Kirkstall Abbey: Deli markets return for 2016

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March 23, 2016

Local traders will set their stalls out in the beautiful surroundings of Kirkstall Abbey at the weekend.

The 12th century ruins will once again be hosting outdoor deli markets this year, with the first taking place on 26 and 27 March 2016.

More than 40 stalls will be selling handmade crafts and local produce in the grounds of the Abbey on the last weekend of each month between March and November this year, from 12pm until 3pm.

Traders will include award-winning cheesemongers Olianas and Cryer and Stott, Buffalo from Snowden Hill Farm, vegetables from Kirkstall allotments and draught beers and cider from the Hop Box.

Mark Kilvington, Events and Markets Organiser at Kirkstall Abbey, said:

“I’m so pleased that the markets are back again for their sixth year. It is a testament to all our loyal traders and customers that each year just goes from strength to strength and this year is already the biggest yet.

“Last year was absolutely fantastic for the Markets and it was great ot see them becoming busier and busier each month.”

In 2016 markets will take place on 26 and 27 March, 30 April and 1 May, 28 and 29 May, 25 and 25 June, 30 and 31 July, 27 and 28 August, 24 and 25 September, 29 and 30 October and finally 26 and 27 November.

Free parking will be available at the Abbey House Museum and free entry to the Abbey Visitor Centre, which has toilets and baby-changing facilities.

Traders interested in having a stall at the markets can contact 0113 3784079.

Meditative labyrinth

Visitors to Kirkstall Abbey are being invited to follow in the footsteps of Cistercian monks in a new meditative labyrinth.

To celebrate Holy Week, the 12th century abbey will be giving people the chance for some quiet reflection in the very same place where monks used to meditate hundreds of years ago.

The labyrinth, which is open from today (March 22) until March 27, is made from twigs blown down by winter storms and will weave around in a circular route, leading visitors into the centre and back out again.

Reverend Jude Smith, pioneer team vicar of the Abbeylands Team, said:

“For centuries, people of faith and people of none, have walked paths like this.

“We have used them as a tool to help us think, sometimes to focus on something, at other times to help us lose our focus on unhelpful things.

“We have used them as we contemplate the infinite, we have used them as we have sought to find joy in life’s detail. Labyrinths have been walked in joy and sorrow, hope and anger, with faith and with doubt.”

The labyrinth will be set out in the church part of Kirkstall Abbey and will be available to walk through between 10am and 4pm.

Anyone is welcome to come and walk along the path and those who visit are encouraged to add leaves and their own flowers.

Armley Festival: More details emerge

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westleedslife

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March 22, 2016

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More information about a major new event to bring the feel-good factor back to Armley has been released.

As previously reported, the 2016 Armley Festival will be held on August 6.

A prerss release issued by organisers All Together Armley said the event had the backing of Leeds City Council, the businesses who attended the Armley Business Forum and others.

Based on Town Street the festival will have live music, street stalls, food from afternoon teas to Baklava and Kielbasa. It will also feature demonstrations from West Yorkshire emergency services, amongst others.

A spokesperson for the group said it promised to be a great day out for everyone, whatever your age or origin:

“This is going to be a showcase of all that is good about Armley its history and diversity. We have had a massive response so far from groups and individuals but would love to hear from anyone who would like to take part in or help organise the event.”

The event will offer a boost to the Town Street area which last week suffered a blow with the news the Co-op store is set to close next month, with more than 20 redundancies.

To get in touch, email alltogetherarmley@gmail.com or visit the group’s Facebook page.

Comment: Pudsey fights to preserve its identity

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westleedslife

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March 22, 2016

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The market town of Pudsey has a rich history and its own distinct identity, writes John Baron.

As Pudsey lad myself, I was always brought up to tell people who wrote letters to me that they should address it to ‘Pudsey, West Yorkshire’, and never ‘Pudsey, Leeds’. Pudsey, my mother always told me, was Pudsey and most certainly not Leeds!

That identity has been threatened over the years. There are those who mourn the loss of Pudsey’s independence during the local government reorganisation of 1974 when the town was absorbed by Leeds.

And the band played on ... Photo: West Leeds Dispatch — And the band played on … Photo: West Leeds Dispatch

The once bustling market, once the beating heart of the town, is now a pale reflection of what it once was.

But in adversity, Pudsey is starting to find its voice again.

