What's happening in Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton and Stourton
People get very passionate about where they live. Which is great, because it often inspires us into community action – and we should celebrate that there’s plenty of that here in south Leeds. But scratch below the surface, or simply get debating on social media (!) and there’s a load
The Peggy Tub social club in Hunslet Carr hosted over 240 local children and their families for an acclaimed Santa’s Grotto over the last fortnight. At the start of the month, it had looked like the Coronavirus pandemic was going to stop the event – and weeks of preparation were
Last Saturday (12 December 2020) saw LS11 residents out in (socially-distant) numbers, to enjoy the spectacle of Christmas carols and festive cheer blasting out from an illuminated open-top bus and bicycle procession – as a Covid-safe alternative to the popular annual Lantern Festival. Over two hours, the bus wove its
Volunteer elves in Hunslet Moor braved heaving rain last Sunday (13 December 2020) to help Father Christmas deliver gift hampers to 124 children around the Longroyds and Garnets neighbourhoods. The project was the brainchild of members of the Friends of Hunslet Moor, to inject some Christmas cheer and spirit into
People across Leeds are being urged to help save the local economy by a new citizen-led campaign called #BuyLeeds – encouraging us all to do our Christmas shopping with locally-owned shops, businesses, creators, and producers. Whilst big business and chain stores dominate the headlines, it is local independent businesses who
People across Leeds are being urged to buy from local independent businesses and makers for their Christmas shopping this year, as part of a new citizen-led campaign called #BuyLeeds – and the coordinators are especially asking south Leeds businesses to get involved. Independent businesses have been hit hard by the
Migration adds further complexity to the housing and homelessness crisis: how much is it a factor? In South Leeds, the arrival of new communities has undoubtedly caused a squeeze on affordable local housing. However, nationally, migration is arguably only one of several reasons for the housing shortage. There are fewer
Last Sunday (25 October 2020) I spent an evening helping the Homeless Leeds Support team, run by Dave Hedley, in the city centre, and talking with people who were sleeping rough. These were some of their stories and insights: Levi: “I got caught in a spiral of short-term private lets,
The South Leeds Big Bike Fix project has continued to grow and evolve this month. Running since June, the team have now refurbished and donated over 300 bikes back into the local community. Recent highlights have included: a feature on BBC Look North, conversations with others keen to set up
Over the next week we will be running a series of articles about homelessness , hearing people’s real experiences of live on the streets and ‘sofa surfing’ and find out about services that are trying to help people in crisis. Here Ed Carlisle sets the scene: Winter is upon us,