A huge new garden centre is taking over a former golf course in South Leeds after council bosses green-lit a planning application earlier this month.
The company behind Tong Garden Centre can now push ahead with plans to build the facility and soft play area on what was formerly the Acanthus Golf Club off Thorpe Lane in Tingley.
The huge new £14 million development will include a 400-seater restaurant, a 1000m2 plant space, 'Grass Hoppers' indoor and outdoor play areas, and a 400m2 food hall alongside a large garden centre.
The existing outdoor play centre at Tong's Garden Centre / Image: Tong's Garden Centre
The old golf centre building will become the hub for an exciting new adventure play area set over five acres for 8 to 14-year-olds.
If it's anything like the existing Tong's site, there'll be plenty for kids to do here. Think giant outdoor inflatable pillows, a wooden adventure area with zip wire, monkey bars and rope ladders, coin-operated race cars, and even a giant sandpit.
Dining options at the original Tong's are also diverse, including carvery sandwiches, full English breakfasts, traditional fish and chips and chef's homemade pies.
The new garden centre itself is expected to have a range of home, garden and lifestyle products up for sale.
MD, Mark Farnsworth said: “Despite the challenges of having to close temporarily, the garden trade sector has proved resilient to the challenges that Covid-19 has presented, which gives us confidence for the future.
“We have made no secret of our ambitions to be a multi-site operation. We have been working on the Tingley opportunity for over two years, so we feel confident that we can deliver a fabulous experience for our visitors.
"We have learnt many valuable lessons in the five years that we have been growing Tong and we think that Tingley Garden Centre and Adventure Playground will be a great addition to the community in South Leeds."
It is hoped that the new development will create as many as 200 new jobs in the area.
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Kevin Sinfield will return to Leeds for his final 7 in 7 challenge in honour of Rob Burrow
Leeds legend Kevin Sinfield is set to take on his seventh and final 7 in 7 challenge this month.
The former Leeds Rhinos captain will begin 7 in 7: The Grand Finale next Sunday 27 September.
Wondering what on earth that is? Allow us to fill you in.
Sinfield will be running an ultra-marathon every day for seven days, and this time it's across the north of England including a special stop off right here in Leeds.
Not only that, but the challenge will bring Sinfield back to some of the places that have played a huge part in his rugby league career.
The route will visit all 12 English Betfred Super League grounds, starting at Hull KR before travelling through Yorkshire and eventually crossing the Pennines towards Manchester where Sinfield is from.
Here in Leeds, we can expect Sinfield to arrive at Headingley Stadium on Wednesday 30 September at 11:14am, before leaving towards Pudsey Civic Hall at 11:40am.
The challenge will then finish at Old Trafford on Saturday 3 October, where Sinfield will arrive ahead of the Super League Grand Final.
Since the first annual challenge back in 2020, Kevin Sinfield and his team have raised over £11 million for the MND community with six charities set to benefit once again from this years fundraising.
It's an amazing challenge for an amazing cause, and you can donate and find out more about the challenge here.
Good luck Kevin and the team, we know you'll smash it.
Channel 4 needs people from Yorkshire who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wondered how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now's your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: "Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?"
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city - used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare - with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden - which is part of ITV Studios - for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on people from Yorkshire with the 'courage and ingenuity' to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let's prove what we're made of.
Applications close on Sunday 4 October 2026 at midnight, and you must be 18 or above, with a valid UK or ROI passport, to enter.
Georgina Pellant -
7th June 2021 
