Events

Feature Playful Leeds

Stevie J Kilgour looks at a scheme to make Leeds city centre more fun

Already a thriving hub for music, TV and sporting excellence within these fair isles, our wonderful city is again looking to lead the way in interactive art, creative play and inspiring the imagination of every man, woman and child in Leeds.

The Leeds-based community development consultancy Cultivate are looking to inspire minds and bring out the playful side of the city, through a new project called Playful Leeds. It works on the idea that childhood is not the only time in our life when we should take a moment to push our imagination, let out a burst of energy and…

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Preview Ice Cube Returning to Leeds

The giant skate rink returns to Millennium Square from 27th January

Here’s one reason to feel less gloomy after the excitement of the festive period has resided. Ice Cube is coming back to the city centre for the 12^th year running, and this time it’s had a makeover.

The Ice Cube, organised by Leeds City Council, will be back at Millennium Square between 27^th January and the 26^th February and due to customer feedback, will now include a main, more family focused rink as well as a conjoining nursery rink for younger children.

These are not the only changes which have been made; the event will include a 30-metre dry…

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News Searching for a Secret Millionaire

Channel 4's Secret Millionaire came to Leeds on 27th November and a donation was made to local chairty Simon on the Streets

It’s the eon of email at our fingertips, social media sites bringing breaking news, and very few things more than a Google away – but it seems we still underestimate the power of the internet. The charity Simon on the Streets has received a phenomenal donation of £35,000 after it was provided with search engine optimisation (SEO), making it possible for Secret Millionaire, Charles Allen, to get in touch with the organisation.

The Leeds-based homeless charity was provided with free SEO recommendations from Search Laboratory, taking it from online obscurity to the top of search engine rankings. This stroke…

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Feature Howard Assembly Room Becomes a Leeds City Centre Wedding Venue

Opera North's performance space is Leeds' latest wedding venue and host of the LOVE weddings experience on 2nd October

Within our fair city lies a hidden gem, a subtle reminder of Leeds’ historic culture. The Howard Assembly Room at the Leeds Grand Theatre, programmed by Opera North, represents the perfect marriageof historical elegance and modern eclecticism. The transformed venue, which reopened two years ago, is well known as a performance space and theatrical rehearsal room but, unbeknown to many, is also Leeds’ most up and coming wedding venue.

Standing apart from other wedding locations in the area with its stunning Grade II* listed architecture, arched windows and high, barrel-vaulted ceiling, the Howard Assembly Room is one…

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News Run For All Leeds 10k 2011 Is A Massive Success

Leeds Guide duo join thousands of runners raising millions of pounds for charity

Despite an early start and the weather being less than ideal, spirits were high as almost 9,000 runners took part in the 5th Run For All Leeds 10k on Sunday.

The rain certainly didn’t manage to dampen the spirits of the Leeds Guide team (Lucy and Rosie) who made us proud with times of 1:01 and 1:09 respectively, although embarrassingly they were both beaten by a man dressed as a red chilli.

The fastest man was Paul Lockwood who completed the course in a jaw-droppingly fast time of 32 minutes and 41 seconds and the fastest woman was Nicki De-la-Salle…

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Feature CitySocialising

New online service helps people find new friends in Leeds

Even the most glitteringly popular among us know that frustrating feeling when you’re really geared up for a night out and your friends are all on holiday/broke/being lame. Unless you fancy dancing on your own, until recently the only solution was a resentful night in gnashing your teeth in front of the telly. Now, a new trend has recently come to Leeds that changes all that. CitySocialising – a new city-specific social network – means that anyone with an internet connection can log on and find a ready-made social group within minutes.

With the long dark winter months now thankfully…

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Feature Angel's Share Vintage Fair

The Angel's Share introduces tipsy shopping to its Retro Sundays

There is nothing quite like the joy of shopping while a bit drunk. It has its pitfalls, sure; a lime green polyester jumpsuit from the 80s always looks better after a couple of margaritas. But then, so does donning a comedy sombrero and emulating a stereotypical Mexican hombre, but we all know where that gets us, and Jeremy Clarkson. And who wants to be like Jeremy Clarkson?

Still, bringing together cocktails and clothes is a rather nice idea and one that the people at Angel’s Share in Chapel Allerton have introduced to their popular Retro Sundays.

Every last Sunday afternoon,…

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Interview Jess Haigh

We find out about the Travelling Suitcase Library and Leeds Book Club

“The Travelling Suitcase Library is literally a suitcase full of books. It’s not a library as such, where you have a membership. If you want to give me your email address I’ll email you and let you know where I’m going to be, I have blogs that I update irregularly and it’s literally just a book swap.

“It’s a way of encouraging people to talk about the books they’re reading and talk about things. It’s also to encourage reading for pleasure as a hobby you can talk about in pubs and be proud of.

“It’s been going since last February.…

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Feature Simon on the Streets

Sophie Haydock spent a night sleeping rough on the streets of Leeds

A couple of weeks ago I spent a night on the streets of Leeds. I was one of around 50 people who took part in a sponsored sleep out in Leeds. The night was organised by Simon on the Streets, a Leeds charity who work with homeless people in the area.

As I bedded down for the night in a cardboard box behind Leeds Parish church in the city centre, my thoughts weren’t on the luxurious bed I’d left behind for the night, but on rats. I was worrying I’d wake up in the darkness with a rat…

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Aireheads A Depress-fest

Larry & Paul have the winter blues

Well, there’s no point clinging on to memories of the summer now is there? It’s well and truly fled. Two quite large indicators: it’s perpetually raining its arse off and everyone still has that cold they got a month ago when that beanpole of a man with a unibrow pretty much sneezed on their face and rubbed it in on the train to Burley Park. You know what we mean.

However, it’ll take more than bad weather to dampen the spirits of Larry & Paul, let us tell you, dear reader! By golly! Huzzah!

So you can imagine the soul-crushing,…

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