A grandad in Leeds has gone the extra mile for his grandsons, building them a bespoke Minecraft-inspired bedroom from scratch.
Mark McFarlane from Bramley has become a bit of a local legend after images of the Minecraft-inspired bedroom he built for his lads were shared hundreds of times on Facebook.
Created for Oscar, 7, and Finn, 4, Mark needed a project to help him stave off boredom during lockdown and the Minecraft bedroom proved the perfect thing.
Mark McFarlane
He even let the boys watch him on FaceTime as he assembled redstone torches and painted diamond swords, building up to a big final reveal to show them the end product.
Due to covid restrictions, the boys haven't been able to visit him for over a year, so he wanted to make the room extra special for them.
Mark designed his own shelves, cupboards and decorations based on the hit video game, combining different colours of paint with masking tape to create the unique block, wooden and stone-walled effects.
The Minecraft tools on display were cut from an old 1.5mm foam board he had laying around in the shed, whilst the boys' crafting box/table is made from wood lats.
The project, which Mark told the YEP took around three weeks and £60 to complete, has definitely made him a hit with his grandchildren who are beyond pleased with their new digs.
"It was a small project to starve off the boredom we've all had to endure during lockdown whilst everyone has had to sit their regular routines out, but now things are looking up we can all start getting back to filling those voids," he said.
As a founder and director of registered nonprofit organisation 'Sentinel Squad UK,' a Star Wars-themed group that raises thousands of pounds for Yorkshire and surrounding areas children's charities - Mark is a dab hand at building characters and bringing fantasy to life.
He can often be seen walking around West Yorkshire dressed as a 7.5 foot Wookie - so if you spot him, make sure to say hello. It's all for a good cause.
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Take a look inside the huge Tulip Festival that’s just opened in Yorkshire with over one million tulips
Farmer Copley's Tulip Festival is back and it's just as beautiful as we remember.
Spring has officially sprung and with it, so does Farmer Copley's iconic Tulip Festival that officially opened last Sunday.
Based in West Yorkshire, nestled between Pontefract and Featherstone, the Copley family really know how to get you feeling ready for the season ahead.
Just moments after entering the festival, we can assure you that winter will feel like a distant memory.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Spanning over 8 acres, Jack and the team have planted over 600,00 tulip bulbs consisting of 100+ different varieties of all shapes and colours that arrived directly from the Netherlands.
In addition to the 500,000 planted last year, that means there's over one million tulips to enjoy - now that is pretty impressive if you ask us.
Varieties include Carnaval de Rio, Tom Pouce, Gavota, Lily Flowering Mix, Blushing Appledorn, Wedding Dress and Rodolfo.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The festival includes five sections that have been split by 5 metre walkways enabling the best customer interaction in the field.
There's two dedicated pick your own areas where a mix of bulbs have been planted to ensure that visitors have a wide range of tulips to explore, pick from and create the perfect bunch of tulips. How lovely is that?
Of course there's plenty of photo opportunities, fairground rides and a bar to enjoy the view with a tipple or two.
This really is the perfect family-friendly day out and with the weather looking gorgeous (for now), we'd take the opportunity to see the tulips looking their best whilst you can.
The festival is on until Sunday 3 May 2026, with tickets starting from just £9.
To find out more and to book your ticket, take a look at Farmer Copleys website. We'll see you in the tulip fields.
Popular Channel 4 series The Dog House is looking for people from Yorkshire to adopt rescue dogs
Emily Sergeant
Could you give a rescue dog a second chance in life? Now’s your chance.
The next series of hit Channel 4 show The Dog House is currently in the works, with producers on the lookout for people willing to give rescue dogs a forever home, and people from Yorkshire are being encouraged to apply.
Since first hitting our screens back in 2019, the award-winning series – which is currently in partnership with Woodgreen Pets Charity – has captured the hearts of viewers across the UK, sharing emotional stories of rescue dogs and the people hoping to give them a forever home.
Viewers get to watch incredible journeys of rescue dogs finding their perfect match.
Image: Channel 4
But the show demonstrates that it’s not just the dogs who are being rescued, many of their new owners also find their lives transformed in the process.
“Once again, we’ll be following the expert team of dog-matchers, meeting this year’s rescue dogs, and of course, getting to the know the amazing people who are looking to offer them a lifelong home,” a casting call for The Dog House reads on the Channel 4 website.
“We’re looking for people who are considering taking the incredible step of welcoming a rescue dog into their lives and are happy to share their reasons for doing so.
“If that’s you, then we’d love to get you know you.”
Does this sound like you then? Channel 4 is keen to hear the reasons why you may be looking for a new canine companion, so anyone who fancies applying for the show is asked to fill out an application form online.
Georgina Pellant -
24th May 2021 
