A lockdown success story is finding a home in Meanwood.
From an up-cycled horse trailer to a coffee shop, Humbl is the UK’s first battery powered mobile coffee shop with a lockdown success story that started off, and continues to be, an entirely self-funded small business.
Located in the heart of Meanwood, a leafy suburb less than three miles from Leeds city centre, the little coffee shop now has big plans to take over one of Meanwood's shops to open a permanent home.
Ever-humble, the independent coffee stop is owned by locals Matt and Georgia (and their dog Lou) and after growing their business presence at a host of pop-up events around Leeds over the past year and securing a local spot near Meanwood Park and Seagulls Reuse, the owners are now hoping to give the suburb that has taken in Humbl for the past twelve months, a permanent home in the form of a coffee shop.
From horse box to coffee shop. / Image: Humbl
The couple shared their vision on Crowdfunder at the weekend and are hoping to raise £6000 for coffee-making equipment. With the help of the local community, the aim is to raise enough to purchase a two group coffee machine, so that Humbl can cope with the bigger demand of a coffee shop.
The owners said: "We are excited to announce that we have just got the keys to this amazing local treasure and while we're well on our way to making our dream a reality we need your help to get us over the finish line!"
Humbl started as a converted horse trailer. / Image: Humbl
The owners shared a message on local community pages earlier this week, offering exciting merchandise, vouchers, invites to their opening and even a black card as part of their fundraising efforts:
"Humbl beginnings! We’re opening a coffee shop in Meanwood! Some very exciting and scary times ahead. We could not have come this far without your amazing support. Our aim is to give Meanwood a speciality coffee shop with a focus on sustainability, arts and community.
The location of the new Humbl coffee shop. / Image: Humbl
"A space where we can support local artists, projects and fellow small businesses! While we're well on our way to making our dream a reality we need your help to raise funds to get our small business off to a flying start.
"In return we are offering some fantastic rewards, including limited edition merch, VIP launch party invites and free coffee on us for a whole year. Your contribution, no matter how great or small, would mean the world. We can’t wait to welcome you all! Your Humbl humans, Matt, Georgia and Lou."
Some of the crowdfunders will receive tote bags as thanks. / Image: Humbl
Every £20 donation will give the donor access to a limited edition birthday blend, 250g bag of beans, limited edition tote and a free coffee upon opening, but the prizes scale all the way up to £1500 donation offerings.
The top offering is one of four 'Humbl Black Cards' which will entitle the lucky donor to 50% off any bill sit in or take out forever, as well as a hand written invite to soft launch/opening day and after party with a plus one, a plaque with your name on it in the venue- and a permanent state of gratitude from the business owners.
Whilst renovations take place, Matt will still be "smashing out his famous flats whites" at Humbl's locally-known spot next to Meanwood Park every Friday - Sunday until the opening of their permanent store, as well as attending plenty of pop-up events around the city too.
The owners pictured on their Facebook post. / Image: Humbl
The UK's worst cities for parcel theft have been revealed, with Leeds landing in the top five.
More packages were sent in the UK than ever before in 2025, according to recent data, with approximately 4.2 billion parcels being posted, but this has meant that doorstep deliveries have become part of daily life for many households.
As online shopping continues to grow, so too does the concern around so-called ‘porch piracy’, where parcels are stolen from doorsteps, porches, and communal delivery areas.
So, in a bid to reveal the UK cities that are most vulnerable to parcel theft, home and contents specialists at iSelect analysed cities across three key factors – local theft rates, working-from-home levels, and parcel theft-related search behaviour, and each city was then given an overall parcel theft risk score out of 100.
Image: Evri
The study found that Leeds, unfortunately, is the fourth city most at risk with an index score of 53.1 and 9.21 thefts per 1,000 people.
The study found that Manchester is, unfortunately, the UK city most at risk of parcel theft – with an index score of 91.43 out of 100.
Manchester recorded the highest theft rate in the study, with 13.52 thefts per 1,000 people, as well as one of the highest levels of parcel theft-related searches, at 161.6 searches per 100,000 people.
Experts at iSelect say this suggests that residents are not only more exposed to theft overall, but that concern around missing or stolen parcels is ‘particularly high’ in the city too.
Other northern cities featuring in the top five include Newcastle in second place, with a parcel theft risk score of 75.89 and Kingston upon Hull ranked fifth, scoring 48.48 out of 100.
Then into the top 10 is where you’ll find cities like Bradford, Birmingham, Nottingham, and of course, the English capital London.
At the other end of the ranking, Derby was named the safest UK city for parcel deliveries, with a score of 17.68 out of 100, and according to the research, the city benefited from a relatively high working-from-home rate of 28.9%, which reduces the likelihood of parcels being left unattended for long periods.
Snake Pass set to temporarily close AGAIN for ground investigation works
Clementine Hall
The Peak District route is set to temporarily close this summer for ground works.
The scenic route is classed as one of England's highest-risk roads running through the Peak District.
A statement published by Derbyshire County Council has stated that Snake Pass will be closed between Derbyshire Level in Glossop and Ladybower Reservoir from Monday 15 June to Friday 3 July 2026.
The route is classed as high risk due to its steep bends and the landslips it suffers.
Snake Pass has suffered ongoing damage in recent years, with four separate landslip sites currently affecting the route.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Charlotte Hill said: “We are currently undertaking feasibility and technical studies to fully understand the extent of the issues at the Doctors Gate site on Snake Pass and the options that may be available. This work is essential before any detailed proposals can be developed and discussed with funding partners, including the Government.
“Snake Pass presents a long standing and complex engineering challenge due to its underlying geology and exposure to severe weather. Addressing this safely and sustainably requires detailed investigation and significant resources.
“We are working with the East Midlands Combined County Authority to explore opportunities that could help secure the long-term resilience of the A57. Discussions with other partners are ongoing and form part of the wider work currently being undertaken.”
Jon Pearce, MP for High Peak, said on social media: "I know this closure will be frustrating for residents, commuters and businesses who rely on this route every day, but the condition of Snake Pass cannot keep being ignored."
Sophie Smith -
5th April 2022 
