One of Leeds' best-loved independents is launching a rather novel new social club - a bowling club.
Silver's Deli, famed for its New York-style sub sandwiches, has said that it wants to hold a nice social event that doesn't involve running, saying that run clubs are 'monumentally ridiculous'.
Owner Chris said that the current trend (and run clubs are everywhere right now) for 'glowing at 7am after a 35k sprint all dressed in their best Lycra' is a 'horror show'.
In a hilarious statement shared on Instagram, he said that he hopes his new project will have all the social aspect of a running club, but without the running, which is 'the worst bit'.
"It's like walking, which is fine, but you get all flustered and overly warm, and you probably stink etc."
And the best bit of this new Silver's Bowling Club plan is that it will support the 'f***ing class' Bramley Crown Green Bowling club.
Chris said he hopes this new project will, as well as donating to the club, attract some new members to this 'oasis with all the flowers and nature and sh**'.
The Bramley Crown Green Bowling club is facing rising running costs, increasing membership costs, and a lack of people signing up for memberships.
The plan for this new Silver's Bowling Club will be that winners will be given vouchers, with deck chairs placed out for people to 'just hang out'.
Silver's Bowling Club begins next month
There'll be coffees from Bramley Batch and cookies from Get Baked, with plans to add Silver's breakfast sandwiches to the menu if the first club meet is a success.
No experience necessary - 'just throw some bowls on the ground and see what happens'.
Chris then wants to run the Silver's Bowling Club meets at least monthly all summer, weather permitting.
His statement, in which he directly apologised to Green Room, said: "I had this idea when staring out onto Bramley Park from my back door, watching the park run on a cold February morning — "these people are f*king lunatics", I thought.
"I wondered how they had the energy (or desire) to do such a monumentally ridiculous thing on a Saturday morning. Then I started thinking about running clubs.
"I'm always seeing these places posting their running clubs - everyone glowing at 7am after a 35k sprint all dressed in their best Lycra. Honestly, it's a horror show.
"So anyway I was looking at the Bowling Green, fuming, raging even, and then it came to me.
"Why don't I start a bowling club? We can have the social aspect of a running club, without the running. The running is the worst bit. It's like walking, which is fine, but you get all flustered and overly warm, and you probably stink etc."
The first ever Silver's Bowling Club will be at Bramley Crown Green Bowling on Sunday 6 July, from 10am to 12pm.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical is heading out on a major UK tour later this year, and will be taking to one of Leeds' most iconic stages this winter.
Written by Irvine Welsh – as adapted from his best-selling debut novel – and directed and developed by Caroline Jay Ranger, Trainspotting The Musical has been described by critics as ‘radical, invigorating and life-affirming’ since its premiere.
It’s said to be an unforgettable production that’ll have even the most sceptical audiences leave on a ‘consciousness-altering high.’
In 1996, the breakthrough British film of the same name was released and became the biggest grossing UK film of the year, winning a slew of awards in the process – including a BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and even being ranked tenth in the BFI’s top 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.
Now, three decades later, the industrial drug crazed working-class heroes of British youth culture are back… but this time, live on stage.
“I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film,” creator Irvine Welsh commented as the UK tour was announced this week.
“People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off. It’s what being human is all about. We’ve put together an incredible Scottish cast and I can’t wait to see them bring the musical to life.”
Trainspotting The Musical will taking to the stage at the Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 7 until Saturday 12 December 2026.
2:22 A Ghost Story at Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House: When silence becomes the scare
Declan Kelly
The supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story arrived at Leeds Grand Theatre as part of its UK tour, bringing Danny Robins’s hit production to a packed audience.
Since its West End debut in 2021, the play has become known less as a straight horror and more as a gripping psychological debate wrapped in a ghost story.
At the centre of the story is one key question: do ghosts actually exist? Set during a dinner party between two couples, the drama unfolds as Jenny becomes increasingly convinced their home is haunted, claiming she hears strange noises every night at exactly 2:22am.
Her husband Sam dismisses her fears as irrational, while friends Lauren and Ben challenge both sides, turning the evening into a lively clash of belief and scepticism. What begins as a conversation gradually becomes something far more tense, as personal fears and buried tensions rise to the surface.
Image: Supplied
Rather than relying on traditional horror, the production focuses on atmosphere and psychological tension. The script builds unease through sharp dialogue, awkward silences and shifting power dynamics between the characters. Instead of delivering constant shocks, it keeps the audience questioning what is real and what might simply be a coincidence or imagination.
That said, the play does use theatrical jump scares effectively. Sudden loud noises, abrupt lighting changes and eerie sound cues interrupt the dialogue at key moments, creating jolts of tension without ever fully tipping into outright horror. These moments are brief but impactful, designed more to unsettle than to terrify.
Image: Supplied
The cast works strongly together to maintain this balance. Shvorne Marks brings emotional intensity to Jenny’s growing fear, while James Bye plays Sam with grounded scepticism that slowly begins to crack. Natalie Casey adds sharp humour and bite as Lauren, and Grant Kilburn provides openness and curiosity as Ben, keeping the debate lively and unpredictable.
The production design is another standout element. The modern, stylish home feels realistic and lived-in, but subtly shifts in tone as the story progresses. Careful lighting and precise sound design ensure the space never feels entirely safe, even in silence, reinforcing the idea that something might be just out of sight.
Image: Supplied
As the final moments unfold, the play returns to its central idea: the waiting. The quiet anticipation of night, the smallest unexplained sounds, and the creeping awareness of time passing.
Ultimately, 2:22 A Ghost Story succeeds because it is not really trying to scare its audience traditionally. Instead, it plays with uncertainty, asking viewers to decide what they believe and how far they trust their own senses. And let’s be honest, you might find yourself thinking what might happen if you were still awake when the clock strikes 2:22.
Running until 16 May at the Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House - tickets available here.
Daisy Jackson -
25th June 2025 
