On the second anniversary of the UK lockdown – a day to pause and reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years and on the lives of those we have lost.
Whether a death is recent or long ago, and whether or not it was due to Covid-19, every year there are millions of people bereaved. The restrictions we’ve all been living under have meant that many people have had to grieve without friends and family around them.
At 12pm, there’ll be a minute’s silence and people are encouraged to come together to honour loved ones who have died and reflect on the challenges we’ve overcome by observing a nationwide minute of silence.
Civic buildings in Leeds will be lit up in yellow during the evening.
Next week Caring Together will be holding our ‘Nature Filled Spring Get Together. We will be coming together and creating our own small space of remembrance for loved ones no longer with us
Our local councillors for Headingley and Hyde Park ward (which also covers most of Woodhouse) will be holding their monthly Woodhouse advice surgery at our premises tomorrow.
They will be at Caring Together on Charing Cross shopping centre (Woodhouse Street, LS6 2PY – across from the Londis shop/Post Office) from 5pm – 6pm, Tuesday 8th March
Any resident who needs help or advice from the councillors is welcome to come along at this time.
Opera North’s Virtual Choir is back. Join together with a community of like-minded singers, from complete beginners to experienced choir-goers – everyone is welcome.
From improvements in memory and pain relief, to a boost in confidence and the release of ‘happy’ chemicals… singing is really great for you! Find out a bit more about some of the benefits to both your mental and physical health. https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/10-reasons-singing-is-good-for-you
Leeds Lit Fest starts today and runs until 6th March. The city’s award winning festival of words and thought returns for its fourth year and there is a mixture of online and in person events. Many of these are free or pay as you feel.
It will include author talks, a literary quiz, songs from the commoners choir, storytelling, writers workshops, movie nights and lots more
M&S on Film: Marketing M&S! Adverts, adverts and more adverts, looking at how cinema and TV were used to market products. Exploring the history of M&S advertising through archive film collection, from Swinging Sixties cinema adverts to iconic food campaigns.
Online Event
This is a pre-recorded talk featuring original archive images introduced by the Archivist, who will be available to respond to questions during and following the talk.
A free event from Leeds Libraries at the Compton Centre – Harehills Lane, LS9 7BG. And after the storms of the last week or so, it looks like the weather might be nice on Wednesday
Part of LBGTQ+ history month, Leeds City Museum are hosting a full day live and free event.
OUTing the Past is an international celebration of LGBT+ history and includes an excellent programme of speakers covering a wide range of LGBT+ topics.
09:50-10:00 Welcome and Introduction to Outing The Past – Leeds.
Councillor Hannah Bithell
10:00-10:30 Alex Holmes (she/her)
The Secret Lives of Scientists. LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in the sciences has historically been erased or kept separate from the work and knowledge. This continues now with calls to keep science away from politics and topical conversation, but identity- either those doing the science or those having science done unto them – is key in the scientific process, interpretation of results and how they are fed into the wider community.
Interlude
10:40-11:10 Luna Morgana (she/her)
The Gallus of Catterick. The Gallus of Catterick was an ancient roman trans woman whose remains were discovered in 1982. Join us for a journey through how she would have lived in 4th Century AD Britain.
Interlude
11:20-11:50 Tilen Kolar (he/him)
Queer Memorials: disrupted space-time. Queer memorials bring past, present and future together – they disrupt heteronormative public spaces. This presentation will reveal some of the reflections from the fieldwork in Amsterdam – how activists and everyday users experience the Homomonument and how they interact with it. I will also share my personal feelings from the fieldwork.
12:00-12:30 Henry Kyem (he/him)
Growing up gay in Ghana. A personal story about growing up gay in an African country (Ghana). Having to come to terms with contracting HIV later in life and fleeing to the UK to avoid persecution from family and society for my sexuality.
12:40-13:00 LUNCH
13:00-13:30 Freya Stancliffe (she/they)
LGBTQ+ Archives. How can we move towards a more inclusive community history? I’ll be presenting my findings so far on a project looking to increase the visibility and accessibility of LGBTQ+ voices in the internal archives of the University of Leeds. The archives cover reports, correspondence, meeting minute notes and society materials. The presentation will also discuss the next phase of my work, which will be focused on outreach and community engagement, attempting to fill some of the gaps that we found in the archives and change the framing so that there is a more present narrative voice from communities themselves.
Interlude
13:40-14:10 Aleks Fagelman (they/them)
Presentations of gender in the ancient world: A discussion of the Dresden Satyr and the Hermaphrodite statue. I shall discuss the Dresden Satyr and Hermaphrodite statue, as well as comparing it with other examples of hermaphroditic statues in the ancient world. I shall use this to highlight how the history of intersex and transgender identity is something that is not a modern invention but exists for several thousand years.
Our local councillors for Headingley and Hyde Park ward – which also covers most of Woodhouse will be holding their monthly Woodhouse advice surgery at our premises.
They will be at Caring Together on Charing Cross shopping centre (Woodhouse Street, LS6 2PY – across from the Londis shop/Post Office) from 5pm – 6pm on the second Tuesday of the month starting from next Tuesday – 8th February.
Any resident who needs help or advice from the councillors is welcome to come along at this time.
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch long weekend is here! There’s still time to sign-up and take part. Just spend one hour between Friday 28 and Sunday 30 January counting the birds, and help monitor how birds are faring. It’s free, fun, and a great way to keep an eye on your local wildlife. Wherever you are, whatever you see, it counts!
