Plants are essential for life and provide everything from food to energy, clothing and life saving medicines.

Saturday 18^th May is the International Fascination of Plants Day and the University of Leeds will be in The Light shopping centre in Leeds with a display of a wide range of plants. The display will feature plant products and plant science research experts from across Europe will be on hand to explain how plants contribute to our lives, and how you can help to support greater diversity.

There will be live demonstrations of honeybees and bumble bees, with give-aways of wild flower seeds that you can plant to encourage these important insects into your garden.

They will also hold a seedling swap – so if you have more plants than you need and are looking to swap them, bring them along to The Light on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

For more information, email foodsecurity@leeds.ac.uk

Two Leeds Trinity University journalism postgraduates recently secured bursaries to film documentaries.

Jonnel Benjamin will return to the Caribbean island of Montserrat, which she left following a devastating volcanic explosion in 1995. With support from the charity One World Media, she’s set to discover how life has changed for those who stayed. She plans to go back to the house her parents were forced to abandon overnight.

“It will be filled with our old possessions, covered with volcanic ash”, she said. “I can’t imagine a more powerful image than seeing all my family’s things. I also plan to visit my old school. I hope to contact my former classmates, and catch up on how things are today. I imagine we lead very different lives.”

Ôné Chappy, has also secured a One World Media bursary for her idea to examine a weird cultural phenomenon in rural Botswana – young people who live and breathe western Heavy Metal music.

“When someone says ‘Heavy Metal’, you probably imagine long haired, tattooed, leather-clad white guys. Imagine instead a new movement coming from Africa, made up of black Heavy Metal cowboys!

“Some locals have accused metal-heads of being Satanists. Others can’t understand their music or appearance, and shun them. This documentary will answer questions as to whether Botswana’s heavy metal bands produce real heavy metal music, or if they’re just a group of people who have adopted a particular style and identity.”

The grants from One World Media will pay travelling and subsistence expenses for Ôné and Jonnel to produce their films this summer. The finished documentaries will be available via One World Media’s website.

Projects were judged by a professional panel, including Channel Four News Foreign Affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller and award-winning documentary filmmakers Havana Marking and Will Anderson.

Monday 18^th of March sees the launch of a Week of Action on Empty Homes in Leeds, a programme of events and activities across the city aimed at bringing empty properties back into use.

Devised by Leeds-based social enterprise Social Business Brokers, the Week of Action aims to introduce home owners, businesses, investors and local communities to the range of possible solutions available to bring empty properties back into use.

Running between 18th – 22nd of March 2013, each day will focus on a different empty homes theme such as how local businesses can get involved, how local people could invest in empty homes, and what options there are for people who own an empty home. Pam Warhurst, founder of Incredible Edible and RSA regional chair will be opening the initial event with a keynote speech.

Leeds City Council is backing the week of action through help with the organisation of events. The council is fully supportive of the Week of Action and will be providing both financial backing and advice and help across the week.

Rob Greenland, co-director of Social Business Brokers said: “There are more than 5000 long-term empty homes in Leeds – whilst thousands of families struggle to find a decent home to rent or buy. This week of action is all about putting the spotlight on the practical, positive things all of us can do – businesses, home-owners, residents or investors – to put these properties back into use. We want the week to be fun, engaging and informative and all about encouraging collaboration between the people who can make a difference and who want to help.”

The Week of Action builds on the success of Leeds Empties Day of Action in May 2012 which saw over 100 people come together to explore a range of practical solutions to Leeds’ empty homes problems.

Celebrity architect George Clarke, who attended the Leeds Empties Call To Action in May last year, said: “I’m delighted to hear of this success story in Leeds.  As I said at the launch of the initiative, it’s extremely important that people who care about where they live get together and make change happen.  Leeds Empties has started the ball rolling to ensure still more positive developments in the future.  More buildings saved, more new homes created and a brighter and more attractive environment created for present and future generations.”

The A660 Joint Council Reforms as a Channel for NGT Questions

In July the Government gave the go ahead to develop plans for a New Generation Transport (NGT) scheme which would see trolley buses running from Holt Park through the city centre out to Stourton, with park n’ ride facilities at Bodington and at Stourton.

The Stourton/city-centre route is mainly segregated from existing traffic, and may well fit into planned major future developments for south Leeds. However, the proposed A660 northern route has roused serious concerns both about its potential benefits and the impact of NGT on the communities of north Leeds.

Public consultations at Ireland Wood, West Park (attended by over 200 local residents), Weetwood, Headingley and Hyde Park have given residents the chance to see the current draft plans. An overwhelming majority of residents have expressed concerns about the prospect of NGT and its likely effect on their communities.

