Moortown councillors are pressing the provision of better sports and play areas for our young people.

Cllr Richard Harker commenting on the lack of play spaces said …

“The Moortown and Meanwood young people need to be provided with better facilities for leisure activities. 

“Spaces exist across the area where informal sports pitches should be established.   Areas where our young people could skate board or play basketball, five a side foot ball, tennis or similar informal games. 

“The King Alfred Fields off Stonegate Road is just one example of an area that could benefit from investment.

“Official figures from an IPSOS Mori poll released last week show that one in four children are not taking part in any organised sport in or out of school.

“Among five to 16-year-olds, 12 per cent are inactive, rising to 58 per cent among 16 to 19-year-olds. 

“Mori interviewed almost 12,000 children and young people as part of a year-long survey in 2008.

“In 2007, the government launched a £100m campaign to get children doing five hours of PE and sport a week by 2010. But by a week they meant in school time.

“Where is there for our young people during the school holidays?”

Sutherland Avenue to Talbot Road (odd numbers side only) 

A footway maintenance scheme we consisting of the lifting & relaying of any uneven flags & replacing any broken ones will start on Monday 27th. 

The FOOTWAY MAINTENANCE SCHEME – STREET LANE, MOORTOWNwork is planned to commence on Monday 27^th July. The contractor’s working hours will be between 0800 & 1800 Monday to Friday and the works will be completed in approximately 6 weeks.  

Pedestrian access will be available at all times and every effort will be made to maintain access to your property throughout the working period, however there will be occasions when access by vehicle is restricted. Your co-operation in ensuring your vehicle is not parked on the carriageway during the works would be appreciated.  

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience and assure you that every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.  If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact The Highways Helpline on the above telephone number. 

Anyone struggling to find ways of filling the summer holidays now has the perfect solution by looking at a handy guide to all the events going on in museums and galleries across Leeds.

A new ‘what’s on’ guide to all the events and activities taking place at the nine Leeds City Council-managed museums and galleries is now available to be picked up for free at every venue as well as the Leeds Visitor Centre and tourist information centres in and around the city.

The guide gives details of what’s on where for families and young people to enjoy at the nine venues – Abbey House Museum, Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds City Museum, Leeds Museum Discovery Centre, Leeds Industrial Museum, Lotherton Hall, Temple Newsam and Thwaite Mills Watermill – from now until the end of August.

Aside from basic details of regular events, the guide also details the activities on offer by theme and also a useful week-by-week guide of things to do throughout the holidays. These include events around the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne, an exhibition of 1960s and 70s British fashion, a spectacular birds of prey demonstration, arts and crafts, fancy dress, bug hunts, a special football exhibition, a dog show and even a teddy bears’ picnic and a welly-throwing competition!

The guide can also be downloaded from the Leeds museums and galleries website at www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries. All the events are part of the wider Summer of Fun in Leeds, with details of all the council-managed free or low-cost events and activities going on around the city able to be accessed through the new web portal at www.leeds.gov.uk/summeroffun.

Moortown councillors have just been told that the new lighting for Moortown ward is due to begin to be changed Sept/Oct this year, not next year.

The company doing the work has offered to do a presentation to local people about what is going on regarding street lighting in the area so we are working on plan which will allow residents a chance to have their say.

“As soon as we can confirm venues, dates and time we will contact community groups in the first instance and explore ways of advertising the consultation events.” Councillor Richard Harker

The Friends of Highwood, a local community group partnership made up from members of the  Queenshill Residents Association, Highwood Residents and Moortown Baptist Church and they are planning their next Community Fun Day.

The Friends of Highwood have already organised 3 very successful community fun days and looking forward to their next one on 19^th September 2009. This year they plan to build on last year’s success by increasing the number of activities on offer.

The fun day will take place on the open green space in the middle of the Queenshill Estate. They are planning a bouncy castle and the  Urban Circus, who will provide jugglers and other activities.

Cllr Richard Harker said

“The annual Friends of Highwood Community Fun Day is always great fun so put the date in your diary. 

“Your Moortown Liberal Democrat Councillors are keen to support community groups and the Highwood project is great because it brings about co-operation between three diverse groups. The result is an important environmental project but it has also resulted in many new and lasting friendships”.

The Friends of Highwood have worked hard to improve the small area of woodland between the Queenshills and the Highwoods over several years. They organise clean up days and act as guardians of this important green space.

Their hard work has returned a piece of woodland back to a major community facility. Because of their efforts and vision the woodland now attracts a wide variety of wild animals, birds and insects.  This week work will start on some steps, timber edged and filled with woodchip, these step will make clean up days easier as well as making the woodland more accessible to local residents who just want somewhere quiet to walk. The work will cost £1,035 and is being paid for by their local councillor’s out of a capital funding pot they control.

The Leeds North East Inner Area Committee have made to following grants at a meeting of the committee on 20^th July.

