After two years of missing Pride celebrations off our calendars, we're so excited to see the return of Leeds Pride.
Leeds Pride has announced that Sunday 7 August 2022 will mark the 17th annual Pride event in the city centre.
Pride in Leeds is one of a very few free Pride events in the UK and in 2019 attracted over 65,000 people making it one of the biggest events held in the city centre, so you can bet that this year, the celebrations will be more exciting than ever before.
The news comes after the unveiling of 16 rainbow flag paving stones between The Calls and Lower Briggate in the Freedom Quarter of Leeds last week.
As a landmark occasion for Leeds, the return of Pride is huge news to the LGBT+ community, but the celebrations will still look slightly different than the pre-pandemic version.
No stalls or sponsorships have been announced just yet, but information is expected to become available in the coming weeks. Artists to perform at the event will be requested in May.
The biggest change will be to the parade. This year, the parade will be named the Robert Payne Parade and will have a new route added to it for 2022.
Image: Leeds Freedom Bridge, Twitter
Named after Robert Payne from Blayds Bar who sadly passed away in December 2021, many may remember Robert as 'Drag with no Frock' who worked tirelessly with husband Duncan to run Blayds Bar in Leeds for over ten years.
Husband Duncan and daughter Gemma are fundraising for Pride in Robert's memory on JustGiving.
"Robert was a huge supporter in Leeds Pride every year. We would like to help raise as much money as we can to an event that can be overlooked and seen as a party however it helps so many people. Leeds pride is an event that takes place every year in the lower part of Leeds city centre. We are asking everyone who knew Robert to donate if you can.
Image: Leeds Pride
Speaking about the return of Pride, Jonathon Pryor, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council has said:
"Pride in Leeds is one of the most important events of the year. We are so proud to be a diverse and inclusive city, and Leeds Pride is always a great celebration of our LGBT+ community and our freedom of expression.
"Prides around the world began as a protest, a declaration that as LGBT+ people our lives are valid and should be celebrated. We must remember that being gay is still punishable by death in 7 countries and a further 70 will imprison citizens for their sexual orientation. Pride represents a sense of belonging, and a celebration of being accepted for being your authentic self.
"We have sorely missed this chance to celebrate fully over the past two years and we are so excited that Pride 2022 will be back to full strength!"
A £1.6m grant has been given by the government to Leeds City Council to help tackle rough sleeping.
The funding has been allocated to Leeds City Council as part of the Government’s national Rough Sleeping Programme.
The overall target is to help rough sleepovers off the streets by Christmas through providing safe accommodation.
The council have said that voluntary organisations and charities will be able to help them reach this target.
The council report said: "This funding will be used for immediate interventions to ensure all those rough sleeping have an offer of accommodation by Christmas and support longer term sustainment of accommodation.
“The initial target is to provide a suitable offer of accommodation for everyone who is rough sleeping by Christmas 2026.
“Providing a path into supported accommodation and independent living is the key objective and sustaining this independent living with, where necessary, ongoing support to prevent any return to rough sleeping and homelessness.”
The government announcement spoke of the scheme: "The programme is intended to support people experiencing rough sleeping.
"People experiencing rough sleeping may have differing entitlements to housing and support depending on their individual circumstances, including their immigration status and eligibility for public funds."
The funding is intended to help provide immediate support for people currently sleeping on the streets, while also helping them access longer-term accommodation and the support needed to maintain independent living.
By working with local charities and voluntary organisations, the council hopes to ensure people are not only offered a place to stay but are also given the help they need to avoid returning to the streets.
M&S launches massive recruitment drive in Leeds with hundreds of jobs available
Emily Sergeant
M&S has launched a massive recruitment drive across Yorkshire.
With the festive season fast approaching, and most British stores having already unveiled their Christmas ranges for 2026, one of the country’s largest brands has launched a massive UK-wide seasonal recruitment drives to gear up for what is always one of the busiest times of the year for the retail industry.
M&S has announced it will recruit for plenty of new colleagues across the UK.
As mentioned Christmas is one of the busiest moments of the year for M&S, and seasonal colleagues play a ‘vital’ part in delivering that.
Image: Supplied
New recruits will be tasked with helping M&S deliver a ‘brilliant’ service for customers.
Stores with vacancies span the whole of Leeds - including city centre, Moortown, Crown Point, White Rose Shopping Centre and Pudsey.
M&S says the roles are ‘fast-moving and hands-on’, with colleagues required to work together to make sure customers still get the very best of M&S, even at its busiest.
The roles will pay £13.41 per hour, with successful applicants receiving the training, tools and support needed to get up to speed quickly.
“We can’t wait to welcome over 300 new colleagues to our store teams here in Greater Manchester,” commented Zeba Khan, who is the Regional Manager at M&S.
“As we get ready for our busiest time of year, it’s a great opportunity to join us and help bring a magical M&S Christmas to our customers.
“We have a range of opportunities available, whether joining our city centre flagship or our fresh market-style foodhalls. We’re looking for colleagues who are passionate about delivering great customer service and being part of a team.”
Fancy it then? Applications are now open, and you can find out more and apply on the M&S Christmas careers page here.
Sophie Smith -
22nd February 2022 
