Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “The government has today (Nov 26) announced that Leeds will move into Tier 3 restrictions after the current lockdown ends. The new restrictions will come into force on December 2.
“Whilst local councils have not been involved in discussions around which tier they will move into, we have been working closely with our partners and communities in Leeds to ensure we are prepared for changes to restrictions and that support is in place that will minimise the impact on our residents and businesses as much as possible.
“I would also like to once again thank the people of Leeds for their patience, diligence and compassion over what has been an incredibly challenging time for the city.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel and if we continue to do all that we can to protect ourselves and each other, we can and will emerge from this crisis together.”
Below are details on the government’s Tier 3 restrictions. More detail can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know
Tier 3: Very High alert
This is for areas with a very high or very rapidly rising level of infections, where tighter restrictions are in place.
In Tier 3:
Exemptions from gatherings limits in all tiers
It was my first trip to the city centre for in ages and I suppose I should have been excited by being once again at the heart of a vibrant city. Instead, I just felt worried.
I’ve worked in city centres for most of my life and, through slumps and booms, I’ve never felt any need to worry for them. They’re tough, noisy, often aggressive unpleasantly places which can look after themselves.
But during my visit to the opticians, at which the opticians and their associates outnumbered me by about ten to one, I worried that the staff, probably half relieved and half bored by the quietness around them, would become unsettled by the possibility that this might not be a freak lockdown moment; it might be the future.
Anyone living in the old industrial north will know that, in cities particularly, times change with alarming speed; Victorian mills built to last hundreds of years mainly lasted, at best, until the 1960s or 70s but at least left behind magnificent shells such as Temple Works in Holbeck, Leeds, or Salt’s Mill in Saltaire.
The worry is that the next wave of industrial readjustment will leave no monument other than acres of boarded-up pubs, sandwich bars, trinket stalls and maybe even opticians.
Off-line shopping in the big city stores could become a niche activity, like uni-cycling, and, as I noticed on my recent city centre visit, there will be a miraculous lack of litter and drunkards. This struck me as rather eerie, like the final scene in Planet of the Apes or, so I’m told, living in Liechtenstein, but I’m sure we’ll eventually recognise it as a huge improvement.
The downside is not, so far as we yet know, that city centre workers, along with the transport systems, feeding stations, entertainments, posh stores and other enterprises that depend on them, will disappear. It’s that they will scatter into cyberspace and the suburbs, leaving, say, Briggate in Leeds looking as much an archaeological site as an abandoned tin mine.
The factory system which shaped the north, gave way to an office system built on the same organisational principles; regular hours and a machine-driven division of labour which meant you could be in the typing pool or answering the telephones or working the Xeroxes but were not expected to do them all at the same time.
Now those limitations have gone; home workers – which quite soon might mean most workers – don’t have to keep factory hours, nor confine themselves to 20th century technologies, which means they’ll soon become hugely productive operatives, except, sadly, in the fields of enjoying their lunch breaks or gossiping to colleagues.
Thank you once again Oliver, until next time…..
Picture: Francis Firth.com – Leeds Briggate 1951
Leeds Art Gallery are putting out a call to the people of Leeds to contribute to a new ‘audio artwork’ of nature sounds and celebrating the importance of nature and greenspace to us – especially during lockdown. You don’t need special skills or any specialist equipment, see the information below from the organisers:
“We need your help to create a soundscape of nature sounds recorded during lockdown, for a new crowd-sourced collaborative artwork by electronic musician Leafcutter John.
To raise awareness about issues of access to greenspace and to celebrate the important role that nature has played for many of us in a uniquely challenging year, Leafcutter John has been commissioned by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Leeds Art Gallery, to create an original audio artwork entitled Lockdown Patchwork. Drawing on our current Natural Encounters exhibition, which explores how artists have responded to nature, the piece will use submissions, videos, field recordings and interviews to capture and share the experiences of people who have been connected by their enjoyment of nature, parks and greens spaces during the pandemic.
If there’s an outdoor space that matters to you, no matter where or what it is, we want you to capture sounds from it. You might not think of yourself as a sound recordist, but if you have a smartphone, portable recorder or any other recording tool, then you most definitely are. Your submission could be birdsong recorded on your balcony, chatter on your allotment patch, a river flowing or a dog in the park. It’s anything you like, captured anywhere you like. The only requirements are that you must have made the recording yourself and you must be happy for Leafcutter John to use it as an ingredient in his final work.
The deadline for submissions is 11 December. If you fancy getting involved, download our information pack (PDF, 150KB) and follow our simple step-by-step guide.”
Today is the start of White Ribbon Day – it runs for 16 Days around Action to end violence. Each year thousands of people stand up, speak out and say no to violence against women. This year is more important than ever with a significant increase in violence, harassment and abuse towards women during the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/day
See services in Leeds
https://ldvs.uk/
https://leedswomensaid.co.uk/
https://www.behind-closed-doors.org.uk/
There is some useful information from Active Leeds and I’ve attached to this email a pdf book from Keeping Well at Home
https://active.leeds.gov.uk/healthy-at-home/be-active/older-adults
Week 4 of Shakespeare Season from The Shows Must Go On and the mysteries and marvels of Shakespeare’s Sonnets are revealed as never before in these vivid, compelling and accessible performances.
All 154 Sonnets are performed by a stellar cast of actors including, Fiona Shaw, Sir Patrick Stewart and David Tennant. Other contributors include actors Simon Callow, Simon Russell Beale, Kim Cattrall, Dominic West and Stephen Fry, as well as prominent experts on Shakespeare such as Professor James Shapiro and voice coach Cicely Berry.
Available to watch until Monday 30th November
Dear all,
Below are the answers to yesterday’s Monday Mind Workout, how did you do?
1. The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.
True: Wayne and Russi were married for 18 years until Wayne’s death in 2009.
2. A group of bunnies is called a “fluffle.”
3. The largest sand castle in the world measured 54 feet high.
It took 168 trucks over a week to deliver enough sand for the carefully constructed masterpiece
4. Sea otters hold hands when they sleep – True
5.A team of six women programmed the first digital computer.
While historians have only recently recognized their achievements, the female mathematicians participated in a World War II program coding instructions into the revolutionary Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).
6. High heeled shoes were originally created for Men.
7. Bubble Wrap was originally intended to be used as 3D wallpaper.
8. A group of flamingos is called a “flamboyance”.
9. How many hours sleep can you lose when you have a new baby in the first year?
Anywhere between 400-750 hours of sleep in the first year.
10. Since 1945, all British tanks have come equipped with tea making facilities. True
11. Many lipsticks contain fish scales. True
12. Elephants can Jump? False
13. It takes light from the Sun 8 minutes to reach Earth.
14. There’s a village in Norway called Hell, and it freezes over every winter. True
15. Orange was first used to describe the fruit not the colour? True
Questions 16 – 18 are clues to chocolate e.g. Cinderella’s friend – BUTTONS
16.A subject for discussion – TOPIC
17. A path in the universe – MILKY WAY
18. 100% precious metal – ALL GOLD
Questions 19 – 20 are anagrams of sweet desserts
19. Is it a rum – Tiramisu
20. He tackle cocoa – Chocolate cake
This week (16-24 November) is Alcohol Awareness Week, A recent survey has found that nearly a third of the UK public are drinking more alcohol than usual during the pandemic.
If you are interested in cutting down your drinking, the Drink Coach Alcohol Test is a quick and confidential way for you to check out how risky your drinking is.
Taking the test also provides information on local face-to-face support options to reduce your drinking. To take the two minute test visit the Drink Coach website.
