South Leeds Roundup: Neighbourhoods, Noodles, Knitting ‘n’ Nattering

Here’s your regular roundup of what’s making South Leeds tick on other websites, blogs and across Facebook.

Ringtons - GudwaraWe start this week with controversy. Beeston and Holbeck featured in a piece on Leeds List. When I tell you the article was called ‘Best and worst places to live in Leeds’ you can probably guess what’s coming. After something of a Twitter storm the editors realised their mistake and to their credit posted an apology. We’ve sent an alternative view of the area which we hope they will publish along with this photo of the old Rington’s tea factory in Beeston, now the Sikh Gudwara of course.

Whilst we’re on the power of social media, we spotted an interesting exchange on Twitter. @m1ch4elharper Tweeted Leader of the Council Keith Wakefield (@CllrKWakefield) about dog poo on the pavements of Middleton. Within minutes Cllr Judith Blake and Cllr Mark Dobson were involved. It’ll take more than Twitter to sort out dog mess, but it’s a good way to communicate with the Council. Another useful accounts is @LeedsCC_Help.

Marking Autism Awareness Day last week, Leeds Libraries posted a useful piece on their Leeds Reads blog about services and resources they have for children with autism and asbergers.

Sticking with Autism Awareness, Cllr Adam Ogilvie interviews Christine from Cottingley over on the Better Lives for People in Leeds blog.

Opening the new Symingtons noodle factory in Hunslet and a Desert Island Discs evening feature on Hilary Benn MP’s blog this week. There’s no mention of the music he chose, but apparently his luxury would be a toast and marmalade machine – surely a Leeds engineer could invent one?

Perhaps David Haigh, who’s been working at the same Hunslet engineering company for 50 years according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Hamara have announced details of an Open Day event at the centre on Monday April 28. The day will focus on the Building Bridges project, but also feature the work of their other teams working with young people, people with learning difficulties and older people.

News on the Holbeck Neighbourhood Plan website of further consultation about an edible garden at Holbeck Youth Centre taking place on Saturday 26 April, they’ve also set up a Facebook Page: Holbeck Community Garden Consultation – ‘Like’ it if you want to keep up to date with developments.

If you’re a tenant of BITMO, you might be interested to know that this is ‘You Said, We Did’ week. Find out how they’ve responded to feedback about repairs, warmer homes and parking.

A Beeston Community Quilt is being planned down at Café Me’n’U, the social enterprise on Cardinal Road in Beeston. The project has grown out of the regular Friday afternoon Knit and Natter group, but they want more people to get involved.

We reported this week that the Neighbourhood Policing Teams are changing. If you ‘like’ either the Holbeck or Rothwell NPT pages on Facebook, you’ll continue to get news for the new Inner South NPT until the pages are reorganised. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted as the changes work through.

Have you thought of becoming a Special Constable? West Yorkshire Police have announced a drive to recruit 1,500 new specials over the next two years.

The HUGO Family (Helping U Get Online) have loads going on, some is at the Leeds Fed HQ in Burley, some is at BITMOs GATE in Belle Isle and some is from their bus which will be popping up in Hunslet this week. So if you want to help with anything online or digital get in touch with them.

The Friends of Middleton Park have launched their own YouTube channel with a video of the Laura Pim Quartet performing in the visitor centre last Sunday.