Vandals have covered a memorial dedicated to Yorkshire hero Captain Sir Tom Moore in graffiti, leaving one resident so upset he was 'nearly physically sick'.
The man, who found the artwork daubed in hastily sprayed graffiti spelling out 'IRA' in white paint, had to get. a bin bag to cover the sculpture up as he 'couldn't leave him like that'.
The vandalised artwork is located in Thistley Meadow in Hatton, Derbyshire.
The incident has left locals in complete shock and disbelief that someone would attack a war memorial dedicated to people who had lost their lives fighting for others' freedoms.
Reacting to the vandalism, Chairman of the Dove Valley Community Project Anthony Ball said told Derbyshire Live: "What I don't understand is that you've got a small memorial remembering those who lost their lives, and a Tommy [from the Royal British Legion].
"Why did they spray Captain Tom? What has he got to do with the IRA?
He added, "I was nearly physically sick when I saw it."
"Every day I do my walk, I walked around the corner, and I looked at it and was nearly physically sick.
"I touched it with my hand thinking it was something that would just wipe off, and it was spray paint.
"I could almost understand if someone sprayed a war memorial or a soldier, but not Captain Tom walking down the street.
"I had to get a bin bag and put it over Captain Tom, I couldn't leave him like that."
The memorial has since been repaired free of charge by Austin Cox, who owns the engineering firm that installed it in the first place.
Captin Tom Moore stole the heart of the nation when he decided to walk 100 laps of his garden in Bedfordshire during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 before reaching his 100th birthday.
His efforts went viral, raising nearly £33m for NHS charities. At the time, much publicity was given to the shortages of PPE equipment in the NHS and a general need to ventilators and other medical equipment.
The cenetenarian passed away from Covid-19 and pneumonia in hospital after contracting the disease following a holiday to Barbados.
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.
The Hoot -
31st December 2021 
