Catch up and a cuppa at Morrisons Cafe in the Merrion Centre

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A few weeks ago some of us enjoyed a catch up and a cuppa at Morrisons Cafe, Merrion Centre in Leeds before the refurb commenced. We look forward to going back once it’s finished. Get in touch if you would like to join us: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk

Leeds Pride Village Fete

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Mill Hill Chapel

City Square

Sunday August 1st 11am – 5pm

May be an image of ‎one or more people and ‎text that says "‎Angels Freedom ל mиm of Leeds Pride Village Fete Sunday 1st August 2021 Fun, family friendly and accessible LGBT+ pride event for all @LeedsLGBTAngels f Angels of Freedom Leeds @leedscc_lgbt www.angelsoffreedom.org.uk info@angelsoffreedom.org.uk‎"‎‎

The main Pride event and Parade are not taking place again this year but there is a Village Fete event in the grounds of Mill Hill Chapel.  Hosted by Angels of Freedom and Mill Hill  this will be a family friendly accessible space.

The event will be host to fun activities, community group engagement, food and refreshments.

Coronavirus Update from Leeds City Council

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This week we have an update for you about the latest infection rates in Leeds and changes to self-isolation for critical services.

 

Please note that we will be reducing the frequency of our coronavirus bulletins, which in future will be issued when there is a significant national or local update.

An update on infection rates in Leeds

The latest Leeds infection rate has decreased to 456.4 per 100,000 (30% lower than 7 days ago), with the positivity rate at 12.9%. The current over 60s rate is stable at 160.9 per 100,000. Hospitalisations are rising and sadly 5 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the last week.

The average infection rate for Yorkshire and the Humber is 451.3 per 100,000 and the rate for England is 375.2 per 100,000.

With infection rates still remaining high across the city, we encourage everyone to remain cautious and take up the vaccine.

If you’d like to attend one of the city’s walk-in vaccination clinics, please visit the NHS Leeds website to find the one most convenient for you.

Please remember it’s essential to attend your second vaccination appointment to receive maximum protection.

Let’s keep taking care of each other #TogetherLeeds

Don't delay your COVID-19 vaccination

Changes to self-isolation for critical services

A very limited number of named key workers may be able to leave self-isolation to undertake critical work. This is only in a small number of situations, where self-isolation would result in serious disruption to critical services.

This policy only applies to you if your employer has received a letter from a government department on which your name is listed. If this is the case, you will be able to leave self-isolation to undertake critical work. Otherwise, you should continue to self-isolate.

This process will only run until 16 August 2021, when people who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to self-isolate if they have close contact with someone with coronavirus.

Where employers believe self-isolation of certain key employees would result in serious disruption to critical services, they should contact the relevant government department which can be found on the gov.uk website.

Separate arrangements are in place for frontline health and care staff.

For more guidance on self-isolation, please visit the NHS website.

Success for Leeds athletes at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Leeds City Council would like to say huge good luck and well done to all the Leeds athletes and the whole of Team GB competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – we’re all behind you and what a great lead-up to Yorkshire Day on Sunday!

Earlier this week, the leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, congratulated Leeds athletes Matty Lee and Tom Pidcock on their gold medal success – read the statement in full here.

Photo by Kyle Dias on Unsplash

Take a New look at New Briggate with a history walking trail

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If you are out and about in Leeds City Centre you probably use New Briggate all the time without giving it a second thought. Maybe next time you are there you might like to take a new look at a familiar place with a history walking trail.

Explore New Briggate and the surrounding area, learning about the history of the buildings, spaces and some of the people who used to live here. Whilst on the tour you’ll see Victorian shops and theatres, the oldest church in Leeds city centre and a timber framed building that might not be as old as it seems.   The trail is self guided so you can do it when you like or just do a little of it if you wish

You could also win a prize by having a go at the quiz questions whilst you’re on the trail. Most of the answers can be found by looking closely at the buildings around you. Send or e-mail your completed sheet back for the chance to win great prizes from Opera North, Leeds Grand Theatre and North Bar!

The trail has been produced by Leeds City Council with the Council for British Archaeology, as part of the New Briggate High Street Heritage Action Zone, which is a government funded scheme to celebrate and breathe new life into high streets across the country. At New Briggate, Leeds City Council is working with Historic England to regenerate the street and transform the area, improving the buildings and public spaces with grant funding, and holding community and cultural events.

The trail is shown below, or you can see more and download it  https://festival.archaeologyuk.org/resources/explore-and-discover-self-guided-history-trail-around-new-briggate-leeds-1626695587

Explore and Discover! New Briggate HAZ Self Guided Walking Trail

 

Rainbow Junktion Pay as You Feel Cafe now open – Mondays and Thursdays

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Rainbow Junktion Cafe is back for pay as you feel sit down meals.  They will only be serving outside for the moment.

