An update on the the solitary swan from last week. I found 3 swans looking majestic in Leeds dock, I’ve only previously seen the one pair so far this year, but then a 4th appeared to join them so I think all is well with the Swan family
And a couple more herons – but of a different kind this time 🙂
The Big Book Weekend is a three-day virtual book festival that brings together the best of the cancelled British literary festivals, with a range of events ‘presented’ by the relevant festival, featuring the authors and other artists that would have appeared.
You do need to register for this but it is free – once you register you will see a virtual ‘foyer’ click on the poster for the big book weekend and it will take you to the events.
Including authors such as Marian Keyes, Neil Gaiman, Alexander McCall Smith among many others. You can see the programme here
And register here
It has been co-founded by the authors Kit de Waal and Molly Flatt, is supported by the BBC and Arts Council England, and will take place on the online book festival site MyVLF.
Expect interviews, panel discussions, ‘in conversation’ debates, performances and interactive sessions from the biggest names in books, alongside unknown debut authors and rising talents.
There’ll be stuff for both kids and adults, festival die-hards and people who’ve never considered chatting about books in a tent. We are deeply committed to ensuring that the BBW reflects as many communities across the UK as possible, and the widest choice of reading tastes.
“On May 8 1945, the people of Leeds took to the streets to celebrate VE Day after schools closed and workers were given a holiday. Street parties were held and five days later, on May 13, more than 2,000 people took part in a victory parade in Leeds city centre as normality began to return.
Engineering factories across Leeds produced weapons, aircraft and ammunition and tailoring companies worked tirelessly to clothe the armed forces.
Burton’s made more than 13 million garments – a quarter of all uniforms used by the army, navy and air force during the conflict.
A total of 100,000 men and 10,000 women from Leeds registered for military service during the war” www.
The Royal British Legion invites you to join them today, 8th May, from home, as they, and the public pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of the entire Second World War generation, from British, Commonwealth and Allied Forces to evacuees and those who served on the home front.
“As we face some of the most challenging times since the end of the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.
There are many parallels between the struggles of the Second World War and what we are going through today. We look to our Second World War generation to learn from their experiences, and we continue our work to protect them from the threat we currently face.
With members of the public unable to attend VE Day 75 events, The Royal British Legion is playing a central role in the delivery of a range of remote activity, including:
At 11am, we’re encouraging people across all generations and communities to take part in a national moment of Remembrance and pause for a Two Minute Silence to honour the service and sacrifice of the Second World War generation and reflect on the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on so many lives across the world.
There is no right or wrong way to take part in the Silence, some may wish to stand at their windows, step outside their homes while remaining distanced from others, watch the broadcast on television, or simply sit in a quiet moment of reflection”
www.https://www.britishlegion.
‘When we were still allowed in our work spaces, I had a wall of heroes to inspire me at my side whilst I toiled.
On that wall were, amongst others, French & Saunders, CJ Walker, Little Simz and Ivy Benson. Ivy has always been extra special to me as she was born in Holbeck and a house in my home town, Beeston, sports a blue plaque with her name. Ivy formed her All Girl Band in 1939 and surpassed male band leaders in many people’s minds, because she actually performed as well as she conducted.
Ivy’s Dad was an accomplished musician and by the time she was 5 he had taught her to play the piano. At the age of 9 she had held a piano recital on BBC Children’s Hour and was touring working men’s clubs under the stage name Baby Benson.
As she grew up, Ivy had no cash to buy any instruments so she went from a job in a shoe department to one in a clothing factory in order to save enough money to buy her first clarinet. Despite all of her hard work she still had to pay it off in installments.
At the age of seventeen she was in the factory from 8am until 6pm and performing at dances in the evening from 8pm until 2 or 3 in the morning. She suffered a nervous breakdown and something had to give – luckily for music lovers everywhere it was the factory work that she dropped.
It wasn’t an easy time as she explains:
“At that time, girl musicians were looked upon as something freakish. Something odd. We’d invaded a masculine field.”