Local residents are fighting to save historic Greenside Tunnel from developers. And they’re making a BIG noise about it.

A Facebook campaign ‘save Greenside Tunnel‘ secured over 13,000 views in its first few days alone after owners of the land in front of the tunnel, EP Homes, started to pull down trees and vegetation around the disused railway site.

Residents have expressed concern over the disturbance of bats and other wildlife in the area.

They have raised concerns about work around the railway cutting in the ward and are worried about the impact of works on the cutting, running parallel to Station Street, near the Royal Public House.

Councillor Josie Jarosz (Labour, Pudsey) said:

“We know that the best developments are the ones with full local consultation and community involvement at every step of the process. As a local ward member I have not been adequately consulted on work in this area and I hope this can be remedied by the companies involved quickly.

“I am outraged and disturbed about the impact on the surrounding areas, including on local wildlife, if trees and vegetation are being removed. The vegetation has only just recovered from the last time it was cut back, so it is desperately disappointing that it has been cut back again.”

The Highways Agency’s Historical Railways Estate, which owns the tunnel, has said it is resisting the developers’ proposal to seal the tunnel mouth as this would deny access from one side and would significantly change the nature of the tunnel from a health and safety perspective.

I have many happy memories as a kid of going through Greenside Tunnel. I did my GCSE history project on Pudsey’s long-dead railway network, a victim of Beeching’s butchery long before I was born. I abseiled down the side of the tunnel from the 1st Pudsey Scout Hut as a cub almost 30 years ago.

While I mourn the attack on Greenside, I can’t deny it’s good to see the reaction of local residents. They’re not taking this lying down.

roker lane oak dene close housing Pudsey — Pudsey residents are concerned an area of land off Roker Lane may be turned into housing

About half a mile away residents in the Roker Lane area are planning to fight the erosion of the green belt as developers circle a substantial piece of land with a view to building houses on it. Residents are threatening an Easter protest event and a public meeting.

Pudsey bus station — UFO? Pudsey Bus Station

A regular look on the excellent Pudsey Born and Bred Facebook page shows a simmering anger surrounding the monstrosity that is Pudsey’s (relatively) new UFO-esque bus station.

The building, which has polarised residents, seems to have been dropped in the middle of town without thought or respect for its surroundings.

And last month’s announcement that council services would move into the library to form a ‘one stop centre’ were largely welcomed. But there was still that niggling worry about what would happen to Pudsey Town Hall – OUR Town Hall – which still hosts the old council and court chambers.

I’ve written before about how I look over at Morley with jealousy. They have their own town council (and a team of Morley Borough Independent city councillors).

Life’s not perfect in Morley by any means, but I keep wondering: ‘How much better off would Pudsey be with similar levels of protection?’ I know we’ve got Pudsey Civic Society as a ‘junior’ civic watchdog (and a grand job they do), but we should have more.

I was a member of a campaign in the late nineties which aimed at restoring something Pudsey hasn’t had since 1974 – a town council.

Town and parish councils are the first level of local government. They provide communities with a democratic voice and a structure for taking community action.

I’ve never been quite clear why the campaign to get a town council in Pudsey wasn’t successful then. It was led by the local Tories at the time (I’m not one, by the way) but seemed non-political.

We collected the necessary number of names to trigger Leeds City Council into carrying out a ‘community governance review’ to see if a local council should be created.

But I suspect some petty politics came to the fore and the plan was scuppered.

Either way, thanks to new legislation it’s now easier than ever to get a town or parish council set up. Check out this guide from central government for more.

Is now the time for Pudsey to grasp the nettle and have its own representative body again?

I don’t live in Pudsey any more, so it’s not for me to lead this charge. But I hope someone, somewhere in Pudsey, can channel the anger and community spirit that still bubbles away in the town and perhaps follow the link posted above to the government website.

Perhaps they’ll think ‘I can help get this process under way’ and go for it.

I hope so. Pudsey deserves a voice.

Pudsey residents prepare for housing fight

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westleedslife

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March 22, 2016

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Pudsey residents are readying battle plans to fight developers who are considering building homes on green belt land.

Members of the Save Pudsey Green Belt Action Group are concerned that Horsforth-based Stonebridge Homes has surveyed the land between Northwood View and Oak Dene Close, off Roker Lane in Pudsey.

