Tricky questions, beer, food and lots of laughter – it could only be the third West Leeds Dispatch community quiz night.
Held at The Abbey Inn, the evening was hosted by Jill Stocks (who is also a Dispatch board member, as well as working at the pub).
Jill put on a terrific evening for people (and at least three dogs), which raised £25 towards sustaining independent community media in West Leeds. A big thanks to everyone who attended!
Dispatch photographer Simon Cullingworth was on hand to capture some of the people who attended …
Jill Stocks pulling pints at The Abbey. Photo: Simon CullingworthLots of intense discussions over the tricky questions! Photo: Simon Cullingworth The Ritchie family and friends (including Roldand Cross) looking confident. Photo: Simon Cullingworth Dispatch editor John Baron with wife Irene. Photo: Simon Cullingworth Roland Cross from Newlay and Whitecote Residents’ Association enjoys a pint. Photo: Simon Cullingworth
ORIGINAL POST: People are being advised to think before they travel as a crash on Richardshaw Road has closed Stanningley Bypass from Dawson’s Corner to Swinnow Road.
There are currently no more details available of the crash.
The closure is having a knock on effect on surrounding roads causing long tailbacks and public transport disruption
With the temperature currently clocking 28c, it is advisable for people to only travel if they need to.
It is fair to say that the Rodley Beer & Music Festival has grown from strength to strength over the years – and punters certainly made the most of the record August Bank Holiday temperatures this weekend.
Dispatch photographer Simon Cullingworth was on hand to capture some of the action …
Concern has been growing over an ‘epidemic’ of missed bin collections this summer – particularly in Farsley, Rodley and Calverley.
“Bin collections over the summer have been quite unacceptable,” says Councillor Amanda Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley).
Cllr Amanda Carter
“I am afraid the excuse that the volume of rubbish to be collected was very high which led to missed rounds is completely unacceptable. The reason there was a large volume of rubbish is because rounds had been missed. It’s as simple as that.
“The usual generally efficient refuse collections service has left a lot to be desired and there appeared to be no effective back up plan when routes failed.
“We all accept that on occasions it’s unavoidable that a route is missed but over the summer this became an epidemic.”
Cllr Carter said she had spoken to Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan and said the reason the wagons were too full was because they had not collected from some properties the week before, so were not catching up.
If you were to stand outside the reception of Yorkshire Television on Kirkstall Road and rewind the clock a hundred years you would be in the living room of James and Annie Wilkinson of 10 Townend Street, writes Mark Stevenson.
Their son John was in the army, based in India, and although in 1920 the fight for freedom may have stopped in Europe it had not stopped elsewhere in the world.
The family grave in New Wortley Cemetery. Photo: Mark Stevenson
Afghanistan took exception to British Rule of their country and started the Third Anglo-Afghan War, which ended in Afghanistan gaining its independence.
Only a few hundred British troops died in the war but hundreds more died of disease and the heat.
One of those was James and Annie’s son John.
He died of heatstroke on the 22nd July 1920 and is buried at the Peshawar British Cemetery, then in India but now in Pakistan. His name is on the India Gate War Memorial in New Dehli.
The family grave can be found in New Wortley Cemetery.
Bluebells under the trees in Farnley Park. Photo: Dave Dalton
Calls for more tree planting in Leeds to tackle climate change have been welcomed by Dispatch reader STEFANEY RAEE, who last year successfully fought against plans for industrial units on historic woodland. She writes:
Houghley Ghyll (Armley/Bramley boundary) is a conservation area with veteran trees and home to bats, many varieties of birds and butterflies. It belongs to Leeds City Council.
Over the years some of the trees have died and it would be wonderful to plant some younger trees to replace those missing.
In view of LCC’s current interest in planting thousands of trees across Leeds to help with climate change and the environment it would be helpful if our local councillors could assist in restoring this natural woodland feature.
Booking is now open for free youth activities for young people aged 8 to 17 years in Farsley, writes Keely Bannister.
There are three weeks left of Super Summer of Sport facilitated by LED Community Foundation.
Taking place on the next three Tuesdays at St John’s Church Hall from 16:45 to 18:15, the remaining dates for Farsley are 27th August, 3rd September and 10th September.
The activities will be happening at Old Farnley Community Centre on the next three Thursdays from 4.15pm to 5.45pm on 29th August, 5th September and 12th September.
Questions can be asked and places booked for these sport sessions by contacting Andrea by emailing andrea@ledcommunityfoundation.co.uk or calling 07471 100951
Following on from these sessions for the next six weeks is Scrap Art run by CYP Arts.
