Earlier this week, the dinosaur trail set-up saw some of Leeds' favourite creatures come to life in the early hours of the morning.
Some of the prehistoric creatures were craned in, whilst others appeared to find their way around Trinity all by themselves.
Get ready to find twelve of these enormous creatures for yourself around Leeds this summer: the Leeds Jurassic Trail opens this weekend, where you can hunt down life-size dinosaurs at different locations throughout the city.
Image: Supplied
The family friendly dino trail will be kicking off in Leeds on Saturday 30 July 2022.
There will be 12 speciality built, life-size beasts dotted around the city for children to seek out and explore. To track them you can pick up a free trail programme across Leeds or use the digital map which can be found here on their website.
Children’s TV star, Andy Day will be the voice of the trail, giving key facts about many of the creatures on digital displays located around the city centre, alongside the dinosaurs.
Image: Leeds Jurassic Trail
Included in the 12 will be a whopping 14.5 metre-long roaring Spinosaurus that will be inhabiting the dock at Granary Wharf, with its toes dipping in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Event organisers, LeedsBID, have said it is the first of it's kind in this country and will be a spectacle not to be missed.
Image: Leeds Jurassic Trail
The full list of dinosaurs and their locations are as follows:
The trail will run from Saturday 30 July to Sunday 4 September 2022 and special events will be held throughout that period including live Jurassic entertainment held on Briggate and Lands Lane every Saturday on Sunday.
John Lewis will be hosting story time adventures and baby dino hatchery events on certain dates. For more information, take a look at their website.
Feature image: Leeds Jurassic Trail
News
Claire’s shutting down all standalone shops in UK and Ireland
In another hit to the high streets, Claire's Accessories is shutting up shop across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration yet again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire's will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire's closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded in America way back in 1961, Claire's has enjoyed a presence across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they've struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They filed for bankruptcy in the US in August 2025 after having already concluded operations in Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
For many, the outcome isn't all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
Slam Dunk festival’s statement in full as director steps down amid sexual assault allegations
Daisy Jackson
Slam Dunk festival has shared a statement confirming one of its directors has stepped down, in the wake of sexual assault allegations.
The popular punk festival takes place next month across two sites, one of which is here in Leeds.
This year's line-up is set to include headline performances from the likes of Good Charlotte, Knocked Loose, Sublime, and Taking Back Sunday.
But Slam Dunk has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after allegations against one of its directors came to light.
Slam Dunk said in its statement, which did not get into specifics about the nature of the allegations, that the festival 'remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all employees, partners, and customers'.
They added that the director has stepped down, but 'strongly refutes' the allegations.
The statement then promised 'transparency and honesty' and said that more updates would be provided when appropriate.
Slam Dunk wrote: "We are aware of allegations published yesterday relating to one of our directors. We take these allegations seriously and understand that they may be distressing and hard to process for our community.
"Our Slam Dunk fans, staff, and artists are, as always, our top priority.
"While he strongly refutes these allegations, the director in question has agreed, in consultation with the board, to step down from Slam Dunk operations while this matter is ongoing.
"Slam Dunk remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all employees, partners, and customers.
"Our values and culture are fundamental to how we operate, and we are committed to upholding them.
"It would be inappropriate for us to comment further on an ongoing legal matter.
"However, we promise transparency and honesty to our Slam Dunk community and will provide updates when it is appropriate to do so."
Slam Dunk returns to Temple Newsam in Leeds on Sunday 24 May.
The Hoot -
7th July 2022 
