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Wintry walks around the gorgeous Georgian treasure house at Nostell Priory
Nostell Priory, the National Trust estate, located near Wakefield, has been glammed up for Christmas since December 1st and is ready to welcome you for a lovely day of festive fun.
Winter walks on a crisp Christmas morning never seemed so tempting.
Nostell Priory, the National Trust estate, located near Wakefield, has been glammed up for Christmas since December 1st and is ready to welcome you for a lovely day of festive fun.
With beautiful, pristine gardens to explore and the Georgian house to wander around, visiting Nostell is a wonderful day out at any time of year. This Christmas though, the house has been dressed up to the nines with glamourous decorations, and the historic rooms have been opened for special events to get everyone feeling the festive spirit.
The woodlands, walks, and parkland at Nostell showcase the Yorkshire countryside and are truly difficult to beat. With ancient woodland and lakes on the grounds, there are countless options for a beautiful, crisp winter stroll through the grounds.
There’s nothing quite like a Christmas walk, and although you’ll need to wrap up warm, the grounds and lakes are especially beautiful on a crisp, winter morning.
Also, with a range of different gardens to discover, including the Kitchen Garden, the Menagerie Garden, and the Pleasure Grounds, you definitely won’t run out of walking space, and you could spend all day wandering through these vast grounds and discovering new spaces in the great outdoors.
If you’re needing to keep the kids entertained during your festive day out, Nostell Priory has got you covered. Although it may be a tad chilly at this time of year, there’s an outdoor adventure play area for the little ones to enjoy and, if that wasn’t good enough, the Percy the Park Keeper’s winter wander is a new festive addition to the programme.
This trail is sure to keep the kids entertained whilst you enjoy a relaxing walk around the grounds and, with the chance to get a delicious hot chocolate at the café, the entire family will be able to warm up from the cold and reflect on the festive fun you’ve all enjoyed.
Public toilets are not where most people go looking for a life-changing theatrical experience. Usually, the aim is to get in, get out and avoid eye contact. Yet in Close Enough to Touch, playwright Henry Roberts transforms this unglamorous setting into the backdrop for a story about sex, secrecy and the search for self-understanding.
At Leeds Playhouse, this one-person production follows M, played by Stefan Race, a young man whose life is far from straightforward. Unemployed and struggling in his relationship with his girlfriend, Isla, he begins exploring anonymous sexual encounters in public toilets. What follows is an exploration of desire, shame and the difficult distinction between the person we present to the world and the person we keep hidden.
A play about anonymous sex might easily rely on its subject matter to provoke controversy. Fortunately, Roberts is interested in more than shock value. He explores how intimacy can exist without commitment, how desire becomes entangled with shame, and whether we can truly understand ourselves while concealing parts of our identity.
Race carries the production alone. Without an ensemble to share the burden, the performance depends on physicality, expression and vocal variation to bring M’s experiences to life. This stripped-back approach draws the audience into his private thoughts, offering a glimpse into a world many might otherwise never encounter. From physicality to emotional drive, Race is a powerhouse when it comes to taking the audience on an emotional and yet thought-provoking journey. Grabbing the audience with laughter and vulnerability throughout this 70 min story.
Staged in Leeds Playhouse’s Bramall Rock Void, the production uses a bus shelter and a red bench to establish its setting. A screen above the shelter displays the script, providing audiences with an additional way to follow the dialogue. This thoughtful accessibility feature allows audience members to read alongside the live performance, helping to make the production more inclusive without disrupting its flow.
The minimal set keeps the focus on M rather than overwhelming the story with spectacle. However, building a drama around a single perspective presents its own challenges. Although the subject offers plenty to consider, there are moments when the ideas feel more compelling than the dramatic momentum carrying them. Challenging themes alone cannot guarantee compelling theatre, and greater variation might have allowed the narrative more room to breathe.
Close Enough to Touch is at its strongest when it looks beyond the provocative nature of its subject to the vulnerability beneath it. Race’s performance and Roberts’ willingness to explore an often-overlooked experience give the production something meaningful to say.
Perhaps the real discomfort lies neither in the setting nor in the sex, but in the possibility that the parts of ourselves we conceal most carefully are often the parts we most need to understand.
Running throughout the rest of October through to November you can catch this production in and around Yorkshire. Tickets available HERE.
A new bar dedicated to Guinness and games is coming to Leeds city centre
Clementine Hall
Expect live music, a load of craic and plenty of Guinness at Leeds' brand-new bar.
Opening on Leeds' bustling Merrion Street, 'Love, Jackie' is the latest concept from the team behind Roxy Ball Room and King Pins.
Love, Jackie will be taking over a 7,000 sq ft space,and will be promising proper prints, late nights and plenty of Irish charm.
Pouring will be the holy trinity of Irish stouts - Guinness, Beamish and Murphy's.
Image: Supplied
These will be served alongside Leeds' own Kirkstall Virtuous IPA and a vast whiskey selection that celebrates the best of Ireland.
Games wise, try your hand at crazy pool, interactive darts, shuffleboard and karaoke. There will also be live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The opening comes as Merrion Street enjoys a new wave of investment and hospitality openings, helping bring new life to one of Leeds' best known night life attractions.
Image: Supplied
Matt Jones, CEO of Professionals at Play, said: “Everyone knows a Jackie. She’s the one who gets everyone together, convinces you to stay for another and makes sure there’s never a dull moment.
“We wanted to create a pub with that same personality. Somewhere with brilliant drinks, live music, plenty of games and the kind of atmosphere that makes you forget you were only popping in for one.
“Merrion Street is coming back to life, and we’re excited to be part of its next chapter. We think Jackie will fit right in. And because Jackie’s never been one to turn up empty-handed, the first drink’s on her."
We'll keep you updated on opening times as and when we find out, but for now you can sign up here for a pint of free Guinness. Cheers to that!
Sophie Smith -
21st December 2022 
