KM107

KIRKSTALL MATTERS The Voice of Kirkstall Valley Summer 2011 Issue 107

KIRKSTALL DELI MARKETKIRKSTALL DELI MARKET Tesco’s Proposals For KirkstallTesco’s Proposals For Kirkstall

The World’s Fastest BrideThe World’s Fastest Bride

Colonel North’s £10,000 ChequeColonel North’s £10,000 Cheque

Kirkstall Brewery Is BackKirkstall Brewery Is Back

Esper ScoutEsper Scout

£1 Delivered free to KVCA members

Kirkstall Valley Community AssociationKirkstall Valley Community Association

www.kirkstall.org.ukwww.kirkstall.org.uk

2 KIRKSTALL MATTERS www.kirkstall.org.uk

Two Course Set-Menu £21.95 per person Four Course Set-Menu £26.95 per person

Starters Crayfish tails marinated with herbs & lemon served with orange & carrot puree, fresh Whitby crab & capers and cucumber with black

caviar *

Organic chicken breast served on mixed spring mushroom salad with chilled sweet corn velouté

* Confit of wild Leeds rabbit served in a filo basket on a bed of creamed leek with fig coulis, Yorkshire blue and crispy onion

* Charred aubergine & courgette with & summer coleslaw served on

chilled green olive velouté & onion crisps (v) *

Seared sashimi of wild swordfish served with lime vodka sauce, rocket, lime salsa & coriander prawns [£3 supplement]

Sorbet Home-grown Strawberry & balsamic sorbet

*****

Mains Fillet of Yorkshire Short-Horn beef topped with mushroom sausage

roll served on mustard crème & Roundhay asparagus [£5 supplement]

* Pan fried hake served on East coast samphire with a nettle &

cannellini bean nage *

Tenderloin of ‘old spot’ pork with black pudding, roasted rhubarb, pea puree, seared scallop & balsamic syrup

* White asparagus served with spring vegetable potato cake, smoked

cheese sauce, poached free-range egg & parmesan crisp (v) *

Fillet of ostrich coated in dandelion honey served on a bed of organic vegetables with redcurrant and port sauce, gooseberry relish,

coriander oil & a sweet pea & mint puree

Sides Homemade chips £2.95

Wild Rocket, grapefruit & Parmesan Salad £3.75 Broad beans and peas fried with chorizo & mint £3.95

Organic spring cabbage coleslaw £2.95 Leeds grown steamed new potatoes with garlic and

rosemary olive oil £2.95

Desserts Leeds rhubarb & lime sponge served with ginger ice

cream & summer fruits *

Basil cream jelly served with strawberry coulis and balsamic reduced syrup

* Milk chocolate set with home-grown raspberries & Amaretto on

white chocolate oat base & raspberry sauce *

Cheese and biscuits served with celery, grapes, apple and chutney [£3 supplement, £8 as a course]

Seven Course Tasting Menu £40 per person

[Whole table must take this menu]

Seared sashimi of wild swordfish served with lime vodka sauce, rocket, lime salsa & coriander prawns (v)

* Confit of wild Leeds rabbit served in a filo basket on a bed of creamed leek with fig coulis, Yorkshire blue and crispy onion

* Home-grown Strawberry & balsamic sorbet

* Seared fillet of ostrich served on a bed of crunchy vegetables with blackberry & port sauce, caramelised onion chutney, coriander oil

and pea puree *

Tenderloin of ‘old spot’ pork with black pudding, roasted rhubarb, pea puree, seared scallop & balsamic syrup

* Lime and black pepper posset served with ginger biscuit

* Basil cream jelly served with strawberry coulis and balsamic

reduced syrup

Latest News *Gift vouchers are now available to buy in

£10 and £20 denominations*

*Dough is now on twitter, follow us at www.twitter.com/doughleeds*

*Dough will be at Kirkstall Abbey Farmer’s

Market on 25th June*

*Dough and bar dough are available to hire, please ask for details*

*New drinks menu featuring Yorkshire ales to compliment our menu, available mid-June*

293-295 Spen Lane, West Park, LS16 5BD

Reservations: Tel: 0113 2787255

*Winner of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s ‘Oliver Award’ for Best Chef 2009*

*Featured in BBC Olive Magazine’s Best British BYO’s* *Winner of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s ‘Oliver Award’ for Best

Suburban Restaurant 2010* *Winner of the Budapest Food Festival’s most innovative Chef 2010*

*Winner of Leeds Menu of the Year 2010*

Dough Bistro

June Evening Menu 2011

http://www.twitter.com/doughleeds*

KIRKSTALL MATTERS 3 www.kirkstall.org.uk

Contents

REGULARS

3 Editor‘s Letter

33 Dear Editor

56 What‘s On?

ASSOCIATION NEWS

5 From the Chair

6 Volunteers Needed!

7 Kirkstall Festival

COMMUNITY

9 Check Your Locks

10 Tesco‘s Kirkstall Proposals

11 Kirkstall Forge

13 The Future Of History?

15 The Wednesday Group

16 Scouting News

54 Rachel Reeves Diary

FOOD AND DRINK

18 Kirkstall Deli Market

21 Recipe from Dough Bistro‘s Luke Downing

22 Kirkstall Brewery

WORSHIP

24 Treasures Revealed

24 Abbey Atmosphere

25 History of the Parish Of Our Lady Of Kirkstall

25 New Canon At Ripon

LOCAL HISTORY

27 Kirkstall Memorial Milestone

28 Colonel North‘s £10,000 Cheque For Kirkstall Abbey

SCHOOLS

36 Beecroft Primary

36 Kirkstall St Stephens

38 Hawksworth Wood Primary

SPORTS

40 Kirkstall Harriers

40 Richard Hancock‘s Year Of Running

42 The Worlds Fastest Marathon Bride!

45 Leeds Canoe Club

46 A Year Of Running

ENVIRONMENT

48 In The Garden

49 An Evening With Bob Flowerdew

50 St Stephens Sensory Garden

51 BTCV Hollybush Lottery Success

51 University Students Get Gardening At Oxley

MUSIC

52 Esper Scout

Editor‘s Letter

W ow, what can I say about the response to the

last magazine apart from the fact that it was

fantastic and humbling in equal measures.

From all of us here at Kirkstall Matters HQ we‘re very

grateful for your feedback and words of encouragement.

As ever, please let us know what you think about this issue,

good or bad, so we can continue to improve.

One article in this issue is likely to be the most polarising -

Tesco‘s proposed development of the Kirkstall District

Centre. There has been lots of discussion about the

development but the consensus is that something must

happen to the site, although not at the expense of our

local area. The biggest concern of course if the traffic that

will be created on our already over-crowded roads. What

do you think?

As this magazine wings its way to your door thanks to our

distributors we‘re right back into festival season, and we‘re

just putting the finishing touches to the 31st Kirkstall

Festival. If you didn‘t think the festival could get any better

I reckon it probably is...

...which segues shamelessly into a plug for the DVD of the

last Kirkstall Festival. Its only a fiver for nearly 2 hours

footage and has been produced for us by Leeds Movie

Makers group. Make sure you get your copy!

We also have a review of the first Kirkstall Deli Market,

which is on the last Saturday of very month at Kirkstall

Abbey, just in time for barbeque season. We can expect

the smell of sausages sizzling at Kirkstall Matters HQ for

the whole summer, although I‘m not sure the neighbours

will be too chuffed with meat-flavoured washing on their

lines....

Finally, if you‘ve bought this magazine from your local

shop, why not consider joining the association and getting

it delivered to your door instead? There‘s a membership

form on page 5. If you‘d like to get involved with the

magazine or with the website please let us know.

See you at the festival,

Simon x

www.kirkstall.org.uk

Like us!

Kirkstall Online

Follow us!

@kirkstallonline


KIRKSTALL MATTERS

Issue 107—Summer 2011

Cover Photo:

Kirkstall Deli Market

by Mark Hinchcliffe

Editor

Simon Dawson

[email protected]

19 Norman Street, Leeds, LS5 3JN

The views expressed in Kirkstall Matters are those of the

contributors and if not attributed to individuals, they are

from the editorial team. They are not necessarily the views

of the KVCA.

Contributors

John Liversedge, Chris Adams, Simon Dawson,

Commercial Estates Group, Claire Rose, Rose Smith, Ann

Lightman, Richard Frank, Steve Holt, Val Crompton, Mike

Harwood, Eveleigh Bradford and Thoresby Society, Ben

Henry, Lisa Enkin, Katie Mason, Islwyn Rosser ,Anya Patel,

Lorna Parker, Ahmed Albasri, Brighton, Bolton Makwedza,

Jacqueline McIlwaine, Jo Halliday, Eli Robinson, The Book

Club 6, Callum, Lauren, Jill Stocks, Eleanor Franks, Richard

Hancock, Katie Coffield, Vanessa Strachan, Graham

Wheatley, Sam Parry, Stephanie Upsall, Rachel Reeves,

Luke Downing, Mark Hinchcliffe, Jon Vertannes and Ben

Bisco

Circulation

Delivered through the doors of Kirkstall and beyond by

members of the KVCA

Submissions

Articles, readers' letters, poems etc. are welcome. Our

preferred format is plain text but we can accept any word-

processor format or Microsoft Publisher. Ideally please

email your file as an attachment to the editor or deliver it

on disk to our postal address. If you can't provide your

article in electronic form, you can give us it typed or

handwritten.

Submissions for the next issue are needed by 21st

September 2011

Advertising

To advertise in Kirkstall Matters please contact the editor.

Printed by Thistle Print, tel 0113 204 0600

www.kirkstall.org.uk

The Abbey Light Railway Kirkstall

The Railway is open for visitors every Sunday

and bank holidays. There is a quarter-mile

ride into the Abbey Grounds.

The Abbey Light Railway was founded in

1976. It is a family run operation supported

by volunteers to restore and maintain vintage

Narrow Gauge locomotives and rolling stock.

Hawksworth Wood

Community Association

6 Broadway, Leeds LS5 3PR

Tel & Fax 0113 228 5550

Email: [email protected]

www.hawksworthcommunity.leedslearning.org

Local Councillor Surgeries

Multi-agency Advice Surgeries

1st Wednesday each month 10am-12 noon

Leeds City Credit Union Services


ASSOCIATION NEWS

From The Chair

A lmost festival time again. We have booked the events

and also the sunshine. Our 31st annual Kirkstall Festival

is almost ready barring the little problems we as yet

have to solve. This year looked as though we could have

problems raising money to fund events and costs for the festival.

The rise to 20% VAT has made a substantial addition to costs.

We have this year also had to purchase waste bins, in the past

the Council have loaned them to us FOC. Due to cut backs this

year that has not been possible.

We appreciate the grants we obtain from the Council and other

funding bodies, these grants help to cover our costs relating to

Skips, toilets, paramedic ambulance etc. However we are always

in need of sponsors. We owe much to CEG the Forge site owners

who for many years now have been the sponsors of the festival

programme, this means the programme costs us nothing to

produce and also every programme sold is pure profit. The West

End House pub has sponsored the Children's Poster competition

for many years, the winning poster forms the cover of the

programme. We can not do without these people. I am also

pleased to say this year Tesco have agreed to sponsor the

Marvellous Tea Dance Marquee and cover the cost of the

purchase of waste bins, a wonderful gesture.

There is more inside the magazine about the proposed Tesco

store on the old Wades site. Tesco will have a marquee at this

years festival for the public to see the proposed plans, make sure

you go and have a look, tell your friends and neighbours, pass

the word. Check Kirkstall Online for updates on what is going on

in Kirkstall, write to this magazine with any comments or issues

you may have with regard to anything happening in our area.

Remember we are selling the DVD of the 2010 festival, over 100

minutes of film, I'm in it, are you? Its only £5.00, contact me or

the magazine. Must go now, I'm doing an audition for the next

Bond film! See you on the 9th July unless I'm filming!

John

and want to join the

Kirkstall Valley Community Association

Name ………………………………………………………………

Address ………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………

Postcode ………………………………………………………………

Phone ………………………………………………………………

Email ………………………………………………………………

Hobbies and interests? ……………………………………………

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Are you interested in helping out at Kirkstall Festival?

Would you like to get involved in KIRKSTALL MATTERS or

Kirkstall Online?

Could you help deliver KIRKSTALL MATTERS on your street?

Annual membership is £4 per year and includes delivery of

KIRKSTALL MATTERS within the Kirkstall area. UK postal

delivery for a year costs us £3 and for postal delivery

outside the UK we welcome a donation.

I enclose cheque/postal order payable to ‘KVCA’ for £ ……...

Post to: KVCA Treasurer, 18 The Rise, Leeds, LS5 3EP

KM107

About the Kirkstall Valley

Community Association

The KVCA was founded in 1978, with the aim ‗to promote the

benefit of the inhabitants of Kirkstall and the neighbourhood'.

We are non-party political, non-sectarian and a registered

charity.

KVCA is also responsible for organising events and activities,

for example through the Kirkstall Festival committee. We act

as a pressure group and a watchdog on developments

affecting Kirkstall, and campaign and co-operate on a number

of issues with other local organisations.

It is open to anyone to join. Annual membership is only £4

and includes three issues per year of Kirkstall Matters

magazine, delivered free to you within Kirkstall and the

immediate area.

If you live outside Kirkstall, you can still become a member,

but we need a minimum additional donation of £3 to cover

postage if you are to receive the magazine by post.

KVCA Officers

John Liversedge

Chairman

0113 278 5987

Steve Gradys

Vice Chair

Ken Stratford

Secretary

0113 275 5413

Rita Samuel

Treasurer


ASSOCIATION NEWS

A re you a regular reader of Kirkstall Matters? Would you

have time to deliver the magazine to other members

living near by? If you are already a distributor do you

know someone who could also help?

We are looking for people to take on a round near where they live

and hoping that if we have a few more distributors we can ensure

that rounds aren‘t too big and also increase our circulation.

The current distributors do a fantastic job making sure that they

get the magazine out quickly, which is vital to publicise events

that are featured and to attract and keep advertisers.

The magazine comes out 3 times a year and the hardest part (ask

any of our regular distributors!) is collecting the money for the

year: going back to houses to try to find people in. Once this is

done it‘s just a matter of putting magazines through doors. Even

with collecting the money there are ways of making it a bit easier

such as, if people are out, leaving a slip with details of how they

can pay. The subs are important to ensure cash flow to cover

printing costs.

The upside of being a distributor is hearing people‘s positive

comments about Kirkstall Matters, getting to know neighbours

and being part of a team that is delivering a quality product and

has a vital role to play in giving people a voice in developments in

the community.

If you could help or have any queries or ideas of how we could

improve the distribution or membership collection please get in

touch with Mary Rennie, 0113 275 2441

[email protected]

Volunteers needed to distribute

KIRKSTALL MATTERS

Monday- Friday 9am to 12 noon

A warm, safe and stimulating environment

From 2½ to school age FREE from 3 years old.

Kirkstall St Stephen’s Pre-School Kirkstall St Stephen’s

C of E Primary School, Morris Lane

Leeds LS5 3JD

Tel: 0113 214 4630


Kirkstall Festival

Now On DVD!

A t last years spectacular 30th Kirkstall Festival, you

may have noticed the Leeds Movie Makers group

recording the event throughout the day. We‘re

delighted to say that the DVD of the festival is now available

for everyone to own.

The two-DVD box set consists of nearly 2 hours of

viewing pleasure taken from the setup through to the festival

day itself, and features the behind the scenes at the festival,

the procession, church service, and many of the events and

activities that went on throughout the day.

At only £5 its exceptional value and maybe you‘ll spot

yourself, your children, or grandchildren on there! And as if

that wasn‘t enough, motivation for you to buy a copy, just

checkout the review that Jonathan Chapman has done for us

on the right! To get your copy drop us an email at

[email protected].

ASSOCIATION NEWS

The 2011 Kirkstall Festival will take place on Saturday 9th July in

the picturesque grounds of the 12th Century Kirkstall Abbey. The

Festival is probably the largest community festival in Leeds run

entirely by volunteers. Last year attracted around 15,000 people.

The Festival receives a small proportion of its funding from

Council grants, but is mainly self-financing raising money from

the stalls, food franchises, fairground and programme sales, and

from sponsors of stages and marquees.

If you are asked to buy a programme on your way in, please

do not walk past, £2 is a small amount to pay for a days

entertainment!

It is not a Rock Festival, or a county show, by an event that will

entertain people of all ages with events including:

Fairground

Over 100 stalls

Youth Stage

Tea Dance

8 performance areas

Comedy; Rock, Classical, Jazz and Light music

Food and Drink

Procession

Displays, including: Cheerleaders; Birds of Prey;

Local Information: Kirkstall Valley Park; Kirkstall Vision; Kirkstall

Forge; Kirkstall District Centre Schools; Tesco; Kirkstall Forge


Check Point operates across Leeds and

West Yorkshire, providing a safe, secure

and reliable source of tradespersons.

Working in partnership with West

Yorkshire Trading Standards, Leeds City

Council and West Yorkshire Police to

protect householders from bogus and

"cowboy" workpersons.

Check Point was set up to help local

people find local tradespeople when they

need work doing at home and also to

protect the reputation of the genuine

traders in the area, who just want to do an

honest days work. If you are looking for a

reliable, vetted tradesperson in Leeds, or

are a trader interested in being part of the

Check Point scheme contact CASAC on

0845 838 8851 or visit www.casac.org.uk

Check Point is managed by CASAC

(Community Action and Support Against

Crime). There is no fee to source a

tradesperson.