Sick of the appalling pay and conditions for female musicians, Ivy decided to do something about it. In her first band she had five female musicians, all older than her and not as talented as she would have liked. In fact, she described her efforts at forming them into a successful band as like getting “a silk purse from a sow’s ear”!
Ivy entertained the troops during WW2 from the age of 18. She thoroughly enjoyed the work although she was only paid £10 per performance.
Even as late as 1971, Ivy is discussing in an interview how hard it is for female musicians to make their way into the jazz scene and is still being asked the question “Do female musicians sound different to male ones?” The answer of course, is no.
90% of Ivy’s musicians were from the North of England and ranged from age 15 to 26 years old. She often lost a large part of her band as they went off to get married.
Over 250 women were recruited to her band over a 40 year period, with one band member calling her “the mother hen looking after her young”. It is rumoured she could be quite strict when the need arose, which I can imagine was often with a band of young, talented women playing to packed theatres night after night.
Ivy adapted the style of her music to reflect the changes in popular music from the 1950s onwards. When she had to change the name of her band to “Ivy Benson and Her Show Band” to comply with the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, it is believed that she often offered male musicians a place in the band on the proviso he could get into a size 10-16 dress.
In true style, Ivy’s last gig was in 1982 at The Savoy Hotel in London. She was involved in the work of Help The Aged after her retirement.
Ivy put paid to the idea that a female band of musicians could not sound as good as a male one and outlasted most who ever dared to express that opinion. Ivy Benson is my local hero because she was doing girl power before the Spice Girls ever existed. Incidentally, Sporty Spice Melanie Chisholm, has an excellent show about her forebear, Ivy Benson that is available on the BBC Sounds app below’:
Please find attached the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Newsletter Scam Alert. This weekly alert will outline trending fraud patterns during the current COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to stay protected. This news alert will give you an indication of the current situation here in West Yorkshire.
Last week, (27/04/2020 – 03/05/2020) WYTS had 22 COVID-19 complaints and queries. A further 31 intelligence reports were submitted through our intelligence database relating to COVID-19 during this time period.
COVID-19 Weekly update 07.05.2020 – Copy
National Theatre at Home
Antony and Cleopatra
On YouTube from 7pm today and for 7 days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWc6_aCTqI0
Watch Antony & Cleopatra directed by Simon Godwin. At the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love. In a tragic fight between devotion and duty, obsession becomes a catalyst for war.
Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, James Bond: Spectre) and Sophie Okonedo (Chimerica, Hotel Rwanda) play Shakespeare’s famous fated couple in his great tragedy of politics, passion and power.
Antony & Cleopatra is streaming for free 7pm UK time on Thursday 7 May. Available until 7pm UK time on Thursday 14 May 2020.
The running time is 3 hours 8mins with a short interval. It is subtitled.
This filmed performance was given a BBFC rating of 12A and contains some staged violence and flashing lights.
As of today it will be possible to apply for Pension Credit online, if you wish. If you don’t feel like doing this yourself we can go through this with you.
There is a link below for more information on Pension Credit:
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In addition, we can also help with checking what benefits you may be entitled to. Or you can have a go at looking at this yourself by using the Turn2Us benefits calculator by clicking on the link below:
Click on the online benefits calculator:
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/
You have been sending some wonderful pictures to us, for which we are all grateful of. If anyone wishes to send in more then please do, along with a few words if you wish, yet not essential as I can add these as I have done already. I will be making this a weekly posting on our website/facebook.
They can be pictures of the present, of you, the locality, of nature when you are out getting your exercise, your garden, your creative side, what you have been making and other pastimes or even your home. Or they can be pictures of you enjoying other times in your life along with a memory or two :)) Or even some pictures of you as a child and we could try to guess who it is? I promise not to put the name of the person under it next time. Or you can send other pictures from the past. You can take a picture of them so they become digital. Call me if you need any guidance on this.
Does anyone recognise where this picture was taken?
I look forward to seeing more of your captured moments, past and present.
email: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk
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You can watch a virtual concert by this local band on Saturday. This is a free concert although there is an option to donate to Alzheimers Society if you wish.
