Greg with England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster

Greg Mulholland MP met the England Rugby Union squad at a special open training session at the Leeds University training ground at Weetwood, last week. The squad are training at the West Park Rugby Club, Bramhope, all week, ahead of the opening round of Six Nations next weekend.

Besides their training at West Park, the squad has also run training sessions for children there and in Otley.

Greg, who plays both codes of the game, and plays for the Commons and Lords Rugby Union team, met with the interim England coach, Stuart Lancaster and some of the squad, who are fighting for a place in England’s opening fixture against Scotland at Murrayfield next Saturday.

“It is fantastic to have the England Squad here in Leeds North West”, said Greg. “It was great to chat with Stuart Lancaster, who was involved at Leeds Carnegie for many years as the academy coach and as director of rugby. He still lives in Headingley and is a constituent of mine!

“The decision to hold their pre-Six Nations training camp here has proven a great success and praise must go to Stuart, who decided to bring the team to Leeds rather than the usual camp they hold in Portugal. I wish the whole team the best of luck in the upcoming Six Nations; I’m sure that under Stuart’s leadership they will put up a strong fight and look to emulate the success of last year’s competition.”

Alhama de Granada is a pretty, ancient spa town about 53 kilometres from Granada, in the very heart of rural Andalucia. This is where retired West Yorkshire police officer, Terry Mottershead, and his wife Lisa, settled in 2004 and established The Alhambra Rambler.

The Alhambra Rambler provides quality guided walking and cultural holidays, together with self guided cycling tours. After seven years of living and working in the community, Terry and Lisa’s knowledge of the area, its people, customs and language offers a unique experience.

Alhama de Granada is perched precariously on top of a dramatic ravine, where the Rio Alhama carves its way through otherwise rolling countryside. It is surrounded by the Sierras Tejeda, Alhama and Almejarras, which loom above the lakes at El Ventorro and Los Bermejales. It is the perfect setting for activity holidays.

This traditional, agricultural town has about 6,000 inhabitants. Little had changed around its core for centuries. The thermal springs have been channelled into baths since Roman times. The countryside is covered with olive and almond plantations, and there’s a friendly ‘Andaluz’ welcome from its traditional Spanish community.  Every evening the bars are buzzing and serving up some of the best tapas around.

Alhambra Rambler’s guided walking holidays combine great walks with amazing scenery, herbs, wild flowers and birds, with cultural and historic visits. They include great accommodation overlooking the gorge, picnics, all evening meals in traditional local restaurants, and return airport transfers from Malaga airport.

Cycling holidays can include two nights in Alhama de Granada before cycling to Montefrio, then on to Granada where you can enjoy the city before returning to Alhama.

Andalucía has a great all year round climate and a warm welcome for walkers and cyclists who wish to embrace this unspoilt countryside, learn about its history and customs whilst enjoying its food, wine and traditional music.

To find out more, visit www.alhambrarambler.com, email alhambrarambler@yahoo.co.uk or phone 0034 69078 6302.

Over the holiday, thousands of people will be heading out to enjoy walking in the fabulous Dales. Just remember, fells and moorland can be dangerous places at the best of times. But with proper care you can minimise the chances of getting injured or lost. The Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Team have some advice to help you enjoy the outdoors and to return safely.

Before you set off

-       Charge up your phone! Many accidents occur towards the end of the day when both you and your phone may be low on energy.

-       Check the local weather forecast. Remember how soon it gets dark in winter and plan your route accordingly

Clothing and footwear

-       Wear footwear with a treaded sole which provides ankle support.

-       Clothing should be colourful, warm, windproof and waterproof. Carry spare clothing, including hat and gloves – its always colder the higher you climb.

Carry food and drink

-       Eat well before you go, take energy foods such as chocolate and dried fruit which are ideal for a quick hit. Warm drinks are advisable. Always take water – even in cold weather it’s easy to become dehydrated – streams on hills are drinkable if fast-running over stony beds

The right equipment

-       Mobile phones and GPS are useful but don’t rely on them to get you out of trouble – always have a map and compass.

-       Take a whistle – six good long blasts is the rescue signal and don’t stop if you have heard a reply – rescue teams may be using whistle blasts as a direction finder. A torch with spare batteries/bulb is a must – use it for signalling too.

Dangers to monitor

-       Weather changes – mist rain and snow may be sudden on the hills.

- Exhaustion – know the signs. Rest and keep warm. Watch for signs of hypothermia, disorientation, shivering, tiredness, pale complexion and loss of circulation in hands and toes, irrational discarding of vital clothing (common when people are experiencing hypothermia and a clear message that something is wrong.

Should you need help – don’t despair. UWFR will find you.

Check their website www.uwfra.org.uk for more safety information and local weather.

To call a rescue team

- call 999, ask for Police and say which county you are in

- ask the Police for cave or fell rescue

- say where you are, giving a good description and a grid reference if possible

- describe the problem

- stay where your mobile works, keeping the line clear so you can be called back. The rescue team will call other services as needed.

On Saturday 1^st October, St Gemma’s Hospice will be holding a swing music and dancing event in the Queen’s Hall at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church on Harrogate Road LS17.

The event will feature a special dance performance from members of various swing dance groups, a taster class where you can learn to Lindy-Hop (an authentic form of swing dancing), and an evening of swing music and dancing to show off your new moves! No partner required. There will also be a licensed bar and a raffle.

To book your tickets (£6.50) visit www.st-gemma.co.uk or call Jenny Manley on 0113 218 5565.

St Gemma’s in Moortown provides specialist medical and nursing care for people with life threatening illnesses and support for their families. Care provided is free of charge, so St Gemma’s relies on donations and local fundraising initiatives.