Community Action and Support Against

Crime (CASAC) has been working in the

area for over 10 years, during that time

CASAC has developed a unique

relationship with West Yorkshire Police,

which means that all CASAC staff have

official Police Identification Badges,

evidence of a true partnership and

providing confidence for users of their

services.

P oor quality uPVC locks are putting

householders at risk. Police in

North West Leeds have issued an

appeal for householders to get their uPVC

door locks checked and replaced with

bump and snap secure Euro Cylinder

locks.

This follows an increase in break-ins where

vulnerable and cheap Euro Profile locks

have been forced. Burglars use a simple

tool to smash the lock in a technique well

known among criminals.

Around one-in-four burglaries in West

Yorkshire involves the Euro Profile locks,

which are widely used in uPVC doors,

particularly older ones.

Inspector Richard Coldwell, from the

North West Neighbourhood Policing

Team, said: ―At the moment it is still the

single-biggest crime problem that we

have got in this area. Burglaries are not

high in this area but they are higher than

they should be. It is little measures like

this that can help people avoid being a

crime victim.‖

Neil Goldup, Chief Executive of CASAC

(Community Action and Support Against

Crime), said: ―It‘s incredibly easy for

criminals to gain entry once they realise

what type of lock is in the door.

―But here at CASAC we offer a free service

across most of West Yorkshire to check a

property and we have new fully-tested

Euro cylinder locks.‖

CASAC are already fitting high security

cylinder locks that will meet the new

security standards that will be enforced

shortly. These new standards are being

brought in to address the vulnerability of

existing euro cylinder, which are common

in UPVC and composite doors, and will

make sure that cylinder are of a minimum

security standard.

CASAC is an established West Yorkshire

social enterprise that works with local

people, the Police and other statutory

agencies to improve community safety

and is dedicated to reducing crime and

the fear of crime.

Only 0.01% of repeat burglaries have

breached the security measures fitted by

CASAC Burglary Reduction. In one

hotspot area, burglary has effectively been

eradicated due to a targeted approach

between CASAC and West Yorkshire

Police.

Chief Superintendent Ian Whitehouse,

who is the lead officer in Leeds on

burglary, said: ―CASAC continues to

provide an absolutely invaluable service

that helps people to protect their homes

from criminals and reduces the fear of

crime in our communities.‖

Contact the CASAC team on 0845 519

2122 to book your free no obligation

home security assessment or visit

www.casac.org.uk to book online.

■ Chris Adams

Check your locks and stop a burglar say

West Yorkshire Police

COMMUNITY


T esco has confirmed that in the next

few months it will be consulting on

proposals for a new supermarket

and other community facilities on the site

of the old Kirkstall District Centre (Kwik

Save) site and Wades buildings (pictured

below).

The proposals could include a Tesco store,

community buildings, new shops and a

public square. This investment would

regenerate the currently derelict land at

the junction of Kirkstall Lane and

Commercial Road, creating hundreds of

local jobs.

Tesco‘s have also recently won the

‗Carbon‘ category of the Guardian‘s

Sustainable Business Awards. They are

committed to becoming a zero-carbon

business by 2050, and developing

environmentally sustainable stores is key

to this. The proposed store for Kirkstall will

be part of this commitment.

Deborah Hayeems, Tesco Corporate

Affairs Manager, said: ―We are excited to

be bringing forward proposals for a new

Tesco store and other community facilities

on this important site in Kirkstall. Over the

next few months we will be developing our

plans in consultation with local residents,

businesses and community groups. We

want to maximise the benefits of this

investment in Kirkstall, creating new

facilities and jobs for the area that would

provide a major boost to the local

economy.”

Currently Tesco are in contact with the

Kirkstall Valley Community Association

and other local groups, who are helping to

voice residents thoughts on the

development at this early stage. Tesco are

considering the options for the site and

are drawing up design proposals at the

moment and the public consultation will

still go ahead as planned when these

proposals are ready.

Within these pre-planning sessions the

consensus is that something must happen

to the site, although not at the expense of

our local area. The biggest concern of

course if the traffic that will be created on

TESCO’s plans for the TESCO’s plans for the

Kirkstall District CentreKirkstall District Centre Photo: Sloughtie


roads and this is currently being

considered by the site planners.

What we understand so far is:

Tesco have demolished the vacuum

forming building and are maintaining

the site from fly-tipping and graffiti

70,000 sq ft Tesco Extra store

Beecroft Street might be closed in part

Main frontage will be facing Kirkstall

Lane

Car entrance off Beecroft Street and

from Kirkstall Lane

Service entrance on Kirkstall Hill for

Tesco, and on Kirkstall Lane for other

stores

A number of other retail units will be

available on the frontage, including

proposals for restaurants (we have

indicated that these should not be fast

food) with space for outside seating

609 car parking spaces, mainly

underground

Construction materials undecided yet,

strong support for wood glass and

stone and making it modern but

sympathetic to the surrounding

buildings

The Post Office Club will be moved to a

new building where Kirkstall Lights was

located at the bottom of Kirkstall Lane

Plans for a community area and

facilities but these need to be

developed

Deborah Hayeems said: ―The initial

consultation sessions have provided

important feedback on what local

community groups and organisations

would like to see on the site. Once the

project team has developed our proposals

we will carry out an extensive consultation

with local residents and businesses,

including a public exhibition in

Kirkstall. Everyone in Kirkstall will have the

opportunity to study and comment on our

plans before we submit a planning

application later in the year.”

■ Simon Dawson

COMMUNITY

Update On Kirkstall Forge

D eveloper Commercial Estates

Group (CEG) is set to deliver an

ambitious 1.5m sq ft mixed-use

development at the former Kirkstall Forge.

The Master Plan

Outline planning consent was granted for

the scheme in 2007. CEG is now working

with Leeds City Council to refine the

master plan. The team is currently looking

at the bridge design, improving linkages

with the woodland and millrace and

determining how best to integrate the

forge building and the overall massing of

the scheme.

CEG is also striving to preserve the

heritage of the site by ensuring that the

forge remains a prominent part of the new

development. This will be achieved by

making the forge buildings part of an

amenity area where people can access a

number of retail and leisure outlets.

Railway Stations

CEG is currently working hard to deliver

two new railway stations at Kirkstall Forge

and Apperley Bridge.

Both stations received planning consent

from Leeds City Council in 2010 and CEG,

together with Rachel Reeves MP and local

ward councillors, is now in the process of

supplying further information to the

Department for Transport (DfT) to secure

funding to supplement the £4m CEG is

contributing.

Subject to DfT funding, the new stations

will be operational by May 2015.

Former Petrol Station

A five-year temporary planning consent

was granted by Leeds City Council in 2010

for a hand car wash facility on the site of

the former petrol station opposite Kirkstall

Forge.

The facility is now operational and has

received positive feedback from the

Kirkstall Forge Liaison Group.

CEG and the Community

CEG will be exhibiting the plans for

Kirkstall Forge at this year‘s festival. Visit

the Kirkstall Forge marquee to meet the

project team and find out more about the

development

The next Kirkstall Forge Liaison Group will

take place at Hawksworth Wood

Community Association at 6.30pm on

Wednesday 21st September 2011. If you

would like to attend please call 0113 213

0300 or email [email protected].

F or fu r th e r in form at ion an d

updates on Kirkstall Forge visit

www.kirkstallforge.com

For the latest information about

the proposals as they happen,

please visit the Kirkstall Online

website and sign up for email

updates at www.kirkstall.org.uk.

Both Tesco and Commercial

Estates Group will be at this years

Kirkstall Festival on 9th July. These

are a great way for both

organisations to interact with the

local residents to get your ideas and

thoughts, and to help make the

developments successful for our

community. Please come and visit

them.

Please come down and say hello

and see what they have to say


The Future of History? Claire Rose and Rose Smith investigate Kirkstall Abbey Visitors Centre‘s

newest high-tech addition, a Microsoft Surface interactive table

G iven that we live just

over the road from

the Abbey, my 4 year

old daughter and I are always

over there exploring and

having fun, so we're always

very excited to see something

new in the visitor centre.

The most recent addition is a

high tech Microsoft Surface

interactive table. As a pair of

techno-geeks we were both

very giddy and made a beeline

straight for it.

In case you're not familiar, the

Microsoft Surface is a large

touchscreen tabletop, a bit like

a giant iPad/tablet/iPod touch.

You use if by sweeping your

fingers across the surface to

move, rotate and zoom in on

things on the screen. It's really

intuitive and great fun to use,

and those of you with a tablet,

iPod touch or touchscreen

smartphone will feel right at

home using it.

So what can you use it for at

the Abbey then? Well at the

moment there is a 'Timeline'

feature on the table grouping

various 'cards' showing images

of the Abbey and it's artefacts

throughout the ages. Tapping

a 'card' flips it over and you

can read a description and

further information about that

particular image. There's loads

of fabulous pictures and loads

of information and the

'timeline' format really helps to

put it into some kind of

context and allows you to

follow the Abbey's

story.

The table is a

brilliant addition to

the visitor centre

and adds a modern

twist to learning

a b o u t o u r

landmark's history.

It's a very new

addition and has

the potential to be

a tremendous tool

in presenting the

Abbey's history in a modern

and interactive way. I can

imagine in the future there

being videos to watch as well

as games and quizzes for all

ages to enjoy.

COMMUNITY


Looking for a friendly and happy primary school

which will provide for the needs of your child?

A caring, Christian environment welcoming children from all sectors of our

community

Good Ofsted Report July 2010

Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools July 2010 judged us as an

‘Outstanding school at meeting the needs of our learners’.

Holders of the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark for high standards of provi-

sion in Literacy and Numeracy

Activemark for PE and sport

Significant investment in ICT throughout the school including laptops for the

children

Excellent links with the community

Before and after school childcare available

Many extra curricular opportunities including football, netball, basketball, dance, athletics, cookery, drama, recorders

Highly supportive Parent Teacher Association

Investors in People award July 2010

Contact school if you would like to look for yourself

Morris Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3JD Tel: 0113 2144630

www.kirkstall-st-stephens.leeds.sch.uk

Leeds City Council Department of Education

Kirkstall St Stephen’s Church of England Aided Primary School

Headteacher : Mr Steven Viles


T he first talk, in March was titled

―Leeds Suffragettes.‖ The most

memorable part was when two of

our number enacted the Court indictment

of Leonore Cohen. Then we analysed the

speech she gave in her defence. This was

an amazing piece of writing – managing

to promote the reasons for the Votes for

Women campaign to a number of

different audiences, whilst ostensibly

defending her against the accusation that

she incited women to violent action (listed

in the accusation).

Mary Gawthorpe of Bramley who

emigrated to America published ―Uphill to

Holloway‖ there. We were given extracts

of this publication – allowing us to gain an

insight into the lives of political activists in

the early part of 20th Century. The reasons

for violent action was also placed in

historical context. All the male-dominated

movements that had achieved anything

were also violent – the Chartists, the

Luddites etc. so why not the Suffragettes?

At the end of the Talk we looked at

artefacts held in store by the Museum in

the Leonore Cohen Collection – there are

others on display in the City Museum.

The next talk was billed ―A Talk on Leeds

Railway Engineering Works and their

Exports‖. This title appealed more to men

with just two women in attendance – a

contrast to the usual sessions. Di has a

special interest in railways and

encouraged personal rail-related

experiences to be added, which made for

a very interesting morning, with former

employees of Hunslet Engineering,

Fowlers, Preston tramcars (Dick Lane,

Bradford) present.

I was fascinated by the section on the

Indian railway system – a colonial network

with lines built from the interior (coal

producing, potential cotton-growing) to

the coast. The historic background to why

Britain wished India

to produce cotton

was given. The cotton

embargo in the

American wars ,

leading to desperate

poverty in the

Lancashire cotton

i n d u s t r y , w a s

som eth in g the

country – and the

Lancashire MP‘s in

particular (including

Winston Churchill),

never wished to see

again.

A good railway system was also useful in

reinforcing the impression of British

superiority – troops could be moved

quickly. It allowed for efficient

administration and was most impressive

(the Norman castles of its day!). Statistics

were displayed which showed what

considerable investment was made by

Britain in overseas railways (in 1914, a

total of £3,763.3 million– the top recipient

being the USA). This was business

investment and over a long period, (1812

seeing the first steam engine produced in

Leeds) Leeds companies: Hunslet Engine

Company, John Fowler, Leeds Forge Co,

Matthew Murray/Fenton, Murray and

Jackson, Kitson/Kitson, Thompson &

Hewitson, Manning Wardle & Co Ltd, Sam

Fox, Armley, F.B Wilson & Co and

Hudswell Clarke & Co were among the

beneficiaries.

Although Leeds has never been

considered a rail town, as it was not tied

to a particular network (compared to say

Crewe), it could claim to be one on the

strength of its exports over a very long

period.

■ Ann Lightman

Abbey House Museum Wednesday Club Two talks by Dr Di Drummond from Leeds Trinity University College.

COMMUNITY


T he Beavers and Cub Scout sections have been meeting

regularly throughout the Spring, both in the Church Hall

and outside. Now the Summer is almost here, they can

expect to be doing more outdoor activities – including attending

the Group Camp in June. This will be at Bramhope – the Cubs

will be camping and the Beavers will be coming along for the

day – and they can look forward to trying out Archery with real

bows and arrows! In July, the older Scouts will be organising a

joint meeting for both sections at Bramhope which will finish

with a BBQ; and the Cubs are being invited to a joint meeting

with the Scouts towards the end of June

The Scouts have been very active since Christmas – in January 10

Scouts camped out at Bramhope Campsite, and although it was

mild, the ground was very muddy indeed! Later in the moth, we

went Ice Skating and the Scouts had a great time practising their

arabesques, camel backs and stag lifts!

In February, we had a weekend at the Curly Hill site at Ilkley,

and we were very lucky in that there was a heavy fall of snow on

the Friday night! Only the Scout Leader camped out on the Fri-

day night, and the weight of the snow collapsed the tent! The

programme for the Saturday morning was forgotten to enable a

huge snowball fight to take place, and in the afternoon, the

Scouts tramped around Ilkley to complete a Treasure trail. Sev-

eral Scouts camped out on the Saturday night, and as the thaw

had now set in, with the ground being saturated, we decided to

lounge around in the hostel on Sunday! A good fun filled week-

end!

The Scouts also had an evening meeting in March at Bramhope,

followed by an overnight camp (another part of the „Yorkshire

Challenge Award‟) where we had a „sausage sizzle‟ as well as

playing wide games in the dark, and launching „fire arrows‟

from ballistas that they had built. We also went to Doncaster

Dome for swimming and Ice Skating, enjoyed by everyone

In April we had the first major camp of the year at Wike, enjoy-

ing wonderful spring weather; it was so warm that a water fight

developed on the Sunday morning, the girls being mainly re-

sponsible! The weekend was spent brushing up on camping

skills, and on the Sunday morning we also built a huge climbing

frame from spars and rope.

In early June, several Scouts took the opportunity to go Caving in

the Yorkshire Dales – we got wet but had a great time under-

ground! The Scouts themselves were allowed to explore one

short section themselves without a Leader, and also to walk for

some 20 yards or so with everybody‟s lights turned off! In the

afternoon, we visitied White Scar Cave – a major show cave –

where some classic cave features were on show.

The summer programme for the Troop promises much; our main

camp of the year will be in the Lake District, with a range of ac-

tivities included from walking in the mountains to visiting a zoo;

besides several weekend camps, the Scouts can look forward to

narrow boating, climbing, biking, a visit to Humberside, an all

night hike . . . and much more!

The 5th North Leeds (St Stephen's) meets at the St

Stephens Church Hall, Norman Street, Leeds 5. Beaver

Scouts meet on Tuesdays at 5.30pm, Cubs meet on Fridays

at 5.45pm, Scouts meet on Mondays at 6.00 pm. Full de-

tails can be obtained from Laurie on (0113)2259234 Mob:

07798 730917: e-mail [email protected]

The 43rd North Leeds (Phoenix St Mary's) meets at the St

Mary's Church Hall, Hawkswood Crescent, Leeds 5. Beaver

Scouts and Cubs meet on Wednesday evenings at 6.30pm,

Scouts meet on Friday at 7.00pm.

Details from Richard on (0113) 2673325: email richard-

[email protected]

Phoenix St Mary's Scout Group News

COMMUNITY


J.NEWS 1 MORRIS LANE, KIRKSTALL

278 6859

Newsagents

Sweets, Tobacco,

Off-licence,

Greetings cards

Newspapers Delivered

Major Credit Cards Accepted

Free Computer Classes at Burley Lodge Centre.

Would you like some help using a com-

puter and improving your IT skills? We are

offering friendly individual support—all are welcome.

Classes are every Monday and Wednesday

between 9.30am and 11.30am. These ses-sions are completely free and there are

crèche places as well.

42-46 Burley Lodge Rd, Leeds LS6 1QF

Contact Burley Lodge Centre

0113 275 4142

The Burley Lodge Centre is a Registered Charity

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Savings!


O n windy day, in the beautiful

Abbey ruins, The Glutton Club

find lots on offer in the inaugural

Kirkstall Deli Market: in our opinion the

most picturesque Farmer‘s Market in

Yorkshire.

