This Sunday marks 40 years since the curtain came down on Leeds' ‘Rock Against Racism’ gig series.
Held in 1981, the series followed a year of rioting on Britain's streets and subsequently toured the country to mirror the general public desire for improved racial equality.
The penultimate concert was held in the Chapeltown area of Leeds and continues to be remembered fondly today by residents who were there (and those who've merely heard their tales).
The event saw The Specials headline, debuting their single Ghost Town - now an iconic song and piece of British cultural history.
Reggae bands Misty In Roots and Aswad, Rhoda Dakar, Leeds locals The Mekons, Delta5, Gang of Four and ska bands The Beat and the Selecter joined them on stage as part of the historic Leeds Carnival Against Racism.
Prior to the event, Chapeltown had been the epicentre for the Leeds riots- seeing a series of riots take place in the spring.
Prior to the concert, racially motivated attacks had frequently seen white youths clashing with black and Asian communities - so organisers were keen to flip the script by hosting something positive in the area.
This final Leeds show followed a slew of concerts across the country, all designed to quash a rising tide of nationalism that was being seen in the country during the late 80s.
Through it, the shows supported a wider 'Rock Against Racism' and 'Anti-Nazi League movement' - intended stamp out inequality and divisions by educating Britain's music-loving youth.
Remembering the show, renowned photographer Syd Shelton said: “Before Rock Against Racism, black bands mainly played to black audiences and white mostly white; RAR helped get rid of that."
“It was an amazing day, the weather was good and the audience was a mixture of dreads, mods, rude boys and punks.”
The shows paved the way for greater racial and women's equality, and RAR’s ‘Love Music, Hate Racism,’ mantra still lives on today.
Feature image - Syd Shelton.
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Leeds Bradford Airport set for complete ‘shutdown’ as 130 workers go on strike
Leeds Bradford Airport is set for a standstill as almost 130 workers are set to take industrial action over pay.
If you're planning on catching a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport, then you may want to double check the date.
The Unite members planning on going on strike are a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute have recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity.
Strikes will take place from 03:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for hourly paid staff and from 06:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for air traffic control workers.
Strike will mean the entire airport will shut down.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Leeds Bradford Airport is very profitable and can more than afford to come back to the table with an offer that doesn't fall short of our members' expectations.
"Our hardworking members should not be paid less than those doing the same jobs at other airports. Workers taking action at Leeds Bradford Airport have Unite's full support in their fight for fairer pay."
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "We know people who have flights planned to and from Leeds Bradford Airport will be concerned to hear of industrial action, however our members have no choice but to strike.
"The airport is profitable, passenger numbers are growing and our members are a major part of its success. They deserve a fair pay rise, and management must come back to the table to deliver this."
Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
Clementine Hall
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Georgina Pellant -
3rd July 2021 