It is believed the company is interested in buying the land – and residents fear they could build more than 100 homes on the site.

Concerned residents are hoping to hold a public meeting in the coming weeks to discuss any development, which they say would:

hit local wildife
increase pollution and traffic
increase the burden on already stretched schools, doctors and dentists

One campaigner, Anne Cunningham, said:

“I can’t stress enough just how upset local people are at this news. Apart from its beautiful views and being a lovely place to walk, this land is rich in all kinds of wildlife and people simply love it.”

Campaigners have circulated the following leaflet in recent days – and are considering holdng an Easter protest event.

save pudsey green belt flier

The land is not earmarked for housing in Leeds City Council’s Site Allocation Plans, which maps out areas of land to be developed over the next 15 years.

A spokesman for Stonebridge Homes said the land had been put forward for possible development. He added:

“As part of this process Stonebridge Homes, along with other developers, have received an initial approach as to whether our company would like to be considered for this development project.

“This is something that we will consider in due course, however as we do not own the land and are not part of the decision-making process as to what, if anything, happens with it, it would clearly not be appropriate for us to comment any further at this stage.

“Stonebridge Homes are a business which will always consider the views of the communities in which we build and this is something that we have always demonstrated through our many years of delivering high-quality new homes in West Yorkshire.”

Residents interested in opposing any housing on the site can email the campaign on savepudseygreenbelt@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, residents from the nearby villages of Tong and Fulneck are continuing their fight against Bradford Council’s plan to release large swathes of greenbelt land for development. Check out the Save Tong and Fulneck Valley website for more.

Post Hill: New stepping stones for Pudsey Beck

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westleedslife

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March 22, 2016

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It is once again possible to cross Pudsey Beck and keep your feet dry!

New stepping stones have been put in place, with all stone sourced from Post Hill itself.

The improvements are the work of the Friends of Post Hill group of volunteers and were funded with support from the Pudsey councillors.

Pudsey Plant Hire wperformed the necessary manoeuvres with their JCB to lift and place the stones.

The Friends have had a busy winter. In December they planted 1,000 Alder Buckthorn and Buckthorn whips in a bid to attract more butterflied to the area.

The Friends’ next meeting is on 11 April at 7.30 at the Pudsey Park Visitor Centre.

Farnley Hill Methodist Church: Plans to remove pews and organ

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westleedslife

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March 21, 2016

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A planning application has been submitted to remove rows of pews and the organ from historic Farnley Hill Methodist Church and Sunday School.

The neglected Grade II Listed building, on Stonebridge Lane, dates back to 1828 and has been disused since the late 1990s.

In a statement accompanying his planning application, Farshad Mahmood, of Fawcett Lane, says:

“We have had several potential tenants viewing the property to lease the church, who were interested in letting the premises for the use of yoga, dance classes … and for kids’ parties etc.

“However, due to the existence of the pews we are unable to move forward with leasing the premises and the church, as a reslut, continues to be neglected.”

Middleton-based organ specialist JM Spink says the organ has little value due to problems with ‘damp, woodworm and a significant period of misuse’. He says the organ is by Brookes of Glasgow and dates back to the early 1890s.

More information about the plans – and an opportunity to comment on them – can be found at Leeds City Council’s planning portal.

Stanningley: Cycle lane work leads to road closure

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westleedslife

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March 21, 2016

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Work on the multi-million pound cycle superhighway will lead to Town Street in Stanningley being closed for a day.

The road closure, on Sunday, 3 April, from 7am until 7pm, is to allow coloured surfacing to be installed on roads.

The coloured areas cross the full width of the road and some junctions, and managers behind the scheme have said it is necessary to close the road for the durations of the works.

In a letter to be sent to businesses and local residents this week, Ginny Leonard, from the CityConnect scheme, says:

“As you will be aware Leeds City Council are in the process of public realm improvements in Stanningley as part of the CityConnect cycle superhighway scheme. As part of this scheme there are coloured marking to be installed at junctions and crossings.

“In order to carry out the works safely the full road will have to be closed, as it would not possible to maintain a safety zone between the works and traffic if only partial closures are used.

“During the closures there will be considerable disruption to traffic. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience and assure you that every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.”

Should bad weather delay the work, provisional arrangements have been made for closures on subsequent Sundays – 10th, 17th and 24th April.

