After having to postpone their volunteer day last month due to the frozen ground, tree planting will return to Burley Park this Sunday (9 February 2025).
Volunteers from the Friends of Burley Park group will be replacing some of the damaged trees in the park with 12 new standards.
A spokesperson said: “The park rangers will assist us on the day, but we do have some bulbs to finish planting – if you’d rather do a bit less heavy digging but would still like to get involved we can organise a couple of small teams for bulb planting too.
“We have some bulb planting tools, but if you have your own – or shears or a spade – please bring them with you and gloves too if you have them.”
All are welcome to take part. Meet by the bandstand at 10am.
The Higgott family "loved coming here with our children and now grandchildren. It's educational fun. Seeing Santa at the museum is a big highlight of the year, the best Santa you can see." Photo: Kelvin Wakefield
Campaigners opposing the closure of Abbey House Museum have reacted with joy at the news that the much-loved facility has been saved from the axe.
Cash-strapped council chiefs today revealed the facility would stay open after a public consultation garnered 10,000 responses. Opposition also included a protest outside the museum and a petition with over 6,500 signatures.
A public meeting to be held on Sunday morning about the long-term future of the museum will go ahead as planned.
Dianne Riding, of the Save Abbey House Museum group, told WLD: “I’m overjoyed and relieved – and I’m pleased to be able to look forward to the future of this incredible facility. All the messages coming in from people are marvellous!
“I would encourage people to still attend Sunday’s public meeting – we need to harness all the ideas and energy that people had.”
Stuart Long, who organised the petition, added: “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone – over 6,000 people – who signed the petition to save Abbey House Museum and keep it open. Your voices, dedication, and passion for preserving our local heritage have been truly inspiring.
“I also acknowledge the conclusion of the consultation process by Leeds City Council and appreciate everyone who took the time to engage, share their views, and advocate for this important cultural institution.
“Your support has demonstrated how much Abbey House Museum means to our community, and we remain hopeful for its future. Thank you for standing with us all to protect our shared history.”
The news has also been welcomed on social media. “Absolutely brilliant news!” said one commenter. “Let’s just hope that the people who were up in arms over the closure actually follow through and visit the museum. There is absolutely no point being vocal without following through.
“This fantastic museum desperately needs the footfall to ensure its longevity for generations to come.”
Another added: “Great news! Many thanks to everyone who has supported this campaign and all the hard work collating people’s comments and ideas.”
Abbey House Museum. Photo: Sonia Koren
A statement was also posted on social media by Kirkstall’s councillors Hannah Bithell, Andy Rontree and Fiona Venner. They said: “Leeds Museums and Galleries are looking at other ways to make the necessary savings in next year’s budget.
“A huge thank you to the almost 10,000 people who filled in the consultation and who campaigned for it not to close. This gave us the backing to work with our colleagues to find other ways forward. We have always been proud to represent a community which so much activism and engagement.
“The way the community has come together to save Abbey House Museum over the past few weeks has exemplified this.
“Although Abbey House Museum is not going to close, it does need to change as we still need to make efficiency savings. We need to work together to make better use of the building to ensure the museum has a long term, sustainable future. Please come to the public meeting on Sunday at 11am at St Stephen’s Church Hall on Norman Street to discuss ideas for Abbey House Museum going forward.”
Armley Helping Hands CEO Dawn Newsome addresses full council. Image: LCC
Lifeline organisations supporting older people across Leeds have today been told that their funding will NOT be cut by Leeds City Council this year.
Council bosses have confirmed they are sustaining the current level of funding to the city’s popular and highly-acclaimed neighbourhood networks, as part of budget proposals set to be considered at next week’s executive board meeting (February 12).
The announcement comes after the council administration proposed not to progress with a suggested 10 per cent reduction for 2025/26 to neighbourhood networks, which had initially been put forward to December 2024’s executive board meeting as part of council-wide spending reviews.
Neighbourhood networks – which include organisations such as Armley Helping Hands and Bramley Elderly Action among others – had already had a 10 percent budget reduction two years ago.
As exclusively reported by WLD last month, Dawn Newsome, the CEO of Armley Helping Hands, spoke on behalf of 34 neighbourhood networks in Leeds to address full council over the proposed 10 per cent cut.
She warned of a ‘catastrophic’ effect on services affecting vulnerable older proper if cuts went ahead.
Today Ms Newsome welcomed the council’s announcement.
