The Yorkshire accent has been named the best in the UK, proving once and for all that there's no better place to be born and raised than God's Own Country.
With its roots in Old English and Old Norse, we’ve always thought that the Yorkshire dialect was pretty damn special. Of course, we’re biased, but now there’s some new evidence to back us up.
A new study by Wordfinder WordTips has found that of 40 dialects in the UK, the most popular hails from Yorkshire.
Specifically, Sheffield - but we're still taking this as an all-round Yorkshire win, especially considering how many southern places have appeared on the new list.
Using data from Twitter that examined social media user's posts, WordTips analysed a total of 528,600 tweets and used an AI algorithm to determine the positivity of each one in order to find the most loved UK and international accents.
The algorithm calculated the proportion of positive tweets about each accent by evaluating the possibility of a text being positive, negative, or neutral.
Coming in at first place was Sheffield, representing Yorkshire, with nearly forty percent (39.9%)of tweets about the accent being considered positive. No doubt celebs like Jamie Cook, Dominic West, and The Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner will have done a lot to promote the tones of the steel city.
In second, behind Sheffield's Yorkshire tones, was Wiltshire with a 39.5 percent positivity rating, followed by the universally popular Geordie accent. After that came Nottingham, Somerset, and Derry, followed by the Lancashire accent in seventh place for positivity.
The top ten most popular UK accents were then rounded up by Cardiff at number 8, Essex at number 9 and the Bristol accent at number 10.
Expect live music, a load of craic and plenty of Guinness at Leeds' brand-new bar.
Opening on Leeds' bustling Merrion Street, 'Love, Jackie' is the latest concept from the team behind Roxy Ball Room and King Pins.
Love, Jackie will be taking over a 7,000 sq ft space,and will be promising proper prints, late nights and plenty of Irish charm.
Pouring will be the holy trinity of Irish stouts - Guinness, Beamish and Murphy's.
Image: Supplied
These will be served alongside Leeds' own Kirkstall Virtuous IPA and a vast whiskey selection that celebrates the best of Ireland.
Games wise, try your hand at crazy pool, interactive darts, shuffleboard and karaoke. There will also be live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The opening comes as Merrion Street enjoys a new wave of investment and hospitality openings, helping bring new life to one of Leeds' best known night life attractions.
Image: Supplied
Matt Jones, CEO of Professionals at Play, said: “Everyone knows a Jackie. She’s the one who gets everyone together, convinces you to stay for another and makes sure there’s never a dull moment.
“We wanted to create a pub with that same personality. Somewhere with brilliant drinks, live music, plenty of games and the kind of atmosphere that makes you forget you were only popping in for one.
“Merrion Street is coming back to life, and we’re excited to be part of its next chapter. We think Jackie will fit right in. And because Jackie’s never been one to turn up empty-handed, the first drink’s on her."
We'll keep you updated on opening times as and when we find out, but for now you can sign up here for a pint of free Guinness. Cheers to that!
Leeds City Council granted £1.6m to tackle rough sleeping by Christmas
Clementine Hall
A £1.6m grant has been given by the government to Leeds City Council to help tackle rough sleeping.
The funding has been allocated to Leeds City Council as part of the Government’s national Rough Sleeping Programme.
The overall target is to help rough sleepovers off the streets by Christmas through providing safe accommodation.
The council have said that voluntary organisations and charities will be able to help them reach this target.
The council report said: "This funding will be used for immediate interventions to ensure all those rough sleeping have an offer of accommodation by Christmas and support longer term sustainment of accommodation.
“The initial target is to provide a suitable offer of accommodation for everyone who is rough sleeping by Christmas 2026.
“Providing a path into supported accommodation and independent living is the key objective and sustaining this independent living with, where necessary, ongoing support to prevent any return to rough sleeping and homelessness.”
The government announcement spoke of the scheme: "The programme is intended to support people experiencing rough sleeping.
"People experiencing rough sleeping may have differing entitlements to housing and support depending on their individual circumstances, including their immigration status and eligibility for public funds."
The funding is intended to help provide immediate support for people currently sleeping on the streets, while also helping them access longer-term accommodation and the support needed to maintain independent living.
By working with local charities and voluntary organisations, the council hopes to ensure people are not only offered a place to stay but are also given the help they need to avoid returning to the streets.
Georgina Pellant -
24th July 2023 
