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.
News
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
A new female-founded business has opened in Leeds and it’s a trinket-lover’s paradise
Clementine Hall
Lisa Angel has just opened inside the Victoria Gate and it’s an Aladdin’s Cave full of jewellery, prints, gifts and everything in between.
The best part? It’s a female-founded brand that has chosen our wonderful city for their first Yorkshire site. We absolutely don't blame them.
Founded in 2004 by Lisa hand making jewellery which she sold at craft fairs local to her Norfolk home, the business has gone from strength to strength every since.
The brand is now a recognised part of the British high street landscape, boasting seven other stores across Norfolk, Suffolk, and the Midlands.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Shoppers can expect beautifully handcrafted jewellery, unique trinkets and wonderful staff who are open to have a natter.
It's the perfect shop for when you don't exactly know what to buy that someone special, just pop in here and you'll be hit with a wave of inspiration immediately.
We could've genuinely spent a good hour in there and come out with a much lighter wallet.
Lisa herself spoke about the opening: “As an independent retailer, we are thrilled to launch in a destination with such a reputation as Victoria Leeds.
"We believe retail should remain grounded in inspiration and discovery, and we look forward to bringing just that to the vibrant city of Leeds, in our first store in the north.”
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Managing Director James Moody said: “We're incredibly excited to be opening our first northern showcase store in such a prestigious location.
"Victoria Leeds represents exactly the kind of vibrant retail destination where we can bring the full Lisa Angel experience to new customers. This is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our retail presence."
Georgina Pellant -
28th April 2021 
