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West Leeds: New adult learning courses now available

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tcv hollybush
Hollybush Conservation Centre is on Broad Lane.

A programme offering adults the chance to learn a new skill or improve their knowledge of different subjects and topics has officially launched – including courses in West Leeds.

A variety of courses for adults aged 19 and over will be available through Leeds Adult Learning, commissioned by Leeds City Council. Funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the aim of the £2.2m programme is to provide adults with the confidence and skills to access job opportunities or new skills to support a personal/family interest.

Whether you are interested in learning how to use your smart phone or tablet, grow your own vegetables and eat more healthily, improve your English and maths or to build your self-confidence whilst learning something new and meeting new people, there really is something for everyone.

Covid-19 has been a huge challenge in so many ways and many people have lost their job, their confidence or maybe just wondering how they can make a fresh start. Adult Learning could be just the thing.

Social distancing rules means that all courses cannot be offered on site at the momen. In the meantime we already have well over 100 courses on line, ranging from arts and crafts to digital skills, training for work, CV’s and on-line job interview preparation.

Many others are based on distance learning using study packs and other courses can be held outside. All the information you need about where a course is running, if its on line or distance learning can be found on our easy to use course finder website.

The Leeds Adult Learning course finder website – www.leedsadultlearning.co.uk – is an easy way to discover a course that is just right for you and also includes an integrated journey planner with bus routes and maps to help you find the best and easiest way to travel to courses.

Courses are free for adults in receipt of benefits or those in work but earning less than £17,004 per year and is delivered by a range of different organisations.

These include recognised learning providers such as the Cardigan Centre in Burley, The Conservation Volunteers (Hollybush) in Kirkstall, Leeds City College, Swarthmore Education Centre, and smaller community based organisations such as Nari Ekta, Learning Partnerships andothers.

Last year around 7,000 adults took part in more than 1,000 adult learning courses opening up new opportunities for adults to learn and develop their confidence.

One of the people to take part in the Leeds Adult Learning programme was Sophia who enrolled on an Upcycling course to help her save money on buying new clothes, by reviving her wardrobe.

Sophia then joined another more advanced course and developed her skills in sewing further. Her interest and confidence in her abilities led her to complete a Diploma in Dress Making and Fashion Design which she passed with distinction. She said:

“I was looking for something to improve my well-being and connect more with others. Luckily, I found an adult learning course at my local community centre the Cardigan Centre, the course was called Upcycling: Wardrobe Revival.

“Adult learning certainly helped me to discover a hidden hobby which is now becoming a passion which I plan to turn into a profession.”

Mark’s History: West Leeds connections scratched into Cow and Calf Rocks

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westleedslife
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cow and calf rocks ilkley
West Leeds connections in Ilkley. Photo: Mark Stevenson

Sometimes West Leeds connections can pop up in the most unlikely places, writes Mark Stevenson.

If you have ever been up to Ilkley Moor and the Cow and Calf Rocks you cannot fail to notice all of the graffiti scratched into the rocks by people from all over the world.

The graffiti is mainly people’s names and dates, with the odd wedding proposal thrown in.

One piece of graffiti grabbed my attention more so than the rest because it said ‘Kitson Hargreaves, Bramley 1869’. 

Around the Cow and Calf Rocks are various disused Quarries and it just so happens that a Kitson Hargreaves is mentioned on the census whose occupation was a Quarryman.

In 1871 there was a John K Hargreaves living at 18 Back Lane, Horsforth, with his wife and two daughters but it makes no mention of his son who appears on the next census in 1881 aged 16.

In 1881 the name John K was not used but Kitson was. The family and occupation mentioned for both names is the same so I am guessing it was the same man. Kitson is now living at Chapel House in Bagley in 1881.

I think Chapel House is a bit misleading and could well be a street or a ‘block of flats’ because various people lived there with various occupations that had nothing to do with a Chapel.

Another stone has Bramley carved on it but I was not sure if it meant the place or someone’s name

West Leeds planning applications: 6 September 2020

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westleedslife
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Each week we publish a list of new planning applications related to council wards in West Leeds.

The following applications were published on on the Leeds City Council website in the past seven days:

Armley Ward

Bramley & Stanningley Ward

  • No applications this week.

