A skateboarder from Leeds has completed an impressive 170-mile journey that saw him stop off at Britain's highest pub as part of a quest to raise money for charity.
Joe Hunt, 27, skated all the way to Whitby from Walney alongside friend Matthew O’Toole, as part of a four-day fundraising mission for Cancer Research UK.
The pair took on the challenge after family members had been diagnosed with cancer, and have now more than doubled their original fundraising target.
As part of the 'gruelling' 170-mile coast-to-coast trip, the duo stopped off at 17th-century boozer the Tan Hill Inn - notorious for being the highest pub in Britain.
At 1732 feet above sea level, it was no mean feat getting up there - at points, the terrain was so steep, the men said their boards starting rolling backwards.
However, after losing loved ones to cancer, they both wanted to do something to help others suffering from the disease and decided that, by breaking the trip down into four consecutive days, they could make it.
Speaking to Gazette Live, Matthew said: “I lost my cousin to my cancer. My mam had cancer and my grandad had cancer. Luckily they battled it and we found out Joe’s mam had cancer back in December.
“She fought it though. It was a charity we thought would be worthy for us to take on the challenge really.
“It was really hard. We battled through every type of weather possible - wind, thunder and lightning, rain, blistering sun but really really fun. I have got blisters all over my feet but it was well worth it.
"I went through a lot of emotions in in my mind. There were a lot of thoughts going on.
"It was partially part of the motivation that the pain we were going through was nothing compared to what other people are going for and it was very overwhelming coming from Tan to that final stretch into Whitby and seeing everybody.”
At the time of writing, the Joe and Matthew have raised £1,004 of their original £500 target.
The skateboarder's Just Giving page reads: "
"This July 6th - July 9th Matthew O'Toole and Joe Hunt are skateboarding from Walney to Whitby a total of 179 miles, we are breaking this down in to 4 consecutive days, July 6th Walney - Oxenholme 43 miles, July 7th Oxenholme - Tan Hill 44 miles, July 8th Tan Hill - Appleton Wiske 47 miles and July 9th Appleton Wiske - Whitby 45 miles.
"This will be a very hard challenge for us all especially the skate up to Tan Hill Inn which is the highest pub in Britain ! a whopping 1732 feet above sea level!
"This challenge is all in need of Cancer Research UK to try help beat cancer.
"1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. We can all play our part to support the research that will beat it. Help fund life-saving research by making a donation to my page. Cancer is happening right now, which is why we are fundraising right now for Cancer Research UK. There’s no time to lose!
"Please help us by donating to our page today and help bring forward the day when all cancers are cured."
In case you missed it, a bakery in Bramley has received lots of attention recently after people have sampled some of its impressive bread and pastries before raving about it online.
Since then, Ruth, the mastermind behind it all, has generated queues from her summer house-turned bakehouse with people coming from far and wide to sample her flaky favourites and doughy delights.
Baking for more than 10 years and opening The Fat Pigeon just outside of Leeds city centre three years ago, there's no denying that the pastries and more produced here are some of the best.
This micro-bakery has a mighty menu and although Ruth's personal tastes might lean more savoury, the menu heavily favours sugary baked goods.
Anyone who loves a good sweet treat will be glad to know there's croissants, traybakes, cinnamon buns and the star-studded kouign-amann, a French-originating buttery pastry that covers all bases as it's sugary, sweet and slightly salty - heaven in baked form.
Ruth posing with a pigeon statue alongside some of her delicious golden creations / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
There's plenty more dough-based delights that cater to the savoury palate too. Think sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia that's oozing with perfectly paired herbs and generous amounts of oil.
What makes this place even more special is the fact that not only the products being created and consumed made by a Leeds local, most if not all of the offerings are made using Yorkshire produce.
Ruth has made sure to keep local produce at the heart of all her bakes with Met's in Farsley who providing cheese, Whiteley's contributing fresh vegetables like parsley and rhubarb, flour from East Yorkshire's own Stringers and The Organic Dales for any dairy items - it really doesn't get more Yorkshire than this.
Enough from us, social media user's are singing this bakery's praises too as one commented "Delicious. Delicious. Delicious" and another going as far to say, "Beats every pastry I had in Copenhagen".
The sourdough loaves and bloomers at The Fat Pigeon are homemade and look as good as they taste / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
Hopefully you're reading this on a Friday or early Saturday morning, otherwise all I can do is apologise for tempting you with all this bakery's homemade golden goodness so far in advance.
The Fat Pigeon is open from 9am to 12pm every Saturday meaning you can stock up on some of Leeds' best bread and pastries to tie you over until the next weekend, depending on your will power.
Here’s five of the best new openings coming to Leeds this year
Clementine Hall
We're almost half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open this August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
New York-style pizza pop-up, Edges Pizza, is set to open in Leeds.Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residences across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat. Edges will be opening their doors in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 June.
Okay, this one might not be happening this year...but we still had to mention it so please forgive us.
Trinity Leeds is embarking on a major transformation with a £15 million expansion, introducing a second food court called ‘Freight Island’ The upgrade will add around 72,000 sq ft of new space, including a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking City Square the perfect spot to enjoy great food with skyline views.
Georgina Pellant -
13th July 2023 
