Would you like to tell the story of your community or a local group? Or perhaps you’d like to celebrate the achievements of others, or highlight an important cause or campaign in West Leeds?
If you’d like to get more involved in what’s going on locally, the West Leeds Dispatch community reporters’ training course is right up your street.
The friendly and informal course runs over six, weekly sessions.
It’s a fun introduction to writing articles, taking photos, making videos and basic podcasting – as well as offering wider help and guidance on everything you need to know to be a community reporter. We can help with spelling and grammar!
Our first batch of community reporters from Bramley Lawn earlier this year.
The fourth of our free community reporters’ training courses starts from Wednesday, September 11, for six weeks at Kirkstall Valley Development Trust‘s new base at Kirkstall Bridge Shopping Park.
The course runs 6.30pm-8.30pm each week and ends on Wednesday, October 16.
Headingley Stadium WILL become one of the city’s largest concert venues – but only twice a year, writes Local Demcoracy Reporter Richard Beecham.
Members of Leeds City Council’s licensing sub-committee have come to an agreement on plans which would see the stadium given permission to host music concerts on the pitch, with a capacity of just under 10,000 spectators.
The panel had met last week to discuss the plans, for which the applicants wanted to host up to four concerts per year at Leeds Rhinos’ rugby ground.
But, following opposition from local residents, an agreement could not be reached during the meeting, and the panel said it would instead announce its decision in the coming days.
The council has now confirmed that the panel opted to grant permission, but only for two occasions per year – one evening and one afternoon event – with additional conditions in relation to monitoring noise.
This is despite neither the applicants or opposing residents showing enthusiasm for the idea for two events per year when it was suggested by the panel during last week’s meeting.
At the request of West Yorkshire Police, no event would have more than 9,999 spectators and only four events per year would take place. The licence would allow the planned Proms on the Pitch event, set for September 21, to take place at the ground.
During last week’s meeting, a representative from the applicants, Leeds Cricket, Football & Athletic Company Limited, said:
“We believe we have provided information to contend topics raised.
“The PA system will not be used to amplify live music. The PA system will only be used for safety announcements.
“Concerns regarding daily disruption have been raised. This will not be the case, as there will only be four events per year.
“We reiterate our intention to work with residents and not antagonise them in any way.”
She added that noise disruption will be minimised, and that floodlights would be switched off at 11pm. A telephone line for complaints would also be manned during the events, from which information would be relayed to sound engineers working on the concerts.
A nearby resident told the meeting:
“The detail is about the noise which will affect us.
“I have no concerns regarding a Peppa Pig event on a Sunday afternoon, but if the licence is granted, it could be for any type of music.
“While not in the current plans, if a late night heavy metal concert finishing at 11pm would be legal in the licence requested, and that would be a concern for us. This, for residents would be devastating.”
He added that the rugby ground was open between stands, meaning noise was able to escape from the ground.
Another resident added: “We all bought our houses in the knowledge that they were next to a rugby pitch. Events supporting the city are what we would fully support.
“But [noise levels are] creating an absolutely intolerable nuisance on our lives.”
She added that information submitted by the applicants relating to noise levels only referred to noise within the ground, and not how the noise affected outside areas.
Following private discussions between members of the panel, the two parties were then offered a compromise agreement of two events per year on the same weekend, with one finishing late in the evening, and one finishing at 6pm.
The flats would have been created by converting current living and storage space as well as building a first floor extension at Shalamar restaurant and a two-storey rear extension at the next door Bennett’s Fisheries.
There is no reason given as to why the application has been withdrawn.
Environmental Health were consulted before the withdrawal and stated that they recommended refusal due to the high number of commercial premises in proximity and the likelihood of odour and noise nuisance:
“The applicant is proposing first floor flats above commercial premises, this raises potential problems for odour and noise nuisance.
“The takeaway is an Indian that also sells fried chicken, kebabs and burgers. These are greasy foods that can often produce very strong offensive odours when extraction is not maintained or appropriate.
“There is also The Travellers pub across the road approximately 20m away which has the potential to cause a nuisance to residents from music and patron noise.”