“We appreciate our council members have listened to our communities and taken into account the proposed budget cut would have had on direct service to our older generations,” she said.
“We are overjoyed to be notified of the decision to withdraw the proposed 10% budget cuts to the Neighbourhood Networks. This year we endeavour to work alongside Leeds City Council to ensure we can provide a whole system approach and secure the future of the neighbourhood networks.”
Lifeline activities provided by Neighbourhood Networks include lunch clubs, exercise sessions and befriending as well as trips and excursions, with each scheme’s offer based on local needs and demand.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “Our neighbourhood networks are a real success story for our city and have been recognised nationally and internationally as examples of good practice, so I’m delighted we’ve been able to guarantee sustained funding for this valued lifeline.
“Although we face significant budget pressures, we absolutely recognise the great work being undertaken by our networks in helping older people live independent lives and play an active part in their communities.
“With one in three people living in Leeds aged over 50 and the size of the 70-80+ population expected to grow significantly over the coming years, we know there is a rising need for these vital support services.
“This continued investment gives a clear commitment from the council to our neighbourhood networks to ensure they are able to grow and enhance their services, in turn helping to improve the lives of thousands of people across the city.”
Protesters at the museum yesterday (Saturday, 18 January. Photo: Wenzdae Robbins
Council chiefs have today announced Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall is to remain open following widespread opposition to proposals to close it.
Leeds City Council has been consulting on the attraction’s future as the authority explores a range of proposals to address unprecedented financial pressures.
And after considering almost 10,000 responses – as well as a petition with more than 6,500 names and a protest held two weekends ago – the council has taken the decision to withdraw the proposals as part of its budget plans for the coming year, which will be presented to the council’s executive board next week.
The museum will now remain open to visitors as normal and planning for upcoming events and exhibitions will continue.
The Gower family live nearby and love Abbey House Museum. Their kids love the interesting artefacts and welcoming staff. Photo: Kelvin Wakefield
A ‘pay as you feel’ admission model at Kirkstall Abbey for Leeds residents will be introduced.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “The public response to the Abbey House Museum consultation has been incredibly passionate and we’d like to thank everybody who has participated.
“The overriding sentiment has been that people across Leeds clearly recognise the unique social value of our museums and galleries to their communities and local heritage.
“We have always been clear that these types of proposals are not ones that we ever want to bring forward. But the severe and sustained pressures on our budget have given us no choice but to consider some options which we would never normally look at.
“However, we are always committed to listening and responding to the views of the public and working to find solutions which fit their needs where we can.
“It was clear from ward members the strength of feeling locally, and this has been replicated from across Leeds in the consultation. As a result, we’re pleased to say the museum will stay open.
“What we need now is for people channel the passion and enthusiasm they have demonstrated during the consultation into visiting and engaging with the site as much as possible over the coming months so we can all work to support its future.”
Opened in 1927, Abbey House Museum is home to three replica Victorian streets, which feature shops, a pub, and houses. .
Currently, the museum is hosting an exhibition entitled Story Time, which includes a huge variety of historic books and games, each exploring the magical world of children’s stories.
The exhibition aims to look at how reading, learning and enjoying stories has changed through the ages, and the huge influence children’s books have had on young people’s education, play and imaginations.
Carl, Duncan, Brian and Graham are all volunteers at Horsforth Farmers Market
By Jill Stocks
Here’s our latest selection of photos sent in by readers of life in Horsforth over the past week. A busy week with various events going on. And some shots of everyday life.
Don’t be shy and get snapping this week so we can feature a bumper set for contributions next week. Please e-mail your Horsforth photos to news@westleedsdispatch.com.
Hot chocolate and cake at Truly Scrummy (Photo: Lucy Todd)
The sun starts to set on Horsforth Rec (Photo: anonymous).
Members of Horsforth Community Assets Project gather to say farewell to Sarah Marston, who is leaving the area. Thanks to Sarah for her hard work over the years. (Kezia Roberts, Sarah Marston, Claire Evans, Penny Pinn, Duncan Stow, Revd Nigel Sinclair, Kath Rolls).
A couple of photos from Horsforth Farmers Market (Carl Purkiss and Cllr Simon Dowling).
A sunny afternoon on Horsforth Rec with planes coming into Leeds Bradford in the distance (anonymous)
Horsforth Climate Action Saturday at St Margaret’s Church (HCA).
Chlidren’s centre staff could be facing an uncertain future after cash-strapped Leeds City Council launched cost-saving plans.
