A Polish bakery in the West of Leeds had a record day for sales on Thursday, as hundreds of its doughnuts flew off the shelves in the name of 'Fat Thursday'.
Karpaty Polish bakery in Armley saw local residents flock to its doors as they stocked up on sugary treats like rose petal and plum jam-filled doughnuts ahead of Lent.
Fat Thursday or, as it is known in Poland, Tłusty Czwartek, is a day when people typically treat themselves to their favourite pastries and other sweet treats ahead of the religious period of abstention.
Karpaty
The bakery is hugely popular with local residents, as was shown yesterday when it sold over 1,000 of its doughnuts in just four hours.
Sandra Draszanowska, 22, who works at the bakery told the Yorkshire Evening Postyesterday that the bakery had been open since 7am and they had had queues spilling out of the doors and down the street all morning.
Image: Karpaty
She told the paper that she couldn't believe how busy the shop had been and that it was her first shift working on Fat Thursday, adding "Both Polish and English customers have been in, everyone loves it".
As well as their rose petal and plum jam doughnuts, another popular treat enjoyed at Karpaty on Fat Thursday were angel wings or Polish Chrusciki.
A key element of the Fat Thursday tradition, these treats are also a popular sweet enjoyed all over Poland all year long.
Crusty angel wings (Faworki) at Karpaty bakery. / Image: Karpaty
Made from wheat flour, eggs, margarine, sugar, salt, sour cream, alcohol, vinegar, these traditional sweet crisp pastries are made from dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, deep-fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
People travelled from far and wide to get their treats, with one customer saying he had come all the way from Bramley to pick up doughnuts for his family.
Called Stan, he said he had lived in the UK for 13 years but still loved to celebrate Fat Thursday.
Speaking to the YEP, he said: "All the family love different flavours."
"I always come to Karpaty as their doughnuts are absolutely huge.
"I live in Bramley but make the trip.
"It is definitely worth it."
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 allegations
Daisy Jackson
Slam Dunk festival has shared a statement confirming one of its directors has stepped down, in the wake of 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.
Georgina Pellant -
25th February 2022 
