A life-size statue of Captain Tom Moore is set for a big public reveal in Leeds next month.
Created by artist Tony Clark from Colton and titled The Walk of Hope, the statue pays homage to the memory of the NHS fundraising hero who raised over £30m for NHS charities by walking 100 laps of his garden.
A survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings, Clark’s previous career involved buying and selling furniture. Now, he uses art as a therapeutic escape.
During the stasis of the first 2020 lockdown, Tony returned to his passion - creating a sculpture of Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa in March and raising over £9,500 for charity MIND in the process.
Whilst creating the Bielsa statue, he was inspired to start on another of Captain Tom Moore - who he described as "one of the icons of the Covid pandemic" - following a chat with a friend, Keith Sharratt.
Titled The Walk of Hope, the impressive statue of Captain Tom Moore was first unveiled on This Morning TV show with Holly and Phil. It is now set to go on display to the public at Thorpe Park this Saturday, 1st May,
Then, the hope is for it to be placed at the Captain’s birthplace in Keighley by Bradford City Council - although this is still to be confirmed at the time of writing.
Speaking on his creative process in constructing the statue, Clark said: "It took around two months to create Captain Tom in clay, from clay you make a mold, then create him in resin, then we cast him in bronze and the team build him up, weld him together and finish it."
Locals may remember Mr Clark also previously created a sculpture of Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa in March 2020, raising over £9,500 for charity MIND in the process.
The Bielsa statue will join that of Captain Tom Mooreat The Springs pop-up store from Saturday, 12th June.
The pair will be joined by other famous faces cast in bronze, resin or brass, including those of Leeds United and Scottish legend Billy Bremner, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, boxers Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, and Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Miniature replicas of the statues will be available to purchase, with a percentage of sales going to local charities.
These include Leeds South and East Food Bank and Leeds North and West Food bank, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Martin House Children’s Hospice Near Wetherby, The Ciaran Bingham Foundation Trust.
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Retail giant Uniqlo delays opening date for new Leeds store
It's official, Uniqlo is making its way to Leeds. Well, it's about time isn't it?
You may remember last June that murmurings of Uniqlo opening in Leeds were happening.
The news spread after planning documents appeared for new ‘Uniqlo’ signage on the Store House building on Briggate.
We've been keeping our fingers crossed that the news was actually true, and it is.
Uniqlo themselves have confirmed that three new stores will be popping up across the UK over the next two years, with one of them being right here in Leeds.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Their first store of the roll-out opened in Birmingham's Bullring, followed by a new store in Bristol this year.
Leeds was also meant to open this year, but unfortunately, Uniqlo has announced things are delayed and its opening will be pushed into 2027.
The Leeds store will be 1,100 square metres and will be located on Briggate in the old House of Fraser site.
CGI mockups from firms Thirty One Design and Ink Associates include the glass fronted store with Uniqlo’s signature red signage hanging above the door and off the building.
These will be made from sheet metal with a “sprayed finish” – sounds pretty swanky if you ask us.
Uniqlo UK COO Alessandro Dudech stated: "Uniqlo remains committed to strengthening its presence within the UK retail sector by expanding both our physical store network and ecommerce capabilities nationwide.
"As part of this strategic initiative, we look forward to introducing Uniqlo to the communities and visitors in the North of England, at the new Leeds location and simultaneously reaching customers in the South West in Bristol's Cabot Circus.".
Uniqlo is known for its affordable and minimalist clothing, stocking everything from raincoats and puffer jackets to jeans and a wide range of accessories.
We’ll keep you updated on the timeframe, as to be honest we’re just as excited as you are to be welcoming Uniqlo to the high street.
Police urgently appeal after teenage boy was stabbed in Leeds over bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a teenage boy was stabbed in Leeds over the bank holiday weekend.
West Yorkshire Police explained that officers were called out to Roundhay Road at around at 6:05pm on Monday 31 August following reports that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed, and once they arrived on the scene, the victim was located and subsequently taken to hospital, where he received treatment for an injury described as non-life-threatening.
Police say the incident occurred near to the Leeds West Indian Carnival, but are keen to assure the public that they believe this was an 'isolated and targeted' act.
Following further enquiries, it is now believed that the actual offence occurred on Shepherd’s Lane, potentially near the junction with Back Hares Avenue.
Investigating officers have released information on the suspect and identified several people they are keen to speak to.
As the police investigation is ongoing, Detective Chief Inspector Scott Hartley commented: "This is clearly a concerning incident in which a young teenage boy has suffered a significant stab wound.
"We have extensive enquiries ongoing, including house to house enquiries and reviewing CCTV. We are conscious though that this offence has occurred near to the Leeds West Indian Carnival and there will have been a large number of people in the vicinity who may not necessarily be from the Chapeltown area.
“The suspect for this offence is described as being male, around 15-16 years-old and was wearing a balaclava. He was with two girls. We are keen to speak to anyone who believes they may have seen this group in the area or who witnessed any part of this incident.
"Although this was a serious incident, our enquiries so far suggest it was an isolated and targeted act... [and] we remain focused on identifying those responsible and providing reassurance to the community."
Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact Leeds CID online, or by calling 101, quoting crime reference 13260496572.
Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Georgina Pellant -
28th April 2021 