Mondays and Thursdays 12-2.30pm for the cafe – advice and signposting also available – 11.30am – 3pm

Fridays will be Food Share – groceries etc available for ‘pay as you can’ shopping 11.30am -4.30pm

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Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet – Have Your Say on Leeds’ Local Plan Update

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Leeds City Council is encouraging residents and businesses to have their say on its draft Local Plan Update, which will set out the authority’s approach to planning policy and new development across the district over the next decade and beyond.

The draft Local Plan Update is titled ‘Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet’.  Although it is not intended to deal with all planning issues, it will focus on ways to shape planning policy to reduce our city’s impact on the environment and help achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet – Have Your Say on Leeds’ Local Plan Update: Local Plan Update

The draft plan is based around five topic areas:

  • Carbon reduction – changing the way buildings are built, and how we generate renewable energy.
  • Flood risk – making our communities resilient to the impact of flooding, one of the most direct impacts of climate change that Leeds faces.
  • Green infrastructure – making the most of our green spaces and natural environment, to help improve the health and well-being of our citizens.
  • Place-making – guiding new development to places that offer the best opportunities for active travel and public transport, health & well-being and making the best use of communities’ assets to create ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ where people want to live, work and play.
  • Sustainable infrastructure – integrating low emissions transport and improved digital connectivity, helping reduce journeys by car.

Consultation on the draft Local Plan update will take place from 19 July to 13 September.

The dedicated website www.leeds.gov.uk/lpu is home to all the information contained within the draft Local Plan. This includes separate sections for the different topic areas, which are available in detailed and short formats.

This means people can read the whole draft plan or just the areas that are of interest, and can contribute their views using our online surveys whether they have read the documents in detail or having read a shorter, more summarised version.

Shared Moments: ‘Freedom Day’ written by Maureen Kershaw

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Dear all,

Freedom Day? Well it’s not what I expected when we awaited its dawning some sixteen months ago. When we thought – and hoped – it would happen when a vaccine was found, I made my choice of tune to be played upon the day. Not ‘Freedom’ sung by Aretha Franklin nor ‘Freedom Comes, Freedom Goes’ by The Fortunes ( though this may be more appropriate) but ‘A Brand New Day’ from the Musical ‘The Wiz’. Playing it on Sunday a couple of times instead of Monday, being rather wary of what exactly dawn would bring, it would have been so perfect, if only it meant complete freedom.

Trains and buses in anticipation of many more passengers – the latter certainly increasing numbers onboard to full capacity – must have been quite disappointed. I travelled to town during the ‘morning rush’ to find the same numbers as before and thankfully all wearing masks. Walking around Morrison’s the only customers not wearing face coverings were, shall we say, probably amongst those who discarded theirs long ago. So far so good. A cuppa and catch up with a friend  in M & S Cafe was enjoyed, observing  how tables had been maximised but not the number of takers.

However, I got the gist that the majority of people are continuing with their daily routine as they have chosen so to do until now, never mind what our Prime Minister said was available to us in relaxing the rules. Certainly queuing to enter a nightclub at the midnight hour held no interest to me but there again I would have had to have been approximately 50 years younger to appreciate that.

My trolley will be at my side on the bus or train so I do not have to share a seat with a stranger, consequently I am nervous at the thought of sitting close to anyone unknown to me in a theatre –  for the time being. One thing I did notice in town was the signage still indicating ‘keep left’ or ‘no entry’ plus the floor stickers at one or two metre intervals reading ‘stand here’ although it could be they are stuck fast by now and will stay for the remainder of time.

I’ve never been ‘pinged’ but without the App there’s no chance of that anyway, which is probably a good thing. I still don’t fully understand the workings of leaving one’s name and telephone number as surely the only way one can receive a call to “Isolate” is in the event of someone calling particular establishments to report a case, and how many actually do? We will probably never know with any accuracy.

The Country is in a mess now with short staffing through being pinged, even being referred to as the ‘Pingdemic’ but so far no-one has come up with a name for the rest of us who leave our details on a piece of paper with the assurance that after 21 days, all evidence will be destroyed. Rather like the disappointment of “if you haven’t heard from us within 21 days, your application has been unsuccessful”, except in this case no news is good news . So I will continue with my regular lateral flow tests,  wear a mask, observe safety measures and carry on as though ‘Freedom Day’ hasn’t happened. What a joyous day it will be though when eventually I can play my favourite ‘Wiz’ tune “A Brand New Day” when all this is behind us. I may even join in with the Hoedown section.