The A660 Joint Council (A660JC) has been re-established to assist the various community groups based along and around the A660 to share information, gain access to expert advice and to act as a focus and channel for NGT questions and concerns to be expressed, helping to ensure that these are addressed

Consisting of representatives from community associations, local businesses and local residents, the A660JC recognises that Leeds, as a large modern city, needs a cohesive, effective and appropriate transport system but it has to be the right system, future-proof and fitting to the character of Leeds.

NGT’s trolley-buses are billed as helping to reduce traffic congestion, and making public transport more attractive, but there are many questions that need to be answered, for instance:-

What makes the trolley bus the preferred system? The necessary overhead cabling is unsightly and detrimental to the character of the many conservation areas along the route. It certainly makes the transport network inflexible against a system using, for instance, a hybrid fuel system bus that requires no such infrastructure. Overall it seems like old fashioned technology compared with the battery powered buses being developed by a firm at Sherburn-in-Elmet.

The loss of green verges and mature trees necessitated by NGT is supposed to be balanced by re-planting, although quite where this re-planting space is situated is questionable.

Central reservaion at Lawnswood

Current plans will isolate communities immediately adjacent to the A660, with little regard to access issues for residents whilst the impact of traffic flow ‘diversions’, likely to result from NGT, on residential areas further afield are far from clear. Certainly many small businesses at Far Headingley and West Park will face difficulties from the road changes required by NGT.

Unlike the southern route of NGT, the proposed single deck articulated trolley-buses on the A660 will share significant stretches of road with other vehicles, although it is claimed that it will still save commuter time into the city from the park n’ ride facilities. The traffic priority given to the trolley bus will be at the expense of cars and other buses, and so is likely to increase traffic queues and pollution, especially through Headingley.

The role of Quality Bus Contracts as part of NGT is also unclear. These have been introduced in cities such as London, bringing significant improvements to existing bus services without the need for trolley buses. Indeed the impact of NGT on the ordinary bus network is uncertain and could dramatically reduce the current service offered to communities such as Cookridge and Tinshill.

NGT is portrayed as a flagship development that will help to deliver economic returns and jobs, but there are already regeneration projects planned for the south of the city. The perspective of many people is that NGT is a ‘poor man’s tram system’, which will do little to enhance the image of Leeds or attract further inward investment.

Also NGT doesn’t come cheap, with only £173.5 million of Government monies on offer against the estimated £250 million.  What other services in Leeds will need to be cut back to fill the project’s funding gap?

Traffic for a growing city like Leeds is a major concern and perhaps doing nothing should not be an option. Certainly no one would argue that the A660 is not congested. The trouble is perhaps that NGT seems to be too much a re-work of the old super tram proposal, whereas what is really required is new thinking. Leeds should resist the desire to take government money just because it’s on offer and plan out what the city needs in terms of a transport system, paying due regard to what is already in place and what is feasible.

This may all sound rather negative but there is a real danger in that NGT may not the answer to the transport needs of the A660 or Leeds. It has the potential to be just an expensive folly that will become a millstone for Leeds rather than a milestone development.

Greg Mulholland MP has been awarded a Road Safety Award by the independent road safety charity Brake and Direct Line for his work campaigning for automatic licence suspension for drivers who have killed or are caught at twice the drink-drive limit.

The campaign was launched by the family of Jamie Still (16), who was killed by a speeding driver who was twice over the legal drink drive limit in January 2011. The driver was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but allowed to keep his licence for eight months while he awaited trial. He was later sentenced to four years in prison.

Jamie’s sister, Rebecca (13), started a petition and set up the campaign site jamiestillcampaign.co.uk, calling on the government to change the law. To date, the petition has been signed by over 12,000 people.

Currently, courts have the power to suspend a driver’s licence if they believe the driver is a significant danger to the public. But in many cases, drivers charged with causing death are allowed to continue driving in the run up to their trial. Inspired by Jamie’s family, Greg asked the Prime Minister to consider changing the law during Prime Minister’s Questions on 1 February 2012. Mr Cameron agreed that it was an issue that needed consideration, and promised to look into it.

In April Greg and Jamie’s family met Justice Minister Crispin Blunt to discuss their campaign. “The Minister was sympathetic and understanding and it was good to hear that the issue was on the agenda”, said Karen Strong, Jamie’s mum.