As members of the ‗Glutton Club‘ and

inhabitants of Horsforth, we were

delighted to hear about a new farmers

market to be held so close to home. And

we were even more delighted to be

invited to write a piece on the Deli Market

for Kirkstall Matters magazine.

Arriving at the Abbey, we were astonished

to find the stalls had been set up within

the Abbey ruins themselves, a decision

that must make this one of the most

picturesque markets around. Despite their

magnificence, the Abbey walls provided

little sanctuary against the gusty wind that

threatened the stability of a few stalls. But

a little bit of breeze was never going to

dampen our spirits – the location was too

lovely and the promise of good food just

too tempting…

So what was on offer?

Cakey Goodness

We love cake and there was plenty for us

to try. A stand out example was the

Courgette & Lime Cake from Boutique

Catering. This shouldn‘t work but

somehow does. Think carrot cake, but

green. And zesty. The cake was

exceptionally light and was topped with

thick rich icing that absolutely zinged with

lime. Gorgeous.

Also producing great cakes were Janet &

John of Granny B‘s whose wonderful

slection of cakes, flapjacks and biscuits

were inspired by Janet‘s Mum, the Granny

of the company name. My favourite was

the Date Crumble Slice, a flapjack with a

dark, rich bitter-sweet filling.

It was also our absolute pleasure to meet

Winnie Smith and Daphne Baxter of the

Otley Country Market, a co-operative of

twenty ladies who have been baking since

1983. You must come down and meet

them next time – the excellence of the

produce is exceeded only by the charm of

these lovely ladies.

By the time we got to ‗Fayre by Alley‘ the

fayre had all gone which is a real shame

because we‘d never even heard of

‗Nanaimo Bars‘ let alone tasted one. A

Nanaimo Bar, Alley says, is a speciality in

her native Canada. This three layer slab

cake, with a base of cookie crumble, a

custard filling and chocolate topping is

obviously as delicious as it sounds as her

whole stock was sold out.

Next stop was a stand of delicious granola

from the Yorkshire Dales Real Food

Company. Stuart and Liz run a B&B in the

dales and inspired by some American

guests Liz started making Granola to serve

for breakfasts. This proved a hit & guests

not only took some home but also called

back for repeat orders. Now the Granola

can be found in Delicatessens, Health

Food & Farm Shops and of course the

Kirkstall Deli Market…

How do you like you eggs in the

morning?

I like mine free range. So I was pleased to

find such a variety on the Church View

Farm stall. There were packs of little

quail‘s eggs, huge white duck eggs and a

handsome selection of award winning rare

breed hen eggs. ―So what makes an egg

award winning‖ we asked Julie Sherman,

whose husband owns and manages the

farm. ―Experience‖ was the answer. Her

husband has 40 years of it and so knows

how to keep his hens happy. And with

acres to roam and lovely spacious barns

these are happy birds indeed. The result is

wonderful eggs. We filled an box with

rare breed eggs, each one a different size

and colour. At £1.20 for 6, we thought

this was a real bargain.

Have a butcher’s at this…

For meat lovers, there were two options:

Swillington Farm and the Blue Pig

Company both had stalls that absolutely

heaved with meat.

Swillington Farm offers an impressive

array of organic, free range meats. Based

just outside Leeds they are doing some

very interested things for people who

Kirkstall Deli Market Our foodie friends The Glutton Club take a

look around a new monthly deli market in

the picturesque ruins of Kirkstall Abbey.

Photos by Mark Hinchcliffe

FOOD AND DRINK


want ethically reared local produce. Where

else could you sponsor a turkey for

Christmas? You pay for your bird early in

the year, Swillington will then rear it for

you and deliver it in time for Christmas.

You can even name it if you like. Ours is

going to be Clint.

Andrew Bradley, of Blue Pig, runs a farm in

the dales rearing cattle and sheep. A few

years ago he decided to give pigs a go.

Buying a few as a test with low

expectations of selling, they found that

there was way more demand than they

thought and to their surprise sold them

all. And so The Blue Pig Company was

born. Welfare is clearly important to

Andrew. His rare breed pigs are all

outdoor reared high in the dales with

comfy pig arcs to keep them snug in the

winter and cool in the summer. We

bought some black pudding and some

sausages and can testify that happy pigs

definitely result in great tucker.

By this time, more refreshment was

needed. Fortunately, the next stall was

Latitude, Leeds‘ best specialist boozery. I

love visiting Latitude as Chris the manager

is brilliantly liberal in his tasting policy: he

thrust various tasty beverages our way

including a lovely Sloe Gin Fizz – made

with locally produced Sloe Motion Gin,

Lemon Juice & Sugar Syrup topped up

with Soda. Refreshing and fortifying, this is

something I shall be attempting to

recreate…

We’re Jammin’

A recurring theme of any farmer‘s market

is great homemade food. And summing

up this spirit better than anyone was Tilly

and her fabulous jams. Deciding to be a

stall holder at the last minute, Tilly got

herself a batch of jars and rustled up some

jams in only two days! And so good were

they, and so popular, all 55 jars sold in an

hour! Unfortunately, we didn‘t get to try

the soon to be famous banana jam as it

was all gone. So I bought a jar of

Strawberry and Rhubarb instead: thick,

rich and bitter-sweet, this was a fine

substitute.

Next to Tilly, mum Vanessa (incidentally

plants & gardens editor for Kirkstall

Matters) was selling a variety of tomato

plants at a very reasonable 50p each. I

bought two, one named ‗Mary‘ (because

official label had disappeared). I shall

report back on Mary‘s progress in coming

months…

Also, selling plants and veg were

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm. The farm

teaches horticulture to disadvantaged

young people with the aim of helping

them gain jobs or college placements.

They grow all sorts of organic vegetables

and supply to local restaurants and now

Kirkstall Deli Market. So if you need

tomatoes, turnip, cabbage, peas or green

beans you know where to come.

A Deli Market wouldn‘t be a Deli Market

without a good selection of Pickles and

Chutneys. Thankfully Pudsey Pickles

shouldered that responsibility. Well

known regulars at local markets, Pudsey

Pickles are in the 5th Year of trading and

going from strength to strength. The

company started when Lee Naylor decided

to make some piccalilli to use up a serious

surplus of courgettes from her vegetable

garden. When she discovered that the jars

she ordered came in boxes of over 100,

she realised she‘d have a surplus of

piccalilli too! A Farmer‘s Market was the

natural way to shift them… Now you can

find Pudsey Pickles in Markets and Delis

across Yorkshire or buy them online.

FOOD AND DRINK


FOOD AND DRINK

Yorkshire Food with Leeds Flair

Moving on, we met Jo Cameron whose

new venture, Thistlemist Farm, is only a

few months old. A qualified Chef, Jo gave

up her job at the Severed Head in

Horsforth to have a baby. Now she‘s

returning to her foodie roots with a range

of homemade products that includes

cooking sauces & soups. Many of the

ingredients are homegrown: Jo has two

allotments to fuel the cooking. What she

can‘t grow herself, she sources from local

farms. Great local credentials, great food.

Butcher Hill may be an odd place for a

gourmet bistro, but from the look of the

food Sam and Luke had on their stall

today, the Dough Bistro is well worth a

visit. The seafood salads were the pick of

the bunch and we watched with jealousy

as Daryl from Pudsey Pickles gleefully

wolfed his down.

So how do you describe your style?

―Yorkshire Food with Leeds Flair‖ says

Luke, the head chef. Great phrase, we

thought, it could almost describe this

whole market…

And so our tour of the market drew to an

end. And we have to say this inaugural

event was a great success. Being the

first, there were relatively few stalls

compared to some of the more

established markets. But with hordes of

shoppers all having a good time and

many store holders looking very low on

stock by the end of the day, the future

looks bright for this excellent market.

■ Jon Vertannes and Ben Bisco from The

Glutton Club

The Glutton Club is a popular blog for

foodies at www.gluttonclub.co.uk and

you can follow them on Twitter

@GluttonClub

Kirkstall Deli Market has been brought

to the Abbey by Sam Flavin, Keeper Of

The Abbey, and Kirkstall Councillor

Lucinda Yeadon, and it takes is on the

last Saturday of every month at

Kirkstall Abbey Visitors Centre and the

next markets are on 25th June, 30th

July, 27th August, 24th September,

29th October and 26th November. If

you are interested in having a stall,

p l e a s e e m a i l

[email protected] or call

0113 230 5492

Here‟s what we made with our haul: Sausage & Black Pudding Tower, topped with Fried

Quail‟s Eggs on Asparagus Puree with Asparagus in Blankets and Rare Breed Hen‟s Egg

Hollandaise. Yummy.


Serves two people

You will need

-Two large monkfish cheeks or one fillet

from your local fishmonger

-One rabbit from your butcher

-One tin of butter beans

-One carrot, one medium onion, one stick

of celery

-Chicken stock [600ml]

-Bunch of watercress

-Four radish

-Seasoning and cooking oil

-The tips of about 30 young nettle plants.

To make the nage

Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery

and slowly soften for 10 minutes in a pan

with a little oil. Add the chicken stock and

simmer for one hour. Add the nettle tips

just before serving and blitz in a blender,

thus keeping the vibrant green colour the

nettle will induce. Keep a little of the

chicken stock back for the rabbit.

Confit the rabbit

The rabbit should be checked for shot if

caught wild, and will be cooked twice.

Firstly place the rabbit on a baking tray

and season generously. Coat with a little

oil and massage the seasoning into the

rabbit. Cover with silver foil and place in

the oven on 250 degrees Fahrenheit for

one hour or until cooked through.

Remove from the baking sheet and allow

to cool slightly so one can remove the

meat, meanwhile, place the remaining

chicken stock in the baking tray and

deglaze, ensuring all rabbit sediments are

now part of the stock. Pour into a pan and

add enough meat for two people, the fillet

and leg meat usually work best. Simmer

for two minutes to ensure the rabbit is

succulently tender and has taken on the

flavour from the stock. Season if

necessary.

Monkfish cheeks

Pan fry the monkfish cheeks, personally i

think they are best served rare, season

well and if available to hand add a

squeeze of lime just before removing from

the pan. They probably need 30-45

seconds per side depending on size.

Ensure the skin has been peeled off

otherwise the cheek will curl and make

presentation difficult.

Bringing the dish together

Organisation is important when tackling

an advanced dish like this. It‘s best to start

with the base and work up. When plating

the rabbit, use a catering ring to ensure

symmetry. While plating the rabbit, drop

the butter beans into the now blended

nettle nage to allow them to heat through.

Remove the ring from the plate and

carefully spoon around the nettle nage,

placing an odd number of butter beans on

to the plate, evenly spread, always

considering the final presentation. Place

the monkfish cheek on top of the rabbit

and finally garnish with watercress and

some chopped radish. If you are slow at

plating, make sure you heat the plates to

retain the heat in the food. Serve with a

glass of Leeds‘ very own Leventhorpe

vineyard Madeleine Angevine. Delicious!

Dough Bistro is at 293-295 Spen Lane

West Park, and reservations can be

made on 0113 278 7255.

www.doughleeds.com

Pan fried monkfish served on wild rabbit

with butter beans, watercress and radish

salad and a nettle nage Dough Bistro‘s award winning chef Luke Downing presents a

summer feast for readers of KIRKSTALL MATTERS

FOOD AND DRINK


FOOD AND DRINK

K irkstall has a brewing heritage stretching back to the 12th

century when Cistercian monks founded an abbey on the

banks of the River Aire at Kirkstall. The abbey complex

included a brewhouse where the monks would have brewed beer

for their own consumption and possibly sold to the local

population.

On the opposite side of the river and overshadowing the Leeds

Liverpool canal is the magnificent stone built and

original Kirkstall Brewery.

It operated as a brewery between 1833 and 1983 before being

closed by Whitbread, it's last owners. However the brewery

buildings have been well preserved and the brewery and site are

now home to students of Leeds Metropolitan University.

The Kirkstall Brewery beers were highly regarded throughout

Yorkshire and the North East of England and as their trade

flourished they were able to build an estate of tied pubs and an

impressive free trade business. The Brewery also had offices in

London and exported beer to Australia and New Zealand making

use of the canal system to transport their beer to the coast for

loading on to ships for export.

The Brewery purchased 2 Leeds breweries in the late twenties

and early thirties before being a taken over themselves by

Dutton's of Blackburn in 1936. However the brewery remained in

production to produce beers for their Yorkshire trade. Dutton's

became part of the Whitbread empire in thev 1960's and

continued to brew at Kirkstall until 1983.

The new Kirkstall Brewery is situated by the side of the Leeds

Liverpool canal on Canal just off Wyther Lane on Canal Wharf.

Steve Holt, the brewery Managing Director, said 'Our aim is to

revive the tradition of brewing in Kirkstall and the tower and the

chimney of the original brewery provides a constant reminder

and the inspiration to once again make the name Kirkstall famous

for great beer'.

'I could talk about our passion, enthusiasm and our commitment

to quality but we think that the beers should speak for

themselves'.

The beers are available locally at the West End House and the

Abbey Inn at Newlay.

www.kirkstallbrewerycompany.com

Kirkstall Brewery A new microbrewery reviving the Kirkstall Brewery name is already

delivering some fantastic beers. Not that we‘re biased of course. ●

Unity Day

Unity day has organise dthe following events as

fundraisers for this years Unity Day. For more info

please contact [email protected]

June 11 June Chemic Carboot, BBQ, tombola etc.

16 June Fox & Newt gig- Smiling Ivy, Canola Wonders.

17 June Iration Steppas + Quake @

Beaverworks. Street performers wanted.

19 June Cabaret at Highlight Comedy Club

(Jongleurs). Performers wanted.

23 June Bad Brains@Carpe Diem- Red Pills..

25 June Mothership- bands, art etc.@ Test Space

July 1 July gig @Fenton- Dave Pilla, Palooka, Northern

Lights

9th July Riot Grrill at Chemic

15th July gig@Fenton- Ross Winter, Ghost Dog, Ben

Eyes, DJ Quip, Pigeon Inc.

29th July Hanky Panky Burlesque at Brudenell.


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Mini Cupcakes from only 50p and Regular Cupcakes from 80p. Gift Box of 12 mini cupcakes £5

Outside Catering Available - Telephone Orders Welcome

***SPECIAL OFFER*** 2 Full Breakfasts for only £6 on production of this advert*

*No photocopies accepted, voucher must be presented & surrendered at time of ordering.

Number 55 Sandwich Bar & Coffee Shop

55 Kirkstall Lane Leeds LS5 3BE 0113 2580498 www.number55.co.uk

Fresh Coffee - All Day Breakfasts / Meat Free Breakfasts - Snacks - Pizza - Paninis - Cupcakes and much more!

346 - 348 Kirkstall Road,

Leeds. LS4 2DS

Tel: 0113 230 4161

0113 230 7799

Open 7 days 5pm to 12 midnight

48 Harrogate Road,

Leeds. LS7 4LA

Tel: 0113 237 4035

0113 237 4036

Open 7 days 6pm to 11:30pm

www.sheeshmahal.co.uk


WORSHIP

Treasures Revealed

T reasures Revealed in West

Yorkshire is a 3-year Heritage

Lottery Fund-backed project that

aims to inspire and attract residents and

visitors to experience and celebrate West

Yorkshire's vibrant faith heritage. Kirkstall

St Stephen‘s Church again took part in the

project.

St Stephen‘s Church was designed by R D

Chantrell in 1826 in 13th century Gothic

style and it was built on land given by the

7th Earl of Cardigan. The total seating was

for one thousand people. At that time,

Kirkstall was a village of 550 homes.

Richard Oastler (1789-1861), fought for

better conditions for children working in

factories,. The Oastler family are buried in

the Oastler Vault below St Stephen‘s

chancel. Richard and his wife, Mary, are

remembered in a stained glass window.

Treasures Revealed Gala Concert was on

7th May in St Stephen‘s. In the churchyard,

the bluebells were flowering and the birds

singing as we arrived. We heard thunder

during the concert but the rain was over

and gone by the time we left.

‗The cuckoo then, on every tree,

Mocks married men; for thus sings he,

Cuckoo; Cuckoo, cuckoo: O, word of fear,

Unpleasing to a married ear!‘

It was a delightful evening, pleasing to the

ear, of English songs (sung by Joanna

Gamble and Richard Pascoe with Pritiva

Attiken on the piano) and poems read by

Ian Shiels. Some songs like Shakespeare‘s

‗Cuckoo Song‘, ‗Now is the month of

Maying‘ and ‗Sweet & Low‘ we had sung

at school. This varied collection of well-

loved poems and pieces ended with us all

joining in the chorus of the Hippopotamus

Song—Mud, mud, glorious mud!

■ Val Crompton

Abbey Atmosphere

Y ou may have watched the Royal

Wedding Service and marvelled at

the sight of the lovely trees,

imported into the Abbey.

At Kirkstall you can sit in the Abbey

Church and see the ancient trees all

around—there is no stained glass to mask

the view. There is no roof and you can see

and hear the birds and aircraft flying

overhead—it all adds to the special

atmosphere in this historic place.

Westminster Abbey has been the

coronation church since 1066 but the

oldest part of the present building dates

from 1245. In Yorkshire we have

wonderful Norman buildings including

Adel Church 1150 and Kirkstall Abbey

1152. The Middleton family has a long

connection with Leeds and Adel. Back in

1688, Kate‘s 8 times great-grandparents

were married in Adel Church; her

grandparents, Peter Middleton and Valerie

Glassborow were married at Adel in 1946.