If you would like more information about these grants or how to apply for one then please contact me at the Civic Hall, Leeds LS1 1UR

i) North East (Inner) Area Committee Community Charter –

Production and Distribution of Charter – £6,000 Revenue – A

maximum figure of £3,000 be allocated to produce and

distribute the Charter to local community groups and

organisations as widely as possible within available

resources – Approved;

(ii) Radio Jcom – Community Radio Broadcasting Station –

£8,000 Capital – Approved subject to match funding from

North East (Outer) Area Committee and a business plan

that requires no future revenue funding contributions

from Leeds City Council;

(iii) Youth Services – Prince Phillip Motorbike Project – £15,039

Revenue – An initial figure of £7,500 be allocated to fund

the project during the summer school holiday period –

Approved;

(iv) Youth Services – Wii Games Equipment – £1,680 Capital –

Approved;

(v) Youth Services – Graffiti Workshops – £1,650 Revenue –

Declined;

(vi) Youth Services – Baby Reality Project – £1,800 Revenue –

Approved;

(vii) Youth Services – Coaching Schools – £1,358 Revenue –

Approved;

£180,000 to be spent refurbishing the play space in Meanwood Park.

Councillors, Richard Harker and Brenda Lancaster have recently led a public consultation in the Park with young people and their parents to establish what needs to be included in a refurbishment of their play space.

Cllr Richard Harker  (Lib Dem, Moortown) 

“There was a tremendous response from local young people and my colleagues and I look are working with Council Officers to ensure residents and users of the play area get the layout and equipment they want.  Work will begin once the consultation has finished and playground will be restored by March 2010. 

Cllr Brenda Lancaster (Lib Dem, (Moortown)  

“My colleagues and I are extremely pleased to get what is a substantial investment for our area.   The refurbishment will result in a much improved facility which we hope will be well used.  This is just a first step in bringing new investment in this much used and loved park.” 

On Monday 22 June at 10.30am, Leeds  joined hundreds of councils throughout the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in raising a unique flag to support Britain’s first ever Armed Forces Day.

Flags will be flown the length and breadth of the country from the Shetland Islands to Land’s End and from Lowestoft (England’s most easterly point) to the Scilly Isles. The specially designed flags, based on the Union Jack, will be raised at 10.30am on Monday 22 June, in ceremonies across the country.  This marks the beginning of a week of events leading up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday 27 June.In addition to more than 450 local authorities, over 3000 members of the public, businesses and schools will also fly official Armed Forces Day flags to join the celebrations to honour Britain’s Armed Forces - past, present and future.

Armed Forces Day flags will also be flown where British Servicemen and women are serving overseas, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Cyprus, Germany, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.

Councillor  Brenda Lancaster, who has been working with Leeds Veterens and was in Normandy for the D Day celebrations, commented:

“It is important that veterans and serving members of the armed forces are aware of the  gratitude and admiration of Leeds people for all that they have done and continue to do for people across the world.

“Leeds as a city is proud to fly this flag in support of all our armed forces – past, present and future.”

An event to celebrate Armed Forces Day in Leeds will take place on Saturday, 27 June at Leeds Town Hall, 1 – 6pm. 

The Breeze International Youth Festival (BIYF), run by Leeds City Council’s Arts & Regeneration Unit, offers an exciting array of events, performances, masterclasses and activities to get young people interested in and involved in the arts this June.

To find out what’s happening at the festival, visit their website at:  http://www.breezeleeds.org/BIYF

Download a festival brochure from:  http://www.breezeleeds.org/pg/6/About_the_festival

The festival begins on Monday 22 June with the BIYF radio project ‘Roundhay Radio’ broadcasting over the airways 12-8pm every day until Saturday 28 June on 87.7fm or online at www.breezeleeds.org/BIYF

From 26 - 29 June, BIYF also opens up Leeds city centre for the spectacular BIYF Celebration Weekend.  As well as fun for young people aged 13 - 19, there will be a whole host of events and performances on offer for the whole family.  The Carriageworks, Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds City Museum, Hyde Park Picture House, the BBC, Northern Ballet Theatre, Yorkshire Dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Mediafish and First Floor at the West Yorkshire Playhouse are just some of the organisations involved this year.

You may know some young people aged 13 - 19 who would like to try out a free masterclass with an expert arts practitioner.  To see what’s on offer, download the Festival Masterclasses brochure from here:  http://www.breezeleeds.org/pg/6/About_the_festival  To book a place, call (0113) 247 8305.

Finally they will be welcoming international guests from around the world on Monday 29 June. The young people are paired with local high schools, giving them the chance to work with Leeds young people on a range of activities and also learn about eachother’s lives, education and culture.

If you would like any other information about the festival, please call the BIYF Team on (0113) 247 8305 or visit the website.

If you would like to attend one of their ticketed events, please contact Ann Wishart on 0113 2478049 by Wednesday 24 June to reserve your seats.

As part of our pedestrian crossing scheme we intend to carry out works at the above location.  The works will consist of the construction of a new zebra crossing. 

The work is planned to commence on Monday 29 June 2009. The contractor’s working hours will be from 0930 to 1530 Monday to Friday and the works will be completed in approximately 2 weeks.  

Pedestrian access will be available at all times and every effort will be made to maintain access to your property throughout the working period, however there will be occasions when access by vehicle is restricted. Your co-operation in ensuring your vehicle is not parked on the carriageway during the works would be appreciated.  

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience and assure you that every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.  If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact The Highways Helpline on [0113] 2224410.