Yorkshire-based Concept Taverns is set to launch the twelfth venue in its rapidly expanding portfolio of bars and pubs this summer.
The Swan Tavern has undergone a huge £740k refurbishment in the site formerly occupied by the Riverside Fox in Ripponden.
The impressive new venue is set to open this summer and will feature a games room with pool and darts, a heated beer garden and a function room that can host up to 75 guests.
Sports fans will rejoice at the news that The Swan Tavern will be showing all the BT and Sky Sports action on multiple 4K screens throughout the two storey venue.
d Image: Supplie
Guests will be able to enjoy a huge range of delicious drinks including 10 draught lagers, four cask hand pull ales, cocktails as well as an extensive wine and spirit list.
Those feeling peckish can order from a menu featuring hand-stretched pizzas, sharing platters and mouthwatering small plates.
This exciting new opening will create 20 new jobs alongside the appointment of new Managing Director, Victoria Hatton.
Image: Supplied
Speaking ahead of The Swan launch, Victoria Hatton said: ‘’Having been part of the Concept Taverns success story going from five to eleven venues in the past few years, I was thrilled to accept my new role as Managing Director.
"I’m super excited to get started and I hope my position opens the door for more women to land similar positions in the industry. The Swan Tavern is a fantastic venue and the building itself has a rich history in the local area. We’re looking forward to becoming a key part of the community, and with so many great pubs, bars and restaurants in the area, we know we’re in great company.’’
Image: Supplied
‘’The Swan will be a fantastic modern pub and will showcase an exceptional range of cask and draught beers, cocktails and some fabulous food from our pizza oven. Add to this our games room and live sports, and you have a winning venue for food, drink and entertainment.’’
‘’We’ve really fallen in love with the area and are excited to open in Ripponden this Spring. Having spoken to people around the town they seem like wonderful people who are just as excited about The Swan as we are.’’
In honour of National Chocolate Week, two big brands are joining forces.
Fancy a freebie? Silly question, of course you do.
Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea have joined forces for National Chocolate Week to ask Brits to declare themselves a ‘Melt’...yes, really.
It comes after the brands discovering a new Gen Z dunking trend, with research finding that 80% of 18–24-year-olds say chocolate is their preferred tea-dunking treat.
To understand why the perculiar pairing has become so popular, the brands recruited Associate Professor of Psychobiology, Dr Lorenzo Stafford, to investigate what happens when tea and chocolate come together.
Associate Professor, Dr Lorenzo Stafford said: "It's fascinating to see how much thought Brits put into what makes a great dunk. Flavour, texture and temperature all shape how we experience food, and the combination of hot tea with melting chocolate creates a particularly enjoyable sensory experience.
"When it comes to dunking, tea and chocolate have great chemistry so it’s no surprise young people have embraced it."
If you want to try it out for yourself, then you can for free - but there is one catch.
From Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, anyone who walks into one of Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and says ‘I'm a Melt’ will get a free mug of Yorkshire Tea and bar of Tony's Chocolonely.
Not only that, but the first 100 customers will also get a limited-edition ‘Melt’ cap.
Yorkshire Tea & Tony’s Chocolonely said of the partnership, “Brits love their tea and their chocolate and now the science shows why. This National Chocolate Week, we’re inviting everyone to give it a go, embrace their inner Melt and discover just how well chunky chocolate and a proper brew can work together.”
Leeds Bradford Airport strikes will NOT go ahead following ‘late offer’ over pay
Clementine Hall
This weekend's strikes at Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled.
Around 130 workers were set to walk out this weekend, Unite said, but this has been suspended to allow air traffic controllers to consider a new pay offer.
The Unite members planning on to go on strike were a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute had recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity which led to the decision to strike.
However, as of yesterday 15 October, the workers have been given new pay offers from the airport and the strikes will not take place to allow a ballot on the offers.
Air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff are being balloted separately on their respective offers.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "After receiving offers from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have suspended this week’s strike action in good faith to allow members to vote on pay deals.”
In a statement, Leeds Bradford Airport said: "While the ballot process continues with certain members of our frontline colleagues, we remain hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved and that an agreement can be reached which works for everyone involved.
"Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, LBA has a robust contingency plan in place and will be operating as normal this weekend.
"Our focus remains on supporting a smooth and reliable experience for customers while maintaining safe and efficient airport operations."
Clementine Hall -
14th March 2023 