In May Greg welcomed the announcement in the Queen’s Speech to bring the Crime and Courts Bill forward, and he hopes it will include legislation on this issue. He secured a debate in Parliament on 17 July to try to persuade the government to include provisions on bail conditions for those charged with dangerous or careless driving. Victims minister Crispin Blunt congratulated him on his campaign and informed him that guidance for courts was being reviewed and would be published for public consultation later in the year. He said he expected it would recommend a no-drive bail condition if a defendant is considered a danger to other road users.

“Greg’s support of Jamie Still’s family and their campaign has been instrumental in bringing their cause to Parliament, so we’re pleased to recognise his efforts through this award”, said Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake. “It’s unacceptable that those charged with causing death by dangerous or careless driving do not have their licences automatically suspended. That’s why we’re backing Greg and Jamie’s family in their campaign to change the law and protect the public from dangerous drivers.”

“We need this change, and I hope that our continued efforts will ensure that those who drive dangerously, or carelessly, and go on to kill will have their licenses suspended as a condition of bail”, said Greg. “As an MP I am in the privileged position to be able to raise issues like this and I am pleased to have been able to do this on behalf of Jamie’s family. I am delighted to accept this award from Brake.”

Brake exists to stop the five deaths and 66 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. For more information, contact 01484 559909

Our March cover star, Meanwood’s own World Champion Claire O’Hara, is currently travelling in the USA and sent us this fantastic update on what’s she’s been doing over there:

Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Creeking, Freestyling, Squirt Boating and more…

So it is finally time to stop kayaking for just a few hours to send an update on my US adventures so far.  A month ago I left life and work in the UK and set off on the first leg of my 2012 adventures to paddle the Grand Canyon and train and compete on the freestyle circuit in the USA. Since then it has been a nonstop adventure in some incredible wilderness and some of the best white water in the world.

My adventures started with a night in Vegas before heading west into the Mountains and Desert of Nevada to prep and set up our trip down one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Grand Canyon.

Our canyon experience took our group of nine paddlers on a 19 day adventure down 282 miles of the Colorado River from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry. We took nine kayaks and two 18 foot rafts fully loaded with gear and set off into the wilderness.

It’s hard to describe how incredible a Grand Canyon experience is. The big flowing white water rapids, constant boils and eddy line and world class surf waves. The colours, the wildlife, the stars, the sky! The holistic immersion into an area explored by only a few. It is an incredible place and for those of us fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to paddle it, an experience of a lifetime.

I picked up a brand new Jackson Fun Runner to take with me on the trip which turned out to be the perfect choice. Its speed and agility allowed me to surf every possible wave and cruise exciting big water lines down all the rapids. I have been on a number of overnight expeditions before but never for 19 days. The feeling of freedom, remoteness and adventure that you get from being immersed so deeply into such a large canyon is insane. It made me super aware of some of the everyday risks we take and how we would cope in this level of remoteness if things went wrong. It also made me appreciate how small we are in the grand scheme of things and how important it is for us to make the most of the magnificent beauty, nature and opportunities that are available to us in this world.

Throughout the trip we had so many mini adventures climbing peaks, exploring side creeks, learning to raft massive oar rigs boats down rapids filled with huge holes and waves. I have kept a diary throughout the trip so far and will be posting regular excerpts on my blog to share the experiences (www.claireohara.blogspot.com).

Since then I have returned back to the real world – well in some ways! I am now beginning my journey as a full time kayaker. Based in Reno, Nevada I have spent the last week getting back into freestyle kayaking and squirt boating, training on the local white water park. I am travelling with fellow JK team paddler Stephen Wright and we are intermixing freestyle with creeking, and squirt boating rest days. Yes that’s right in this boating Mecca, that is on the boarders of Nevada and California, we have been spending our rest days creeking on some of the best white water runs in the world.

Greg Mulholland MP

Greg Mulholland MP recently sponsored a Parliamentary motion, supporting the right of town and parish councils to appeal against the granting of planning permissions to which they had objected during consultation.

Currently, town and parish councils are statutory consultees on planning matters and can object to the granting of planning permission in their area. However, if that permission is granted, they have no right of appeal.

Martin Caton MP put forward a Presentation Bill and tabled an EDM calling for a change to rules, to allow councils the right to appeal in the same way that developers can when their applications for planning permission are declined.

“Local councils should have the same rights as the developers that seek to change the landscape of towns and villages”, said Greg.  “It’s unfair that the process of planning permission is skewed towards the developer. Both should be allowed to appeal decisions taken by planning departments, provided they are founded on genuine grounds. Securing the interests of local communities should be our top priority.