Construction work started in January 2015 on a 23km cycle superhighway to connect Bradford to Leeds city centre and east Leeds. Work is due to be completed by late April – four months later than expected.

It’s hoped the cycle superhighway will encourage more people to take up cycling, reduce road congestion and improve people’s health.

The Dispatch has covered the cycle superhighway works in depth here.

Robin Lane petrol station to be demolished

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westleedslife

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March 21, 2016

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A disused petrol station in Robin Lane, Pudsey, is set to be demolished and replaced with a new car MOT centre.

Plans have been submitted to Leeds City Council to demolish the station, which has most recently been used as a car wash.

Applicant Mr GS Panesar, of Oak Dene Close, says in his application that the structure will be a combination of briack and metal cladfding.

The petrol station on site closed some time ago.

The planning application can be found – and commented upon – here.

West Leeds RUFC march on after Roundhegians test

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westleedslife

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March 20, 2016

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West Leeds travelled to The Memorial Ground with a number of first choice players unavailable for selection, writes Glenn Broadbent.

The team selected was by no means weak but Roundhegians are formidable foes and a they have strength and mobility. So it was never going to be easy and despite the score line it this was a tough test.

West started in their usual way attacking straight from the kick off and after two minutes were awarded a penalty but Breakwell found his efforts go just wide.

Two minutes later strong forward play lead to Calderwood receiving the ball close to touch and sneaking his over for his first try of the afternoon. Breakwell made no mistakes. 0-7.

On nine minutes West Leeds were awarded a penalty and Breakwell added the three points. 0-10.

Wests scrummaging techniques were getting the better of the big opposition pack and on fifteen minutes prop James Kirk broke away and jinked his way over the line for a rare try under the post and Breakwell converted 0-17.

With just 19 minutes on the clock Fredrick Smart was sent to sin bin for ungentlemanly behavior.

Hegians took advantage of the extra man and good saw an excellent cross field kick find Cummings who made no mistakes in scoring the home sides first points, the kick was difficult and hitting the post was no disgrace, 5-17.

The end to end play continued with both sides going close, it was on 24 minutes that a clearance kick from Roundhegians was charged down by Anderson for Cockin to score. It was Breakwell’s turn to hit the post this time 5-22.

As is so often the case this season another try came along quickly following an evil bounce lead to a West Leeds scrum and the resultant cross-field kick found Calderwood who added his second of the game and Breakwell converted the most difficult attempt of the day. 5-29.

Roundhegians continued to trouble the West Leeds defence with some strong running and imaginative kicking and were unlucky not to get the reward their efforts deserved.

With the half drawing to a close the visitors pack was gaining the edge which resulted in Damerell adding a pushover try which went unconverted. HT 5-34.

The second half began much as the first ended, but on 45 minutes Captain Neave found himself in possession in his own half and scored a magnificent (some would say greedy) try.

Neave left tacklers in his wake and even side stepped two defenders in their own in goal area to score under the posts. The conversion was inevitable. 5-41

Three minutes later a clear break by Calderwood gave K Breakwell the chance to get on the scorecard and cousin Dale Breakwell added the conversion 5-48.

Some sloppy passing from West Leeds was giving Roundhegians the chance to counter attack however the try they scored on 55 minutes was due to some clever work from Dobson and strong running from Crabtree gave him the try. The conversion attempt was wide of the mark 10-48.

It took another three minutes for Wests forwards to force the Roundhegians pack backwards and Penny made it 10-53.

The home side stuck to their task and made every effort to add to their tally but the final score of the game came from Calderwood following six passes. FT 10-58.

A good afternoon’s entertainment with both sides contributing some fine rugby.
Next week West Leeds entertain Ripon in a rearranged Yorkshire Division 2 fixture KO 3PM.

Farsley Celtic’s Mossley defeat may prove costly

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westleedslife

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March 20, 2016

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Farsley Celtic‘s playoff hopes took a significant dent as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Mossley, writes Thomas Ritchie.

Mossley took the lead early on when Dave Short gathered a loose ball and squared to Tom Pratt who tapped the ball into an empty net.

However, Farsley responded well and pulled level when Leon Osborne played a swift one-two with Lewis Nightingale before slotting home. Tom Taylor then prevented Sam Robinson from regaining Mossley’s lead when he brilliantly saved Robinson’s rasping half volley.