Council bosses said no decisions had yet been made over job cuts or closures after they began a review of 56 centres in the city.
Children’s centres currently operated by schools could be brought under council control.
In West Leeds this means children’s centres in Pudsey, Farsley, Swinnow, Bramley face an uncertain future.
Leeds City Council, which must save £106m in the next financial year, said it must urgently cut costs.
A briefing note sent to centre managers said: “We recognise this review will lead to uncertainty for staff. There is a need to make savings of £2.45m during this year and next year.”
The council said schools and academies currently received council funding to run children’s centres. In future, staff at the school-led centres could be directly employed by the council.
Centre managers and staff unions were being consulted as part of the review.
The note said: “There is a need to review the whole children’s centre service to ensure that it is providing the right service in the right place to those families who are experiencing the greatest challenges.”
The council said 21 of the children’s centres were home to council-run Little Owls nurseries.
Last year, a review of the Little Owls service saw three nurseries – in Chapel Allerton, Seacroft and Gipton – close, with children found alternative places.
Most of the council’s 56 children’s centres were set up as part of the government’s Sure Start programme between 2006 and 2008.
A council spokesperson said: “Currently, some children’s centre services are delivered directly by the council, while others are provided by schools funded by the council.
“As part of the review, initial discussions are considering whether services delivered by schools could instead be managed directly by the council.”
A council report said a previous children’s centres review failed to bring the expected savings.
The current review would make further savings of £1m in 2025/26, “giving rise to a total level of saving over the period 2023/24 to 2025/26 of £2.45m.”
The spokesperson said: “At this stage, no decisions have been made regarding the closure of any children’s centres or potential redundancies.”
Background
The local authority is proposing a raft of cuts as it faces an unprecedented strain on its finances.
Job losses, service cuts, building closures – such as the closure of Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall – and a council tax rise of almost five per cent are also being considered by the authority.
Figures show the council needs to save around £106m during 2025/26 to avoid having it declare itself bankrupt.
The council faces rising costs in services including adult social care, while central Government has underfunded local authorities across the country over the past 15 years
WLD is following ongoing council cuts, closures, building sales and reaction in our Cutswatch series of articles.
Are we ready to sing? Let’s go! There is no hesitation when Michelle Williamson asks the familiar question and the Thursday Singalong Group in Farsley burst into song.
Leonard Blackburn, who is in his 90s, has always enjoyed singing and like many of the group has been there since the start some three years ago.
Leonard enjoyed singing at school and he recalls how it was all about who was the loudest – nowadays he laughs as he says “if you don’t know the words you just hum”.
Firm friendships have been formed through the weekly singalong, with between 20 and 30 people attending on a regular basis.
MHA Community Co-ordinator Michelle Williamson said the singing group started with eight members for a six-week trial period.
The group, which is held after the MHA Communities weekly lunch club at St John’s, is extremely popular.
A celebratory afternoon tea is being organised by group member Margaret Howcroft to mark the group’s third birthday in March. “We sing our heart out here,” says Margaret. “We also do lots of other things together and often have get togethers.”
“It’s the best thing that I have ever done,” says Eileen Stewart. This view is echoed by Iris Baines and Dorothy Craven. The lyrics and music are provided and there are different themes each week, including musicals’ week and favourites’ week where group members choose their own favourite songs.
Sharron McQue, and Betty Baulk volunteer on a Thursday and both enjoy seeing how music can lift people and bring back memories.
The Thursday Singalong is held in St Johns Church Hall, Farsley every Thursday between 1.15pm and 3pm. A contribution of £3 includes tea and cake. New members are always welcome.
For details of this and other MHA activities for the over 55’s telephone 0113 290 9340 or visit mha.org.uk.
Bramley Thai boxer Gracjan Krupski is particularly looking-forward to his fight at Barnsley Metrodome “because it’s my first under pro-am rules,” explained Krupski.
Krupski, 18, has trained at MSA in Beeston under Rafal Wrzeszcz for six years and has become well-known on the northern Thai boxing circuit.
“Pro-Am might well be unique to Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, in that much of the protective equipment worn in amateur bouts is no longer required so in Barnsley for the first time I’ll be competing without shin pads,” he said.
“However, elbow pads remain compulsory. It’s full contact so brutal as it sounds kicks, knees and elbows to the head are allowed.
