Name a better way to spend your Christmas holidays.
Situated on the outskirts of Leeds, Lotherton is full of historic charm thanks to the Edwardian house that sits in its vast estate. Complete with a hall, wildlife park, and plenty of events throughout the year, Lotherton is a popular day-out for visitors of all ages.
This Christmas, however, Lotherton is going all out with a string of festive events to get you excited for the big day. With opening hours and activities throughout the festive period itself, and into the New Year, you’re sure to find lots of Christmas fun for the entire family.
A new addition to Lotherton’s festive calendar this year is the Festive Woodland Walk. This is a wonderful activity for all age groups and combines a lovely Christmas stroll with mesmerising illuminations and interactive stations.
If this wasn’t enough, the Fairy Dell is a secret, tiny village along the walk that will grab your attention with its adorable mini buildings. Complete with a church, a windmill, and even a tiny cinema, the little fairy village is an adorable addition to your walk, and it’ll be all lit up to keep the wintery magic alive.
We’ve even heard that you might hear the fairies giggling if you’re lucky, so keep your ears peeled!
To warm yourselves up a bit after a walk through the woods, you can pay a visit to the Edwardian house itself, which will be decked out with lavish Christmas decorations. With towering Christmas trees full of sparkling lights and decorations, wreaths, and plenty of beautifully wrapped presents, you’ll be blown away by the beautiful decorations and the warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling that they cause.
If even after all this festive wonder, you still need a few more activities to reach the maximum level of excitement, then there are plenty of other activities to take part in at Lotherton.
With Elf Crafts and Gingerbread decorating classes with Mrs. Clause to keep the kids entertained, and Yuletide Yurts where you can grab a Christmas tipple, everyone you visit with is sure to have a fantastic day of festive fun at Lotherton.
Tesco has officially unveiled its Christmas Meal Deal menu for 2026, and has revealed when it’ll be arriving in stores.
Spooky season may not have even arrived yet, but it won’t be long before the most wonderful time of the year is here and most of the UK’s major supermarkets have already started stocking their shelves with Christmas food, drink, and gifts galore.
Tesco has now unveiled all the sandwiches and snacks forming part of its iconic lunchtime meal deal selection.
10 new seasonal mains and sides have been launched this year, as well as some classics and returning fan favourites too.
Images: Tesco
The retailer says its food on-the-go experts have worked hard to bring a variety of festive flavours and great-quality ingredients together this year, with something on offer to cater to all tastes and preferences.
Available in stores and online from next week, with Tesco Clubcard members paying just £3.80 or £5.50 to upgrade to a Premium Meal Deal, some of the all-new main options you can choose from in 2026’s festive lineup include the Fully Loaded Chicken, Stuffing, Braised Red Cabbage & Cranberry Sauce Sandwich, the Christmas Triple Sandwich, and the Pork Meatball Wrap with smoky sage and onion mayonnaise.
Other returning favourites include the Brie and Cranberry Sandwich, the Currywurst Sausage Sub, and the absolute classic Turkey & Trimmings Sandwich.
For veggies and vegans, there’s a new Tesco Plant Chef Christmas Veg Fest Wrap, and for those who follow a gluten free diet, you can grab the Gluten Free Festive Chicken & Trimmings sandwich.
When it comes to snacks to accompany those mains, the festive Mini Pork Pies and Pig in Blanket Sausage Rolls are returning to the lineup this year, alongside some new additions like the Pretzels with Salted Caramel Soft Cheese Dip, and Mini Cheese Twists.
The 2026 Tesco Christmas Meal Deal range will be in stores across the UK from Monday 12 October, and there’s thousands of combinations to try.
Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month
Clementine Hall
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Kate Perou -
21st December 2021 