Calverley & Farsley Ward

Farnley & Wortley Ward

Kirkstall Ward

Pudsey Ward

Cliff House: Housing plans withdrawn by developer

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westleedslife
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Cliff House wortley
Photo: Urban Explorer

New plans to build houses in the grounds of historic Cliff House in Wortley have today been withdrawn by developers – less than a month after they were first submitted.

Priestley Homes already has planning permission to restore arson-hit Cliff House into apartments and a further £3 million development of seven homes immediately next to the Grade II Listed building off Fawcett Lane.

But this week it withdrew further proposals to demolish run-down Cliff Cottage and build six new townhouses next to the existing barn. Also included would be a new access road, parking and landscaping.

The proposals drew two objections from local residents.

Cliff Cottage was formerly the residence of the groundskeeper and caretaker of Western Flatts Park.

Grade II Listed Cliff House saw much of its internal structure destroyed during an arson attack in 2017. Plans to create an additional apartment in the roof space, with an extension to the rear were approved by Leeds City Council in July.

West Leeds: How parents can save cash on expensive school uniforms

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westleedslife
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A campaign which can save parents a fortune on school uniforms has been launched in inner West Leeds.

The project, by Zero Waste Leeds, aims to encourage more families to reuse and donate school uniform.

The School Uniform reuse campaign helps to protect the environment by reducing the number of uniforms sent to waste, reduces the cost of buying new uniform and tackles any stigma associated with second-hand clothing through making “excellent quality uniforms” available to parents across the city – often for free.

The initiative is city-wide, but the Inner West Uniform Exchange covers the Kirkstall, Bramley & Stanningley, and Armley Wards and can be found here.

Councillor Fiona Venner (Lab, Kirkstall) is Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families. She said:

“This campaign has made incredible progress since it started two months ago and it shows how important it is for local communities to establish the re-use and recycling of school uniforms as a norm.

“This project manages to address two main issues; the cost of new uniforms and protecting the environment. It is a vital campaign for providing high quality uniforms to vulnerable families and to help them save money, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s also significant for protecting the environment by encouraging people to re-use the uniforms and not let them end up in waste bins.”

Gill Coupland, one of the founders of Zero Waste Leeds, said:

“Here at Zero Waste Leeds, it’s our job to put a spotlight on the issue of school uniform reuse and start the conversation across the city. At the same time we’re showing people how they can help and be part of the solution.  We have now mapped over 80 schemes across the city which provide school uniform reuse opportunities for 190 schools. 

“Our inspiration guide is packed with practical advice and live examples of existing schemes and we have networked people across the city through Leeds School Uniform Exchange on Facebook which now has over 1,000 members. We’re making second hand the genuine first choice for Leeds when it comes to school uniform; reducing both the cost to local families and the carbon footprint of our city.”

Check out the city-wide Leeds School Uniform Exchange page on Facebook here.

The project is funded by Leeds City Council and Leeds Community Foundation’s Jimbo’s Fund. Zero Waste Leeds is a project of Social Business Brokers CIC a social enterprise that has been working for over ten years on creative, collaborative approaches to tackling social and environmental problems in Leeds.

Civic leaders call for city-wide response as Leeds expected to be added to coronavirus watch list

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westleedslife
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Leeds Civic Hall.
Leeds Civic Hall. Photo: John Baron/westleedsdispatch.com

Civic leaders and public health officials in Leeds are calling for a city-wide effort to avoid further restrictions being put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Leeds is expected to be added to Public Health England’s weekly watch list of areas of concern tomorrow following a rise in cases of the virus in parts of the city over the past few weeks.

Greggs Bramley
The Greggs depot in Bramley

Areas affected in West Leeds include Kirkstall and last week there was an outbreak in the Greggs Depot in Bramley, where it’s understood between 10 and 19 people from Armley, Bramley and Wortley were affected.

While being on the list would not mean any further restrictions on Leeds at this stage, it does mean increased monitoring of cases and could see additional steps taken in future if the city’s infection rates do not start to fall.

The latest seven-day infection rate shows Leeds as having 29.4 cases per 100,000 people, with 44 new cases identified yesterday (Wednesday) and a testing positivity rate of 4.2 per cent.

In an effort to manage the rise in the infection rate, Leeds City Council and partners have recently undertaken a string of preventative steps to stay on top of community transmission, including targeted community work in places like Kirkstall and Burley, mobile testing units and public awareness campaigns.

But with case numbers continuing to show an upward trend, the board is calling on the people of Leeds to play their part in controlling the spread and keeping Leeds open.

judith blake
Cllr Judith Blake

Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“This is a pivotal moment in our efforts to control the spread of the virus in Leeds and to keep our city open.

