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Parents and guardians are being asked to ‘Give Safe Gifts’ by setting the security settings on smart phones, laptops or games consoles before giving them to children for Christmas. The Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership, West Yorkshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are launching their ‘Give Safe Gifts’ campaign on Black Friday which is the start of Christmas shopping for many people. Smart phones, games consoles and laptops will be top of the wish list for many children and young…

Hospital charity Leeds Cares is due to give at least £1 million for initiatives to support NHS staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust during the second wave of the pandemic. The charity will invest nearly £900,000 in a clinical psychology programme for frontline health workers, including those who are treating patients with covid-19. The money will go towards funding psychologists who can support staff through emotional trauma, providing mental health first aiders and establishing dedicated wellbeing support for…

To mark this year’s Carers Rights Day, the Leeds Carers Partnership has launched a new strategy focused on supporting the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of those providing unpaid care. With support from the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, the strategy, known as ‘Putting carers at the heart of everything we do’, sets out to support the health and wellbeing of carers and reduce the health and financial inequalities they experience while caring. The Leeds Carers Partnership, which brings staff from diverse…

Local restriction tiers: what you need to know. Sets out the local restriction tier system that will be in place from Wednesday 2 December, including what you can and cannot do in each tier. Remember, ‘Hands. Face. Space’: Hands – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds Face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet Space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible,…

Stars of stage, sport and screen will join residents from all across Leeds for the city’s first ever virtual Christmas lights switch-on which will premiere on December 2. The exciting line-up for the online seasonal showpiece has been revealed and features a vibrant mix of chart-topping musical artists, talented local acts, classical and theatrical performances and local sporting heroes who will all lead an innovative city-wide effort to light up Leeds and get the countdown to Christmas started. The festive…

Musicians, artists, producers and composers in Leeds have been challenged to put their talents to the test by creating a new piece capturing the evolution of the city’s soundtrack. A partnership between Abbey House Museum and Music:Leeds is calling on modern day maestros to create a composition inspired by the 200 years of history explored in the museum’s captivating Sounds of Our City exhibition. Looking back at Leeds’s iconic live music venues and some of the most memorable performances they have hosted, the exhibition,…

Your generosity can really mean the world to children and adults with congenital heart disease across Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Whatever you can give will make a huge difference! Based at the Leeds Children’s Hospital, Children’s Heart Surgery Fund covers the regions of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Around 450 babies, children and adults from these regions need open heart surgery every year. We aim to ensure these patients have the best possible care and to help their families in whatever way needed during…

Leeds Libraries, part of Leeds City Council, has partnered with the British Library to deliver Reset. Reset Restart, a six-month programme to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) transform, future-proof and grow their business through the Covid-19 pandemic. Reset Restart is open to all UK business owners and offers practical, jargon-free training and advice through a free, tailored national programme delivered by the British Library, with localised support available from BIPC Leeds, part of Leeds Libraries.…

Third sector organisations across Leeds will be recognised for their enormous contributions to the city during the COVID-19 pandemic at a series of special virtual events to be held over the next few weeks. The events have been organised by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor and will thank charities, voluntary groups and community groups for their hard work in supporting communities over the last eight months. In what has been an extremely difficult and challenging time for residents and communities…

A report presented to Leeds City Council’s Executive Board today set out more savings proposals for the financial year 2021/22 in an attempt to address the significant impact of coronavirus and ongoing reductions in funding. It detailed the actions has started and proposed to address the financial gap for 2021/22 which is currently estimated at £118.8m. Of this figure £59.7m is due to pressures identified prior to the impact of coronavirus with the balance of £59.1m resulting from the ongoing financial impact of COVID-19.…

Additional powers introduced in October 2017 to tackle anti-social behaviour and associated issues in designated communities across Leeds will remain in place following a review. Also given the go-head by Leeds City Council alongside the existing 13 Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) is a new PSPO specifically covering the area of Swillington. A PSPO can last for up to three years under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014, and can be extended upon review. All 14 PSPOs have prohibitions which…

New pledge by organisations across the city aims to tackle prejudice. Leeds City Council and partners across the city are joining together to protect people in Leeds from experiencing Islamophobia. Councillor Debra Coupar has signed a pledge of intention on behalf of the Leeds Hate Crime Strategic Board to increase understanding of the negative attitudes many Muslims face. Launching during Islamophobia Awareness Month, the pledge is being taken up by other major organisations in the city, including: the Police, the…

As Christmas approaches, many of us are preparing for it to look a little different this year. For families facing childhood cancer, Christmas can already be a difficult time and this year in particular, these difficulties are likely to be felt even more acutely. A child’s Christmas should be a time free of care and worry, spending precious time with family and friends, making special memories and having fun. But the harsh reality facing many of our children and their families this year is a Christmas of anxiety,…

Victoria Leeds has revealed the eight charities that have been awarded a grant through its Giving Back Project. Launched in August, the Giving Back Project is a new initiative which will see Victoria Leeds donate a total of £20,000 to support local groups across Leeds that have been hit hard by COVID-19. Hammerson, which owns Victoria Leeds, has launched the initiative across all ten of its flagship destinations in the UK, meaning charities across the country will receive £180,000 to help them overcome the impact of the…

Senior leaders from across the Leeds City Region have joined forces to provide urgent support for innovators and entrepreneurs who will be key to the recovery of our future economy. The ‘Build a Better Tomorrow’ challenge, part of the new BUILD programme, has been launched by the Leeds City Region cohort who participated in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) prestigious Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (REAP). MIT REAP is a global initiative designed to help regions accelerate economic growth…

A project giving budding curators in Leeds the chance to work with one of the country’s top contemporary art collections has scooped a prestigious industry award. Leeds Art Gallery’s Youth Art Collective received the Volunteers for Museum Learning award for Yorkshire from The British Museum and the Marsh Christian Trust during an online ceremony attended by some of the country’s most celebrated museums and arts institutions. Through a series of innovative events, sessions and workshops, the Youth Art Collective gives…

Baby Week Leeds returns with a week-long programme of digital events. This year’s theme reflects the growing importance of connecting with parents, services and businesses across Leeds during this time. Events will focus on mitigating the impact of lockdown measures on babies, children and their families through the ‘Stay Safe, Stay Connected’ ethos. The week-long programme aims to raise awareness of services, advocate for early intervention, promote strategies that improve outcomes during pregnancy and in early years,…

Leeds City Council has unveiled its first trial active travel neighbourhoods with a range of measures that have been designed to make these residential areas of the city much more child, pedestrian and cycle friendly. This month will see active travel neighbourhoods (also known as ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’) introduced initially in Hyde Park and Chapeltown, with a scheme in Beeston soon to follow. It marks the start of temporary trials for a minimum of six months, during which the council will closely consult, monitor…

Show you care this Christmas and purchase a gift for a child or young person in hospital. Leeds Children's Hospital, one of the largest children's hospitals in the country, aims high and delivers the best for children, young people and their families. Our mission statement is "Aiming high, delivering the best" and that’s what we try to do for our children, young people and their families, every day. Leeds Cares supports Leeds Teaching Hospitals to provide exceptional healthcare. Our vision is the best possible health…

Leeds City Council has secured £2.9 million of funding to provide targeted energy efficiency improvements such as cavity wall insulation, air source heat pumps, and external wall insulation in areas with high levels of fuel poverty and inefficient homes. The work, which is funded by a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy grant, will save 385 private and council-owned households an average of £366 on their fuel bills every year and cut the city’s annual carbon footprint by 518 tonnes once complete. The…