Come and join us singing ‗Jerusalem‘

in the Abbey Church on Saturday 9th July

at Kirkstall Festival

At 3pm the Choir will be performing, at

3.30pm the Band, and from 4pm we all

join together for the Festival Service with

Father Pat Smythe and Canon Rosemarie

Hayes of Kirkstall St Stephen‘s. Rachel

Reeves M.P. and the Rt Hon. John Battle

will be doing the readings. Rachel Reeves

will be reading the Lesson ‗Love one

another‘ that was read by James

Middleton in Westminster Abbey at the

Royal Wedding. Father Pat Smythe, the

Parish Priest of Our Lady of Kirkstall, will

give the Address.

At the Festival Service we will have the

Leeds Central Salvation Army Band

playing in the nave where for centuries the

psalms would have been sung by the

monks. We will also have a local

contemporary ladies choir ‗String of

Beads‘ singing the 23rd Psalm to the

theme tune of The Vicar of Dibley.

The late Doug Kilvington often drew the

cartoons, for Kirkstall Matters, of Kirkstall

monks singing or playing musical

instruments.

■ Val Crompton


B ack in the 12th century, a hermit

called Seleth dreamt that Our

Lady, the blessed Virgin Mary, told

him to journey to a place called Kirkstall,

in the wooded and shady valley of

Airedale.

There he would find a suitable place to

settle and to make ready a future

habitation for Christian brethren.

Hermit Seleth travelled from the south of

England to Kirkstall on the banks of the

River Aire. Other hermits joined him and

settled there. The land was owned by

Henry de Lacy who gave the site to

Cistercian monks. Some of the hermits

joined the Cistercians and Kirkstall Abbey

was founded in 1152. This was an active

community until the Dissolution of the

Monasteries in 1539.

The ancient Abbey Seal has been

copied and is now used as the

logo for the churches of the new Parish of

Our Lady of Kirkstall.

Maggie Jackson wrote a poem in 2010

about the formation of the parish.

Here are some lines from this poem—see

www.ourladyofkirkstall.org.uk/IMAGES1/

Our Lady of Kirkstall - Prayer for Parish

Formation.pdf

Our Lady of Kirkstall by Maggie Jackson

See the peaceful cloister and the windows

Of the high church, now open to the sky,

A place of light and transience, where once

Candles and plainsong called people to

stay.

Today, Seleth, a new dream is dreaming.

Beyond the abbey walls a community

Of faith is being built, named after me,

To inspire devotion, to end division.

„Our Lady of Kirkstall‟ - a good name for

A parish to grow into.

■ Val Crompton

Bishop Arthur Roche of the RC Diocese of

Leeds established this Parish in August

2010, amalgamating the former parishes

of the Holy Name of Jesus (Ireland Wood),

The Assumption of Our Lady (Spen Lane),

and St Mary (Horsforth). Members of

those three local churches - which retain

their former titles - will gather together for

Mass in the Abbey Church on Sunday July

10th, to celebrate their first year as a

single community.

History of the Parish of

Our Lady of Kirkstall

New Canon at Ripon

R evd Rosemarie Hayes, of Kirkstall St Stephen‘s, has been installed as a

Canon of Ripon Cathedral. This is in addition to her other commitments

with the Abbeylands Cluster of Churches. Kirkstall is part of the Ripon

and Leeds Diocese with Ripon Cathedral as the Mother or central church. The

cathedral is under the care of Cathedral Canons who wear red robes.

The Abbey Churches Together met for the Good Friday Evening Service, held

this year at Kirkstall St Stephen‘s Church. It was a lovely evening and a lovely,

reflective service led by Canon Rosemarie with members of the Abbey Churches

Together taking part.

St Stephen‘s is now part of the Abbeylands Cluster and from 1st May, has a new

pattern of Services:

Sunday Services

8am Holy Communion (2nd & 4th Sundays)

11am Parish Communion or Family Service

4pm Evensong

Wednesday 11am Holy Communion

Other groups including Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Rainbows &

Seekers continue as before. All welcome!

■ Val Crompton Canon Rosemarie Hayes at St Stephen‘s, 22 April

WORSHIP


I f you walk down Abbey

Road in Kirkstall you will

come to Kirkstall Forge.

Perhaps I should say to what

was Kirkstall Forge. The area

was first used for forging by

the Cistercian Monks of

Kirkstall Abbey some 800 years

ago; probably to smelt the iron

ore for the production of tools

and nails used in the

construction of the Abbey.

Sadly perhaps the Forge was

finally closed in 2003 and

bulldozed in 2008 to make way

for redevelopment; but that is

another story.

Outside the gates to the Forge

(as I will call it still) there is

memorial milestone. You

cannot miss it, sited at the side

of the pavement next to the

gates of the Forge. An obelisk,

like a miniature version of

Cleopatra‘s Needle on the

Embankment in London, it

stands some 25 feet high,

tapering into the sky. It is

protected as a Grade II listed

building; at the base is an iron

plate with this inscription:

To London 200 miles S.

To Edinburg 200 miles N.

Erected A. D. 1829.

B & B

Kirkstall Forge 1779.

Leeds 3 ¾ miles

The ‗B & B‘ does not stand for

Bed and Breakfast. So I will

explain; and take the story

back a little. It seems that the

land of the Forge, like much of

the rest of Kirkstall was part of

the Cardigan estate. In 1720

the works were leased to John

Watts of Ecclesfield. When he

died in 1751 they were taken

over by John Crookes. During

this period the Forge was not

successful, became run down

and dilapidated. And so in

1779 (one of the dates on the

iron plate) the lease of the

Forge was taken over by

George Beecroft and John

Butler, both members of

important Kirkstall families.

They were brothers-in-law,

Betty Beecroft being John‘s

sister. The association of the

Butler family with the Forge

continued and prospered for

195 years until it was taken

over by the British engineering

company, GKN.

At this point we come to our

milestone and the meaning of

the inscription ‗B & B‘ –

Beecroft and Butler. Thus the

stone erected in 1829

commemorates the 50th

anniversary of their acquisition

of the Forge. No doubt it was

also intended to celebrate the

building of the road itself. This

road, now Abbey Road, had

been completed as the Kirkstall

to Ilkley Turnpike Road in

1827. The upper road, what is

now Morris Lane, had then

become the Old Turnpike

Road.

You may quibble. But whether

the milestone is, or was in

1829, exactly 200 miles from

London to the south and

Edinburgh to the north must

depend on your precise route;

and maybe on how you

measure your miles. But it is

accurate enough and makes a

memorable monument ,

especially for those of us who

think much of Kirkstall.

■ Mike Harwood

Either Way, Its Half Way LOCAL HISTORY


THE THORESBY SOCIETY

Notes from the Library No.1,

Nov 2009)

T he Society has in its

archives a fascinating

collection of documents

relating to the auction of

Kirkstall Abbey in 1888 and the

subsequent purchase and gift

of the Abbey to the Borough

of Leeds by Colonel John

Thomas North, the millionaire

entrepreneur. The collection

was given by Colonel Edmund

Wilson, the prime mover in the

formation of the Thoresby

Society in 1889 and its first

President, who was personally

and deeply involved in the

dramatic events of the time.

Among the legal documents,

notes and newscuttings in the

collection is Colonel North‘s

cheque to the Mayor and

Town Clerk of Leeds for

£10,000, the purchase price of

the Abbey.

The Abbey and its grounds

had been in private hands

since dissolution in 1539. The

owners since 1671 were the

Earls of Cardigan, but the

Abbey was always included in

the lease of land to the owners

of the nearby Kirkstall Forge,

as part of their farmland. The

ancient buildings were used as

cow byres and barns, the

grounds as gardens and

orchards, the gatehouse

(Abbey House) as a farmhouse.

As the years passed, the ruins,

picturesquely overgrown with

ivy and trees, inspired many

artists and poets, and attracted

the interest of antiquarians -

Ralph Thoresby for one

unearthed bricks and tiles

there as well as enjoying

picnics with friends. But anxiety

about the deteriorating

condition of the Abbey grew,

particularly when part of the

tower collapsed in 1779. To

prevent further damage the

public path through the church

was blocked, parts of the ruins

were locked, and for a time a

caretaker was employed.

Around the start of the

nineteenth century the effects

of encroaching

industrialisation began to be

felt. Following the opening of

the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and

the construction of new

turnpike routes over Kirkstall

Bridge to Halifax and Bradford,

mills sprang up close by,

bringing with them smoke and

pollution – the Abbey‘s

seclusion and peace were lost

forever. In 1827 the new

turnpike road from Kirkstall to

Ilkley was allowed to cut right

through the Abbey grounds,

next to its walls, with little

opposition. The stonework of

the Abbey blackened, and its

new accessibility made it yet

more vulnerable – by the

1850s it was being used for

fetes and galas, attracting

thousands of visitors. By now

there was a feeling that people

in Leeds had to take action to

protect and preserve this piece

of their history: it was evident

that the owner (since 1837 the

notorious seventh Earl of

Cardigan) took no interest in

its preservation or care. A

committee was formed to raise

money for a caretaker and for

essential repairs. As lessees of

the Abbey, the directors of the

Forge, now living in Abbey

House – George Skirrow

Beecroft (MP) and later John

Octavius Butler – also did what

they could to safeguard the

ruins, at their own expense.

Various schemes were

considered, even the

possibility of restoring the

church for religious use – a

survey by Gilbert Scott was

commissioned in 1873, but the

cost proved prohibitive. In

1883, when John Octavius

Butler of Abbey House died,

Edmund Wilson, a Leeds

solicitor, Liberal town

councillor, and keen

antiquarian, began

negotiations with the Cardigan

estate for Leeds to acquire

control of the Abbey ruins,

either by lease or by purchase.

He later declared that he had

been close to an agreement

over a purchase price (£5,000),

but other interested parties

intervened and the

negotiations came to nothing,

a cause of bitter recriminations

later on.

In December 1888 the agents

for the Cardigan Estate put the

Abbey up for auction, as part

of the four-day sale of

Cardigan property in Yorkshire

Colonel North‟s £10,000 Cheque For Kirkstall Abbey

Edmund. Wilson

LOCAL HISTORY


necessitated by the massive

debts left by Lord Cardigan

after his death in 1868. The

fulsome Particulars of Sale of

the Abbey made much of its

historic importance. Dark

rumours circulated that

commercial developers were

bent on turning it into a

pleasure park. The Council

authorised the Town Clerk to

bid up to £6,000 to buy the

Abbey for Leeds, though there

were dissenting voices over the

‗extortionate‘ cost. On the day

of the auction of the Abbey

there was a packed house, and

a sensation was caused when

the auctioneer announced that

the previous condition of sale

preventing building on the site

was being dropped, freeing

the land for development. The

bidding quickly ran up to

£6,000. The Town Clerk made a

final bid of £6,100, but the

auctioneer then revealed that

the reserve was £10,000 and

the lot was withdrawn, to cries

of ‗shame‘ and hisses all round.

Abbey House similarly failed to

meet its reserve (£3500).

It seemed all too possible now

that the Abbey would pass into

private hands. Overnight

Edmund Wilson decided to

intervene: he left a message

for the Cardigan agent and the

next day received a telegram

from him with the unwelcome

news that an offer of £13,500

(for the Abbey and Abbey

House) had been received and

if Leeds wanted the property

immediate action was required

– the rival bidder was expected

to pay the deposit in cash that

very evening. Wilson wired his

friend Sir James Kitson for

support, then went to sign the

contract for purchase himself,

and paid the deposit (£1,350)

from his own money. This was

both brave and risky – while he

hoped to gather a syndicate of

subscribers to collect the full

purchase money and then

negotiate a sale to the Council,

he might have been left

personally liable.

A chance word saved the day.

Less than a week later, two

Leeds delegates from the

Mechanics‘ Institute went to

London to meet the famous

Colonel North and enlist his

support for the Institute‘s new

school. Colonel North, born in

Leeds, had made a vast fortune

in Chile and Peru from

exploiting guano (he was

known as ‗the Nitrate King‘)

and dealing in water and

railways, and had already

shown great generosity

towards his native town. A

flamboyant figure, he

welcomed them at the Hotel

Metropole, invited them to

breakfast, and promised his

support. The conversation then

turned to Leeds and the recent

auction of the Abbey. Colonel

North‘s instant response was

to offer to buy the Abbey

himself and give it to the

Borough. A telegram to this

effect was sent immediately to

Edmund Wilson and to the

Mayor, who enthusiastically

telegraphed back accepting,

and wired all the newspapers

with the news of what one

paper called ‗this magnificent

Christmas present‘ for Leeds.

At the next Council meeting

the Mayor proposed that

Colonel North should be given

the Freedom of the Borough

(the first to receive this

honour) in recognition of his

outstanding generosity. As he

was due to return to Chile in

February, the date for the

ceremony was quickly fixed for

25 January 1889. A handsome

silver casket was made to hold

the ‗burgess ticket‘ and leather

-bound illuminated booklets

were prepared to

commemorate the event (the

Society has one, illustrated

left). When Colonel North

arrived in Leeds he received a

hero‘s welcome, and the Town

Hall was packed for the

ceremony. He spoke of his

childhood memories of the

Abbey (Sunday School visits,

and later games of ‗kiss-in-the-

ring‘!) and announced that he

intended to buy additional

land to add to the grounds

(cheers); of course, he added,

he did not yet own the Abbey,

but he had prepared for this

occasion – and with a flourish

he handed the Mayor his

cheque for £10,000 (more

rousing cheers).

The cheque was paid into the

Council‘s bank account and the

money later paid into the

Court of Chancery which

administered the Cardigan

estate. The purchase of the

Abbey and its grounds

(including the promised

additional land and Abbey

House) was finally completed

on 28 November 1890, and on

1 December 1890 Col. North

signed the Deed of Gift of the

Abbey and 15 acres of land

(without Abbey House) to the

Borough of Leeds ‗to be for

ever freely used as a Public

Park by all peaceable

inhabitants of the Borough‘.

Edmund Wilson, as solicitor

and the original purchaser,

remained closely involved in all

the lengthy procedures of the

purchase and gift, and later

deposited his papers –

including the cheque itself – in

the archives of the newly-

formed Thoresby Society.

■ Eveleigh Bradford and

Thoresby Society

www.thoresby.org.uk

Sources: Thoresby Soc. MS I.1

(documents); SC27 (cheque);

22D3 (booklet); Box 3.L2 (Col.

North‘s portrait); Presidential

Album (E. Wilson‘s portrait) ©

E. J. Bradford/Thoresby Soc.

Col. J.T.North

LOCAL HISTORY


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This page is the opportunity for

you to voice your concerns,

fears, comments, thoughts and

deepest darkest secrets. Drop

us a line in writing to 19

Norman Street, Leeds, LS5 3JN

o r e m a i l u s a t

[email protected]

Spanish Wine, Kirkstall

Vintage

In the course of researching

our family history I have just

stumbled on Kirkstall Matters

& am fascinated!

I lived in Vicarage Terrace

from 1944-1968 & was, by

birth, a Marshall. My mother,

Rose, was a keen supporter of

the Kirkstall Valley Association

& she & my father were friends

of John Stones who I believe

was a founder member. My

mother was instrumental in

producing two books based on

oral history recollections of old

Kirkstall residents.

I was educated at Kirkstall St.

Stephen's C of E primary

school & completed my

secondary education at

Lawnswood High School

before training to be a teacher

in Manchester. I returned to

Leeds to teach at Bewerley

Street Infants School, Hunslet

for three years before marrying

& moving to London.

Mum was chairwoman &

founder member of the

Kirkstall Oral History Group.

This group grew from friends

of her generation chatting at

Sayers Close where she lived

before moving here to be

nearer to us in 2001. At her

sugges tion the people

involved, instead of just

talking about the 'old days'

formed a group to make these

memories more permanent &

were helped Merlo Michell

who secured funding etc.

John Battle M.P. attended the

launch & we have a lovely

photo of Ma, Merlo &

company celebrating the

occasion. Mum's first book,

published 1995 with the Burley

Oral History Group, was titled

"Seems Like Yesterday".

The second book was called

"Spanish Wine Kirkstall

Vintage - memories of

Kirkstall". Our village society

hold a number of books on

local history that can be

borrowed by interested parties

& if you have a similar

arrangement I do have a spare

copy of Spanish Wine which I

could send to you.

H. Sydney Pickering (1896 -

1984) was a neighbour who

lived at 1 Station Parade & he

became Deputy Principal of

Leeds Training College. He

produced a fascinating book,

"A Leeds Loiner - A Personal

History" & I have a copy of

this, the early part of which is a

fascinating glimpse into the life

of a respectable (but poor)

family in Kirkstall before the

Great War.

Ma's books have been a terrific

resource in my family history

researches & although the

memories don't have names

attached, I can recognise family

stories as I'm sure other

readers may.

Gilly Hodkinson

Are the Kirkstall Monks

exhausted?

Congratulations on KM106 - an

excellent issue full of interest.

I've passed it round family &

friends and there is something

in Kirkstall Matters for

everyone but we all still miss

the cartoons. Could the schools

have a go at drawing the

Kirkstal l Merry Monks

humorous and numerous

activities/inactivity or perhaps

now the Kirkstall Monks are

exhausted?