Applicant Mr Jay Nawaz now has one “free go” within the next 12 months to resubmit the plans without being charged again.
Do you know a suitable location in Armley for one of the four murals to be created?
Assembly House would love to hear about places around the Aviarys/Salisburys/Canal Road up to Stanningley Road and the area around Town Street.
However, if you know of any location in Armley that you think would benefit from being part of the project, whether it’s your garden wall or the side of your house to an electric box on the street or anything else, you are welcome to send suggestions.
Assembly House is an artist-led gallery and studios located in an old victorian mill on Canal Road in Armley.
The mural project – a joint venture between the gallery and the Armley Action Team, supported by Leedsinspired and Seagulls Paint – is a paid opportunity for emerging artists and illustrators to gain experience whilst receiving expert mentorship.
E-mail your ideas, including the address and an image of the spot, to info@assemblyhouse.art or message them through to the Assembly House Facebook page.
An ambitious clean-up of the Leeds-Liverpool canal involving hundreds of people on paddleboards and canoes will start in West Leeds.
The ‘Asda Big Canal Clean-Up’ is a week-long initiative (2-6 September) covering a 10-mile stretch of Leeds waterways which aims to tackle problems with plastic pollution.
Starting at Newlay Locks on Monday 2nd September and finishing at Thwaites Mills on Friday 6thSeptember, the clean-up will take place along both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation.
Hundreds of Asda colleagues will take to the water on paddleboards, canoes and boats, to collect plastic and rubbish littered on the water and along the banks.
Sean McGinley, Yorkshire & North East director at Canal & River Trust said:
“Canal & River Trust is on a mission to eradicate plastics from our vast network of canals and rivers – helping us all to live in better, more beautiful neighbourhoods, whilst tackling a global issue, and making life better by water.
“We’re really excited to be partnering with Asda to realise this ambitious project to help look after our canals, as beautiful, inspiring places for people to enjoy.”
Chris Brown, Asda’s Senior Director for Sustainable Business, said:
“As a proud Leeds-based company, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the waterways in our city, free from litter. We’re committed to tackling plastic waste in our own operations, but also have a rolling programme of litter picks in communities across the UK to remove plastic and other litter from our local environments.”
Kirkstall-based TCV Hollybush is raising money to create additional and more accessible toilets, writes Keely Bannister.
The new toilets will be located in the conservation charity’s Grade II-listed barn.
By placing the toilets here, TCV Hollybush say they will be able to make the most of the barn. The work would increase light and reduce draughts, meaning it can be used all-year round.
The charity said the development will benefit the community:
“TCV Hollybush will remain “a safe and welcoming, inclusive space” and improvements will allow us to make more flexible use of the site for additional late afternoon, evening and weekend activities.
“This will enable us to work more with young people and training projects, host more evening events and make the space available for hire. By broadening our community base and contributing to regular unrestricted income we can take Hollybush forward into the next decade.”
Hollybush – which works with different sections of the community to improve people’s health as well as enhancing local greenspace – is currently celebrating its 40th year having been founded in 1979 on a derelict farmhouse.
For more than a century it was a tried and tested piece of West Leeds engineering that helped keep the proud story of Yorkshire’s railways on the right track.
And even in retirement, Leeds Industrial Museum‘s stalwart crane had one last uplifting tale to tell after grabbing the imagination of a West Leeds business.
Representatives from Pudsey-based firm Wellman Booth visited the museum in Armley Mills to donate a miniature replica of the historic crane as well as a series of eye-catching illustrations by renowned artist Helen McKie, depicting the efforts of local wartime munitions workers.
The generous donation was sparked by a recent museum project working with volunteers to restore and conserve the museum’s railway hand crane, which was made back in the 1880s by one of Wellman Booth’s forerunners Thomas Smith and Sons of Rodley.
Along with Rodley-based Joseph Booth and Brothers, the company helped the city build an international reputation for making cranes which were used across Britain and around the world back in the 19th Century.
John McGoldrick, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of industrial history, said:
“The history of our railways is dominated by engines and locomotives for obvious reasons, but cranes like ours played a crucial role in keeping the industry moving, literally doing the heavy lifting so that companies across the UK could flourish.
