It's the most famous bar crawl in Leeds, pulling in sports fans from far and wide to take place in the legendary Headingley pub crawl- but nowit appears The Otley Run is under threat after some neighbours have raised concerns.
With eighteen pubs on the route, it's quite the challenge - and has become something of a famous rite of passage for the city's students, who can often be seen spotted taking part in wild and wacky fancy dress costumes.
And yet, over the past few years concerns from locals have continued to grow about the event - with some venues even going so far as to ban Otley runners from coming in when they're doing the pub crawl.
Last week, it all came to a head with a consultation being held between local politicians and members of the neighbourhood.
Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds North West, met with groups concerned about how the local event is growing 'exponentially' into a 'nationally-recognised event'.
The Weetwood Rose group says it is concerned that the run is becoming "a favourite for stag and hen parties and work outings where people are coached into the area in their hundreds."
On its website, it explains the growth of the run has "caused serious problems for residents and many local businesses."
It continues: "Parents with prams and those with mobility issues struggle to get through the waves of people walking down the street, reports of anti-social behaviour, public urination and sexual harassment have grown and many residents feel unsafe and intimidated to go out, even in the early afternoon.
"This is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue along the current course and we are taking action to see meaningful change.
"To achieve this, we have to explore several different avenues and potential interventions. So far we have met with Safer Leeds, Child Friendly Headingley and Women’s Lives Leeds to encourage a joined up approach to tackling this problem.
"We are meeting with licensing at the council to explore our statutory options. We are also inviting bars to participate in a round table to see what more could be done to support residents and to ensure a ‘code of conduct’ goes up in every pub. And we are meeting with the other local businesses to find out what extra support they need.
"We are supporting the police in their application for more patrols during peak times.
"We are looking at ways to reduce the number of coach trips and writing to businesses asking to end their advertising of the Otley Run."
Options discussed as part of the meeting included introducing a new 'code of conduct' in Otley Run pubs and introducing more police patrols.
Britain's 20 biggest cities have been ranked, and Leeds has done pretty well.
Although, you wouldn't be able to tell judging by the overwhelmingly lacklustre description we've been given.
The listing comes from The Telegraph and ranks Britain's 20 biggest cities from worst to best, taking into account visitor appeal and where offers most to tourists.
Leeds comes in at a very respectable number 10, however judging from what they've said about our city you'd think we were much, much lower.
Kicking things off, the description reads: "There’s an untidy quality to Leeds, borne of a patchwork of periods in its built environment and the fact that a lot of regeneration is underway (cranes rise at every corner)."
Image: Unsplash
Yep, not off to a good start but it's only down hill from there as Leeds is then said to have a 'certain shapelessness'.
But perhaps the worst part is yet to come: "There are some ugly, run-down streets very close to the centre, and while the Headrow and other high streets have a fair number of shops, there’s no real boulevard or grand square.
"The most atmospheric spaces are Queens Arcade and perpendicular Cross Arcade, and Thornton’s Arcade; Grand Arcade is also Victorian but looks and feels less uplifting."
By the end it starts to get slightly more positive, emphases on 'slightly': "Leeds’ strongest points might be its small size and its north-central location; it’s easy to walk everywhere inside the city, and a short ride away are Ilkley, Skipton and the Dales."
Our visitor appeal gained a 6.5/10, beating Cardiff, Sheffield, Brighton and Nottingham.
Taking the top spot was Liverpool followed by Edinburgh, Belfast and Glasgow. Read the full ranking here.
An award-winning Sardinian restaurant made famous in Sheffield is now opening in Leeds
Clementine Hall
This family-run restaurant has chosen Leeds as their second location, and we're very glad they have.
Introducing Domo, a Sardinian independent born in Sheffield that is loved by many for its delicious food, inviting atmosphere and stellar service.
Run by Raffaele Busceddu and Sarah May Elliott, Domo serves a range of traditional Sardinian specialities from homemade pasta dishes to show-stopping grills.
They've also got a banging cocktail menu full of signature serves and refreshing spritz, perfect for enjoying with friends over some delicious sharing plates.
Images: The Sheff
They've been teasing a second site for some time now but finally the cat is firmly out of the bag as they've announced they'll be bringing Domo to Leeds.
But where might you ask? Well, none other than the scenic location of the Lockside overlooking the canal.
Slotting right in next to BAKE, they're going to be in very good company indeed.
Image: The Sheff
Announcing the exciting news to Instagram, Domo said: "So most of you guessed it right...it’s been a long time coming but Domo 2.0 is finally cooking.
"Here’s a little sneak peek at our week which we’ve mostly spent admiring the views and getting to know the new neighbours …. If you can guess where it is there’s a glass of bubbly on us next time we see you. To be continued ………"
That's all the information we have so far, but we'll keep you in the loop as and when we find out more.
We can't wait to have you here in Leeds Domo, but for now we'll pop round to Sheffield to get our Domo fix and we highly suggest you do too.
Georgina Pellant -
1st July 2022 
