One of Leeds' favourite players will be immortalised near the Leeds Rhinos Stadiumthis week.
It's difficult to talk about sports personalities in Leeds without bringing up Kevin Sinfield.
The 41-year-old is one of the most successful rugby players in the UK: no matter which way you look at it. We don't even care that Sinfield is in Leicester instead of Leeds, he will always remain a huge part of Leeds, past and present.
Now, the sports star is being immortalised by the Leeds Street Gallery, a group of keen Leeds Rhinos supporters that have crowdfunded for a mural of Sinfield to make an appearance close to his old kicking ground in Headingley.
Sinfield whilst playing for Leeds Rhinos. / Image: Wikicommons
The painting of the mural is due to begin tomorrow (Friday 11 February) outside Headingley Taps pub in Headingley.
Led by avid Leeds Rhinos fan Dan Whitley, the group of fans have raised all the costs for the mural and have enlisted the skills of Leeds Street Gallery and James Archer (JA Murals) to bring their concept to life.
Work is due to commence outside Headingley Taps. / Image: Headingley Taps, TripAdvisor
Leeds Street Gallery set up street art sites for artists to use around Leeds and also provide artists for homegrown artists to promote their names within the public eye.
Having been inspired by the murals of sports stars that line our streets, including the one of Josh Warrington on Kirkstall Road which was also curated by Leeds Street Gallery, the group banded together to impress Sinfield with a mural of his own.
The rugby player is more than deserving of the mural too. After a whirlwind year of splitting his time between sports and raising money to support friend Rob Burrow with the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the sports star was granted an OBE by the Queen.
Sinfield ran 101 miles to raise money for MNDA last year. / Image: Leicester Tigers
Last November, Kevin Sinfield raised over £2 million completed a 101 mile run in 24 hours to raise money for Leeds Hospitals Charity and Motor Neurone Disease Association and that wasn’t the first time that Sinfield has pushed himself to raise money for charity either.
Last December, the rugby coach raised over £2.7 million for the charity after running seven marathons in seven days.
Rhinos legend Rob Burrow was given a mural in 2020. / Image: Rob Burrow, Twitter
Behind Leeds Street Gallery is a group of local volunteers, who give their time and waive any fees for consultation so that the community has a space to bring projects like this to life. The team work on the project in addition to their full-time jobs, but it is thought that the mural will appear in a completed state fairly soon.
Work begins tomorrow on the mural, you'll be able to witness the progress yourself outside Headingley Taps pub in Headingley.
Feature Image- Sebastian Graser, Unsplash
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Independent Nordic-inspired homeware shop closes Leeds store after six years
After six years in the city, independent homeware retailer North Home is closing its Leeds city centre shop.
If you're a lover of all things home then you'll have most likely visited the gorgeous North Home shop in the Victoria Quarter.
Stacked to the brim with unique pieces from striking ceramics to stylish soft furnishings, North Home is known for its well-curated stock and great customer service.
Seriously, we've probably spent a good hour in here in awe of all the beautiful pieces.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Last week, curious shoppers noticed the three-storey store was suddenly empty and now the company have confirmed that they have closed for good.
In a statement, they said: "After nearly 6 wonderful years trading in Leeds, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our physical store while we restructure the business and explore the next chapter for North Home.
"Retail has changed significantly in recent years and, like many independent businesses, we’ve faced increasing costs.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Taking this step now gives us the opportunity to protect what we’ve built and focus on the future of the brand. North Home continues to operate online and all existing customer orders will be fulfilled as normal although delivery times may be slightly extended.
"We’ve loved being part of the Leeds retail community since 2020 and are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received. We hope to share more about our plans soon."
We'll be sad to see them go and we hope this isn't goodbye forever, but you can still shop from North Home online here.
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Sophie Smith -
10th February 2022 