“Nobody wants to see further restrictions on life in Leeds and we want to assure everyone that we’re doing absolutely everything within our power to avoid that happening.

“But the harsh reality is that if our infection rate continues to rise as it has been, we will be left with no alternative. With that in mind, now more than ever we need a collective effort from the people of Leeds who have shown so much resilience and civic pride throughout this crisis. It’s up to us all to keep our families, friends and neighbours safe and to play our part in keeping Leeds’s recovery going.”

People in Leeds can play their part by following the following key advice:

  • Don’t leave home if you, or anyone in your household, has COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Keep a safe distance from others.
  • Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
  • Wear a face covering over your mouth and nose on public transport and in indoor areas such as shops, places of worship, hairdressers, libraries and healthcare settings.
  • If you have symptoms book a free test at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. If you have a positive test, remember to isolate.

For more details about outbreak planning in Leeds and steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please visit: https://www.leeds.gov.uk/coronavirus/managing-coronavirus-in-leeds

Bramley testing unit set up

A mobile walk-in testing unit is running at Bramley Housing Office in Town Street.

If you have any symptoms or potential been in contact with someone showing symptoms.

Opening times:

  • Friday 4th September, 10am-4pm
  • Saturday 5th September, 10am-3pm
  • Sunday 6th September, 10am-4pm

Get a free Coronavirus test if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • a high temperature,
  • a new, continuous cough,
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

You can book a free test for the testing facilities at Bramley Housing Office via www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119. Please wear a face covering when you come for a test.

New Farnley Cricket Club fundraiser nets over £6,000 in one day

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westleedslife
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A fundraiser to support New Farnley Cricket Club has netted more than £6,000 in donations – just 24 hours after the clubhouse was gutted due to an arson attack.

As reported by WLD yesterday, police and fire fighters were called to the cricket club at 11.10pm on Bank Holiday Monday and are investigating the incident, which is being treated as arson.

Arson attack in New Farnley. Photo: New Farnley CC

It’s estimated the damage could cost £100,000 to repair, but the community has rallied, setting up a crowdfunding appeal yesterday with the aim of raising £5,000.

Mark Lawson, who organised the crowdfunder, said:

“We’ve smashed our first target of £5,000 so we’ve upped the target to £10,000. We are overwhelmed with the amount of well wishes and offers of support from people far and wide and I know the chairman’s resolve to bounce back is stronger than ever!

“Keep supporting, it will all help to get the club back on its feet As Soon As Possible.

“The club is used not just as a cricket club but a social club, restaurant, cafe and much more. We are hoping to raise as much money as possible to aid in the repair and refurbishment of the club so it can re-open quickly and continue to be used by the whole community.

“Any donations are welcome and will be used towards the repair and reopening of our much loved space.”

The crowdfunder can be found here.

New Farnley Cricket club chairman John Baldwin has thanked neighbours and West Yorkshire Fire Service for their swift actions on Monday night and for the generous response of the local and cricketing community to the club’s appeal. He added:

“The committee and I have been overwhelmed by the response we have received since the news broke.

“I would like to thank every single individual, sports club and business, both locally and from afar, who have reached out, offering help and support… we are grateful to have such strong community spirit.”

Both the police and club are appealing for witnesses to the arson attack, with the club producing this poster:

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Officers are investigating the incident which is being treated as arson and any witnesses are asked to call police on 101 quoting crime reference 13200439115.”

Three Peaks walk will fund family activities at alcohol and drugs service

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westleedslife
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A team of fourteen from Forward Leeds, the city’s alcohol and drug service, aim to climb the three highest peaks in Yorkshire in one day.

The team are raising money for the Family Plus element of their service by taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. Family Plus work with the whole family and in particular the children of those in treatment.

Forward Leeds has bases in Armley and Burley.

Kathryn Blackburn, a former Forward Leeds client now a staff member, organised the walk. Kathryn said:

“Forward Leeds is the service that was instrumental in helping me turn my life around. My son Zac and I were offered additional support from the service’s Family Plus team as part of my treatment.

“Family Plus was beyond invaluable for me at the time. I had a dedicated support worker who visited me regularly and helped me navigate the simple everyday life things that I had neglected.

