Bernadette Shackleton from Yeadon is one of ten semi-finalists.
The upcycle crafter from Leeds spent three months creating an eco 'packet jacket' out of hundreds of crisp packets.
The jacket has been selected as one of the final ten contestants for Eventbrite's Hobby Hero competition.
Image: Supplied (Big Bang)
Eventbrite’s Hobby Hero competition launched in May to find Britain’s greatest hobbyist and help them share their pastime with others in an effort to get the nation connected again.
Bernadette spends her time finding beauty all around and is a big advocate for recycling, but the idea for the 'packet jacket' was born from lockdown.
Having started collecting used crisp packets with the intention of recycle them, she began her ambitious upcycling project during lockdown with her friend Heidi, and spent three months and countless hours creating the masterpiece.
Image: Supplied (Big Bang)
The competition winner will receive a £5,000 prize – £2,500 in cash and £2,500 worth of support from Eventbrite’s experts to help share her passion with others, allowing Bernadette will be able to share her design and recycling skills alike with likeminded individuals.
Bernadette said: “I love giving a new lease of life to something that has been thrown away. When I go to the tip, it breaks my heart that so many things of value have been discarded as landfill. A crisp packet takes seven years to degrade so I’m glad we’ve found a new use for them.
“My packet-jacket started out as a silly pastime to keep me busy in lockdown. I never expected it to look so amazing or get me in the semi-finals of this competition. Even my son says it looks amazing, which is high praise indeed!”
Regardless of the outcome, Bernadette has big plans for the jacket, including presenting the garment to hundreds of fashion-conscious individuals at London Fashion Week.
Image: Supplied (Big Bang)
Bernadette continues: “A fashion designer friend of mine is hoping to help us get the jacket to London Fashion Week. It would be amazing to get it noticed. It really does look striking.
“For Heidi and I, it’s been a labour of love. We would put the music on, clear the table and spend hours on our intricate design. It’s been really therapeutic and enjoyable. I can’t wait to start on our next design.”
During several lockdowns, Eventbrite saw thousands either continue to pursue their interests or take up new hobbies by joining online workshops and classes.
Image: Unsplash
Eventbrite’s Sebastian Boppert says: “The entries we received ranged from the more traditional to the weird and wonderful. We received lots of craft entries, but few as original and creative as Bernadette’s crisp packet art. You can tell from the photos how much dedication it took. We also love that her hobby is a sustainable pastime. I wish her all the best as one of our semi-finalists.
“Our final Hobby Hero winner will be someone with enthusiasm and dedication, who wants to share it with others – and maybe even earn some money with it. A strong entry like Bernadette’s certainly fits the bill.”
The Eventbrite Hobby Hero competition will continue into the summer as a panel of judges analyse each of the ten semi-finalists before announce the winner at the end of July.
Feature Image- Supplied (Big Bang)
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Leeds pizza shop hailed ‘exceptional’ and ‘best in the UK’ by major reviewer
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
Yorkshire-set Christmas film by Leeds director starring Richard E. Grant set to hit UK cinemas next month
Clementine Hall
A brand-new Christmas film is hitting cinemas nationwide next month - and it’s a proper Leeds success story.
Jack Spring directed his first feature film at just 19 years old and has spent the last decade carving out a career in independent film, as well as co-founding Leeds-based production company Shush Films.
His first movie, Destination: Dewsbury, was shot just down the road in - you guessed it - Dewsbury. And after moving to Leeds from Grimsby, Jack became determined to build his business from the city, putting down roots and growing his production company here.
Image: Supplied
Now, after years of working on independent projects, Jack has taken his biggest leap yet with a brand-new Christmas film, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint.
Set in Yorkshire, Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint follows Aubrey Flint, a reclusive model soldier painter with a lifelong hatred of Christmas, who is sentenced to community service at Willow Lodge - a retirement home on the brink of closure.
Roped into helping with a chaotic production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Aubrey clashes with its interesting set of residents...
And the cast is about as star-studded as it gets, featuring Richard E. Grant, John Bradley, Celia Imrie, Adjoa Andoh, Sophia Di Martino, Adrian Rawlins and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Image: Supplied
The heartwarming festive comedy will hit cinemas nationwide on Friday 6 November - a huge milestone for a Leeds-based director and production company, taking a homegrown Yorkshire story to audiences across the country.
You just can't beat a proper wholesome British Christmas film, so you can best believe we'll be watching in the cinema, popcorn in hand.
Sophie Smith -
5th July 2022 