The venues and times are the same with the activities happening on Tuesday 17th & 24th September and then the 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd October in Farsley and Thursday 19th & 26th September and then the 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th October in Farnley.
Contact Catherine by e-mailing info@cyp-arts.co.uk or calling 0113 808 7705 to book a place.
Finally for the following six weeks children can enjoy Samba Drumming run by Rock School.
Again the venues and times are the same with the fun happening on Tuesday 29th October followed by 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th November and 3rd December in Farsley and Thursday 31st October and then the 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th November and 5th December in Farnley.
Dawsons Corner. Photo: Betty Longbottom, wikimedia image used under Creative Commons Licence
Major development works to Dawsons Corner Junction and Stanningley Bypass have been included in Transport for the North’s £700 million bid for a slice of a government scheme to finance 16 road projects, writes Keely Bannister.
Funded by revenue raised from Vehicle Excise Duty paid from 2020/21, the National Road Funds (NRF) investment will provide funding to schemes which support a reduction in congestion, and support economic growth and housing delivery.
A document setting out the case for investment in roads, details the proposed improvements to Dawsons Corner junction and Stanningley Bypass in the following way:
“Bus priority lanes on East and West approaches to junction, structural upgrade of Wood Nook Tunnel to facilitate three lanes in each direction, enhancements to pedestrian and cyclist facilities around the junction.
“[These will] provide better and safer connections to New Pudsey Station and Priesthorpe School, landscaping and other Green Streets design features, plus 4.5km structural renewal of Stanningley Bypass in the concrete carriageway and provision of average speed cameras.”
In the same document, the benefits of the above proposals are listed as:
Improves capacity, flexibility and reliability at key intersection junction
Provides bus priority infrastructure to support wider committed investment on the adjacent arterial corridor between Leeds-Bradford
Reduces severance and improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists
Removes significant maintenance liability, and associated highway disruption associated with current condition of Stanningley Bypass
Directly supports housing growth c.900 new homes, additionally supporting development in the wider area by creating improved network capacity and management
Supports creation of new jobs by improving access to Leeds City Region (54 jobs forecast to be directly created)
An outline business case put together by the WYCA put the cost of the reconfiguration of the junction at just over £20 million with a completion timeline of June 2021.
Costings for the improvement works aren’t included in the Transport for the North reports, but completion is still expected to be 2021.
“We know that the junction is at capacity during peak times and that is only going to get worse unless there is reconfiguration of the junction, so it is welcome news. The Stanningley Bypass and Dawson’s Corner are very much linked to each other and that runs into Dawson’s Corner, so it makes sense that these are the two schemes that Transport for the North are bidding for.”
Not everyone has welcomed the news though.
We really are stuck as a city -not realising the scale of task ahead to tackle climate breakdown, community resilience and toxic air. We need to shift mobility from road transport asap. On a mass scale. That's where @Transport4North resources a should go. Act like an emergency pic.twitter.com/LsrYdYJ8Po
Paul Chatterton, professor of urban futures at the University of Leeds and one of the creators of Lilac housing, tweeted:
“We really are stuck as a city -not realising the scale of task ahead to tackle climate breakdown, community resilience and toxic air. We need to shift mobility from road transport asap. On a mass scale. That’s where @Transport4North resources a should go. Act like an emergency.”
What do you think of the investment? Let us know in the comments below.
Flashback to 2015's flooding along Kirkstall Road.
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves is calling on the new Environment Secretary to prioritise extra funding for flood defences after what she says is ‘three and half years of delay and dithering’.
In the aftermath of the Boxing Day Floods, ministers promised that Leeds would soon have one of the “most resilient flood defence programmes in the country”.
But Ms Reeves says residents and businesses in Kirkstall are still ‘no better protected today than they were then’.
In her letter, Reeves urges Theresa Villiers “to lobby the Chancellor for the additional funding needed to complete the full 1-in-200 year LFAS scheme” ahead of the next Government spending review.
This would involve the Government offering a further £25.3m towards to scheme to meet the existing shortfall.
Whilst Ms Reeves “welcomes the support that the Government has already committed to the LFAS” she adds that “the sad truth is that homes and businesses in Kirkstall are still at high risk of flood damage because of the ongoing delay in delivering this scheme”.
The Leeds West MP ends by cautioning that “the consequences of further delay and dither are all too predictable”.
The Whaley Bridge dam collapse & recent flash floods across North Yorkshire are a timely reminder that we need to upgrade our key infrastructure to cope w/ the climate emergency🌍
My letter to the new Environment Sec on the need to fully fund the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme👇 pic.twitter.com/bqvRlI4hSJ
The Government has so far committed £65 million towards flood defences that will offer 1 in 100 year protection, but there is a £25.3m shortfall for the 1 in 200 year protection Ms Reeves and Leeds City Council say are necessary to prevent a re-occurence of the 2015 floods.