“More importantly, they’re an example of how much Leeds became a centre for engineering excellence, setting the standard for reliability and efficiency and building a reputation which would last for more than a century.”
Historic image of Leeds Industrial Museum’s railway hand crane
The model crane, which will now be displayed at the museum, was made by a former Joseph Booth and Brothers employee Frank Midgley, a keen modeller who worked in the firm’s tool room from before the 1950s.
The Helen McKie illustrations were commissioned by Joseph Booth and Brothers and show munitions workers, including women, making shells at the Rodley factory during World War Two.
The third phase of a community artwork, which has brightened up the entrance to Kirkgate Market, has begun – thanks to the efforts of a West Leeds social enterprise.
Seagulls Reuse, based off Kirkstall Road, installed the Rainbow of Hope mosaic outside the Leeds Kirkgate Market in March.
The first phase, of a 12ft rainbow and featuring inspiring words and phrases collected from market traders and members of the public, is a colourful piece emblazoned on a wall opposite the NCP car park.
A few months later, the second phase – three clouds with the words ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, raindrops and a sun – followed (and is pictured above).
Earlier this month, the third phase has been coming to fruition – a mosaic of the white Yorkshire Rose.
A workshop was held at the market and shoppers were encouraged to add to the mosaic.
Cat Hyde, Seagulls Reuse project manager hopes Seagulls can create “as many phases as we can get funding for”.
Seagulls founders Kat Hyde and Kate Moree
Cat added:
“We’ve had lots of good comments about the mosaic so far – everybody loves it.
“The mosaic scheme is about ownership of the area – people feels it brightens up the area. It’s great that art can be accessible to everyone – mosaics are a brilliant way for people who say they aren’t creative to be part of the creative process, when they never thought they could be capable of that.”
As well as receiving £12,000 of funding from Leeds Inspired, Seagulls Reuse has been helped on the scheme through sponsorship from Liverpool-based Palace Chemicals, which manufactures tile adhesives, grouts, building chemicals, wood treatments and decorating sundries.
A former gas works in Armley, a hospital and the hallowed Wortley ground where Leeds United stars of the past came of age are all among the sites where thousands of new homes are set to be built over the next decade, writes local democracy reporter Richard Beecham.
More than 40,000 homes are earmarked in a Leeds City Council document known as the Site Allocations Plan, which lists ideal sites in the city for housing development over the coming years.
But some of the sites will be more recognisable than others, with former schools, hospitals and even tanneries listed as ideal places for new homes in the document, which was rubber-stamped by the council earlier this summer.
Here are a few of the interesting sites listed across the city – three of which are in West Leeds:
Wortley High School (6.6 hectares) – 40 units
A school that was only open for less than two decades, Wortley High School first opened in 1992 as a replacement for Silver Royd Girls School.
It closed in 2011 when it was merged with West Leeds High School to form Swallow Hill Community College.
Former Wortley High School site
In its heyday, the school was a specialist arts college, and was once one of only two schools in Leeds to provide a resource for pupils with complex speech and language difficulties.
Leeds City Boys’ pitch, Oldfield Lane, Wortley (1.7 hectares) – 61 units
While not officially affiliated with Leeds United, Leeds City Boys provided a route into professional football for the city’s best youth players.
The TV Harrison ground off Oldfield Lane, Wortley
Legends of the game such as John Charles, David Batty and Stuart McCall all learned their trade during their formative years on the pitch, which was donated to the club by Leeds headteacher Thomas Vernon Harrison in the 1930s.
The neglected site has seen better days, however, and is almost unrecognisable from its heyday.
A local campaign to save the ground and restore it to its former glory has the backing of former Leeds United players and a petition with more than 1,500 names. A deputation will speak at the next full council meeting of Leeds City Council in September.
Cookridge Fire Station (0.42 hectares) – 15 units
The fire station was only built in 1990 but has been earmarked as being the idea site for up to 15 new homes.
Horsforth Campus (5.35 hectares) – 134 units
Formerly part of Park Lane College, Leeds City College’s Horsforth Campus shut down in 2017.
The built-up site itself is already subject to an outline planning application for 65 homes, by developers Stonewater.
