The Health Secretary has confirmed thatall children aged between five and eleven years old in the UK will be offered a low dose of a COVID vaccine.
The news came after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its vaccination advice for children aged 5 to 11 yesterday.
Focusing on increasing protection against potential future waves COVID-19, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said the that the NHS in England will "prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April".
He confirmed that the UK government's vaccine advisory body had recommended the jab rollout be expanded, and that ministers will follow the new advice.
Almost six million children across the UK will now be eligible for the vaccine.
The JCVI said the move is being made "with a view to increasing protection against potential future waves of COVID-19".
The vaccine advisory body said that while five to 11-year-olds are "generally at very low risk of serious illness from the virus", a "very small number of children who get infected do develop severe disease", and this is why it has made the decision to expand the vaccine rollout.
The JCVI are advising that all five to 11-year-olds are given two 10mcg doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - which is one third the strength of an adult vaccine.
There should be interval of at least 12 weeks between the two doses.
Speaking on the JCVI recommendations and confirming the vaccine rollout expansion in a statement delivered yesterday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The JCVI advice follows a thorough review by our independent medicines regulator, the MHRA, which approved Pfizer’s paediatric vaccine as safe and effective for children aged five to 11.
"Children without underlying health conditions are at low risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and the priority remains for the NHS to offer vaccines and boosters to adults and vulnerable young people, as well as to catch-up with other childhood immunisation programmes.
"[But] the NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April.
"So parents can, if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against potential future waves of COVID-19 as we learn to live with this virus."
The JCVI updated its vaccination advice for children aged 5 to 11 / Credit: Christian Emmer (via Unsplash)
The news that all children aged five to 11 are to be offered the vaccine comes after clinically vulnerable children of the same age, or those who live with someone who is immunosuppressed, have already been offered the vaccine throughout the UK.
This was after the JCVI updated its guidance back in December 2021.
The age group above, 12 to 15-year-olds, started getting their first vaccines in England at the end of September, and have been able to get their second jab from just before Christmas as long as their first was at least 12 weeks before.
Leeds Festival is returning to Bramham Park for perhaps its biggest lineup yet, and here’s everything you need to know ahead of this huge live music weekend.
The enormous annual festival - twinned with Reading down south - will this year welcome headline performances from Fontaines DC, Florence & The Machine, Dave, Raye, Charli XCX, and Chase & Status.
But the wider lineup will cover everything from hip hop to pure pop, indie rock to metal, because if there’s one thing that Leeds Festival boasts, it’s an eclectic and diverse music soundscape for all to enjoy.
Leeds Festival has been providing Yorkshire residents and festival-goers from across the UK with some cracking acts and performers since 1999 - and this year is no different.
Here's everything you need to know if you're going to Leeds Festival 2026.
Leeds Festival 2026 lineup
Fontaines DC are one of the headliners of Leeds Festival 2026
Headliners for Leeds Fest 2026 will include Charli XCX, Chase & Status Live, Dave, Florence + The Machine, Fontaines D.C. and RAYE, with Kasabian making history as the first-ever Thursday night headliner at Leeds Festival.
They are joined across the weekend by the likes of Skepta, Sombr, Role Model, Blossoms, Declan McKenna, JADE, Maisie Peters, Keo, Kneecap, Geese, Kettama, Holly Humberstone and many more.
The 2026 festival will also look very different on site, with The Grid, The Gallery, The Warehouse, The Ballroom and The Canopy making up the new-look stage offering, alongside returning late-night favourite LS23.
The revamped layout is being billed as the biggest staging and arena overhaul in the festival's history.
Leeds Festival 2026 stage times - Thursday 27 August
The Grid
7pm – Arkayla
7:55pm – The Lathums
9:20pm – Kasabian
LS23
10pm – CamUKG
11:15pm – Halfpint
12:30am – C100
2am – Lens
Friday 28 August
Chase & Status will perform at Leeds Festival 2026Florence and the Machine will perform at Leeds Festival 2026
The Grid
12:15pm – 54 Ultra
1:30pm – Dylan John Thomas
2:45pm – Arthur Hill
3:55pm – Blossoms
5:25pm – Role Model
7:20pm – Florence + The Machine
9:30pm – Chase & Status Live
The Gallery
12pm – Mulaa Joans
12:50pm – After
1:40pm – Holly Humberstone
2:45pm – Julia Wolf
4pm – Duke Dumont
5:30pm – The K’s
7:15pm – Kettama
9:40pm – Kneecap
The Warehouse
12:25pm – [IVY]
1:25pm – Saint Ludo
2:55pm – Hamdi
3:55pm – Notion
5:25pm – SOTA
6:25pm – Hedex
7:25pm – Hybrid Minds
The Ballroom
12:40pm – Betty
1:45pm – Westside Cowboy
2:55pm – Dexter In The Newsagent
4:10pm – The Clause
5:45pm – WHATMORE
7:20pm – Bassvictim
9:30pm – Paris Paloma
The Canopy
12pm – Alex Spencer
12:40pm – She’s Green
1:20pm – Raynor
2pm – December 10
2:50pm – Untitled
3:40pm – Kilu
4:35pm – Violet Grohl
5:55pm – F3miii
LS23
11pm – ZERO
12:30am – 1991
1:45am – CROSSY
Saturday 29 August
Charli XCX is a Saturday headliner
The Grid
12:30pm – Beth McCarthy
1:25pm – Keo
2:35pm – James Marriott
3:45pm – Declan McKenna
5:15pm – Skepta
7:10pm – Charli XCX
9:20pm – Fontaines D.C.