“The implementation of these proposals would be good news for this area and would give local councils in Leeds North West – Otley Town Council, Arthington, Bramhope and Pool Parish Councils, Horsforth Town Council – the ability to stand up for their communities. It is so important we allow councils to have more input into the decisions made for local people, this is something I have been pursuing for some time now and will continue to argue for.”

Channel 4’s Jon Snow, Look North’s Harry Gration and BBC News Home Editor Mark Easton, are among the high profile guests at Leeds Trinity University College’s Journalism Week 2012 which starts Monday 27^th February.

As well as familiar names from television and radio, there will be talks and workshops from a variety of journalists, key media managers, and media luminaries from The Times, The Guardian, BBC, and Grazia magazine.

The informal workshops will facilitate interaction and hands-on activities, and successful Leeds Trinity alumni will be on hand to inspire current students entering the tough journalism and media jobs markets.

As a reflection of increasing importance of the web in modern journalism, the week will have a strong digital aspect. Staff and students will be live-blogging and participants will be asked to post their questions and comments on twitter.com with the hashtag #ltjw.

“We place a huge emphasis on being able to bring speakers from all walks of journalism to Leeds Trinity”, said Catherine O’Connor, Head of Journalism at Leeds Trinity. “Being able to hear first-hand from distinguished journalists and leaders in the field is a really valuable experience for our students. It provides further context for their studies, helps them make industry contacts and inspires them about the possibilities in their chosen field.”

The full programme can be downloaded from www.leedstrinity.ac.uk

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.

Are you interested in live performance? Fancy dressing up in period Edwardian attire and heckling the upper classes? Red Ladder Theatre Company is on the look-out for performers to take part in pre-show street theatre in and around the entrance to the City Varieties Music Hall during the run of its show Big Society! A Music Hall Comedy from 18 January – 4 February, which featured on the cover of our December magazines.

Auditions will be held in Red Ladder’s home in the Yorkshire Dance Building on Thursday 5 January from 6pm – 8pm. Red Ladder is looking for auditionees who are 18+ years old, no previous acting experience is necessary but performers must be confident enough to interact with audience members. Selected performers will be on rota throughout the run of the show, performing for half an hour from 7.30pm – 8pm, for 4 – 5 shows, spread out across the run of the show.

Starring comedian Phill Jupitus Big Society! will open the Spring Summer season at the newly-refurbished City Varieties Music Hall. The show is centred around the cast of an Edwardian Music Hall variety show, who are threatened with closure at the hands of the corrupt newspaper ‘The Double Standard’ and features live music from Chumbawamba.

To book a place at the audition please contact Duncan Marwick duncan.marwick@leedscitycollege.ac.uk or call Red Ladder on 0113 245 5311.

Photo: Castmember Kyla Goodey by photographer Tim Smith.

For more details about the company please visit www.redladder.co.uk

This month (October), the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery is celebrating Black History Month with a special display launching the website ‘Transatlantic Abolition: Nineteenth-Century Yorkshire’, developed by Professor Bridget Bennett and Yosra Awad of the University of Leeds.

The display’s selection of art and rare archival materials provides a glimpse into the fascinating story of Yorkshire abolitionism presented on the new website, and throws light on the importance of Leeds in building awareness of slavery and support for abolition in nineteenth-century England.

What do the nineteenth-century Americans Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe have in common?  Apart from being two of the most celebrated American authors of the period, they both visited Leeds to campaign publicly for the abolition of American slavery.

The author of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and of the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin were just two of the many figures campaigning in Leeds in the decades immediately preceding the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery illegal in the United States.

Abolitionist activity relied on extensive personal networks, relationships and collaborations.  Professor Bridget Bennett of the School of English, University of Leeds and Yosra Awad, a Level Three student, have traced and documented the connections between abolitionist activists on both sides of the Atlantic, focusing in particular on the visits to Leeds of a number of key figures, some of whom had experienced slavery personally.

African Americans such as Henry ‘Box’ Brown, Ellen and William Craft, Frederick Douglass and Sarah Jessica Remond gave lectures in the city, many of which were reported in the local newspapers particularly the Leeds Mercury, whose proprietor Edward Baines was a prominent anti- slavery supporter.

The exhibition and website reveal the high level of public engagement with abolition in nineteenth-century Leeds, combining lithographs borrowed from the National Portrait Gallery, lectures, photographs, original playbills, archival images and a film to show a crucial part of the city’s history, one which has continued impact today.

The display will continue at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Parkinson Building, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT until 29^th October 2011. The Gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Admission free.

Further information 0113 343 2778 or b.k.g.bennett@leeds.ac.uk

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