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North Brewing Co. left ‘devastated’ and £25,000 short after ticketing platform is under moratorium weeks before festival
At a time when our industry is under enormous pressure due to the cost increases on Co2, utilities, distribution and raw materials this was terrible news for us to receive today."
This has had an overwhelming impact on the upcoming Springwell Sessions, but North Brew is determined to still deliver the event as planned.
With only two and a half weeks to go before North Brewing Co.'s flagship beer festival, The Springwell Sessions, the brewery has discovered that the ticket provider for the event, Event Genius of Festicket is under moratorium.
As a result, the ticket platform has had their bank accounts has been frozen, and left the Leeds' brewery over £25,000 short as no funds can be taken out of the accounts towards their future events, nor can ticket holders receive refund.
In just twelve hours, the company has managed to raise of £8,000, but is hoping to raise the full £25,000 before the festival at the end of the month.
In order to provide the much-anticipated festival, organisers have decided to set up a GoFundMe to cover costs, as well as ensuring that the company is still able to donate 10% of ticket sales to St George's Crypt, who were due to receive £2,000 from the ticket sales that can no longer be withdrawn.
North Brewing Co has been feeding Leeds since 2015 with some of the most exciting tipple in the city. / Image: North Brewing Co
The event itself is still set to be one of the most exciting ways to finish off summer in Leeds. From Friday 23 September to Sunday 25 September 2022, Springwell Sessions is bringing together 17 breweries from across the UK across three days of events, with independent wine shop, Bottle Chop, hosting a natural wine bar; No. 3 Gin shaking the cocktails, and street food will be provided by Little Bao Boy, Kerbside Kids, MorMor and Homeboy Pizza.
All set within a huge 21,000 square foot brewery in North Leeds, the site at Springwell produces 2.8 million pints of beer a year and is home to their flagship taproom, so Springwell Sessions will showcase exactly what you're tasting from the keg, as well as bringing together a list of independents and local breweries big and small to the event.
John Gyngell company founder said “At a time when our industry is under enormous pressure due to the cost increases on Co2, utilities, distribution and raw materials this was terrible news for us to receive today.
"Further to this we are disappointed to learn today that Festicket, who own Event Genius, continued to take payments from customers over the last 2 weeks despite filing for moratorium on 24th August.”
“To lose the ticket sales as a result of Event Genius collapsing has lost us in excess of £25,000. Regardless of this we are committed to running this festival. To help with this we have setup a GoFundMe page and we are reaching out to our friends, family and fellow brewers to support us given the lost revenue from the tickets.
"Already the conversations we have had with the brewers attending have been incredibly moving, and incredibly supportive. It is great to see everyone come together to help make this event a success.”
Springwell has been open since April 2021. / Image: Springwell
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“We built the brewery and taproom at Springwell during lockdowns, finally opening our doors to the public in April 2021. The Springwell Sessions is our first beer festival at the venue and an amazing opportunity to showcase the brewery, work with our friends in the industry and put on an incredible event for the city of Leeds.”
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
It had previously been reported that Gail's would be going to Knaresborough, but the job posting appears to hint that Harrogate will be the first Yorkshire location.
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Kirkstall Brewery and Little Bao Boy unveil new Leeds taproom
Daisy Jackson
You know the venue, and you know the operators behind it, but things are looking a little different over on Sovereign Street.
Leeds' very own Kirkstall Brewery has teamed up with street food legends Little Bao Boy to totally reinvent the city centre taproom formerly known as North Taproom.
At the all-new The City Taproom, you'll find a way cosier space alongside their sun-soaked terrace, as they aim to reimagine a traditional city centre pub.
Across 16 tap lines there are loads of Kirkstall Brewery classics, like Kirkstall Pilsner, Virtuous and Judicious, plus a rotating selection of guest beers from top British breweries - and Guinness, of course.
The City Taproom will also feature two new cask lines: one serving Three Swords as a staple, and the other on rotation starting this month with Golden Hour.
There's a bigger kitchen for Little Bao Boy too, which means an even larger menu of bao and Asian street food, like loaded fries, noodles, and rice bowls.
Little Bao Boy was founded 10 years ago by James Ooi, specialising in home-made bao buns and traditional Asian street food with a contemporary western twist.
Kirkstall have injected the huge space with the traditional essence of a proper Kirkstall establishment, with that kind of cosy atmosphere you know them for at the brewery's other sites.
Little Bao Boy at City TaproomKirkstall Brewery pints and cocktails
This is yet another of the local brewery's openings in the city centre, joining their recent renovation of The Victoria & Commercial in partnership with Whitelocks, plus their stewardship of the historic Tetley brewery building.
James Ooi, founder of Little Bao Boy said: "We have been part of this venue since day one, through COVID, outside seating, and new owners, and we are so excited for this refurb.
"On the food side, expect more collaborations, faster service, and a better overall customer experience. We are extremely grateful Kirkstall saw the value in this refurb and can't wait to get back open."
Steve Holt, founder of Kirkstall Brewery, said: "We're delighted to unveil a new presentation for the Taproom on Sovereign Street.
"It has been named The City Taproom after a famous but long-gone Leeds pub known as ‘The City’, which was situated where the statue of the Dortmund Brewer now stands. Images of the original City pub are a feature in the new look City Taproom, which can best be described as a 're-imagination' of a traditional city-centre pub.
"The City Taproom celebrates Leeds and its rich pub and brewing heritage. We hope that it will become a popular addition to the amazing and diverse venues that make Leeds such a vibrant City for hospitality and entertainment."
It's all the bits you loved before, just a little bigger and a whole lot better.
The City Taproom opens at 3 Sovereign Street on Thursday 23 April.
Sophie Smith -
8th September 2022 
