The unique staycation concept has just opened in Yorkshire.
Located just one hour from Leeds in South Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park is opening a new hotel and it's offering you and your family the chance to get up close and personal with some of nature's most exciting creatures.
Located moments from the animal enclosures, the HEX hotel is bringing the zoo to your staycation. Imagine waking up and stretching next to the likes of tigers and polar bears before sipping on your morning coffee: there simply isn't anything like it here in the UK.
The new hotel forms part of the £50 million renovation project from the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and is due to open this weekend.
Image: HEX Hotel
Hex Hotel is welcoming visitors with the appeal of: "wak[ing] up on the wildside and make memories from dusk to dawn", warning "You might even wake up to the sound of the Pride of Yorkshire ROOAARING as the sun rises."
In addition to the regular, but nonetheless breathtaking experiences of HEX, the hotel will be offering a range of themed sleepovers and family-friendly break packages including the Peter Pan mini break, Safari Night Concerts, School's Out for Summer and Spooky Sleepover packages.
By day, families can explore the wildlife park and meet the only polar bears in England or make friends with sea lions basking in the sunshine inside the largest man-made sea lion pool around.
Image: HEX Hotel
Dining options are aplenty around the park and inside the hotel.
Casual dining venue Wilds Cafe-Bistro invites guests to put a pin in the day's activities and unwind with hot food and refreshing drink options, whilst Masai Coffee House serves fair trade coffee, hot and cold drinks plus a selection of light lunches with giraffes.
The Hex Hotel is yet to reveal its full potential, but as the new hotel is due to open this weekend, we imagine the raving reviews will start to flock in shortly.
Norfolk-based jewellery brand Lisa Angel is opening their first Yorkshire site right here in Leeds.
Jewellery and trinket lovers, this one's for you.
Lisa Angel, a female-founded jewellery and gifting brand will open the doors to its new store in Victoria Gate next month.
Shoppers can expect a wonderful range of jewellery, gifts, and accessories that have established a loyal following during more than twenty years of business.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has only gone from strength to strength since.
Image: Supplied
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
After opening two stores last year and three stores in 2024, Lisa Angel’s founder and Creative Director, Lisa, said: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Managing Director James Moody explained the significance to the business of opening a new store in a city as influential as Leeds: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
We'll keep you up to date when we know an opening date, but for now you can check out what to expect here.
Yorkshire residents are being invited to name two new bin lorries
Clementine Hall
Well...this is a new one.
Ever fancied naming a bin lorry? Well today is your lucky day, because now you can.
Yorkshire-based waste management experts Divert are celebrating the arrival of two swanky new tbin rucks by inviting the local community to help name them.
The iconic purple bins, vans and trucks can be seen across the Yorkshire area helping to clean up waste from Bradford to Harrogate.
Two new lorries are set to be joining the fleet in April and May, and of course they need a name.
And who better to ask than the general public? The winning names will be added to the cabs of each of the trucks for all to see, and announced via the Divert website and social media channels.
Absolutely anyone from across the UK is welcome to take part, but the company are especially keen for people from Yorkshire to enter.
You can be as creative as you like, but there are a couple of rules...
No swearing or offensive names. Aside from that, you can let your freak flag fly.
The Divert team are keen to hear the 'best celebrity puns, local namesakes, and downright silly names' the public have to offer.
John Verity, Managing Director of Divert, comments: “Naming our bin trucks is a great way to bring some joy to the local community. We hope to bring a smile to the faces of passing drivers and pedestrians as our fleet passes by.
“Not only that, naming our lorries can help our drivers to take pride and ownership in the vehicles they drive and be a key reminder of our engagement within the community. We’re always keen to employ any initiatives that help the public to engage with us and ensure we’re seen as a friendly face in the area.”
Winners will be voted for by the team internally, and the competition closes at 5 pm on 31 March 2026.
Sophie Smith -
8th April 2022 