Could the Kirkstall Hungry

Hundred Harriers take over as

the Kirkstall Matters cartoon

subjects and be depicted

speedily delivering Kirkstall

Matters, eating Kirkstall cakes/

fish & chips/ cheering/

drinking after the Abbey

Dash/smiling in festive/fancy

dress/ running about growing

healthy veg on Kirkstall

allotments, harvesting fruit/

doing all sorts of interesting

t h i n g s a r o u n d

Yorkshire ?? Please young

cartoonists - have a go and

send your cartoons to Simon.

Congratulations also to Leeds

Movie Makers on the Kirkstall

Festival 2010 DVD. Due to a

clash of events, 2010 was the

first Kirkstall Festival that I

have missed for many years.

Having now watched the

DVD, I feel that I was there

after all and did not miss out

on a wonderful day! I enjoyed

seeing all the festival photos in

colour but the DVD brought

the festival to life. I hope to be

at the next festival and look

forward to meeting up with

everyone.

Many thanks to Simon and his

new team and to the Movie

Makers team.

Val Crompton

(Thanks Val, I’ve hidden the

monks somewhere in this

issue for you all to find!)

Norman View

Re the query by Helen

Warburton as to the age of

Norman View, if she will go to

Kirkstall Online, Discussion

Board, Local History she will

find that my piece on De Lacy

Mount gives the date when

Norman View was built - i.e.

between 1932 and 1936.

Mike Harwood

Incorrect Phone Numbers

The telephone numbers you

listed in the Spring issue of

Kirkstall Matters for Leeds City

Council are not correct. I had

to phone regarding bulk refuse

collection but the number is

incorrect as is the main

switchboard number. Just

thought you would like to

know!

Lylie Edmondson

Thanks Lylie, we hadn’t

noticed they’d changed and

have corrected them. If our

r e a d e r s s p o t a n y

inaccurac ie s in the

magazine, please let me

know so we can correct

them.

Hardisty’s Fisheries

The photo in the latest Kirkstall

matters is dated 1930s. John

Hardisty, my grandfather, died

in 1926, he is with his wife Ada

(nee Fox). I have some

information that the shop may

have opened in 1919, but this

needs verifying. I was first

aware of the photo when it

appeared in the newly opened

Kirkstall Lights pub, and was

told that it came from the

Yorkshire Post, but nothing

was found on a visit to their

archives.

I do enjoy Kirkstall Matters, in

the past I have sent photos of

Kirkstall to try and identify

persons/families which were

published.

Is there a Family/Local

History Society in Kirkstall?

Maybe it is time for me to

make a trip back to Yorkshire

to see the Exhibition.

Anne Welch

Hardisty’s Fisheries

The photo was taken before

1926 since that was the year

John Hardisty died. His wife

Ada ran the shop until her

death in 1928, his eldest

daughter then ran the shop for

a little while followed by his

two youngest Lily and Ivy

until 1961 when they were

both killed in a motor accident.

The shop was then taken on by

his eldest son Albert and his

son David.

In 1978 the KVCA used the

shop window to advertise their

Dear Editor


activities. The shop was partially tiled

ad there was a small band of black

and white tiles with the reversed

swastika on (a roman sign of good

luck!). This took a little bit of

explaining during the war years.

Mr Jaggers

Post Office Closures

Its good to see Rachel Reeves MP

campaigning for the re-opening of

Hawksworth Wood Post Office. Three

post offices a week are closing down

in this country.

Post offices have seen their annual

income shrink by a quarter after

payments for TV licenses, benefits

and utility bills were taken off them.

There will be even more closures if

this government goes ahead with

plans to privatise Royal Mail.

John Appleyard

S t

Stephen's Day School 's

Dramatic Society c 1929

It‟s not often that you come

across a photograph of your

father dressed as a fairy and it

puzzled me for quite a while

until, that is, I came across the

programme for St Stephen‟s Day

S c h o o l ‟ s p r o du c t i o n o f

“Cinderella”. My Dad was born

in 1919 and I‟m guessing he‟s not

much older than 10 in the

photo. He lived with his brothers

and sisters at No 11 Glebe

Avenue; they lost both parents

(and Grandfather William who

lived next door at No 9) in 1926.

I would love to hear from any of

your readers who may remember

the event or who can identify any

of the players or production team

mentioned in the programme

especially S Naylor (Assistant

Stage Manager) and E Naylor

(Chorus)

Kevin Naylor


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Unforgettable

Favourite memories we will take

away from Beecroft Primary

The air was electric as we took it in turns to

leap into the sloppy remains of watery earth at

Nell Bank – my favourite experience at Bee-

croft. Most children wore tatty clothes, so they

didn’t spoil. This was the day we followed the

mud trail! Sliding down tunnels and land-

ing in a pile of messy mud was a fascinating

experience. Afterwards we all looked like

chocolate bars ready to be eaten. Giggles lurked

in the air as we emptied our mud-filled boots

and left muddy handprints on everything we

touched…

Katie Mason Year 6

My favourite memory of year 6 was venturing

into the dark, crumbling caves of Castleton –

my last residential at Beecroft Primary

School… Anxiously, I crept into the cave, totally un-

aware of what was ahead of me. Drip! Drip!

Drip! Water trickled through the cracks of a

shimmering, unreal world of stalactites and

stalagmites which surrounded me. Climbing,

feeling slightly trapped, I paused. Blackness!

Adrenalin pumped round by body faster and

faster… Anya Patel Year 6

The day of my first rugby match was

a day I would never forget. As we journeyed

down to the field, questions raced through my

mind. Are they good? How good? Waiting

with anxiety for the opposing team to appear,

we passed the ball around to keep warm. A

minute passed…another…another. The game

was due to start in four minutes and we did-

n’t have a team to play against.

Suddenly, there was a noise which

sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding

towards us - it was the opposing team! The

game was about to start…

Islwyn Rosser Year 6

Waiting anxiously for the show to begin, my heart was thudding with fear. Peering through the doorway, I was shocked to see how many people had turned up. The lights dimmed and it was time for the show to begin. Standing on the stage, I wondered if everything would go well… At the end, people clapped and cheered. It had gone successfully. We were very proud of ourselves…

Lorna Parker Year 6

The best thing that ever happened in the entire

school year was definitely when we had sports’

week. It was an unbeatable experience! Firstly

we did a 100 metre race that was brilliant, fol-

lowed by a relay race that needed a lot of team

work. Our team was very successful –we won!

Next we played football. We played in two

teams. Unfortunately we lost 3:2 but I didn’t

mind because we had so much fun. This was

an unmissable experience!

Ahmed Albasri Year 6

SCHOOLS

C hildren at Kirkstall St Stephens

are continuing to impress at

sporting competitions. The under

11 football team remain unbeaten and are

looking forward to taking part in a

tournament in few weeks time, where

they will be looking to defend their

unbeaten record this year.

A team of year 4 and 5 children did a

wonderful job at a recent short tennis

competition, which saw two girls and two

boys in year 5 qualifying for the final

which was a fantastic achievement.

The tennis team were not the only ones

qualifying for the finals, after drawing one

match and winning the next two, the High

Five Netball team played a tense play-off

match and thanks to great play and team

work, and sideline support from parents,

they came out on top.

■ Lisa Enkin (PE co-coordinator Kirkstall

St Stephens Primary School)

Sporting Success at St Stephens Continues....


D uring April, Year 3 pupils at

Beecroft Primary School

exhibited art work at Kirkstall

Abbey Museum.

They produced drawings, prints and

plaster casts based round the

designs on floor tiles from different

times and cultures.

Beecroft Primary Art At The Abbey

W e at Kirkstall St Stephen‟s

Primary School are continuing

our work towards the Stephen

Lawrence Education Standard (SLES). As

part of this we have recently set up a link

with Lady Elizabeth Hastings Primary

School in Collingham, so that we can

work together in our pursuit of SLES.

As part of this we are going to be putting

on a very exciting event – a joint pop

concert featuring all of the children from

both schools, which will be held on Friday

17th June at 6.30pm.

We are going to be working with a group

called “Pop Connection” who aim to bring

the school, church and community

together through this initiative (for more

information on Pop Connection, please

visit www.popconnection.co.uk). Pop

Connection will come into school to teach

the children a selection of catchy pop-style

songs; the same group will also teach the

children at Collingham the same songs.

At the end of the week Pop Connection

will record the children singing the songs

at school, mix and master them in their

studio, and give every child the chance to

buy a CD of their own music.

The two schools will then come together

on Friday 17th June to perform the songs

in what promises to be a fantastic grand

finale. It will be held in the cloisters at

Kirkstall Abbey, a very prestigious venue.

We would love to see as many members

of the church and community at the

concert, as well as the children and their

families. Tickets will be available from

the school from Tuesday 7th June.

■ Ben Henry

Pop Connection At Kirkstall St Stephens

SCHOOLS


Victorian

Schoolroom Year 3 spent a delightful day

at the Victorian school room at

Armley Mills. We were all

given special Victorian names

and we spent the day being

treated as Victorian children. I

am so glad that we go to

Hawksworth Wood in 2011

because the children would

often get the cane for the

littlest thing. If you were left

handed, you would be getting

a lot of the cane!!

Our behaviour was so fantastic

that for the first time, ALL the

children received certificates to

celebrate the day. Mrs Padden

was so proud of us as we

returned to school….. and

thank goodness back to 2011.

Hawksworth Wood Primary School News

What A Royal

Occasion. A day we will never forget as

the whole of Hawksworth

Wood Primary School was

invited to William and

Catherine‟s wedding! Even the

visiting OFSTED inspectors

couldn‟t help but be amazed

by the Bride and Groom, the

Best Man, Matron of Honour,

Bridesmaids and Ushers.

All the school enjoyed a

garden party outside in the

school quad. A special song

written by the school was

performed. A brilliant

afternoon was had by all.

By Brighton.

A poem for my mum

I love my mum.

Her hair is as shiny as glit-

tering gold.

Her smile is as comforting as

a fluffy cushion.

Her eyes are as brown as an

Easter egg.

Her skin is as soft as fur on

a kitten.

Her kiss is as warm as the

midday sun.

Her love warms me up.

I love my mum

Bolton Makwedza

A poem for mum

I love my mum.

Her hair is as soft as a baby

kitten.

Her smile is as warm as a

relaxing bath.

Her eyes are as brown as hot

chocolate.

Her skin is as soft as a

fluffy cloud.

Her kiss is as warm as a new

born lamb.

Her love is as kind as her

heart.

I love my mum.

Jacqueline McIlwaine

A poem for my mum

I love my mum.

Her hair is as soft as a much

loved teddy.

Her smile is as warm as a

good cup of tea.

Her eyes are as brown as

sweet hot chocolate.

Her skin is as soft as a new

born lamb.

Her kiss is as warm as a

cuddly toy.

Her love warms my heart.

I love my mum.

Jo Halliday

A poem for my mum

I love my mum.

Her hair is as soft as heav-

enly clouds.

Her smile is shiny as a

crystal ball.

Her eyes are as blue as the

deep blue sea.

Her skin is smooth as silk.

Her arms are as comforting

as a bubbling bubble bath.

Her kiss is as relaxing as

heaven.

Her love keeps me safe.

I love my mum.

Eli Robinson

Mothers Day Poems In year 3, we wrote some special poems for our special mum‟s to

celebrate Mother‟s Day.

SCHOOLS


Hawksworth

Wood Hat Trick! Hawksworth Wood Primary

School retained their third

Family of Schools Rounder‟s

Trophy in a row on

Wednesday May 18th, when

they beat Iveson Primary in

the area final. They now go on

to the Grand Finals on June

13th at Allerton High School.

The game was a close event

with Iveson being great hosts.

The power of the hitting from

the boys and the girls of

Hawksworth plus the superb

fielding was the difference

between the two sides. “It was

a great release after SATs ,”

Dominic the captain said, “…

that‟s why we hit the ball so

hard!”

Leeds Book Club

Awards These six children from

Hawksworth Wood Primary

School are not only taking part

in this year‟s Leeds Book

Awards, but have been chosen

do a presentation about „The

Quest of the Warrior Sheep.‟

The authors, Christine &

Christopher Russell, will also

be attending the ceremony at

Leeds Civic Hall on May 24th

where they will see us perform

our „rap‟ that we wrote in our

literacy lesson…..

POEM OF THE WARRIOR

SHEEP – an extract…

Let us introduce ourselves:

The Warrior Sheep we is -

Links, Oxo, Jaycey, Wills and

Sal,

We‟re here to do “the biz!”

One sunny morn a “baaton”

Hit Jaycey from above

And so began our earnest

quest

To return “baaton” with love.

“Baaton” was the mobile

phone

Of two big bad men - innit -

Who‟d hacked a bank‟s

computer

And so they tried to bin it!

Our farm is Tod and Ida

White‟s.

Ida is Tod‟s granny.

And Neil and Luke (whose

phone it is)

Had stolen Ida‟s money.

To take “baaton” to Aries

We first jumped on a truck

Which took us straight to

London -

That was a bit of luck!

Luke and Neil had followed us

Through wily schemes and

tricks

But riding on the London Eye,

Our methane made them sick!!

By The book club 6.

Climate Cops

Today class 6D had a

wonderful time doing a project

called „Climate Cops.‟ Climate

cops are people who have a

passion all about changing the

environment, and how to

improve it.

F i rs t they i n tr odu ced

themselves and gave us

information on what we

would be doing today. Next

they gave t-shirts to all of us.

We really felt like a team! We

had a range of interactive

activities which reinforced the

message about saving our

planet in the future.

In addition we had a brilliant

quiz in a really interesting

booklet before using a rowing

machine and a flashing

Smartscreen to

measure energy

in watts. We

learnt so much

and we had so

m u c h f u n

making a pledge

to change the

w o r l d. O u r

pledges were to:

turn the lights off

when not needed

and to turn things off

from stand – by at

home.

By Callum and

Lauren.

SCHOOLS


Kirkstall Harriers Jill Stocks tells us about a busy start to 2011 with lots going on in Yorkshire and further afield!

L ots of Kirkstall Harriers took part in

the popular Brass Monkey from

York Racecourse in January; popular

as it is flat, not so popular in that it is a

few weeks after Christmas and training has

been somewhat overtaken by food and

booze. Nonetheless there was a pb for

Eleanor Franks who knocked two minutes

off and Adam Moger completed his first

half marathon in 1:39:34. Adam went on to

knock three minutes off this time at the

very hilly Liversedge half marathon in Feb-

ruary. Another excellent performance at

Liversedge came from Kevin Longmate

who achieved a pb of 1:31:41 and came in

in 38th position.

Adam continued his impressive run of

results with a 5k pb at the Hyde Park Park-

run of 20:10. Adam also won the Parkrun

prize of the month for doing all five Park-

runs in January including New Years Day

(and apparently Christmas Day!!) volun-

teering to pace a group round at the last

one in January. He won a pair of trainers

for his efforts.

Three nutters in the shape of Rachel and

Graham Pilling and Eleanor Franks, known

as Team Hotpants, ably supported by

Rachels dad, took part in the Tough Guy

at the end of January. Some indication of

the type of course we are talking about

here is that they had to sign a ―Death

Warrant‖ before starting, accepting full

responsibility should they sustain serious

injury or death (!!!) whilst taking part. I

wouldn't be able to do justice to it suffi-

ciently here so I will just say that this was

no normal run! It involved climbing and

sliding down, and up, vertical slopes, po-

tential electric shocks (!), climbing under

numerous nets in a style similar to a Kryp-

ton Factor assault course (but far worse)

and a lot of icy water. Rachel sums up the

day as such: ―Horrible, evil, at times un-

bearable and cold beyond belief, but I'd

recommend it to everyone. It's the most

amazing challenge and I am very proud of

what Team Hotpants achieved that day!‖.

Phil Hewitt completed the Noonstone Fell

Race in Todmorden at the end of Febru-

ary, a nine mile race with 2,300 feet of

ascent, in a great time of 1:28:43 coming

48th , in preparation for the Yorkshire

Three Peaks race in May.

12 Harriers took part in the Bradford 10k

in March, with Peter Britton, Alan Gladwell

and Chris Hunt all getting PB's. On the

same day Adam Moger (that man again!)

and Eleanor Franks both got PB's at the

East Hull 20 miler, part of their trining for

the London Marathon. Rachel Pilling took

part in the Wilmslow Half marathon in

March. And Laura De Graff got her first

sub two hour half marathon at Silverstone,

also in March.

20 members took part in our club handi-

cap race, the Chairmans Chase, at the end

of March. First over the line was Kevin

Blackhurst, followed by Sam Carroll and

Helen Thompson. Then we all retired to

the Postal Club for some well earned food

and beer. Several of our very popular (???)

three mile time trials have also taken place

in the winter months and thanks to Chair

Peter Hey for his hard work in organising

all the timings for these events.

Adam Moger was at it again at the Jolly

Holly Jog 10k in April (no not a mis-print,

a race postponed from December!) and

then got a pb at the Overgate 10k in Hali-

fax a week later!

Several Harriers took part in the Baildon

Boundary Way half in April, a gruelling

and hilly half marathon taking in the beau-

tiful surroundings of Baildon Moor, and

then the Guiseley Gallop on Easter Sun-

day, part of a three race series which ends

with Meanwood Valley Trail Race at the

end of May.