“The fight is still at amateur length though five two-minute rounds rather than the three minutes of a fully professional bout. My Belgian opponent and I can’t wait to show just exactly what we’re made of and how courageous we need to be.”
Krupski travels around a lot, living in Bramley and studying for ‘A’ levels at Lawnswood School while training in Beeston.
He added: “I know Leeds really well although my family is originally from Poland and I’m bilingual in Polish. I’m hoping to start a sports performance course at Leeds Beckett in September.
“In March I’ll be joining three others from MSA for two weeks competing at the WMF world championship in Thailand.
“I fought in Italy last October. Morning runs and five intense early evening training sessions a week plus attending sparring sessions at other clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire mean there’s little time for other social activities.
“I love this sport, which continues to teach me valuable life skills and increases my self-discipline and determination as I channel all my energy and focus into fight preparation.”
Krupski welcomes any sponsorship to help with the Thailand trip, and is best contacted by e-mail gracjankrupski@gmail.com or Instagram @gracjan.k06.
A GCSE revision hub runs at Christ Church in Armley. Photo: Lou Cunningham
By Lou Cunningham
A parent has teamed up with charity Team Daniel to deliver GCSE revision sessions in Armley.
Team Daniel is a Leeds charity which was established in 2017 by the family of Daniel Long, who they lost when he took his own life due to the stress he was under because of his GCSE exams.
The charity campaigns constantly and fundraises to raise awareness of the support needed for young people and their mental health. Just one strand of this is the establishing of a GCSE revision hub in Gildersome.
Armley mum Jo Gittins found that there was nowhere for her own daughter to get support with revision and homework outside of school.
She recognised the need for this help and started some initial revision sessions in Armley at a small hub.
After establishing a network of volunteers and seeing the growing need for this provision Jo approached Team Daniel to combine efforts. This led to the formation a brand new GSCSE revision group at Christ Church Upper Armley.
This is a free group with access to laptops and wi-fi.
Team Daniel provides a regular tutor and lots of revision materials and resources, including books and stationary. There are also snacks and refreshments available throughout the session.
The revision session is already proving to be popular amongst the volunteers and the pupils themselves.
Grace, a regular attendee, said: “I get worried about Maths and science… here I am able to work on things and can concentrate better. There are people to help and we can help each other.”
Two of the volunteer helpers Nicki Watkinson and Claire Murphy spoke about the importance of communicating and supporting each other, saying “education is so important and additional help can get people to where they want to be”.
Jo added: “I’d like to ask everyone to spread the word about the hub.
“I genuinely believe it will make such a difference in our area, especially for those who have struggled with their mental health or other problems. This is about more than exams; it’s about giving them the self-belief they need to achieve their best.
“And if they’re already doing well, they can come for the social interaction or enhance their knowledge by helping others.”
The Armley Revision Hub is on a Wednesday 6.30-8pm in Christ Church, on Armley Ridge Road.
The session is free and open to any young people in the LS12 area who are studying for their GCSEs.
Post Office chiefs are continuing to advertise the availability of running a post office in Calverley – almost a year after the previous incumbents left.
Waheeda and Asaf Hussein departed after 18 years last March. While the general store has remained open, no-one has taken over the post office side.
Councillor Peter Carlill (Lab, Calverley & Farsley) said: “We are assured they are continuing to work on this and will be re-visiting businesses in the area to continue to discuss the possibility of taking on a branch – it is understandable however that businesses would want strong reassurance from the Post Office.”
Another grey day in February is enough to make most of us feel a bit despondent and lacking in energy for life.
But getting outside, even on a grey day, can boost our mood. If you throw in the chance to chat and have some exercise, and to feel part of a team tackling a task, then you have a recipe to bust those blues and lift your mood.
This was the theme for the recent open Saturday down at Kirkstall Valley Farm. Many people who had never been to the farm before, as well as some of the harvest share members (who have a weekly box of veg ), came down to lend a hand with planting out broad bean plants in one of the polytunnels.
This was followed by a ‘Walk and Talk’ tour led by Rhian, one of the paid growers at the farm, to look at all the different vegetables that are growing both in the field and in the polytunnels.
Rhian talked about the salad crops growing in the tunnels in January A delicious ‘Bring and Share Lunch’ was on offer for all to wrap up the day in style.
For more information about the regular volunteer opportunities at the farm, or about the weekly veg boxes, contact Jen – the administrator – via e-mail on kvf.admin@kvdt.org.uk.