Planning permission for the 1 in 100 year flood defence scheme was granted in June.
Properties flooded when the River Aire broke its bank on Boxing Day 2015 included businesses along Kirkstall Road, the Industrial Museum in Armley, Leeds Rhinos’ training facilities in Kirkstall and the Rodley Nature Reserve.
The Dispatch has reported extensively on the need for flood defence here.
Coroner’s officers are appealing for help to locate relatives of two West Leeds men: Kevin Seamus Buck from Bramley and Aiden Anthony Carrington from the Kirkstall area, writes Keely Bannister.
Mr Buck, also known as Buckley, was a retired bus driver aged 72. He died in hospital on 5th July 2019.
Mr Carrington was aged 79 when he died in hospital on the 21st August 2019.
Neither death has any suspicious circumstances surrounding them.
Anyone with any information is asked to call 01924 292 301. In regards to Kevin Buck, people should ask for coroner’s officer John Bracewell.
The Celts last played at Gateshead two years ago in the FA trophy, before losing out on penalties.
Farsley Celtic made it back-to-back wins with a superb 3-0 victory away to the previously unbeaten Gateshead, writes Thomas Ritchie.
Second-half strikes from Jimmy Spencer, Luke Parkin and Tyler Walton saw the Celt Army earn a terrific three points, and make it 10 points from six games to start the season.
Farsley Celtic Manager Adam Lakeland was delighted with his side’s performance, as he said:
“I thought we thoroughly deserved it (the win) to be honest.
“I think the first 10, 15 minutes, we allowed them out to get out too easily which we anticipated to an extent because of the way I’d set us up today, but I felt the longer the first-half went on we kind of grew into the game.”
Lakeland was also extremely pleased with the impact Luke Parkin had. He added:
“When he’s come on (In previous games) he’s looked sharp, and he’s trained really well and today I felt it was the right time to put him in with the way we set the team up, and I thought he was outstanding.”
The hosts started on the front foot, and they were inches away from breaking the deadlock six minutes in when Greg Olley picked the ball up on the edge of the box and rifled his strike against the crossbar.
The Celt Army were then denied by the upright midway through the first-half, Tom Allan heading Will Hayhurst’s delivery back across the goal to Jimmy Spencer who headed against the upright from six-yards out.
Minutes later Gateshead were thwarted by the woodwork for a second time in the first-half, Nicky Deverdics whipping in a cross for JJ O’Donnell who could only direct his header onto the post.
The Tynesiders then had another fantastic opportunity as they countered from a Farsley corner through Josh Kayode, but he decided to go it alone with options to his right, and fired comfortably over from 20-yards out.
Six minutes after the interval Farsley took the lead with a devastating break, resulting in Nathan Cartman threading the ball through to Jimmy Spencer who slammed home from inside the box.
The North East outfit had a terrific chance to equalise with 20 minutes remaining, JJ O’Donnell crossing for Olley who was unable to keep his header down when he really should have scored.
Farsley then doubled their lead thanks to great work from Nathan Cartman once more, the diminutive forward holding the ball up on the edge of the box and squaring for Luke Parkin to drive home, with what proved to be Parkin’s final touch before being replaced by Tyler Walton.
Gateshead were given a lifeline with just over five minutes to go, substitute Dom Tear going down in the box and winning his side a spot-kick.
However, substitute Paul Blackett blasted the penalty high and wide, with Elliot Wynne maintaining his clean sheet.
Farsley wrapped up the three points deep into added time with another well worked goal, Jack Higgins heading Chris Atkinson’s clever ball across for Tyler Walton to roll home from close range.
The Iceland store on Kirkstall Road WILL close, bosses have confirmed today.
The confirmation follows several weeks of rumours on social media – with the store closing on Saturday, 14 September.
It is unclear what will happen to the jobs at the store, with Iceland saying consultation with staff was ongoing. An Iceland spokesperson said in a statement:
“We are sorry to confirm that the Iceland store in Kirkstall Road, Leeds, will close on Saturday, 14 September, as our landlord has declined to renew our lease. We are currently in consultations with our colleagues at the store.
“We will be sad to leave Kirkstall Road and we thank our many loyal customers there for the support they have given us over the years.
“Iceland is an expanding business and we will continue to serve Leeds through four Iceland stores and two larger stores under our The Food Warehouse fascia, including one at Kirkstall Shopping Park.”
