Light on Leeds

Send us Fan Mail I had a great time chatting to Becky Houlding, Operations Manager at New Wortley Community Association. Becky told me all about their great work helping the people of New Wortley and Armley. She talks about their food store, community laundry, offender support programme, community cafe, counselling service and much, much more. The song featured on this episode is "Titanium&qu...

Send us Fan Mail The Highrise Project is the brainchild of visual artists Victoria Kotrekaas and Louise Atkinson. "The Highrise Project was originally set up to explore the links between architecture and social relations within municipal highrise buildings and council-built estates. The project uses ethnographic and creative research, which is co-produced with residents. Through exploring the...

Send us Fan Mail Rich Huxley (of Hope & Social fame) connected with me to tell me all about the Music From The Attic project. It is a community music group of "lapsed" musicians who were encouraged to pick up their instruments again. Music From the Attic have headlined the Kirkstall Festival, played at the Lord Mayor's Charity Dinner and performed at many more charity gigs. &quo...

Send us Fan Mail Paul "Wilko" Wilkes remotely connected to tell me about his work as a Digital Inclusion Co-ordinator  at Leeds City Council. He also tells me about how he has pushed himself to get out there and perform - you can check out his fantastic featured track "Stalked By A Stranger" at the end of the episode. Richard Hatton produced this episode. Spotify - https://spot...

Send us Fan Mail Katie Hall remotely connected with me all the way from Vouleme in France to tell me how she got there, how she is coping with a French lockdown and about her very exciting plans for the future. Katie chose to feature two tracks by the very talented Lewis Hall - do check out his work and Katie's Go Fund Me page (links below). "Legacy is a project created in order to offer...

Send us Fan Mail Kenn Taylor is the Lead Cultural Producer North at the British Library based at Boston Spa. There are over 170 million items stored there and in 2023 they will be celebrating their 50th birthday.  Kenn tells me about the work they do at the British Libray and about their collaboration with Invisible Flock on "Faint SIgnals": "An invitation to slow down, an opportuni...

Send us Fan Mail Archie Brooks remotely connected to tell me about Assembly House in Armley - an artist led studio housing 21 artists in an old textile mill. Archie chose to feature the track "The Hunt" by Three Streets - it's certainly one to rock out to! This episode was produced by Richard Hatton. https://www.assemblyhouse.art/ https://www.facebook.com/assemblyhousestudios/ https...

Send us Fan Mail I have known Augustus for quite a while, so when he told me about his project to raise money for a school in Ghana I asked him to  remotely connect and tell me all about it. If you are inspired to help out and donate after listening to him speak, you can do so on the link below. The featured song on this episode is the excellent  "Monochrome" by Introspective, a newly lo...

Send us Fan Mail It was great to catch up with Chesca Joy the Artistec Director of Imagine If Theatre Company (founded by her in 2015) and based in Armley Leeds. Chesca tells me about her grandad who she based her play Jadek on, how she got into writing through getting into trouble. Free as a Bird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqL-1_S8ok8 Jadek trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK0KxRn3x...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this new series entitled Light On - pretty much the same as Light On Leeds except in this series I shine the light a little wider onto people doing amazing things outsideof Leeds. My first guest is a person I have known online for many years, Jane Badrock. Jane is an author and remotely connects to tell me all about  how she came to be writing novels and about her inspi...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year Leeds (and beyond!)! Boff Whalley is my guest on this episode that was recorded just before Christmas. Boff is formerly the lead guitarist of Chumbawamba, is a playwright and the founder of the Commoner's Choir - amongst much else! He talks to me about his love of fell-running and the play he has written the music for "The Hills are Ours" by Dan Bye....

Send us Fan Mail Tony Lambert was a blast to remotely talk to - he told me all about the fantastic project Bringing It All Back Home which is a mental health project using music as a resource - music recorded at Chapel Studios in Holbeck. Tony and his musos  have created The Lockdown Album featuring 14 songs and is available on Band Camp. He chose to feature a fabulous version of "Mad World&q...

Send us Fan Mail Colin Griffiths is a Store Co-ordinator at SCRAP - a wonderful and much loved resource for arts and play. Colin tells me about his background in graphic design about being a "Reimagineer" and some of the amazing items that have turned up in the scrap store. Colin chose to feature the song "The People" by The Music a Leeds band who have a loyal following (1999-2...

