What's happening in Beeston, Belle Isle, Cottingley, Holbeck, Hunslet, Middleton and Stourton
A Happy New Year to all readers of South Leeds Life. I’m not really a big fan of New Year resolutions, but this year I have promised that I will finally get my hearing tested. I’ve come to realise that my answer to too many questions put to me these
Recently, I woke up to the sad news that John Prescott had died. The former Labour deputy leader was a huge political figure who made a unique contribution to the Labour and trade union movement that he loved so deeply. Authentic, funny, tough, highly skilled and, at times, unpredictable, he
I recently visited the new Community Diagnostic Centre in Beeston. It offers a range of tests – blood tests, spirometry (I learned that’s to do with lungs and breathing) and heart monitoring – and the great thing is that people don’t have to go to the LGI or Jimmy’s to
When I studied history at school, the Battle of Holbeck Moor didn’t feature on the curriculum, unlike other very famous battles like Waterloo, the Somme and El Alamein. But what happened on the Moor that day was a very significant event in the history of South Leeds. So, what was
First of all, my thanks to everyone who supported me in the recent general election.It is a great honour and a privilege to have been re-elected as your MP – on this occasion for the new constituency of Leeds South – but whether you voted for me, voted for another
I much enjoyed my visit to the Middleton Railway on the occasion of their recent open day. As ever, the volunteers had put on a wonderful demonstration of the living history that embodies the Trust. One of the display items that caught my eye was a Potts station clock, complete
I’ve written in my column before about the housing crisis in Leeds – and elsewhere – which is affecting a growing number of people. The size of the housing waiting list is going up while the supply of houses has been going down. So having read in a recent edition
Sometimes, things happen out of context. I was recently in Northern Ireland and visited the Harryville Men’s Shed just outside Ballymena. It’s a drop in centre for men of all ages who feel lonely or isolated, and it provides a range of activities from a cup of tea and a
The Horizon Post Office scandal is one of the most terrible injustices our country has ever seen. I don’t know about you, but I watched all the episodes of the excellent ITV drama ’Mr. Bates v the Post Office’ with increasing incredulity and anger. How could this have possibly happened?
Happy New Year. I was listening to the radio the other morning when Esther Rantzen came on. She revealed that she is receiving treatment for stage four lung cancer which is terminal and she said that she has joined Dignitas, the organisation that runs the assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.