Have you ever wanted to escape from everyday life and into a virtual reality?
Having found success in Belgium and The Netherlands, Park Playground is now adding the UK to its list of countries that can experience virtual reality in an exciting space - and Leeds is the very first city to be a part of this.
The Park Playground opened just a few months ago, and it's bringing some of the most exciting experiences to the city that are suitable for anyone aged 7+.
You don't have to be a gamer or someone that understands the logistics of the AR and VR - just someone willing to take on a challenge and experience a whole new world.
Grab your VR goggles and a futuristic controller and choose from challenges like Don't Scream (which is as scary as it sounds), alien battle on Mission Planet X VR or take on The Snitch where you'll have to think fast to protect your group from sabotage.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The VR Experience
The idea here is that you don't just jump into an adrenaline-fuelled experiences, entering a virtual reality can take some getting used to, so the team have devised a number of games to help get you used to your goggles and new surroundings.
Every session is split into two 30-minute slots. First, take on a challenge like walking the plank on top of a skyscraper, before attempting a series of mini games like boxing and bow and arrow practice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Then you're ready to take on a fully-immersive experience with a 30 minute challenge.
Don't Scream is perfect for those looking to truly immerse themselves in a virtual reality space. The idea is that you take on an escape room-style experience where there's surprises round every corner to make you jump. There's only one rule - don't scream!
The game is measured on a 'scream o'metre' and every time you scream, you'll gain points - but this isn't a good thing. Whoever screams the least, and therefore has the lowest score on the scream o'metre wins.
It's a world that combines eerie jump-scares with problem solving, hosted by comedian and evil genius David Whitely that certainly isn't for the faint hearted.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Regardless of which challenge you choose to take on, the Park Playground will have you working as a team. This makes the space perfect for friends, family and co-workers alike.
In fact, you can hire the space with a multitude of packages depending on your needs - and yes, they can include a debrief in the bar.
The Play and Lunch package gives you 60 minutes of game time followed by a choice of catering options, including sandwiches, burgers, pastas and pizzas whilst Play Eat and Drink adds on two hours of selected drinks at the bar, including soft drinks, beer and wines.
Those looking for a fun-filled work day can take advantage of the Meet and VR experience that gives you access to the on-site meeting room where you can do business during a four hour slot and then blow off some steam with two 30 minute VR experiences.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Similarly, the Play, Eat and Work package offers the meeting room and VR experiences, plus a buffet or pizza spread one hour of soft drinks, beer and wine from the bar.
There's even packages for Stag and Hen events, all of which can be personalised based on the number of people attending and what you'd like included.
How to book
The Park Playground works on a pre-booking basis, so you'll need to book yourself a place on the Park Playground website ahead of your trip.
The process itself is really simple, all you need to do is choose your package and time. Alternatively if you're looking for a larger group or corporate event, you can personalise your experience by filling in a request form and the team will get back to you.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
How to get there
The Park Playground is located just outside of the city centre in Burley.
You can grab an Uber from the station for less than a tenner (usually around the £6 mark), or make the most of the venue’s easy transport links from Burley. The walk to The Park Playground just a 10 minute walk from Burley Park Station and there are several bus routes from Leeds Station and the City Centre, including the 33, 34 and 508 bus routes that call at the Willow Road bus stop on Kirkstall Road.
Alternatively, the Park Playground has plenty of car parking space, or is a ten minute walk from Burley Park train station.
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just a weeks time, and we've got everything you need to know.
This year, the markets are looking a little bit different than before as outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi have stepped up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular.
They're organising a market where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
So, let's get into it...
Opening dates and timings
The Leeds Christmas Markets will kick off from Thursday 19 November and run until Wednesday 23 December. So that's almost five weeks of festivities flooding the city, and plenty of time for you to make the most of it.
The markets will be open 7 days a week, the exact timings are:
Trader Village & Leeds Street Food
Sunday-Wednesday: 10:30am-7pm
Thursday-Saturday: 10:30am-8pm
THOR’S Highland Lodge & Folié Ski Bar
Sunday-Tuesday: 11am-9pm
Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-11pm
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Locations
The main stalls and street food will be located at City Square, here you will also find the main Christmas tree and two THOR's bars.