Peco Cross Country Season Ends

The last race of the season took place in

the beautiful, but hilly, surroundings of

Otley Chevin. We have had a pretty good

season with some very good individual

performances. Peter Branney was second

overall in the senior category, Paul Glover

second in the male over 60's and Sheila

King second in her age group, though I

could not possibly reveal a ladies age.

Team wise the chaps managed to stay in

SPORT


the Premier League, with the down side

being that had we been relegated we

could possibly have won the first division

again next year, and the ladies team

ended third in their league.

Northern and National Cross Country

Championships

The Northern Cross Country Champion-

ships took place in Sunderland at the end

of January. Gemma Smith, Peter Branney

and Helen Fearns, in her first event of this

type, all represented the club, with

Gemma coming in 30th lady, Helen 181st

and Peter 86th in a tough event.

The National Cross Country Champion-

ships took place at a very muddy Alton

Towers in February. Phil Hewitt and Peter

Branney represented the chaps while

Gemma Smith, Eleanor Franks, Rachel Pill-

ing, Helen Fearns and yours truly repre-

sented the girls. Eleanor and myself were

rather excitable at the start line as we

lined up next to no less than Liz Yelling.

And I'm pleased to say I ran with her. For

ten seconds as she lapped me at speed. In

what was once again a tough field, Peter

was 195th and Phil 688th. In a field of 552

ladies Gemma was 80th and I was pleased

not to be last in 523rd place. A pretty

good example of how varied in ability and

speed our club members are! Many thanks

to Bal Sandhu for helping us out by ob-

taining and driving the minibus for us and

for her support.

London Marathon

We had five runners at this years London

Marathon. First Harrier home was Adam

Moger in 3:49, his first marathon, followed

closely by Ben Mason in 4 hours, Matt

Sykes-Hooban with a PB of 4:04, Amy

Richards in 4:10 and our resident celebrity

and new Guiness World Record Holder

Eleanor Franks in 4:11. See elsewhere in

this issue for more about that. As in previ-

ous years yours truly, ably assisted by my

mum and Collette Spencer enjoyed a

weekend in London, helping at the start

line and cheering on all the runners. Well

done to all the runners and support team

and good luck to Ben Mason who is mov-

ing on to a new job and pastures new in

Sheffield.

Presentation Evening

The annual presentation evening took

place this year at the West End House in

February. First, second and third places in

the Club Championship were awarded to

Rachel Pilling, Eleanor Franks and Phil

Hewitt and Sportsman and Sportswoman

of the year (drum roll please) went to Elea-

nor Franks and Phil Hewitt. There was also

a special award for Gemma Smith for her

winning performance in Leeds Half Mara-

thon 2010. Congratulations to all and a

good night was had by all!

AGM

The clubs AGM took place in February and

with the exception of the election of two

new committee members, Phil Hewitt and

Helen Fearns, and the loss of one, Helen

Marshall, there was no real controversy to

report! The existing officers, Chairman,

Secretary and Treasurer were also re-

elected, their cunning plan for escape hav-

ing failed.

The next few months

As usual we will be busy in the summer

months. So lets hope the weather is kind

to us! There are lots of races coming up,

social events and all sorts of challenges.

The Yorskhire Vets season starts again

soon, the Club Championship continues

and much much more. Until next time!

■ Jill Stocks

SPORT


T wo years ago I bought

an ex-display wedding

dress from EBay for £20

with the intention of running in

it in the 2009 London

Marathon to try and set a new

Guinness World Record (GWR)

for ‗fastest marathon in a

wedding dress‘. I got injured

that year and pulled out, the

dress went up in the loft and I

forgot about it almost entirely.

Whilst rummaging through my

loft in February this year, the

dress appeared again and, with

my wedding being in July this

year, decided that if I was ever

going to run a marathon in a

wedding dress then this should

be the year! A few weeks later

with my GWR application

accepted, I found myself at the

Tower Hotel in London the

Friday morning before the race

with 7 other GWR hopefuls for

our photo-call and press

conference.

Posing for 50+ photographers

was a crazy feeling but I

quickly got used to my new-

found fame and have to admit

I absolutely loved the

a t t e n t i o n ! I h a d

'celebrities' (ahem!) coming up

to ME to talk to me about the

wedding dress, people wanting

interviews for TV, newspapers

and radio and random tourists

wanting their photo with me

on the tube. Absolutely nuts!

By the time the race started I

have to say I was totally

exhausted. Due to appearing

on the One Show on Friday

night then a long day at the

Expo on Saturday, I did not get

enough sleep or enough to eat

which definitely did not set me

up for a good race. However to

focus on the positives, of

which there were loads – I got

to start from the green start

(celebrities, Good For Age and

Guinness World Record

runners) which meant a fast

start and also that I got to see

everyone else from Kirkstall

Harriers running as they

overtook me one by one on

the way round! Adam Moger

was first quite early on,

mumbling something about

how slow his start from the

blue start was, possibly at

about 20 miles but I've no idea

as my memory is so hazy, Ben

Mason overtook me saying

something about ―not really

running‖ (possibly referring to

running slower than he'd

hoped for? A feeling I could

certainly relate to at that point)

and finally right in the last

800m at Birdcage Walk, Matt

Sykes-Hooban came storming

past me looking fresh as a

daisy and gave me a quick sort

of ―can't stop!‖ and carried on

to finish with a 3 minute PB,

excellent work. I have to say an

absolutely huge thank you to

the final Harrier running, Amy

Richards, who found me within

the first mile and then ran with

me the entire way. Her support

was fantastic and really quite a

comfort when it got tough in

the later stages when we were

both struggling in the heat.

The crowds were even more

amazing than usual thanks to

the wedding dress and I had

cheers the whole way round

which kept me going. I was

very surprised at how many

other runners stopped for a

chat on the way too, and one

who even ran ahead of me 3

times to take a photo of me

which was quite amusing.. and

several who nearly crashed

into other runners due to

looking back at me as they

overtook! The London

Marathon to me is all about

the crowds and these little

moments that make you smile

when you think back.

I can honestly say I've never

been so happy to see a finish

line as this year. Of the 9

marathons I've run it was

definitely the toughest, both

physically and mentally. I still

don't know how much of it was

down to the dress and how

much was the heat in general

or other factors, but boy did I

struggle out there! So despite

a target time of 3.50 - 4hrs, I

w a sn ‘ t ac tu a l l y to o

disappointed with my 4.11.01.

The Worlds Fastest Marathon Bride! Eleanor Franks explains why this year's London Marathon weekend

was without a doubt the most surreal weekend of her life so far!

SPORT


SPORT

Kirkstall Leisure Centre

offers Active Life sessions

for the over 45s every

Tuesday and Thursday.

To book and for further

i n f or mat i on c on t ac t

Allyson Bertram

Phone

0113 395 0196

Email

[email protected]


Kirkstall Lane, Leeds, LS5 3BE

Carole Anne BA (Hons)

Oasis Adv Dip Therapeutic Counselling

Counsellor

Low self-esteem Relationship Issues Anxiety/Stress Loss/Bereavement Family Matters Meditation Group Spiritual Counselling

Please visit my website at: www.lovingcounsel.co.uk

I offer a confidential service

within a healing space.

BACP reg

Contact Carole Anne 0113 258 1126

As soon as I crossed the finish

line the GWR people shoved a

certificate in my hands and

made me turn round and look

up to the photographers who

sit on top of the finish line

which was quite overwhelming

as I was convinced I was going

to collapse! A couple of quick

interviews with GWR and BBC

Radio London and a goodbye

hug with Amy and I was finally

on my way out of the finish

area to find my parents. At

some point on the walk over to

them the weight of the day

caught up with me and I burst

into tears, crying quite

hysterically for a good 10 mins

or so until in the arms of my

lovely parents... who have

come to watch me in enough

marathons now to know that

the tears mean absolutely

nothing beyond a flood of

emotion.

―I received a call from

ITV's This Morning to

ask if I would appear as

a guest on their show‖

The surreal adventure did not

end there though – oh no!

Midweek I had received a call

from ITV's This Morning to ask

if I would appear as a guest on

their show on Monday

morning which I was hardly

going to turn down... so

Sunday night Jill and I were

put up in a nice hotel in

Kensington by ITV and whisked

off to the This Morning at

6am the next morning. Yes,

6am!!! despite not being on air

until 11.15am... hmm. The

whole experience was heaps of

fun and we were treated and

pampered like real celebrities.

Monday evening, 30 mins after

stepping through my door I

was collected to appear on

ITV's Calendar News in which

I actually got to speak more

than 5 words so that was nice,

and on Tuesday I got to prattle

on about all sorts for about 8

minutes on BBC Radio Leeds!

Many many thanks to Jill,

Collette and Jill's Mum for

coming down to support and

cheer us on at the race, and to

Jill for accompanying me on

the ITV adventure afterwards.

Also massive thanks to

everyone who has sponsored

me. I have just upped my

target from £500 to £2,000 as I

want to continue until at least

this figure. As many of you

know, I'm running for

Yorkshire Cancer Centre who

have helped two of my friends

with breast cancer recently so

it's a charity I really support. If

you haven't but would like to

sponsor me please visit

w w w . j u s t g i v i n g . c o m /

eleanorweddingdress

I've just agreed to run in the

dress again (gulp!) at the

Bridlington Festival of Running

on Saturday 4th June so that

should be interesting,

especially as I might be the

only one in fancy dress this

time, eek!

―Is it enough to hold

just one Guinness

World Record I find

myself wondering?! ―

Whilst I try to resume normal

life again and get back to

wedding planning, I do have

that niggling voice in my head

―but what will I run as next

year?‖ Is it enough to hold just

one Guinness World Record I

find myself wondering?!

■ Eleanor Franks

Photo by Michael Lyons

Photography


KIRKSTALL ABBEY TENNIS CLUB Playing at Kirkstall Abbey

Free coaching for juniors and adults

Tournaments Social events

Membership: Adults £25 Family £50

Juniors £5

Concessions for Priority Leeds Card Holders

New members welcome

For more information contact: Jason Sears 07814 549170

email:[email protected]


L eeds Canoe Club is based on the

bank of the River Aire at Kirkstall,

next to the Leeds Rhinos training

ground. Established in 1947, it is one of

the premier canoe clubs in Yorkshire and

was the first to be set up in West

Yorkshire. We are British Canoe Union

(BCU) affiliated and an extremely active

club, with coaching and practice sessions

at Armley Sports Centre and Sunday river

trips running all year round. Our evening

river sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays

at Kirkstall have recently recommenced for

the summer, and will run until September.

Our main activity is white water kayaking,

but our members also regularly participate

in kayak surfing, play boating, and touring.

Our polo team represents us at regional

level, and many of our members are

successful slalom competitors. We also

organise a National Division Wild Water

Racing meeting on the Washburn (a dam

release river near Otley), which helps to

choose the GB racing team.

There are several extended trips

throughout the year, catering for novices

to advanced level paddlers. These trips will

typically include white water weekends in

the Lake District, Wales and Scotland,

slalom competitions, longer trips to

Europe, and the annual Liffey Descent

river race in Dublin.

The Club is involved in several community

events, including the Kirkstall Festival in

July where everyone is welcome to come

and try kayaking or canoeing on the river

by the grounds of the Abbey.

Naturally we have an interest in

maintaining and developing a safe, clean

and fun environment where we can enjoy

our sport. We are currently involved with

the Kirkstall Valley Park redevelopment

project, which we hope will lead to the

establishment of a white water course on

the River Aire, and last spring we

organised a litter picking day along the

stretch of river we use regularly for

training and practice.

Getting involved in canoeing or kayaking

is easier than you might think. We have a

good range of boats and kit for begginers

to use, and full membership is just £35 per

year. Family membership is £45 per year.

River sessions and Sunday river trips are

free for full members.

But you don‘t have to sign up for

membership straight away without trying

the sport out first. If you are totally new to

it or have little experience, we have

qualified instructors who will train you in

the safety of the pool at Armley Sports

Centre. Following these introductory pool

sessions you can progress onto the river

where we have training sessions on

Thursday evenings throughout the

summer. We also have a more informal

paddling session on Tuesday evenings

throughout the summer. There is usually

at least one Sunday river trip for beginners

every month, but often more during the

summer months.

Once you have joined the Club you can

paddle with us as often as you like, and

you are always welcome to return to the

pool sessions at Armley Sports Centre to

learn and practice new skills.

If you‘re interesting in booking onto a

session or like to find out more about the

Club and how to join, please take a look at

our website at www.leedscanoeclub.co.uk

and feel free to contact a committee

member through the contacts page.

■ Katie Coffield

SPORT


Richard Hancock‘s Year of Running Richard Hancock ran an impressive 40 races in 2010 and has

shared with us his race diary entitled ‗2010, a year of running

(badly!)‘ We love these notes and anecdotes and hope they will

provide inspiration to anyone planning races for 2011

11am on the 1/1/2010 and I

was on the start line of the

Cleethorpes 10k with my pre

race supper of lager and a

large donner kebab playing

havoc with my digestive

system! During the run I

decided that my goal for the

year would be to set a new 10k

pb and do a 10 mile race. This

was going to be easier said

than done as I had never run

further than 8 miles and I‘m a

slow runner who is usually to

be found engaged in some

banter and race tomfoolery as

I amble along at the back of

the race!

7/3 Peco xc, put on by St

Theresa‘s ac, a cold day for

running over fields!

14/3 South Leeds 5k, a nice

finish on the track in front of

the main stand at the South

Leeds stadium.

21/3 Bradford 10k, a steady

out and back course with a

number of purple kirkstall

vests in the field,

28/3 Wakefield 10k, another

out and back course with a few

hills, a local run for me. Fellow

harriers .Isaac Dell, Kevin

Longmate and Ian Brown were

there.

4/4 Guiseley Gallop, gallop I

was moving at the speed of a

cart horse! Purple vests a

plenty at Guiseley, a nice bottle

of ale for all finishers.

18/4 The Pennine 10k,

postponed from 4/1, starting

at Hipperholme it‘s a down hill

run to Brighouse then a long

climb back to Hipperholme. All

finishers received an engraved

glass, made a change from the

usual t shirt.

3/5 Rothwell 10k, 15 purple

vests from Kirkstall were to be

seen, managed to score a few

points towards the club

championship.

9/5 Beverley 10k, light rain for

most of the run, a steady climb

over the common and then a

scenic finish in the town

centre. Fellow harrier Malcolm

Denison was there.

19/5 Askern 10k, a short trip

up the M62, nice course with

one hard climb.

27/5 Apperley Bridge Canter, 8

purple vests were running , I

managed to canter to the

finish and then gallop to the

bar for a post race pint the

George and Dragon!

6/6 Goole riverbank challenge

8.8 miles, a flat multi terrain

race, that goes from Goole to

Barton and back.. The after

race bag contained a duster

and a bottle of car polish!

1/6 Kirkstall Yorkshire vets, oh

the joys of a summer nights

meander around the Abbey in

the rain!

16/6 Pudsey Yorkshire vets, if I

remember rightly this is where

I decided to take a mud bath!

22/6 Meanwood Yorkshire

vets, a pleasant evenings

ramble in the woods. Turned

47 two days ago so I can now

blame the old arthritis excuse

for my slow running!

27/6 Rainton 10k, the

temperature was 84c at the 12

noon start. Oh how I laughed

as ran along the course in the

sun, at the finish I stood under

a cold garden sprinkler to cool

off! As the Noel Coward song

goes ―Only mad dogs and

kirkstall harriers go out in the

midday sun‖.

4/7 Leeds 10k, always a good

atmosphere here, again several

purple vest seen, highlight for

me was Nell McAndrew

signing my race number,

unfortunately she turned down

my offer of a night out at the

LPSA club followed by a fish

and chip supper!

7/7 Helen Windsor 10k at

Greetland, a hilly run on the

Pennine moors, part of the

course was shared with the

Halifax cycling club road race,

SPORT


it was unusual to be overtaken

by racing cyclists, overtaken by

runners a frequent happening!

Good quality pair of running

socks to all finishers.

9/7 Walkington 10k, a hilly

course with good crowds

along the route, nice t shirt for

all finishers, fellow harrier

Malcolm was there.

11/7 Eccup 10, my first 10 mile

race, 14 members of the

purple army were at the start.

Enjoyed the race and finished

in 1:34:03, I was so happy at

finishing I wore my Eccup 10 t

shirt all week!

14/7 Laxton 10k, whilst waiting

for the race start at 7pm the

Laxton monsoon season

commenced, such was the

torrential rain fall my race

number became that sodden

and it fell off. When finishing I

had to tell the time keeper my

number, I cant remem-ber my

name after a race let alone my

number! Nice post race

presentation do in the village

hall and for a small fee you

could enjoy a fine selection of

Yorkshire Wolds brewery ales

to help quench the runners

thirst.

18/7 The Burton Leonard 10k,

a tough hilly multi terrain race,

this and Rainton are part of the

Black Sheep race series.

25/7 Harrogate 10k, a hilly run

around the spa town, starts

and finishes by the theatre

royal..

1/8 The Idle trail race, a multi

terrain course around

Horsforth and Apperley Bridge,

Harriers Rachel Pilling, Tom

Kebeer and Kimberley Ridout

also ran..

18/8 Oh the joys of the very

very hilly Yorkshire vets run at

Stainland, I believe the race

went up the side of Alp

Stainland!