Send us Fan Mail I really enjoyed chatting to Adekola and I was veryhonoured to hear him perform a beautiful poem in this episode. "Abdullah Adekola is a writer, performer, poetry promoter, and all-around creative based in Leeds UK. He writes, performs and teaches poetry. He believes people need hope and they need stories.  He believes you should tell your story or risk being ignored or misre...

Send us Fan Mail Alan Lane is the artistic director of Slung Low which is an award winning theatre company specialising in making performances usually in non-theatre spaces. Their work has adapted to running a food bank during the Corona pandemic and together they have fed many, many people. This weekend they are holding their annual Christnas Fayre which I am very much looking forward to attendin...

Send us Fan Mail Ruth Middleton is the community producer at the wonderful Slung Low.  She remotely connected to tell me about all of the amazing work they do and how she got involved. Leeds theatre company Slung Low has published a children’s book and launched an initiative that aims to give every child in Holbeck a copy. In early October three of the Slung Low team spent a week at Holbeck’s Ingr...

Send us Fan Mail Jon and Dan remotely connected to tell me about The Liquor Studio, Yorkshire's first and only Spirit School and creative drinks space. " The Liquor Studio is the brainchild of two thirds of The Hedonist Bar , Dan Crowther & Jonathan Lee. Hedonist is a staple of Leeds’ thriving independent bar scene & over the last four years has become one of the city’s coolest c...

Send us Fan Mail Ian & Libby remotely connected to tell me about The Purple List - a gay dementia venture: "is a 35 minute, one-man play. It opens on Sam and Derek’s wedding day and goes on to explore the highs and lows of their lives as Derek’s dementia progresses. Told from Sam’s point of view, the play is a touching, sad, yet often funny, insight into the lives of these two gay men as...

Send us Fan Mail Alice Gilmour is the Community Partnerships and Access Officer at Opera North. Alice tells me about bringing opera to audiences that are not traditionally engaged with the arts or with opera. She also tells me about the work that Arts Together Leeds does: "We are a friendly group of arts and community organisations who are working together to ensure that the arts in Leeds and...

Send us Fan Mail Ben Buddy Slack is the founder and creator of The Swan Song Project whcih helps those facing the end of their life write a song.  "The songwriting process in an incredibly powerful method of exploring, articulating and communicating ones thoughts, experiences and emotions. The Swan Song Project gives people facing end of life and those surrounding them the opportunity to writ...

Send us Fan Mail Sarah Oldknow remotely connected to tell me all about the Leonora Project - could you nominate someone inspiring? Sarah also told me about her work as an Ambassador for Women's Lives Leeds and an actress and arts worker. Sarah chose the gorgeous track "Summerbird" by Beth Kilburn. Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/4772-4539-0109 https://twitter.com...

Send us Fan Mail David Ward and Louise Garner set up the Northern Opera Group who have just celebrated their 5th anniversary. They tell me about why people can be wary of opera (and why they shoudn't be), about their innovative hybrid opera festival and their own podcast "Opera Cast". David and Louise have recently announced their next project which is a film version of a Cinderella...

Send us Fan Mail Abi Whistance is a very busy woman! She founded To The Local, is the Head of Music at Leeds Student Radio, is a writer at Clash Magazine, writes for the Yorkshire Post and is a DJ on LDC Radio (97.8 fm). She connected with me to tell me about where it all began, her love of rare music and her passion for the Leeds music scene. Abi chose the track "Scraps" by Shaku http:/...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Light on Leeds is dedicated to the memory of Nigel Whalley. John and Catherine remotely connected to tell me about the poignant and beautiful film they made together "Nigel". They talk about how they came to know each other and tell me who Nigel was and why they wanted to film him. Here is Catherine in her own words: "It was really nice to hear that...

Send us Fan Mail Garance Rawinsky connected to tell me about the Little Woodhouse Street Art Project run by the Little Woodhouse Community Association in conjunction with Leeds Civic Trust - they worked together to promote positive action in the community. Fed up of graffitti and "tagging" they worked together with taggers, teaching them new skills and allowing them to legitimately creat...