“Zac was supported by the Emotional Well-being Worker. It’s not easy for a nine year old to articulate their thoughts, feelings and emotions as their only parent is coming out of active addiction and the team really helped him.

“I genuinely don’t have enough words of appreciation for what the Family Plus team did to support us during that summer”.

The money raised by the fourteen climbers will be used to fund fun family activities for the children of those in treatment for alcohol or drug issues. In the past these events have included Halloween and Christmas parties, cinema trips, crafting sessions and even meeting exotic animals.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks route is 24 miles and includes 1585m of climbs. The team will be scaling the three peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough hopefully in under 12 hours on the 5 September.

To sponsor the team you can go to their GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/three-peaks-family-plus-fundraiser.

Simon’s Snaps: Farsley Celtic Ladies in Leeds United thriller

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westleedslife
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As pre-season friendlies go, this one was certainly a Farsley thriller!

Farsley Celtic Ladies drew 6-6 in an exciting pre-season friendly with Leeds United WDS yesterday evening.

Dispatch photographer Simon Cullingworth was on hand to capture some of the action at The Citadel.

International entries win Calverley Show

By
Anne Akers
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Proud granddad Pat Kelly

The 99th Calverley Show, which was held virtually because of the pandemic, attracted more than 600 entries, including two from Australia – and they won! writes Anne Akers.

Calverley Horticultural Society took an early decision to hold its event virtually when lockdown was announced.

One of the society’s members is a computer programmer, so he set to work designing a website. The schedule was slimmed down from more than 100 classes to 38, with entrants submitting photos of everything from cabbages bigger than their heads to flowers and decorated cakes.

Extra classes were added so people could show their gardens, in fact they attracted the most entries. There was also a ‘what, no flour?’ lockdown cake as many bakers were unable to buy flour early on in lockdown.

Former CHS President Pat Kelly submitted entries in the art classes on behalf of his two granddaughters who live in Australia.

A drawing of chimp eyes won 14-year-old Jemima first prize and the President’s Junior Cup for best children’s exhibit. Her 11-year-old sister Phoebe came first in the under-12s class with her drawing of a VW Camper Van.

Proud granddad Pat claimed the trophy for Jemima and while that will have to stay in Calverley, there’s a couple of certificates on their way to them. The sisters’ dad Anthony was also a prizewinner at the show when he was a lad!

Show Secretary Bev Smith said they were delighted with the response.

“We really didn’t know if people would enter a virtual show, but in the end, it proved very popular,” she said.

Trophy winners were invited to a pop-up show at the village allotments, presented by CHS Secretary Cllr Andrew Carter.

Bev said they were hoping next year’s event, the 100th show, would be back in the Methodist Hall, but that there may still be virtual classes for people to show off their gardens.

Socially-distanced pop-up show and tropy presentation

Internet speeds in West Leeds are entering the Gigabit fast lane

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westleedslife
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Sponsored content

Faster speeds, better reliability, less internet downtime. Sound like something you want?

Well, the good news is that Gigabit broadband is coming to West Leeds, and once the network is built, the difference will be night and day compared with the sluggish connectivity many of us have grown accustomed to.

By now, you may have spotted our construction teams, led by O’Connor Utilities Ltd, in locations across Leeds and even closer to home in Farsley, Hough End, Stanningley, Pudsey and Bramley.

With plans to cover the whole city, CityFibre, the UK’s third national digital infrastructure platform, is coming to a street near you. This is all part of our effort to level up the country’s broadband by bringing full fibre connectivity within reach of up to 8 million homes and businesses across the country.

Our £120 million investment is set to make the city among the first in the UK to benefit from Gigabit-capable internet speeds.

Once the work is complete, Leeds will have access to a state-of-the-art digital infrastructure that will reach nearly every home and business in the area, giving Leeds a leading edge when it comes to connectivity. Currently, just 15 per cent of premises across the UK can say they have full fibre.  

Over these past months, many of us have been dependent on our internet connection to provide us with a gateway to normal life – work, shopping and entertainment, as well as keeping in touch with friends and family.

The past few months have demonstrated how much digital technology is transforming our lives and will continue to do so long after a return to normality.

Full fibre will not only revolutionise the online world at home by unlocking new forms of buffer-free entertainment and making seamless home working a reality, it will provide a step change in internet speed and quality for the whole community. 

Businesses will benefit from much-improved productivity, and it will make the city even more attractive to the start-ups and inward investors that depend on reliable, fast and high capacity broadband.

