personal trauma over the past three
years, but she and Jack continued to work hard to make the business a success.
Alternatively Vegan in Stanningley.
She was shocked when in June 2019, she received a demand for
the cost of the Jack’s accommodation at Huddersfield University, who had
applied for a county court judgement, with costs this comes to £6,808.14.
Angi had put all her money into the business and couldn’t afford
to pay. Customer and friend Shirley Humphreys launched a gofundme appeal to
raise the money.
“The future of Alternatively Vegan is now very much at risk.
This is a woman who routinely cooks and delivers hot meals to the street
homeless in Leeds and has staged many charity events at the restaurant, all at
great personal cost,” she says on
the fundraising page.
“This Christmas she has committed to serving free Christmas Day
lunches at the restautant for those who would otherwise be alone or vulnerable,
“Angi and her team have provided so much more for so many
people in need….Alternatively Vegan has become a huge part of the local
community.”
Within three days, the target was reached, and exceeded.
“This is so wonderful and it shows that despite how it may
seem at times there is much kindness and love out there,” said Shirley.
