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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‘This was built by two girls in their twenties taking their first real risk in life’ – cult Leeds fitness studio announces heartbreaking closure
A Leeds pilates studio loved by many has suddenly announced its shock closure.
Outskultped is a fitness studio specialising in reformer pilates based in Leeds city centre.
As one of the first in the city to offer the the pilates practice over two years ago, it quickly built a loyal following of those looking to get in on the trend.
Since then, a flurry of studios have opened in the city which unfortunately means Reform by Outskulpted is closing their doors for good.
The team issued a heartbreaking statement to Instagram, which says: "We cannot believe we are writing this.
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Reform by Outskulpted. The studio will host the last classes on September 12th 2026.
"We understand that this is probably unexpected and feels like a quick turnaround, this decision has not been made lightly between us and we do wish there was another way. We are so grateful for the 2.5 years that we have had at Reform.
"This was built by two girls in their twenties taking their first real risk in life and watching it blossom into a community of individuals has been nothing shy of incredibly to experience.
"We will always be so proud of ourselves for bringing Reformer Pilates to the community of Leeds and seeing it become such a pivotal part of so many routines."
It continued: "The fitness space and Pilates industry is evolving at a rapid rate and unfortunately we are unable to maintain the same speed.
"We began this journey with a £20,000 loan, self belief and our best friend on our side. We didn't have £100,000s backing us in case it didn't work out. It took hard work, resilience and determination in order to get Reform by Outskulpted to become a recognisable brand in Leeds."
A local man is about to sit in a bath tub in Leeds city centre for over 60 HOURS
Clementine Hall
Leeds’ City Square will welcome a crazy stunt this weekend all aid of a fantastic charity.Â
If you’re walking through town this weekend, then you may see something a little bit out of the ordinary. In fact, a lot out of the ordinary.Â
That’s because, fundraiser Chris Sylvester is on a mission to spread the word and beat the stigma around drug addiction.Â
He is the founder of Getting Clean, a fantastic company that make and sell soaps raising funds to support people struggling with addiction and homelessness.Â
Images: Getting Clean (Supplied)
This weekend, he has vowed to plonk himself in a bathtub in City Square and not move until he has reached the target of £50,000 from people buying the soap.Â
The event will kick off on Friday 7 August and will run to Sunday 9 August, members of the public are encouraged to "free him" by purchasing the lovely bars of soap.Â
Reaching the £50,000 sales target will then unlock a £20,000 donation to a recovery support project led by Forward Leeds, so it really is a good cause.Â
So, how can you support Chris? You can support the initiative by placing an order online, visiting Chris on City Square this weekend, or buying one of their pay-it-forward ‘First Day’ packs which are designed to help people leaving prison or entering rehabilitation treatment.Â
Announcing the stunt to social media, here's what Chris and Getting Clean had to say: "HELP US SELL £50,000 WORTH OF SOAP TO HELP BEAT ADDICTION
"On 7th, 8th and 9th August I will be at Leeds city square. Just outside of Leeds city centre train station, right next to Thors bar. I will be in this BATH TUB and I WILL NOT leave, until we’ve hit our target. 50% of our profits go towards tackling addiction right here in Leeds, but there’s so much work left to do…"
Sophie Smith -
10th February 2022 