The Gallery
12pm – JD Cliffe
12:30pm – DJ EJ
1:30pm – Rose Gray
2:45pm – ADELA
4pm – Skye Newman
5:20pm – Geese
7:20pm – SINN6R
9:05pm – 4AM Kru
The Warehouse
12pm – Meeshy
1:15pm – Djammin
2:30pm – Julian Fijma
3:30pm – Omar+
5pm – Locky
7pm – Alisha
9:05pm – Skepta B2B East End Dubs
The Ballroom
12:20pm – Bleech 9:3
1:30pm – Cardinals
2:40pm – Clementine Douglas
4pm – Overpass
5:30pm – Florence Road
7:15pm – Unpeople
9:15pm – YT
The Canopy
12pm – Tooth
12:40pm – Lamb
1:20pm – Florentenes
2pm – The Guest List
3pm – People I’ve Met
4:05pm – Day We Ran
5:05pm – Villanelle
6:05pm – Camille Blackman
LS23
11pm – Delilah
12:30am – Osmosis Jones
1:45am – Soul Mass Transit System
Sunday 30 August
Raye and Dave headline Sunday at Leeds Festival 2026
The Grid
12:05pm – Absolutely
1:35pm – Slayyyter
3pm – Maisie Peters
4:15pm – JADE
5:50pm – Sombr
7:35pm – RAYE
9:35pm – Dave
The Gallery
12pm – M60
12:45pm – Say Now
1:50pm – Clara La San
3:05pm – Kingfishr
4:15pm – Niko B
5:50pm – Nine Vicious
7:20pm – Jamie Webster
9:25pm – Josh Baker
The Warehouse
12pm – Jack Marlow
1:30pm – Silva Bumpa
2:45pm – In Parallel
4pm – Riordan
5:30pm – Mall Grab
7:15pm – Rossi.
The Ballroom
12:30pm – Garage Flower
1:45pm – The North
3pm – Basht.
4:15pm – Bar Italia
5:45pm – The Lilacs
7:40pm – SPEED
The Canopy
12pm – Sade Olutola
12:40pm – Pozzy
1:25pm – Amma
2:05pm – Ruby Roberts
3pm – Cruz Beckham And The Breakers
4pm – Kibo
4:50pm – Finessekid
6pm – Gurriers
LS23
11pm – Megra
12:30am – Pretty Girl
1:45am – Riria
Where can I get tickets for Leeds Festival 2026?
Tickets are available through the official Leeds Festival website and Ticketmaster, with weekend camping, non-camping, and individual day tickets among the options.
At the time of writing, official prices include £325 for weekend camping, £295 for weekend non-camping, £55 for Thursday, £125 for Friday, £155 for Saturday, and £125 for Sunday.
Two-day non-camping tickets are also available at £230.
You can see the latest availability and buy tickets HERE.
Where is Leeds Festival?
Leeds Festival 2026 headliners announced. Credit: Georgina Hurdsfield
Of course you may be thinking this is a silly question to ask considering its location is mentioned in the festival title, however Leeds Festival actually isn’t in the city centre.
Located in Bramham Park, this bank holiday weekend music destination is a 30 minute drive from the city centre.
The full address is: Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, Leeds, England, LS23 6ND.
How to get there
From Leeds City Centre
If you’re travelling from Leeds city centre, the easiest option is to head to Leeds Train Station and catch the dedicated Leeds Festival shuttle bus to Bramham Park.
The festival shuttle operates from Sovereign Square Park, next to Leeds Train Station, from Wednesday 26 August through to Monday 31 August. Tickets can be bought through the First Bus app.
Leeds Train Station is around a 30-minute drive from the festival site, although journey times can vary considerably during the festival due to traffic.
There are regular trains into Leeds from major UK cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and London, making the train-and-shuttle combination one of the simplest ways to reach Bramham Park without driving.
From around the UK
If you're travelling from further afield, the official festival travel partner Big Green Coach is offering return coaches to Leeds Festival from dozens of locations around the UK. Weekend services can arrive on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and return on Monday, while day-return services are available for Thursday through Sunday.
For those driving, festival parking is included with tickets. Drivers should head towards the A1, M1 or A1(M) and then follow the festival's temporary signage, as routes into Bramham Park vary depending on where you're travelling from. The festival advises following the on-the-ground signage rather than relying on old sat-nav directions or printed maps.
If you're being dropped off or collected, use the dedicated Pick Up and Drop Off zone off York Road (A64). There is no pick-up or drop-off facility near Yellow Gate, and the festival warns against stopping or waiting on the A64 or access roads.
For those flying in, Leeds Bradford International Airport is around a 30-minute drive from Bramham Park. You can take the 757 bus into Leeds and then use the festival shuttle from Leeds Train Station, or take a taxi to the station before continuing to the site.
‘Unprecedented’ El Niño to batter UK with storms when it arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
This autumn, the UK is being told to brace for a series of storms when the 'unprecedented' El Niño weather event arrives.
It's already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be 'the largest since the 19th century'.
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe - including the UK - it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Yorkshire, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as 'unprecedented' El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
"We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event," warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
"I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts."
Professor Scaife concluded: "A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.'
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are 'completely replenished' - which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
The Hoot -
17th February 2022 