The SAP expands on this by suggesting more than five hectares of land around the site should also be used for up to 134 homes.
Former Gas Works, Armley Gyratory (5.42 hectares) – 122 units and 2.5 hectares of employment land
British Gas announced earlier this year that it was due to close its offices in Canal Road next to Armley Gyratory.
The site includes the company’s training centre, as well as a call centre. The changes were made due to the ageing infrastructure of the site. Staff are expected to be moved to offices in Holbeck.
The SAP states that land is required for planned improvement works to the Armley Gyratory, as well as employment and housing.
Thomas Danby College, Roundhay Road (4.82 hectares) – 118 units and one hectare of employment land
The further education college was opened in 1970 and specialised in post-16 catering and hair and beauty courses.
It merged with other colleges in the city to become Leeds City College in 2009. The site then closed four years later, and was relocated to the Printworks building in Hunslet.
The SAP suggests a mixed employment and residential use for the site.
Buslingthorpe Tannery / Hill Top Works, Sheepscar (3.23 hectares) – 189 units
One of the city’s most iconic industrial sites, Buslingthorpe developed as an industrial site in the late 1800s.
It has since become designated as an industrial conservation area, and the SAP recommends that the main tannery and chimney buildings “make a positive contribution to the character of the conservation area”, and recommends that they should be kept.
The Faversham, Springfield Mount (0.32 hectares) – 30 units
Once the epicentre of the Leeds indie scene of the mid-2000s, acts such as The Klaxons, Plan B and The Arctic Monkeys graced its stage, while club nights such as Bad Sneakers went down in hipster folklore.
The Fav is now a more mellow affair, featuring a bar and kitchen, along with rooms to hire for private parties.
The SAP has also recommended that the site could be suitable for older persons’ housing.
Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street (4.25 hectares) – 372 units and 12,000 square metres office space
Probably the most ambitious of the bunch, the 4.25 hectare site at Great George Street has been earmarked for both housing and office use.
The infirmary dates all the way back to 1771, when a hospital was opened on what is now infirmary street in the city centre. The current site in Great George Street was opened in 1869 by Prince Albert.
The plans do not include the entire site, with only the Victorian buildings between Calverley Street and Thoresby Street included in the SAP.
Leeds College of Building, North Street (0.9 hectares) – 180 units and 4,500 square metres office space.
The building college was set up in 1960 and boasts more than 6,000 students.
Its new £13m Hunslet campus was opened in July this year.
Alan Bennett during a 2016 visit to Armley Library. Photo: Leeds Libraries
Born and bred Armley lad and famed playwright, Alan Bennett, is to be the subject of an illustrated talk exploring politics and the way they are expressed through his work, writes Keely Bannister.
Titled “Alan Bennett – Unexpected Activist”, the talk – taking place on Wednesday 18th September from 6pm at Leeds Central Library – will look at how Bennett’s strongly held beliefs around privatisation, austerity and disparity in education were influenced by his upbringing in Leeds:
“Bennett is not typically seen as a political author and this may be due to his public persona, or his use of humour, sometimes seen as incompatible with taking a political stand. From his early television work, however, Bennett brought those who are ignored or marginalised to our view and has regularly called out privatisation, austerity and disparity in education in his diaries, talks and plays. The roots of these strongly held beliefs lie in his Leeds upbringing, which shall also be a focus of the talk.”
Born in 1934, Alan was brought up in his family home on the ‘Hallidays’ in Armley, as well as spending time at his grandmother’s house in Wortley.
Bennett’s father worked as a butcher at the co-op on Armley Lodge Road before Bennett senior’s work took the family to live in Headingley when Alan was 12 years old.
As previously detailed by the upcoming talks orator, Dr Kara McKechnie, Alan’s “Yorkshire is not one of beautiful countryside, proud civic architecture and quaint rows of red brick houses”
“In his memories, it is a landscape with very little colour of its own and has contributed to Bennett’s lifelong feeling that life is something that happens elsewhere:
“‘It was a childhood dull, without colour, my memories done up like the groceries of the time in plain, utility packets‘.”
