On Friday 27 May 2022, four friends from Yorkshire are cycling the distance from Harrogate to Monaco to raise money in memory of their loved ones.
Whilst drivers are preparing for what is widely considered the most prestigious race in the Formula 1 season, the Monaco Grand Prix; Ollie Ward, Joe Braham, Henry Bartle and Jeremy Butterfield are gearing up for their own event this weekend.
They are attempting to cycle 1573km in 24 hours from Harrogate to Monaco, raising money for two charities in memory of two loved ones who were both massive fans of F1.
The cyclists have even received a good luck message from England football manager, Gareth Southgate.
In April of 2020, their beloved friend James Hindmarsh was devastatingly diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS). The following year saw months of gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment, James fought hard but sadly lost his battle in 2021.
The fundraising started here with his friends raising money to pay for his private treatment which they instead decided to donate to Sarcoma UK, a bone and soft tissue cancer charity. Just weeks later in May last year, Henry, Ollie and Jeremy ran three marathons in three days whilst Joe, who lives in Switzerland, embarked on his own challenge to raise money, a ski tour from Verbier to Mount Fort.
This year, half of the money raised will be donated to Leeds Hospitals Charity, who will allocate it to Leeds Cancer Centre; a centre very close to James’ heart. Jeremy says "The money raised will go towards support and help for others fighting the same fight our best mate did so bravely."
The other half of the money will be donated to The David Brown Foundation in memory of Ollie's Uncle. A thoughtful, caring and kind man who devastatingly lost his battle to Covid-19 in December 2021. David gave his life to others by supporting children's education in the UK and helping students across the district to reach their full potential, and the boys will be following in his footsteps.
As well as Formula 1 both James and David were huge football fans and ahead of the challenge the team received a good luck message from England football manager Gareth Southgate, praising their bravery, courage and urging others to donate all they can.
The boys say "Both James and Dave never gave up in their fights and we will continue their legacies to help others fight the challenges they are facing. Every cycle of the bike erg they will both be with us, probably with a wry smile and a Peroni in hand. They are forever in our hearts."
Loyle Carner has been announced as the headliner for ‘Above All Else’ a new curated event that will form part of the Live at Kirkstall Abbey concert series.
Boy oh boy are we excited about this one.
An all-day celebration of music and culture is coming to Kirkstall Abbey, ‘Above All Else’ is a new event from independent Leeds promoters Futuresound with forward-thinking curation at its heart.
And who better to headline its debut than Loyle Carner.
Released last summer, Loyle Carner’s fourth full-length album Hopefully! reasserted his position at the forefront of the UK’s emotionally-charged hip hop movement.
Images: Supplied
First finding his voice in 2013 with the A Little Late EP, it was Loyle Carner’s debut album 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone that brought the artist to national attention and earned himself a Mercury Music Prize nomination and BRIT award nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist at just 23 years old.
Joining Loyle Carner at ‘Above All Else’ will be a full supporting line-up including acclaimed Grammy and Ivor-Novello award nominated songwriter Jordan Rakei and Kokoroko, the London based sextet.
Completing the line-up is much-hyped Birmingham rapper Kofi Stone and rising Dublin collective Bricknasty.
Also announced for Live At Kirkstall Abbey 2026 are revered British multi-hyphenates The Streets, reunited Leeds indie heroes The Sunshine Underground, art rock royalty The Maccabees will be performing their only northern gig and the hugely successful Kirkstall Abbey Comedy Festival is gearing up for a return featuring Dara Ó’Brien, Jason Manford, Lucy Beamount and more.
Kirkstall postcode pre-sale for local residents (LS4, LS5, LS13 & LS18) will open at 10am on Wednesday 28 January here with general sale opening at 10am on Friday 30 January here.
‘The pub that refused to die’ – reborn Leeds pub receives glowing national review by Jay Rayner
Clementine Hall
Food critic Jay Rayner headed to Leeds for his latest restaurant review for The Financial Times, with his sights set on one of the city's newest pubs - The Highland Laddie.
Having only opened in May last year, The Highland Laddie has practically received a stream of praise ever since.
From the team behind the beloved Empire Cafe, it's a pub unlike any you'll find in the city.
Charming interiors and cosy fires matched with stellar food that rivals that of any restaurant in the city, it's no surprise that The Good Food Guide rated the Laddie has the Best Pub in Britain for 2025.
And now Jay Rayner, one of the country's most rated critics, has jumped on the Laddie-loving bandwagon.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review is glowing in every aspect, stating that "The Laddie, as it’s now being called, answers all those miserable questions about whether a pub is actually a restaurant in disguise, by making them feel irrelevant."
After making himself comfortable, Rayner continues to order a myriad of delicious things off the menu.
"Some of the food is purely comforting", he remarks before claiming "the must-have is the lyrically described “Sliced ham from the fire, dinner roll, butter & mustard”.
"It starts with the delivery of a laminated mustard menu. There’s Colman’s or Taylors English, Grey Poupon wholegrain and five types of Dijon, among others. More restaurants should have mustard menus. We are pointed at the Händlmaier Sweet Bavarian, a jar of which is delivered to the table.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"It eases the cheek-pink slices of still warm, thick-cut salty ham on their way as I fold them into the sweet springy block of bread with its butter-brushed crust. It is a dish ripped gently from the pages of The Darling Buds of May and made heavenly reality."
High praise indeed from Mr Rayner who finds joy in his experience til the very end, "At the end, the bill comes with a couple of Fruit Salad sweets, a ’70s classic.
"It’s a shameless clapback to an imaginary back-in-the-day, for nothing then was ever as good as this. But let’s not quibble with wonky nostalgia. Let’s just celebrate a present which has found space for the Highland Laddie amid the high-rise clutter."
Clementine Hall -
25th May 2022 