The foundations for exciting smart city initiatives will be delivered too, unleashing new opportunities to make the city safer, greener and more efficient by deploying technologies that are already transforming some of the world’s most pioneering destinations.

How’re we going to do it? 

In order to tap into all this brand-new technology, we do need to do some heavy lifting. This comes in the form of laying the fibre optic network itself. All over the country, we are working with carefully selected contractors to deploy our network and manage disruption. Inevitably, with a project of this size, some work will need to be carried out on roads in the area, and this includes excavating pavements and laying the fibre optics.  

In collaboration with Leeds City Council, we are taking every precaution to limit the impact of our work and all our contractors are being urged to follow the social distancing protocols as outlined by Public Health England. While rolling full fibre out to a specific street or area can take some weeks, the good news is that we will only be outside your home for a handful of days. We’ll always make sure you have access to your property, and if you have any concerns, just talk to one of our site supervisors dressed in orange. Alternatively, you can call us on 0203 5100 602. 

Keeping you in the loop 

We are doing everything we can to communicate with people in the area to give them as much information possible. 

Before the first ground is broken, we will be sending our teams to mail drop residents, keeping them informed about the upcoming work and we happily encourage people to get in touch if they have any further queries.  

[WB1]  For more information about the build and to register for updates on progress in your area, visit: cityfibre.com/your-street

Sounds great, sign me up 

We will continue to keep you posted on our progress, but if this all sounds appealing to you, then you can speak to our launch partner, Vodafone today. 

Vodafone will be using CityFibre’s network to bring Vodafone Gigafast Broadband to customers in Leeds and you can pre-register for the service at www.vodafone.co.uk/gigafast/register.

Lib Dem calls Leeds Tory leader ‘the Don Quixote of Calverley’

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westleedslife
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leeds civic hall
Leeds Civic Hall

A debate on devolution and its effect on local government planning regulations morphed into a bitter argument about a West Leeds councillor and 17th century Spanish literature, writes Richard Beecham.

A special meeting of Leeds City Council took place to discuss the latest stages in a devolution deal, which could see an elected mayor covering the West Yorkshire area in exchange for £38m of extra regional spending power.

The leader of the Conservative councillors on the authority, Coun Andrew Carter, warned that the city needed a veto to stop any planning.

Andrew Carter Calverley and Farsley
Don Quixote? Cllr Andrew Carter

Liberal Democrats group leader Coun Stewart Golton responded by comparing Coun Carter with Don Quixote – to which Conservative councillors accused Coun Golton of misunderstanding the novel.

Coun Golton said: “Seeing the Conservatives get themselves tangled up on this devolution deal is amazing.

“Coun Carter and his amendment is toting at windmills like Don Quixote of Calverley. The spatial powers he is hoping to keep in Leeds, there is already a veto there in the deal, and that is why it has been so easy for the administration to accept it.”

Don Quixote is a Spanish novel written in 1605 in which the eponymous character devotes his life fighting to protect the helpless and revive chivalry. However, Quixote’s increasingly erratic behaviour is constantly having to be corrected by his friend and travelling companion Sancho Panza.

It is considered an important early work of Western literature and spawned the term “quixotic”, meaning a person is idealistic but impractical.

Coun Mark Dobson (Ind) later added: “I am not sure about the Don Quixote analogy, but these days I’m feeling more like Sancho Panza.

“I don’t think Coun Carter has been Quixotic – our rights to maintain our own planning policy are vital.”

Coun Ryan Stephenson (Con) said: “Who thought we’d have had contributions this morning from Coun Golton’s rather contemporary production of the ingenious Don Quixote of Calverley, obviously a man who is characterised as strong with integrity and wisdom.

“I am not sure Coun Golton meant that in his description of Coun Carter. One can only assume that if Coun Golton was having a part in this production, it would be the part of Falstaff, the cowardly Knight doing anyting to get any favourable benefit from Mistress Quickly.”

At a later executive board meeting, Coun Alan Lamb (Con) added: “I hope Coun Golton has read the devolution deal, because it doesn’t seem like he’d read Don Quixote – it was actually quite complementary to Coun Carter. I hope he’s spent more time reading the deal than he did reading the book.”

Coun Golton replied: “I would ask Coun Lamb to actually read Don Quixote, rather than just the preface, and he might get a better understanding – in the same way I might get a better understanding of devolution by being on the combined authority”.

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