“These drab memories of Leeds, defined by soot-covered facades and subdued expectations, no doubt sprang from the limitations of the 1940s and early 1950s – in fact, young Alan’s first day at school was delayed by the outbreak of World War 2.”
These memories haven’t stopped Mr Bennett enjoying trips back to his old stomping ground, including a recent visit to Armley Library, sending a postcard following the visit thanking staff for being “kind and helpful” whilst he conducted research.
Dr Kara McKechnie is a Lecturer in Dramaturgy at the University of Leeds, who has regularly convened events and dramaturged the work of Alan Bennett at Leeds Playhouse.
You can book a free ticket for the talk Alan Bennett – Unexpected Activist – which is being held on Wednesday 18th September from 6pm until 7pm at Leeds Central Library – by following this link.
The popular show, which is sponsored this year by Palmers Plants, will be held at Calverley Methodist Church Hall from 2.30pm with prizes awarded at 4pm.
There are 105 classes for people to enter covering categories as wide ranging as vegetables and fruits, flowers, baking, honey, wines, children’s, art and photography.
Entries are accepted on Friday 23rd from 6pm until 9pm at the Methodist Church and in advance by special arrangement with the show secretary Beverley Smith in writing, by phone or email.
Admission to the show is £1 for adults, free for children. All classes cost 50p to enter with a maximum cap of £5 per exhibitor. Subsequent entries thereafter for that exhibitor will be free.
Calverley Horticultural Society is a community organisation whose objectives are to “encourage the furtherance of horticulture as a hobby and recreation including the promotion of social events and an annual show”.
I know I’ve said this nearly every month, but it’s been a funny old year on the allotment, writes Anne Akers.
Last year at this time, I had made a bumper batch of blackberry jam in time for the village show.
This year, those blackberries are still green. And while it’s good to use under-ripe fruit for jam, green blackberries won’t win me any prizes and would probably give me belly ache!
Photo: Anne Akers
The cold/hot/wet/dry/windy weather has played havoc with the harvest.
Plums have split, or been eaten by wasps, or both, strawberries were a non-event and my potatoes have died off, as have my neighbour’s though some on the allotments report a good crop.
Onions are OK, though shallots have been superb. It always feels better value that you plant one shallot set (a mini shallot) and from that, you get half a dozen. Plant one onion set and you get one onion.
With the disappointment the of potatoes, I’ve due them all up and planted squash, you can’t go wrong with squash and they store very well.
The best crops this year and indeed every year, are broad beans, beetroot and leeks.
I’ve frozen three batches of broad beans which will see us through until the spring and am currently harvesting four different types of beetroot which are either baked, served in salad, pickled or made into crisps or chutney.
There are claims that beetroot is a superfood, there’s certainly evidence that its high nitrate levels helps reduce blood pressure, increases blood flow and can improve athletic performance.
The whole lot is edible, though personally I find the leaves a bit earthy tasting. And there is one other thing, it comes out the same colour as it goes in, I’ll say no more, just don’t be concerned if that happens after you eat a lot of it!
Beetroot, like potatoes, leeks and some brassicas, can be overwintered, though I prefer to pick the beets young and small, they are sweeter and tastier.
The only challenge then is what to do with them all. Chutney is always a good solution, it’s just vinegar or wine vinegar, sugar, apples, onions and whatever else you please.
I made spiced beetroot and orange chutney, the smell of cloves, and cinnamon were Christmas in a jar, which is just as well as they will be Christmas presents. I also made cucumber chutney, with the glut from the greenhouse.
It’s showtime in Calverleyt at the end of the month. Allotmenteers will be trimming their onions, measuring their beans, weighing their marrows and polishing their potatoes.
It’s a serious business this showing and there is a good deal of friendly rivalry.
I’ll not be entering any of my produce, unless it’s in the novelty vegetable category. My raspberries may be good enough, but that’s about it.
Of course the chutneys and gooseberry jam will be entered and I may bake a cake. One of the categories is a cake made with a vegetable, and seeing as I have plenty of beetroot, I may well do that.
The 98th Calverley Horticultural Society Show is on Saturday 24 August, 2.30. If you fancy entering any of the 100 or so classes, here’s the link.
