Synonymous for almost 40 years with live music and eclectic club nights in Leeds, The Faversham has long been an iconic venue in the city.
A massive hub for Leeds indie music scene in 2004, it has hosted some very memorable shows over the years with performances from the likes of The Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, The Cribs and Hot Chip.
For a time, 'The Fav' also became the home to the world famous Nasty Fest and Bad Sneakers and the award winning hip-hop and broken beat clubnight New Bohemia.
Set in its own grounds just on the edge of the city centre of Leeds, for years it's acted as a live music venue, a restaurant by day, bar by night and a nightclub into the early hours - with its location behind Leeds University Union making it a popular haunt of students and local residents alike.
Resident Advisor
Due to the pandemic, however, the venue has been closed for the best part of 18 months as restrictions on live music and club events have seen the events sector ground to a halt across the country.
Now it's back, with a full refurbishment courtesy of its independent owner - who decided it was time to take the business in a different direction and has pivoted towards private do's, like corporate events, weddings and private parties.
The building now consists of four distinct areas: the hall, the lounge, the conservatory, and an extensive outdoor terrace that seats up to 100 people.
It's hoped that fans of the old Faversham might find something to enjoy in the new - like getting married in the same room that they saw The Arctic Monkeys play all those years ago.
General manager, Zachary Williamson, said: “The last 18 months have been extremely challenging for the events and leisure industry and we are finally starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
NME // Arctic Monkeys
“Our core business is weddings, so it’s been an extremely stressful time having to rearrange them.
“Some of our couples have had to rearrange their wedding three times, but we are now finally able to go ahead with these bookings and look forward to welcoming our first newlyweds on 26 June, albeit with the new restrictions in place.”
“The latest coronavirus announcement on 14 June has definitely put a spanner in the works for any corporate and private events company but we are making every possible effort to ensure our planned events over the coming months go ahead.
“As we are now a dedicated events space and no longer a nightclub, we have slightly more flexibility in what we can offer our customers, plus we have such a large space both indoor and outdoor that can cater to everyone’s needs, whilst adhering to limited numbers and social distancing measures that are still mandatory.”
To find out more about the new Faversham, visit its website here.
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Cheap flights up for grabs as easyJet’s ‘Big Orange Sale’ is BACK for 2026
If you're in need of a holiday, there's no better time to book than now with easyJet's 'Big Orange Sale' returning to the UK.
Not only can you get affordable trips from the likes of Leeds Bradford and Doncaster Sheffield, specifically, but there are discounts across the board by the operator.
The Big Orange Sale is becoming an increasingly popular annual occurrence for Brits, with countless holidaymakers, rather fittingly, making the most of the offer.
In fact, you might have already seen the advert yourselves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGG1AciY3I
Just as the ad explains, those travelling via easyJet can get up to 20% discount on flights to a load of different destinations across the globe.
Yes, the company are knocking up to a fifth off the price on flights over the course of nearly 10 months' worth of travel from the UK, provided the trip is booked within the right window.
Seeing savings on more than 730,000 seats, the time frame itself is also one of the longest cut-price periods you'll come across this year, not to mention well into 2027.
Better still, it doesn't just stop at flying itself...
Get this, the flight operators and travel agents are offering up to £400 off on package holidays, meaning those old faithful all-inclusives are about to become even more bang for your buck.
Featuring not only countless mainland European favourites on the list, but also the likes of the Canary Islands, Morocco, and numerous popular skiing hotspots, just to name a few.
As reported by our friends over at The Manc, there are loads of cheap seats from the likes of Manchester Airport, Liverpool, Leeds-Bradford and more as part of this year's sale.
Allowing you to book trips departing between 1 May 2026 and 14 March 2027, it's a huge travel window for you to get extra value-for-money deals on your next getaway.
You can find the full list of flights and package holidays on easyJet's Big Orange Sale right HERE.
Football Focus cancelled by the BBC after more than half a century
Danny Jones
In a fairly big bit of British broadcasting news, Football Focus is ending after more than half a century on our screens.
Announced on Thursday, 23 April, the once flagship show and weekly TV guide staple for countless domestic households is set to be cancelled after 52 seasons' worth of coverage.
With BBC Sport confirming the tough decision in a lengthy statement, the long-running show will be taken off the air at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Most programmes like these have seen declining audiences across the board in the era of streaming and digital packages across various platforms, but this is truly the end of an era.
An incredible 52-year journey comes to an end.
Following extensive consideration, BBC Sport has made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Football Focus at the end of this season.
First broadcast in 1974, Football Focus is a testament to the brilliant team who have… pic.twitter.com/bmHQqQdf6J
An official social media post reads: "An incredible 52-year journey comes to an end. Following extensive consideration, BBC Sport has made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Football Focus at the end of this season. "First broadcast in 1974, Football Focus is a testament to the brilliant team who have worked on it over the years and, of course, the audience. The programme has been a staple of the BBC’s football coverage for decades, providing fans with interviews, analysis and stories from across the game ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
"But changing audience behaviours means fans are now increasingly consuming football content in different ways, and we need to respond appropriately as we face difficult decisions around how the licence fee is spent."
Second only really to Match of the Day (MotD), which first began a whole decade prior to its once equally popular spin-off, Gary Lineker, Manish Bhasin, Alex Scott and others have all enjoyed varying periods hosting the regular weekend watch.
While even MotD has seen steadily dipping viewing figures, not just following the Lineker departure/saga, but ever since YouTube highlights and the social media era.
They go on to add: "Fans are accessing discussion, highlights, analysis and news through digital platforms and on-demand viewing, and as viewing habits continue to evolve, it is right that BBC Sport adapts how it brings football coverage to the widest audiences across television, radio, online and to its extensive social platforms. BBC Sport boasts a strong football rights portfolio and is set to significantly expand its digital output this year, growing content across BBC platforms, as well as a bold new slate of exclusive shows on YouTube.
"Featuring fresh formats, big personalities and more frequent, always-on content tailored for digital audiences, the expansion will bring fans closer to the game than ever before, delivering more high-quality, accessible and engaging football coverage at scale. We will release further details on these plans in the coming months."
Will you miss it? Perhaps more to the point, do you still watch Match of the Day, Soccer Saturday and the like on terrestrial telly here in the UK?
Georgina Pellant -
23rd June 2021 