Ice Cube at Millennium Square will also be making a return, here you'll find rides, an ice rink and more food and drink. This is separate to what is being run by THOR's this year, though.
There will be plenty of other festive activities taking place throughout the city throughout November and December, you can find out more and view the Leeds Christmas map here.
Food
Okay, now we can get onto the good stuff.
We all know that the highlight of the markets is the food, and this year there's going to be more independent and local trader than ever before.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From Leeds' very own Italian street food restaurant Stuzzi to homemade mini tiramisu drawers, you're going to want to arrive feeling very peckish at these markets that's for sure.
The current full list of street food vendors at City Square is as follows:
Cut & Craft (steak and chips)
Beth Bakes Cakes (hot chocolate fudge cake)
Misu Tiramisu (mini tiramisu drawers)
Crumble pots (crumble)
La Grassa (Italian-American sandwiches)
Chocolate Circus (stacked hot chocolates)
Stuzzi (Italian street food)
Street Kings Bratwurst (traditional bratwurst)
Johnsons' Toffee (homemade toffee and fudge)
The Savvy Baker (sweet treats and hot cookie dough)
Irish spice bags
Churros
Drink
Closely following behind food, a good old tipple is what many of us venture to the markets for.
This year, alongside a few mulled wine stalls in city square, THOR's will be doing what they do best and opening two brand-new outdoor bars to really get you in the spirit.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
You can pick from a Scottish Highland Lodge and a Folie Ski Bar, both designed to welcome large groups with their own themed drinks and cosy interiors. You can read more about these bars here.
Not only that, but they'll be a specialist coffee trader as well as a matcha trader if you don't fancy anything alcoholic.
Shopping
The Leeds Christmas Markets isn't just about eating and drinking, it's also about browsing and shopping for those last minute Christmas gifts or gorgeous knick-knacks to decorate your home with over the festive season.
Here's your list of traders to buy gifts from at City Square:
Stump Cross (natural crystal jewellery, fossils and more)
House of the Trembling Madness (festive craft beer cans)
Real Markets Yorkshire (lots of goodies made in Yorkshire)
Yorkshire Print Company (Yorkshire-inspired artwork)
Paper Starlights (handmade paper lanterns)
Scents of Christmas (handcrafted decorations)
Kakuwi (homemade crafts sourced across India and Nepal)
Leeds has been named one of the most ‘pet-friendly’ cities in the UK
Emily Sergeant
A new index has revealed the best cities for pet owners in the UK, and it’s great news for Leeds.
Millions of us share our home with a pet, and making sure we give them the best possible life is often at the forefront of our minds, right?
While there’s a lot people can control about their pet’s lifestyle, many of the factors that affect their happiness are determined by location, and sadly for the 83% of the UK population who live in more urban areas, the challenges to give a pet a good life can feel even greater – with less access to green space, and fewer social spaces to take dogs, for example.
But when it comes to cities, which are the best ones to own a pet in? Well, pet insurance firm Lassie has decided to get to the bottom of this and do some updated research.
Lassie analysed data across nine metrics that determine a pet’s wellbeing to create a ‘Pet-Friendliness Index’, and using this index, the UK’s five most populous cities were each assigned a score out of 100 and ranked to determine which is the most and least pet-friendly.
The index looks at four main categories to gauge how suitable each city is for pets – green space, environment, health, and infrastructure.
Then, within these, experts compared a range of measures, including air quality, temperature, costs, access to vets, road safety, pet-friendly rental housing, social opportunities, and many others.
And Leeds has taken the fourth spot.
The UK’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities
Manchester
Birmingham
Liverpool
Leeds
London
“We tend to think that being a good pet owner comes down to what we do at home, but your postcode could be playing a much bigger role in your pet’s happiness and health than you realise,” commented Hedda Båverud Olsson, who is the CEO and co-founder of Lassie.
“Our findings show that not all cities are created equal when it comes to pets. The difference between living in Manchester and London isn’t just about green space or somewhere to walk your dog, it can mean higher vet bills, poorer air quality and fewer veterinary practices nearby.”
Sophie Smith -
2nd March 2023 