22/8 Eskrick 10k, going out

towards York this is a flat multi

terrain race that was run on a

very warm day. Fellow harrier

Phil Hewitt finished in 15th

place and he was waiting at

the finish to cheer me across

the line in 148th place out of

260 finishers.

25/8 Fremington edge fell race

at Reeth show. Gone to Reeth

show as I had entered my

runner beans and a photo in

the show. When filling out the

show forms a week earlier I

suffered a bout of runners

lunacy and ticked the box to

enter the fell race. Just a mere

800 foot climb in a mile and

back down! There was weeping

wailing and gnashing of teeth

as I struggled up the climb, at

the summit I could hear over

the loudspeaker that the

winner had just finished in 19

minuets. On the way down I

remember shouting several un

gentlemanly phrases as I

stumbled down the fell! A race

bag of fruit water and

chocolate was waiting for me

at the finish, unfortunately as

my face was the same colour

as my club vest and I had lost

of control of all my bodily

functions I waited a while

before enjoying my feast .

Finished in 32:10 and

unbelievably I didn‘t finish last

I was 51st out of 53 runners. I

also received a 3rd prize for

my photo and a 2nd prize for

my runner beans.

29/8 Chesterfields spire 10

mile race, the first 4 miles are

up hill then the next 6 are

reasonably flat, a pleasant race

with plenty of water stops, one

of them being at a village pub,

here I was tempted to have a

half of lager and a bag of

crisps!

30/8 Spofforth gala trail 10k

race, a multi terrain run that

has the option of running

through a bog! Kevin

Blackhurst, Diane Shaw, Patrick

Nesden and Ian Brown were at

the race.

5/9 Stainland 7, roughly

meaning 2 miles down hill 5

miles up hill, if you like hills

you will enjoy this race, nice

race bag at the finish that

included a back pack. Malcolm

Denison was 35th and I

staggered home 101st out of

125!

12/9 Sandal castle multi terrain

10k, only a mile from where I

live so its my local run. Kevin

Longmate finished in 22nd

place and Isaac Dell was 268th

and I was 269th out of 459

runners.

26/9 Horsforth 10k, 11 harriers

were there, I struggled along

this course due to a ‘bad pint‘

the night before!

10/10 a 125 mile round trip for

the Ampleforth 7 run. A scenic

undulating off road race

through woodlands on the

Ampleforth estate.

17/10 Due to another moment

of runners madness I was at

the start of the Bradford ½

marathon stood with Isaac and

Burjor. My first ½ marathon

and boy was it a hilly one.

There was a severe bout of

cursing at the 11 mile mark as

there was a 1 in 5 hill to climb,

finally finished in 2:10:39

24/10 Wistow 10 mile, ran with

Patrick for about 8 miles then

Patrick raced off to the finish

and I next saw him applauding

me over the line. A steady flat

course good chance of getting

a pb here.

31/10 The guy Fawkes 10, a

tough hilly course, didn‘t run

at all well here due to feeling

unwell, rather disappointed

with my time however the

excellent after race bag was

full of articles to cheer me up.

11 Harriers came out to play

with Guy Fawkes.

7/11 The first peco of the

2010/11 season and I along

with other harriers were under

starters orders at Pontefract

racecourse, as I finished well

down the field I asked the

jockey club for a stewards

enquiry!

14/11 Barnsley 10k, a very

enjoyable road race with 2

climbs, Malcolm was here

again . The race is well

supported by the people of

Royston .

21/11 The Abbey dash10k, my

favourite 10k. Many purple

vests seen, also roadside

support at the sports centre

and canal road.. Decide to run

at the speed of a Tunisian

tourist boarding the aircraft for

his flight home and did a pb of

51:31.

26/12 The final race of the year

the Ward Green 6 near

Barnsley, a hilly 2 lap race, with

a good friendly atmosphere.

The excessive amount of

festive food and drink that I

had consumed on the 25th left

me feeling somewhat lethargic

and I struggled home in 81st

place out of 92 boxing day

runners.

Over the past year I‘ve enjoyed

running in 40 races should

have been 42 but due to snow

the Thirsk 10 and Denby Dale 6

were postponed until 2011.

Last year I wore the Kirkstall

vest with pride in some of the

major town and city races in

England. Rainton, Laxton

Sandal and Cleethorpes to

name a few!

In 2010 I enjoyed the support,

humour and camaraderie of

my fellow Kirkstall Harriers,

other runners and race

marshals. Last year those

m a g i c a l w o r d s o f

encouragement ―Come on

Kirkstall‖ were heard many

times by a certain purple

vested runner who was to be

found running near the back of

the race.

11am 1/1/2011,and another

year of running commenced as

I crossed start line of the

Cleethorpes 10k!

SPORT


For The Beginner How is that courgette plant doing in the pot/? Don't let the

compost dry out, especially as it starts to produce those large

leaves and even better, eventually courgettes which grow when a

flower has died.

Hanging baskets and pots, similarly,

don‘t let them dry out, you will notice

the plants start to wilt! They may need

watering every day. Also, nip off the

dead flowers and the plants should go

on producing flowers longer. Feeding

once a week with a plant food will help

it along after it‘s been in flower for a

month.

If you have potatoes in containers, Water them well when the

flowers appear and you can harvest them once the flower are

open. Have a feel under the compost!

What could you plant? Well, if you have a warm windowsill, you

could try some pansy seeds in June and July. When the

seedlings have several leaves and look like tiny pansy plants,

gently prise them apart and ―pot on‖. This means put them

singly into bigger pots, like yoghurt pots (make holes in the

bottom0 Then you could put these plants outside to grow a bit

bigger, then transfer them in the Autumn into your flower pots

and hanging baskets, to over winter. They will come into flower

early next spring.

In September you could put hyacinth, daffodils or crocus bulbs

into pots for Christmas flowering. Keep outdoors for 8 weeks

then bring them in. Give these go and see if they work!

Spare to share? Any seeds or plants to swap? Want rid of that greenhouse or

shed? Are you looking for plant pots? If you have the internet

.Put the Kirkstall Online web site on your desktop.

Log onto and click on the discussion forum at the top

click on the red ―Click here. ..‖

register to be a forum user.

post things under ―Kirkstall Loves Gardening‖

Post your idea/swap/need and wait for e mails to drop in!

Get chatting to other local gardeners, who are always happy to

share advice.

Not to be missed this summer All of these are worth a visit to not only enjoy the exhibits but

also pick up tips from expert growers.

7/8 August Leeds Flower Show at Leeds Grammar School

28 August the Dahlia and Chrysanthemum trial beds at

Golden Acre Park

24 September Paxton Early Autumn show at Paxton Hall

Now is the time for an allotment! Currently, around a third of the Church lane allotments remain

unoccupied and the association would welcome new plot

holders. Please contact the secretary, James Shaw, on

[email protected] or 07880 980827.

Look up!!! And you might see a Red Kite as it

flies over. At the turn of the 20th

century, there were just a handful of

red kites in the UK, and the few that

remained were confined to remote

Welsh valleys. A jigsaw of red kite

reintroductions across the UK began

in 1990, including at Golden Acre

park, to help bring the kite back to

its former range and have proved to

be one of the greatest conservation

success stories ever. Seven per cent

of the world‘s red kite population is

now in the UK.

Look out! For harlequin lady birds that are

threatening our native ones.

Spotting them will drive you dotty!

We love ladybirds but The Harlequin

ladybird is one of the most invasive

species in the world. It took the Grey

squirrel 100 years to spread

throughout the UK – it has taken the

Harlequin ladybird less than 7 years

to do the same.

It seems a bit mean, but Harlequins are merciless! Once it has

finished feeding on aphids in the crops it then turns its attention

to other ladybird eggs and larvae and even the eggs and

caterpillars of moths and butterflies. Spotting the difference can

be quite problematic as there are several species of native

ladybird , that can be orange, red, burgundy and black with

different combinations of spots, or even stripes! Harlequins

ladybirds are bigger and rounder, . . If that‘s any help!

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/

ENVIRONMENT

In The Garden By Vanessa Strachan and Graham

Wheatley from Paxton Horticultural

Society.


Paxton Horticultural Society

PAXTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY is based at 186, Kirkstall

Lane, Leeds, LS5 2AB.

An Evening With Bob Flowerdew

In 1886 the Paxton Horticultural Society was founded and, to kick

off our 125th Anniversary, we were delighted on Friday 25 March

to welcome our Patron, Bob Flowerdew, who gave an excellent

presentation entitled "No Work Gardening".

The hall was packed and

those present enjoyed an

entertaining and thought

provoking talk by a man who

thinks very deeply about

horticulture. The main theme

running through the evening

was to question why you do

things and are they really

necessary. For example he

doesn't agree with the need

to wash pots or double dig,

and his advice on "Gardening

Experts" was not to slavishly

follow everything they say but

to only use the bits that suited you. He was of the opinion that if

you are growing fruit and vegetables only grow what you can eat.

Bob believes that the hoe is the most important tool for weeding

and finds it hard to understand why people don't bother to keep

it sharp. Although he takes his subject very seriously his

presentation covered lots of topics and his delivery was both

amusing and informative.

After the presentation Bob chatted amiably to members of the

audience as he signed copies of his various books.

■ Graham Wheatley

Come and join us on a Saturday evening, when a friendly group

of about 15—20 of us have a light hearted, but helpful and

interesting discussion about gardening topics. There are lots of

other gardening groups meeting during the week, so please

contact Graham Wheatley - on 0113 2563055 or email at

[email protected] if you need to know more details.

ENVIRONMENT

JUNE Plant out vegetable seedlings. In warm and sunny, baskets and containers may need watering every day. Rock gardens may need attention and plants which have flowered can be cut back.

JULY

Plant autumn flowering bulbs such as

Amaryllis, Nerine, Colchicum, Crocus.

Tomatoes should now be fed and side shoots

removed weekly.

Put nets over soft fruit to protect from birds.

Cut and dry herbs for winter use.

Root cuttings of shrubs such as Cistus,

Hypericum, Cotoneaster etc. - insert into

gritty cutting compost, cover with compost

and avoid full sun.

AUGUST Sow spring cabbage. Take fuchsia and pelargonium cuttings for growing on in greenhouse. Harvest last of rhubarb, allowing last leaves to remain to build up energy for next year. Plunge small pots of soil into strawberry beds and peg runners into them - when rooted cut away from parent plant. Start cyclamen corms into growth. Take cuttings of shrubs and root them outdoors.

SEPTEMBER

Watch out for early frost and bring in

tender plants which have been outside for

Summer.

Plant evergreens, conifers and spring

flowering bulbs and lilies.

Sow hardy annuals outdoors for blooms next

summer.

Pot up any rooted cuttings.

Pot up bulbs for New Year display - Make

sure Hyacinths are potted up before mid

October.

Clear away tatty looking summer bedding

plants.

Pull up tomato plants and hang upside

down in a shed to protect from frost, taking

in a few at a time to ripen.


ENVIRONMENT

St Stephens Sensory Garden

T he Groundwork Leeds Future Jobs Fund Community

Growing Team was approached by Amanda Hargreaves

from the St Stephens Day Centre after work was

completed on a food growing space in the grounds of St

Stephens Primary. Her vision was to create an inviting and

enchanting garden at the front of the day centre that would

entice both visitors to the centre and passersby alike.

Previously overgrown and underused, her aim was to create a

sensory garden that would be appealing to people of all ages but

have features and plants that would provide experiential learning

and the opportunity for sensory exploration by the younger

children who are regular visitors to the centre.

Our team have designed a garden including a wide range of

plants with different sensory features; bamboos that rustle in the

wind, fragrant herbs and lavenders, climbing and trailing

colourful flowers, tasty plums, gages and cherries and plants with

textural leaves. Other features include a spectacular living willow

snail dome, a winding woodchip path, stepping stones, seating

and a rockery full of unusual alpine plants. The work is still

ongoing and we hope to complete the garden in June, ready for

the summer.

■ Sam Parry, Community Food Growing Officer

Groundwork


BTCV Hollybush Lottery Success

T he big news is that the BIG Lottery awarded us £336,964

from their Reaching Communities Programme for

Volunteer Inclusion and Support over the next four years.

The project includes the installation and equipment of a small

kitchen area and a wood workshop to broaden the range of

onsite activities that we can offer.

BTCV Hollybush has worked with many people with barriers to

employment over the years. This grant secures one part-time

post and has added two other part-time posts to provide the

staff hours to provide a better service to new volunteers and

importantly to mentor them during their time at Hollybush.

The targets are to support with over 200 people a year including

80 with a disadvantage who attend 5 times or more. The

programme offers an introductory interview, a six session

introductory course and ongoing support. In addition to

volunteering at BTCV Hollybush, individuals will be encouraged

to consider other activities, volunteering with other organisations

and options for healthier lifestyles.

Volunteer Help Needed

To help deliver all this BTCV needs to find more volunteers to

help with the woodwork, cookery, gardening and conservation

sessions plus assisting with publicity, events and administration.

You can volunteer with Hollybush every day of the week if you

like. There is always something going on, whether its going out

with one of our practical teams (Tuesday to Friday every week) to

do some hands on conservation work, supporting our students

on the gardening course or helping around the gardens at

Hollybush. Details are on www.btcv.org/leeds or ring 0113 274

2335

Have you got a project we could help with?

Our existing projects continue with the two Social Enterprise

teams busy in school grounds, greenspaces and the countryside.

Our turnover is now c £200k per year and the work is done by a

wide range of volunteers. The continuation of these teams is

essential to the Volunteer Support Programme – this Lottery

grant is paying for volunteer support and activity sessions at

Hollybush NOT for the minibuses and supervision of practical

projects. Work undertaken: food growing areas, seating, shade

structures, habitat management, footpath improvement, site

clearance

If you or your group or school have a project we could help with

then BTCV can assist with design, costings and fundraising. We

need to find 350 days work each year for the two teams.

NEW GROUP - FRIDAY GARDENING GROUP

We have a new group starting in June, for people who are

interested in gardening and food growing and maintaining the

grounds at Hollybush. For further information contact Jess on

0113 274 2335

Tea and cakes?

Our project for Adults with Learning Disability will be using the

new kitchen to offer light refreshments to booked groups (5 –

20+) visiting the wildlife garden or taking a break from a walk

along the canal. If your group is interested (10.30 – 2.30 Tuesday

to Friday) please ring up John Preston Manager

[email protected]

University Students and staff get

gardening at Oxley.

T he Bardon Grange project aims to support students, staff

and the local community in growing their own organic

fruit and veg, and gives people access to some growing

space, in an amazing walled garden.

We have gardening sessions most Wednesday afternoons and a

work day once a month at a weekend. You can join our Facebook

group ‗Bardon Grange Project

– grow your own‘ to keep up

to date with what we‘re up to

or email us to be added to the

mailing list.

We also have a membership

scheme (£5 for 12 months) for

people who want to help in the

garden and get a share of the

produce, take part in courses,

buy plants or compost from us,

or simply support the project.

ENVIRONMENT


T onight I went to meet

with Sarah Statham,

Kirsty Morton, Lou Brinn

and Rebecca Smolinski who

together make Esper Scout.

These Kirkstall based lasses are

great mates, three of them live

together and the other is just

up the road. They rehearse in

their basement more than

once a week and that‘s not

even mentioning the acoustic

jams and the ideas sessions –

how dedicated is that?! They

say it‘s not hard to practise

because they love being

around each other and they

love the music they make so

the more they can do it the

happier they are. The band

enthuse about and enjoyably

cultivate their love of melody,

harmony, rhythms and guitar

textures and pedal effects.

Sarah, one of the guitarists and

the lead vocalist, and Kirsty,

the other guitarist, were in a

band in Manchester call

Emetics and have been best

mates for ten years. They soon

met Rebecca (or Rebs as they

call her) through a mutual

friend who was just learning

the bass and decided they‘d

work really well together - so

now they had a bassist! After a

move to Leeds and finishing

another band they head

hunted the lovely Lou to be

their drummer. Here Esper

Scout was born!

What genre of music would

you place yourselves under?

“Well, we‟d say alternative

progressive rock/grunge. There

is more grunge coming through

in our new music than in our

debut 4-track E.P 'Kids & Pets'”

Who are you influenced by?

“We all have really diverse

tastes in music which seem to

come together when we play

and create new music.

Naturally from a young age

we‟ve been influenced by

female musicians like Courtney

Love, Madonna and Annie

Esper Scout What‟s better than great music? Four beautiful ladies playing great

music! Every boys dream...

MUSIC


Lennox mostly because of their

musical personas. Juliette and

the Licks, REM, Skunk Anansie

and Sleater Kinney have also

had a part to play in our music.

More recently we‟re inspired by

a fairly new band called Wall

Paint who we are all really

enthusiastic about. It isn‟t just

female musicians who influence

us. We really don‟t think gender

is that important.”

Who is your favourite

musician/band?

Rebs - Smashing Pumpkins

Lou - Jimmy Eat World

Kirsty - Bloodhound Gang and

Beautiful South

Sarah – Silver Sun Pick Up‟s

album Swoon.

We all love Headwig and the

Angry Inch too!

Did you consciously form a

‘girl band’?

“What‟s hard is steering away

from the connotations that

come with being a „girl band‟.

Yes it was a conscious decision

that we were all girls but not

because of the image but

because of the connection. You

don‟t want to share such special

moments together, like when

we‟re on stage, with someone

you‟re not connected with. We

are all really good mates which

makes practising fun and not a

chore but mostly it means the

process is organic.”