Brothers Jonathan (left) and Alistair Brownlee (right) are now officially the two leading triathletes in the world

Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Reverend Alan Taylor congratulated the brothers after their success last weekend in China when Alistair became world champion for the second time, and Jonathan claimed second place in the final standings.

“Congratulations to Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee for their superb achievements this year” said the Lord Mayor. “To have two brothers ranked first and second in the world in such a grueling sport is amazing and Alistair becoming world champion for the second time is fantastic. They are wonderful ambassadors for Leeds and Yorkshire, and the whole city is very proud of them as we look forward with huge excitement to seeing them compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

Alistair and Jonathan are featured in the current edition of North Leeds Life.
Read it online here: http://tinyurl.com/69xch87

A team of swimmers likely to be representing the Netherlands at the London 2012 Olympics is training at the John Charles Centre for Sport as part of an agreement to use Leeds as their pre-Games base.

The group includes Ranomi Kromowidjojo (front row white jacket), who was a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that won Gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and in the recent FINA World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai.

“It’s really important for us to be here in Leeds in advance of the Olympics to ensure the facilities are in keeping with our requirements”, said Ranomi. “The facilities are perfect and everyone has been very welcoming and accommodating. The Olympics feel very close now that we’re here and I’m absolutely going for gold!”

“When we were looking for a base in the UK, we wanted somewhere with a great pool, good hotel in peaceful surroundings and a great atmosphere”, said head coach Jacco Verharen. “The pool at the John Charles Centre is of the highest standards, with great depths and great lines.”

Local mountaineer Tim Ralph will talk about his incredible journey to conquer the ‘Seven Summits’ on Tuesday 27^th September, 7pm at The James Graham Building, Headingley Campus of Leeds Metropolitan University.

Tim is one of a small, select group of mountaineers who have achieved this. For over twenty five years he has hiked and climbed in the Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Scotland and Europe. He admits to being a ‘fairly average climber’, but his love of wild places drove him to the higher mountains. In May last year he made it to the summit of Everest, marking the end of his quest.

For anyone with aspirations to climb high mountains, for those who enjoy diverse cultures, or who would just like to see some fantastic photography – this is a presentation not to miss.

Tickets (£7 including light refreshments) and further information is available from

www.himalayan.org.uk/7summits

The Caribbean Cricket Club brings the spirit of Twenty20 Cricket to Leeds with it inaugural Caribbean Cricket Soca Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament and Family Fun Day to be held at the Caribbean Cricket Club, this  Scott Hall Road, LS7, this Sunday 3^rd July.

The competition will bring six Caribbean teams from around the UK to Leeds to compete for the trophy in a carnival atmosphere. The tournament will revive the spirit of cricket in the area and bring together the different communities to celebrate the excitement of the newest form of the game.

The influence of the Caribbean will be present both on and off the field. Whilst the big hitters will be demonstrating the West Indian style of play on the Park, the influence of the Caribbean will be evident in the hospitality tent with a range of Caribbean fayre and the all day bar will keep the rum flowing.

Whilst the bouncers are being hurled down in the middle, the younger fans will be able to entertain themselves on the jumbo bouncy castle. The less energetic can engage in traditional board games of dominoes, cards and checkers whilst keeping an eye on the cricket!

“We are really excited about the tournament”, said Harwood Williams, Chair of the Caribbean Cricket Club. “It will bring together so many elements of our community both here in Leeds and across the country.”

For further information visit www.caribbeancricketclubleeds.co.uk

Eureka is hosting a day with Tennis Tots to help enthuse and inspire more children to take up tennis. The free event will take place at Eureka on Sunday 12th June, 11am-4pm and is open to preschool children aged of 2-5 years.

The Tennis Tots programme was created to help engage more children in tennis and to provide a structured environment for preschool children to learn alongside their parents. The programme is underpinned by the Early Years curriculum which helps children develop in many areas as well as improving their tennis skills.

Along with developing the tennis fundamentals, Tennis Tots also develops gross and fine motor skills, incorporates counting games to develop numeracy skills, uses different coloured equipment to improve colour recognition and general hand eye coordination development.

Tennis Tots goes far beyond just getting kids started playing tennis, it aims to provide an all round approach for children to develop many different skills whilst learning about the benefits of leading an active healthy lifestyle.

Tennis Tots aims to improve each child’s balance and coordination whilst helping to encourage all aspects of mental and physical development. Above all, it helps to build a child’s confidence while providing a fun, friendly environment for them to learn with their parents.

Currently there are session running in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and Ilkey, with new venues opening soon. Details: www.tennis-tots.co.uk Book a free trial by calling 07725 339257 or email info@tennis-tots.co.uk


Local Champion International Whitewater Kayaker Claire O’Hara is currently training hard for the World Freestyle Kayaking Championships in Platting, Germany, (20^th – 26^th June) where she is hoping to retain her title in the squirt boat event and add to it with a medal in freestyle.

Claire has been a member of the GB Freestyle Kayak Team for the last six years and paddles in two disciplines Squirt boat (kayak) and Freestyle kayak. As well as being the current British, European and World Champion in squirt boat kayaking, she is the European silver medallist in freestyle kayaking. She is completely self-funded, depending heavily on her job as sports co-ordinator at Notre Dame College and sponsorships, to allow her to compete in world events. Happily the Volkswagen Van Centre (West Yorkshire) has supplied her with a brand new Volkswagen Transporter T5 – a kayaker’s dream vehicle.

“It is my aim to continue to be the best I can be – to train hard, paddle well and perform to the best of my ability in both disciplines” said Claire. “It is a great honour to represent Great Britain and I hope to do everyone proud in 2011.”

To find out how Claire gets on in the World Cup on 20^th – 26^th June go to her website www.claireohara.co.uk