The second half remained a scrappy affair with neither side creating any clearcut chances, however with little over ten minutes remaining things took a turn for the worse for Farsley when Taylor brought down Michael Fish in the area.

Kyle McGonigle stepped up and duly converted to restore Mossley’s advantage.

Paddy Miller was then sent for an early shower as things went from bad to worse for The Celts after he brought down substitute Godwin Abadaki who was through on goal.

The final chance of the game fell to Mossley as they looked to take advantage of having an extra player, however Taylor made a smart save from McGonigle’s free-kick.

Farsley Celtic: Taylor, Hardy (c), Grant (Bunch 79), Howarth, Sugden (O’Brien 76), Miller, Nightingale, Daly, Osborne, Savory, Deacey (Walker 74). Unused subs: Lofthouse (GK), Connor.
Mossley AFC: Flynn, McDonnell (Baker 90), Cheetham, Thomas, Dean, McGonigle, Bennett, Robinson (Abadaki 79), Keogh (c), Short (Fish 66), Pratt. Unused subs: Mannon, Warburton.

MOTM: Kyle McGonigle
Attendance: 148

Confirmed: Armley Co-op to close

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westleedslife

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March 18, 2016

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The Co-op food store in Armley Town Street is set to close, it’s been confirmed today.

The move will see 21 people lose their jobs – and has sparked local anger.

A spokesperson for The Co-operative Food told the Dispatch:

“We can confirm that our store in Town Street, Armley will close at the end of April.

“The decision to close was taken with the greatest reluctance and it was not, in any way, a reflection on the commitment and hard work of the store team.

“We would like to thank our shoppers for their valued custom over the years.”

The decision is a blow to Town Street which has, in recent months, shown signs of revival. A new residents’ group, All Together Armley, has been planning a series of improvements and events to revitalise the area, which has suffered from well-documented problems with anti-social behaviour and street drinking.

The closure decision has been heavily criticised by Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves. She said:

“I condemn this closure in the strongest possible way. Without any consultation or notice, the Co-op have decided to withdraw from one of the most deprived areas in Leeds, leaving it without a large food store and making 21 local people redundant.

“Whilst other high street names are working to improve the area, this move by the Co-op was taken in spite of the efforts the community has made in recent months to re-invigorate Armley Town Street.

“This is an appalling decision that will devastate a community which has stayed loyal to the Co-op for many years.”

Ms Reeves added she was seeking an urgent meeting with senior executives to see what options, if any, can be found to change their minds or mitigate the impact of the closure on local people.

Another Town Street trader, who asked not to be named, said:

“The Co-op is a big draw for shoppers – the worry is that the number of people using Town Street will decline further as a result. There’s always been a supermarket there – it used to be Kwik Save before.”

It’s not yet known which business, if any, will take on the shop unit once it becomes vacant.

What do you think? Have your say in the comments below.

Armley Mills set to reopen after flood

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westleedslife

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March 17, 2016

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Leeds Industrial Museum will reopen next week after the Boxing Day floods.

Parts of Armley’s historic former mill were submerged under eight feet of water, when flooding at the site reached levels three times higher than the record floods of 1866.

The ground floor of the museum, which was once the world’s largest woollen mill, was covered in up to a foot of silt and damage was also caused to the picnic area, fences and several windows and doors.

But following a mammoth clean-up effort by staff and council officers, the museum is finally ready to open to the public once again on March 22.

Armley mills closed — Armley Mills is closed due to the post floods clean up

Sarah Barton, keeper at Leeds Industrial Museum, said:

“It was heart-breaking to see the site flooded and to have to close, so it’s obviously been a tough couple of months for everyone who knows and loves the museum.

“But we’ve also been genuinely touched and humbled by the support we’ve had and it’s really helped motivate us to get back up and running, so we’d like to once again say thank you to everyone who has pitched in.”

To celebrate re-opening, Leeds Industrial Museum will be hosting a range of Easter activities including mystery matinees in the cinema, spring themed crafts and creative writing workshops inspired by the current Women, Work and War exhibition.

The Armley Mills: a Colourful Past exhibition has been extended until July 31 to give people chance to visit and the museum is also looking forward to taking part in National Mills Weekend in May.

Leeds Industrial Museum will also host its annual Wool Festival on Saturday, June 4.