Do you write your own stuff?

“Yeah. Sarah usually writes the

structure and lyrics but then we

all write our own parts. We

wouldn‟t say there is one

person who particularly writes

the songs as we all work

together to create them. A

mutual friend, Owen Pegg runs

City #1 Studios and he worked

with us on recording „Kids &

Pets‟. He really made us

understand what cohesive

sound we wanted to create – it

was a massive learning curve

for us.”

Are you currently gigging?

“We are currently booking more

gig dates. We had one on the

20th May at the Fox and Newt

with Straylight and Much

Vodka Many Volcanoes. We‟ve

got another on the 5th June at

the Northern Monkey and are

playing at Glaston-Bury Festival

in Manchester on the 29th

August. Hopefully we‟ll be

playing at Kirkstall Festival on

the 9th July – we‟re just waiting

for confirmation.”

Where can people find your

information?

“Esper Scout on facebook and

Myspace. We don‟t have a

website yet, we should probably

get on that!”

How long have you guys

been musical?

“Originally Sarah was a

guitarist but then began

learning the drums, at which

point Kirsty decided she‟d begin

learning the guitar around

thirteen years old. In Lou‟s

family it was kind of expected

that the Grandchildren followed

in the musical footsteps of their

Grandad who played in a Swing

Band. Though they didn‟t think

it would be a girl learning the

drums! So Lou‟s been playing

drums since the age of 11. Rebs

began learning the bass about

seven years ago which is just

before she met Kirsty and

Sarah.”

“Recognise us,

not as girls, but

as musicians.”

You can find these four with

their usual tipples of beer,

cider, rum and coke and a pint

of water at their local pub The

West End House or The

Brudenell Social Club in

Headingley. They find

themselves going to watch

gigs about once a week too.

On top of their busy social

lives of music, cycling, walking,

BBQ‘s, watching films, catching

up on Cori and various arty

things they all have full time

jobs! Sarah works in

Blockbusters; Lou is a civil

servant; Rebs works for Up and

Running and Kirsty works in Mr

Foley's Cask Ale House. At the

end of a busy day they have

another house mate, Fiona, to

come back to. I had asked

them if they had any pets and

their response was, ―Fiona!‖

They did feel like they had to

elaborate, ―She‘s always here

when we come home to give

us lots of love. She‘s very

comforting!‖

Is there anything you want

people to know specifically?

We are gathering all the tools

to become a self-sufficient band

by learning music production.

Together we made all the

artwork for our CDs and cases

too which obviously saved us a

lot of money – wasn‟t an easy

job though! ”

“Write great

songs. Have

fun. Make

friends.”

Make sure you check out these

lovely, fun and musical ladies.

Their tunes will have you

rockin‘ in no time! They record

a new album in June so make

sure you watch this space!

■ Stephanie Upsall

Esper Scout are playing live

at Kirkstall Festival on

Saturday 9th July, Why not

come down and check them

out?

Also playing at Kirkstall Festival

are:

Hope&Social

www.hopeandsocial.com

Bang On Drummers

www.bangon.net

Bassa Bassa

www.bassabassa.co.uk

Duncan McFarlane

www.duncanmcfarlane.co.uk

Leeds Youth Jazz Orchestra

Mutton Chops

MUSIC


It is now a year since I was

elected as MP for Leeds West.

In Kirkstall I‘ve campaigned for

t h e K i r k s t a l l F o r g e

development, better buses,

visited schools and supported

constituents on a huge range

of issues. Every day I am

reminded what an honour and

a privilege that is.

Three particular local issues

stand out. First, after the

20mph zone in Hawksworth

Wood was put in place, it

rightly provoked outrage. I was

inundated by letters about the

installation – and made sure

the Council knew about them.

Though I fully support the

traffic calming, the way it was

installed was unacceptable.

Some of you will have

attended the public meeting at

St. Mary‘s church which was

organised for residents to put

across their points directly – I

am glad to see that the work

was fixed as a result, a big

improvement for local people.

Second, staying in Hawksworth

Wood, in the last issue of

Kirkstall Matters I updated you

on the Post Office situation.

Unfortunately the Post Office

remains closed. It is one of

over 400 post offices across

the country listed as

temporarily closed – and I am

working hard with the Post

Office to find a solution – I am

hopeful that services will be

resumed shortly. It is

absolutely vital that people

have access to a local post

office – in Hawksworth the

closest locations are up

Butcher Hill or in Horsforth –

and I will continue to work

hard on this.

Third, as sure as summer

follows spring, the Kirkstall

Festival is just around the

corner. Just before I sat down

to pen this article I looked

back over the pictures of last

year‘s event published in

Kirkstall Matters – a vivid, busy

collection that captured the

fantastic spirit of the festival.

I‘m looking forward to the

event this year again on the

9th July. Just after the festival,

students from Kirkstall St.

Stephen‘s will be visiting

Parliament to learn more

about how government and

politics work.

Also huge congratulations to

Viva Cuba in Kirkstall, who

celebrated ten years of great

tapas in May.

Some of you may also see me

later this year running the

Abbey Dash – and raising

money for Age UK. I‘ll keep

you up to date with my

t r a i n i n g o n

www.rachelreeves.net, but look

forward to this fun and

popular day in the Kirkstall

calendar.

In the middle of my training I

will of course continue to hold

my regular surgeries and

represent our community. If

you have anything you want to

raise with me contact me on

0 1 1 3 2 6 3 0 4 1 1 ,

[email protected] or by

post at Unit 10, Armley Park

Court, Stanningley Road,

Leeds, LS12 2AE.

Until the festival,

Rachel

Rachel Reeves M.P.

Surgeries

Rachel holds regular surgeries throughout the constituency.

For details, and to book an

appointment, please call 0113 263 0411 or email [email protected]

www.rachelreeves.net

Rachel Reeves MP Diary

COMMUNITY

Kirkstall Ward

Councillor Surgeries

Help & advice from your local Councillors is avail-

able on the first Saturday of the month at Kirkstall

Leisure Centre from 10.30am (except August) and

every Thursday at Hawksworth Wood Community

Association at 6 Broadway from 12:30pm.

Cllr John Illingworth

tel. 0113 267 3735 [email protected]

Cllr Lucinda Yeadon


Cllr Bernard Atha



Local Services

West Yorkshire Archive Services

WYAS, Leeds, Sheepscar Leeds LS7 3AP

Tel: 0113 214 5814 Fax: 0113 214 5815

[email protected]

Some archives are held offsite and our

search room can get very busy.

Appointments recommended

Monday: 9.30am to 5pm

Tuesday: 9.30am to 5pm

Thursday: 9.30am to 5pm

Please note we do not produce archives

between 12 noon and 2pm

LCC Switchboard 0113 222 4444

LCC NW Area Management 0113 395 0964

WNW Homes Enquiries 0800 915 1113

LCC Planning and Development 0113 222 4409

LCC Social Services Enquiries 0113 398 4702

LCC Parks & Countryside 0113 395 7400

Parkswatch 0113 232 9973

Education Enquiries 0113 247 5590

Education - Admissions 0113 247 5729

Anti-Social Behaviour reporting 0113 398 4701

Neighbourhood Policing Team 0113 205 3025

Police (emergency) 999

Police (non-emergency) 0845 606 0606

Weetwood Police front desk 0113 241 3459

Community Mediation Service 0113 242 4110

Leeds Victim Support 0113 395 1260

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111

CAB Advice Line 08701 202 450

Streetscene 0113 222 4406

Highways Abandoned vehicles 0113 222 4406

Graffiti removal 0113 222 4406

Pest Control 0113 222 4406

Dog Wardens 0113 222 4406

Refuse collection 0113 222 4406

Bulky waste collection 0113 222 4406

Needle & Drug waste 0113 222 4406

Noise Nuisance (daytime) 0113 222 4406

Noise Nuisance (out of hours) 0113 242 5841

Environmental Action Team 0113 222 4407

Local Libraries

Kirkstall Library tel. 214 4529

26 Kirkstall Lane

Mon 1pm – 5pm

Wed 10am – 5pm

Fri 1pm – 5pm

Sat 10am – 1pm

facilities: Council Papers, Disabled Access,

Photocopier, Fax

Burley Library tel. 214 4528

Cardigan Road

Mon 2pm – 7pm

Wed 9.30am – 5pm

Fri 2pm – 6pm

Sat 11.30am – 3pm

facilities: Asian Language Books, CD Rom

Multimedia, Meeting Room, Disabled Access, Fax,

Internet Access

Bramley Library tel. 214 6040

Hough Lane

Mon 10am – 8pm

Tues 10am – 6pm

Wed 10am – 5pm

Fri 10am – 3pm

Sun 11am – 3pm

facilities: CD ROM Multimedia, Council Papers,

Theatre Bookings, Disabled access, Photocopier,

Study Area, Fax, Internet Access

Headingley Library tel. 214 4525

North Lane

Mon to Fri 9.30am - 7pm

Sat 9.30am - 5pm

Sun 11am - 4pm

facilities: Asian Language Books, UK Yellow

Pages, CD ROM Multimedia, Computer Catalogue,

Council Papers, Meeting Room, Theatre Bookings,

Videos, Disabled Access, Photocopier, Study

Area, CD’s, Fax, Planning Applications, Sale of

Book Tokens, Internet Access


What‘s On? Events and Activities

In The Valley

KIRKSTALL LEISURE CENTRE

Kirkstall Lane. Open 8:30am to 10:30pm.

Bookings Tel. 214 4555 Special activities

for children during school holidays

KIRKSTALL ABBEY TENNIS CLUB

Jason Sears on 07814 549170

e-mail [email protected]

ABBEY LIGHT RAILWAY

Trains from Bridge Road run at frequent

intervals along to Kirkstall Abbey (and vice-

versa) on Sundays from 1 pm to dusk

(weather permitting)

CARDIGAN CENTRE

145-149 Cardigan Road

Resource Centre 9am to 8pm Mon-Fri. Tel.

275 9282 Youth Point; ‗Active for Life‘

Healthy Living Project; Older Active People

Scheme; Handy Person Scheme

HAWKSWORTH CENTRE

Broadway, Leeds LS5 3BQ T. 0113 258

4507 / 0845 0457275

[email protected]

www.parklane.ac.uk

HAWKSWORTH WOOD COMMUNITY

SHOP

8 Broadway. Monday to Fridays 9 am to

3.30 pm.

HAWKSWORTH WOOD YMCA

Lea Farm Mount

Tel. 216 2970. Free „Connexions‟ Access

Point - Mon day-Thursday 3pm - 4pm and

Fridays 6-8pm.

Lunch Club (age 50+) Fridays 11.30am -

1.30pm

Parent &Toddler group, Thursdays 9.30 -

11.30am.

Park Lane College Courses, Tues - Thurs

(Term time)

Activity groups in Sports, Drama, Dance,

Martial Arts etc.

STEPSt Andrew's Church, Butcher Hill,

Leeds, LS16 5BG, Tel 2757988,

www.stepleeds.org.uk

STEP supports people over 60 and runs the

following groups:

Monday - 1.00 - 3.00 - Come and join us

for afternoon tea & cakes, bingo and raffle.

Tuesday - 10.00 - 11.30 - Gentle Exercise

Class Thursday - 10.00 - 11.30 - Coffee

Morning/Toasted Teacake - 11.30 1.00 -

Raffle, Bingo & Brunch

HOLLYBUSH CONSERVATION CENTRE

Broad Lane. Tel. 274 2335

MILFORD SPORTS CLUB

Tel 226 3030

POVERTY AID UK

Collection Warehouse & Charity

Shop, 165 Cardigan Road. Tel 274 4099/

274 6349

VESPER GATE HOTEL

Tel. 220 0961 Abbey Road.

WEST END HOUSE

Food & Ale Tel. 278 6332 Quiz Nights

every Tues & Thursday at 9pm

ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL

Bingo Tuesdays at 8 pm (Doors Open at

6.30pm)

Indoor Bowling Thursdays and Fridays,1pm

to 4pm

Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Hall Hire - Tel.

258 2923

ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH

Sunday Services: 8:45am. Holy Commun-

ion. 10am.Parish Communion 4pm Even-

song, (Said). Midweek Holy Communion:

Wednesdays at 11am.

Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies,

Guides.

Contact: Revd Rosemarie Hayes, Tel. 258

2481, email:

[email protected]

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE ASSUMP-

TION OF OUR LADY

Spen Lane.

For information contact: 2752533

WEST PARK UNITED REFORMED

CHURCH

Spen Lane, Sunday Service 10.30am

Contact : Church Secretary 225 9637

LEEDS HUMANISTS

Meet monthly at the Swarthmore Centre.

Contact Bob

Tee, 14 Foxholes Crescent, Calverley, LS28

5NT - Te l 0 11 3 2 5 7 7 009

[email protected]

www.wyhumanists.org.uk

AVIATOR ALLSTAR CHEELEADERS

Contact [email protected] or

call Tim on 07800 859 916

ABBEY HOUSE MUSEUM

Opening times: Monday closed all day.

Tues to Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday

12noon—5pm, Sunday 10am - 5pm

Admission charges: Adults £3.80, Children

£1.70 (16 and under). Concessions £2.80

(senior citizens and students). Family ticket

£6.50 (2 adults and up to 3 children)

The Gate House: Licensed restaurant / café

(accessible without museum entry).

Every Weekend Saturday Shoppers

Each Saturday afternoon from 2-4pm, we

have different fun activities for families,

from trails to craft activities.

Arty Smarties

Craft Activities for children every Sunday

afternoon 2-4pm

ABBEY - GUIDED TOURS

Contact Abbey House Museum for details.

Tel. 0113 230 5492

ABBEY - VISITORS’ CENTRE

Admission free. Open 11am - 3pm Tues-

Sun Closed Mondays except Bank Holiday

Mondays Tel. 0113 2305492


SUMMER HOLIDAY POOL PROGRAMME

MONDAY 25TH JULY – SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

(NOTE: THERE WILL BE REVISIONS TO THIS TIMETABLE OVER THE AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY PERIOD)

LARGE POOL

SMALL POOL

Swimming Pool Notes

Children under eight years of age must be accompanied in the water at all times by a responsible adult. 16 Yrs +. One adult can

supervise a maximum of two children under the age of eight. Lockers are provided in the changing areas and require a one pound

coin in order to operate them (refundable). Please refer to our normal Term time swimming programme for any sessions after

19:00.

We also have a great range of dryside activities and crash course swimming lessons for children during the

holiday period. Contact the Centre for further details

ACTIVITY

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

Lane Swim 07.30 – 09.00 07.30 – 09.00 07.30 – 09.00 07.30 – 09.00 07.30 – 09.00 08.18 – 09.15

General Swim 09.00 -12.00 09.00 -12.00 09.00 -12.00 09.00 -12.00 09.00 -12.00 09.30 – 14.30 09.15 – 11.45

Lane Swim 12.00 – 13.30 12.00 – 13.30 12.00 – 14.00 12.00 – 13.30 12.00 – 13.30 12.00 – 13.00

Fun Session 13.45 – 15.30 13.45 – 15.30 13.45 – 15.30 14.45 – 16.45

General Swim 16.00 – 18.00 16.00 – 18.00 16.00 – 18.00 16.00 – 18.00 16.00 – 18.00 13.15 – 17.00

Lane Swim 18.00 – 19.00 18.00 – 19.00 18.00 – 19.00 18.00 – 19.00 18.00 – 19.00

ACTIVITY

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

Adult &

Toddler

09.00 – 13.30 09.00 – 13.30 09.00 – 14.00 09.00 – 13.30 09.00 – 13.30 09.30 – 14.30 09.15 – 11.45

Adult &

Toddler

12.00 – 17.00

Fun Session 13.45 – 15.30 13.45 – 15.30 13.45 – 15.30 14.45 – 16.15

Adult &

Toddler

18.15 – 19.00 18.15 – 19.00 18.15 – 19.00 18.15 – 19.00 18.15 – 19.00

KIRKSTALL LEISURE CENTRE

KIRKSTALL LANE, LEEDS, LS5 3BE

TEL: 0113 2144555/6

Email: [email protected]


Looking for somewhere to hold a meeting or event?

We now have a Meeting Room Available every day one off or

long term bookings

Seats up to 25 people. Children’s Parties, local groups and

businesses welcome

Contact Reception for further details: Kirkstall Leisure Centre

Kirkstall Lane, Leeds LS5 3BE Tel 0113 214 4555/6

Kirkstall – your local leisure centre

mailto:[email protected]


email: [email protected]

www.abbeyguesthouseleeds.co.uk English Tourism Council

Steve Dunn PC Services For home PC users and small businesses

PC & Laptop Troubleshooting and Repair

Upgrading PC hardware or software

Home/small office networks and general advice

Call me on 0113 2264567 for a free quote

Birthday Parties at Abbey House Museum If you are looking for a birthday celebration with

a difference, why not book a Birthday Party at the Museum?

Our parties give children a chance to be creative and explore the museum and its objects in a fun way. Party Planning

Birthday Parties take place on Sunday mornings from 10am - 11.30 The party is suitable for children aged between 7 - 14 years. We can take up to 10 childrenper party. We provide a party leader and the materials.

The Birthday Party costs £30.

Pre-booking is essential tel. 0113 230 5492

KM107

Documents

Transcript of KM107