The new Lord Mayor of Leeds has officially been announced, with Councillor Al Garthwaite set to take up the post following the council’s annual general meeting.
Garthwaite, who has represented the district of Headingley (now Headingley and Hyde Park) since 2016, will be taking over the role from Councillor Robert W Gettings MBE JP for the next year after already holding her first session.
The 75-year-old Councillor, activist and long-dedicated feminist campaigner becomes the 129th person to serve as Lord Mayor of Leeds and with a strong background in activism across various issues, looks to be a wonderful appointment.
A graduate of English and psychology from Durham University, Garthwaite has been involved in everything from international and local campaigns on human rights and social justice to education, teaching in female prisons and pioneering women’s health courses in inner-city community centres.
Al, or Alison, also helped to pioneer the Women’s Advice and Referral Service and several other social enterprises, as well as setting up the film production company, Vera Media, which has taught multimedia skills to women and marginalised groups in Leeds and led to over 5,000 people progressing into work or further education.
As is traditional for a new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Garthwaite has nominated a charity to represent during her term of office and has chosen the Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service, which offers free psychological support to women in Leeds.
Better still, throughout her tenure as Lord Mayor, Councillor Garthwaite will be accompanied by a diverse range of students from Leeds Beckett University, who will act as her consorts, broadening their understanding of the city, its people and their experiences.
Issuing a statement after the announcement, the new Lord Mayor of Leeds said: "The people of Leeds have been at the heart of my work for 50 years and it will be an honour and a privilege to represent them as their Lord Mayor for the coming year.
"I look forward to getting out into our communities, meeting as many people as possible and raising money to support the work of the Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service."
Congratulations, to Councillor Al Garthwaite, we wish her all the best for her time in office.
Featured Image — Leeds Council/Johnathan Pryor (via Twitter)
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A brand-new city-wide festival dedicated to independent coffee is launching in Leeds
Leeds is set to become one big fat coffee festival this September.
Born in Manchester, Slurpfest is a much-love celebration of coffee that is coming to the city for the first time ever.
Working alongside the Slurpfest founders, North Star Coffee Roasters and headline sponsors Oatly and Indie Coffee Guide are bringing the festival to Leeds on Saturday 26 September with over 30 venues already signed up to take part.
The festival is designed to showcase the incredible talent, creativity and community behind Leeds’ thriving independent coffee scene, bringing together independent cafés, coffeenprofessionals, roasters and coffee lovers for a weekend of tastings, workshops, events and experiences.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
“Leeds has an amazing independent coffee scene and we want to celebrate the people who make it so special,” said Holly Kragiopoulos. “Slurpfest is about bringing the whole coffee community together and turning the entire city into one big festival. Best of all, so many of the events are completely free, making it super accessible for everyone to get involved and try something new.”
Unlike a traditional festival held in one location, Slurpfest Leeds will take over the whole city, with coffee shops and venues across Leeds hosting their own events throughout the weekend.
We're talking tastings, workshops, a city-wide coffee trail, an opening and closing party as well as a full day of coffee workshops, talks and experiences at North Star’s Coffee Hub at Leeds Dock.
“We’re super excited to see the city of Leeds take on Slurp Fest and make it their own” said Nat, Slurpfest Co-Founder.
Tickets for individual events are expected to be released from August, with the full festival programme announced soon.
A massive food and drink festival is coming to Temple Newsam this weekend
Clementine Hall
We hope you're hungry Leeds, because a big festival dedicated to all things food is coming to Temple Newsam.
The Temple Newsam Food Festival is now in its second year after a resounding first edition, aiming to celebrate cultural diversity, independent businesses, and global cuisine.
It will take place this weekend on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026, with the beautiful and historic Temple Newsam providing the perfectly picturesque location.
The festival will celebrate local talent, independent businesses, world cultures and international flavours.
The Street Food Arena will feature an array of global cuisines, cultural delicacies, and irresistible desserts whilst the event's bustling Artisan Markets will showcase a plethora of small businesses and local entrepreneurs offering freshly-baked goods, quality produce. hand-made crafts, unique experiences, vibrant art, and much more.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it doesn't stop there as festival-goers can enjoy a selection of independent bars serving cocktails, specialty spirits, fresh cider, wine and beer.
This year there will be a huge focus on live cookery demos, with ten demonstrations from a whole range of talented chefs including Leeds' own Josh Whitehead of Finer Pleasures, Bobby Geetha of Kerala Canteen and stars from Masterchef and The Great British Bake Off.
And it's not just about food and drink, as new for this year there will be a dog show, plenty of live music and lots of fun activities such as inflatable jousting and target paintball.
Tickets are on sale now, and you can grab yours here.
Danny Jones -
25th May 2023 
