Light on Leeds

Send us Fan Mail I’m afraid I messed up in the intro with my numbering of episodes, but Cleve Freckleton was my amazing guest on episode 20 of the Light on Leeds podcast.  Cleve talks about what music means to him, being Rasta Claus, his work with gospel choirs and his work with young people. Cleve chose the featured track this week by an ex pupil of his. The track is called “Miss You When You’re...

Send us Fan Mail Emily Carrigan was a brilliant guest and tells us all about her great work at the Rainbow Junktion Cafe. Music provided this week by Chris Clyburn “Cherry Blossoms”. Listen to his album “Life, Love and Other Compilations” here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1RqSSPW0tbWvF6lDC5LIB2?si=IhA27wXnR2CZYrrsLKymfg www.facebook.com/rainbowjunktion instagram.com/rainbowjunktion #feedbellie...

Send us Fan Mail Lucy Meredith and Zoe Parker came along to tell me about all sorts of fantastic initiatives they’re involved with. Apart from being real life mermaids, they run Bramley Mermaids, the Institute for Crazy Dancing, Yorkshire Life Aquatic, Tea and Tolerance AND they write and podcast for Culture Vulture - phew! I don’t know how they fit it all in but thank goodness for Leeds, they do....

Send us Fan Mail I really enjoyed my chat with Antony Butcher - he's a student education service officer at University of Leeds and he's heading off on an epic adventure! Antony will be cycling coast to coast from New York to San Francisco to raise money for various charities and to raise awareness of mental health. If you’d like to follow his journey head to: www.tinyletter.com/antonyjc...

Send us Fan Mail I was so excited when actual Father Christmas asked if he could be a guest on the Light on Leeds podcast - he wanted the chance to dispel some of the myths surrounding him and his helpers. It's a lot more complicated than it seems!  Merry Christmas Leeds! Music provided this week by the wonderfully talented Grand Old Ukes of York with Listen, the Snow is Falling.  I make no m...

Send us Fan Mail Kieran O'Malley is Beeston's best kept secret - he has been playing the violin since a very small child and now plays with all sorts of bands in all sorts of places.  You can hear Kieran playing at the longest running folk night in the world at The Grove pub (down the side of Bridgewater Place). He has lots of stories to tell and I am sure you will enjoy our conversation...

Send us Fan Mail Lisa Holdsworth is a very busy woman! she is Chair of the Writers' Guild Great Britain. She's written for Emmerdale and Midsomer Murders and has an adaptation of James Herriott's All Creatures Great and Small coming out on Channel 5 in 2020. We were thrilled to have her as a guest. Music this week is provided by A Night In November and the track is Time At The Bar -...

Send us Fan Mail Taras Gorevoy came to Leeds all the way from Estonia and says that he chose our city because he loves football and beer! Taras runs an Instagram page called Leeds. Life which has one of the largest amount of followers of all our city IG accounts. He also has a social media marketing agency Yolka Yolka Didgital yolka.co.uk and has just begun his own Leeds themed clothing line chuff...

Send us Fan Mail Jesse and Jim from Blue Kubricks came and had a beer and told us about how they write songs, looking for the perfect drummer (when they already had one) and much, much more. Check out their work on Spotify and their new song Heroin at the end of the podcast... I make no money from this podcast and all I ask is that you enjoy it, tell your friends and if you could leave me a review...

Send us Fan Mail It was wonderful to have Cat & Kate from Seagull's Paints as guests - I've been looking forward to meeting them for such a long time. Have a listen to how they began, all of the amazing things they do and what their plans are for the future. Do check out their Refill Shop and Mosaic Workshops. FB: Seagulls Paint Twitter: @SeagullsPaint IG: seagullspaint Music this ep...

Send us Fan Mail Jack Hurley is our fantastic guest for episode 10. He is an artist, best know for his Rubbish Seaside collection. You can find his work in Fabrication on Albion Street, Leeds or their branch on Coney Street, York. Jack talks about his inspiration and how different towns react to being portrayed by him.  You can also find Jack's art at www.loud ribs.com and Fabrication's...

Send us Fan Mail Bruce Davies was a brilliant guest who came along to tell us all about his Basement Arts Project and discusses the public benefit of art and how accessible (or not) it can be. Bruce opens the basement of his Beeston home to artists to display works of art which the public may view by appointment (if they are unable to make any of his opening times and dates). He tells us about wha...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features the Artistic Director of Red Ladder Theatre Group, Rod Dixon. Rod was a great guest and spoke passionately about many subjects including austerity, the miner's strike, male depression and much more. He asks big questions about whether art can change things and can theatre be used as political activism.  Rod has many funny stories too and explains his nex...

Send us Fan Mail Alice Nutter was our fantastic guest on Light on Leeds Episode 7... She tells us about her Chumbawumba days and how she and the rest of the band squatted in a mill owner's daughter's house (until she remembered she owned it!) and much, much more. I tell her how much I loved the FX series Trust that she was heavily involved in writing and she explains why it was not as su...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 6 of Light on Leeds features Mick McCann as our guest... Mick talks about the importance to him of music and dancing, his books Coming Out as a Bowie Fan in Leeds, Yorkshire, England and How Leeds Changed the World and tells us why Leeds United are a proper club (as opposed to Manchester United). A small warning that there is quite a bit of swearing in this episode. Music...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 5 features Ed Carlisle who is a hugely active person in his local community of South Leeds... Ed tells us about his forays in local politics, community action, Beeston Festival, the Repair Cafe and the Holbeck Viaduct Project amongst other things. I had so many things on my list to ask him about that I didn't get to, that he must come along again and tell us more. Mus...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 4 of Light on Leeds features not one, but two times BAFTA winner Mark Catley.  Mark is a two times BAFTA winning writer and producer and has written for Casualty, Eastender, Coronation Street and much more. He was the first writer to be commissioned by the West Yorkshire Playhouse (as it was then) as part of the BBC’s New Writing schemes, Northern Exposure.   Mark is invol...

Send us Fan Mail This weeks guest is Chris Nickson. Author, music journalist and veritable gold mine of facts about Leeds! This episode features music from The Jolly Code. Produced by Will Gurrey and engineered by Jess Penn. http://www.instagram.com/thejollycode http://facebook.com/thejollycode http://www.twitter.com/thejollycode https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Nickson https://chrisnickson.c...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 2 of Light on Leeds features Nick Ahad, BBC Radio Leeds DJ, playwright and stand-up comedian. Features Rise not Fall by Jess Gardham. Some swearing in this episode. How Leeds Changed the World by Mick McCann is available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leeds-Changed-World-Mick-McCann/dp/0955469937 You can find Jess Gardham on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

Send us Fan Mail Alan Lane comes to talk about Slung Low; the brilliant work they are doing in the community and how you can get involved... I make no money from this podcast and all I ask is that you enjoy it, tell your friends and if you could leave me a review I would be most grateful. If you know of someone you think would make a great guest, do get in touch - hazelmillichamp@gmail.com. Do sen...