Kirkstall Online News

Kirkstall Festival 2008

Letter from KVCA Chairman

I hope everyone has made a note of Saturday July 12th, that is our 28th annual Kirkstall Festival, held as usual in the beautiful grounds of Kirkstall Abbey.

Let us hope we have a better summer than last year, we were very lucky as usual, what started out as a very cloudy cool morning finished up after lunch was a very warm sunny afternoon. Whatever the weather I know we have a fun filled day planned for everyone to enjoy, including of course our Festival church service in the Nave of the Abbey.

We have had our problems this year as indeed we do every year. This year as last year we were faced with the prospect of once again having to pay the police to attend our event. Other events in the area last year had the police with them and did not pay,we had to pay, why was that?

Anyway after some months of argument between the police and ourselves the problem has now been resolved. Thanks to L.C.C. Highways Dept in accordance with the traffic and road closures act the police will now have written authority to stop traffic for the procession and Cllr Carter has agreed that the Highways Department will fund the road closure orders.

The police have also said there will be police in the grounds at times throughout the day and we will not be paying. I know we like to see the police and I know it eassures the public to see the police around the grounds so lets hope the crackpot who suggested community events pay for police get’s what he deserves! I should add it was Cllr Minkin who put Highways and Cllr Carter in touch with me.

As you may know Cllr Minkin retired this year after serving the Kirkstall ward and the Labour Party for 20 years. Liz Minkin was also one of the founders of the Kirkstall Festival and KVCA and through the last 27 years has always been on hand to help in any way she could and no matter how busy she was.

Liz has been very ill over the last few weeks but we are very pleased to see she is on the mend and all the committee send her our best wishes and would like to point out there is always a place on the committee waiting for her!

We would also like to welcome our “New” ward Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, we all wish her well.

John Liversedge (Chair of KVCA)

Abbey Shakespeare Under Threat

A report in the Yorkshire Evening Post reports that the Shakespeare festival is under threat due to a cash shortfall.

The company claim they have a £30,000 shortfall and much of that shortfall is made up of the fees they pay Leeds City Council.

Last year's festival was the 13th staged in Leeds and takes place in the summer in the cloisters of Kirkstall Abbey.

If funding is not found, the company may continue their tour as normal, but miss Leeds out.

The full report in the YEP is linked here

Doug Kilvington 1922-2007

Regular readers of Kirkstall Matters will be familiar with the skilful cartoons produced by Doug Kilvington. After suffering a stroke, Doug moved last year to a Retirement Home in the Brighton area to be near relatives. Sadly, Doug, aged 84, died 4th September 2007.

Doug was born in Swinton, North Yorkshire, in 1922 and became grocer’s apprentice at 15. In 1939, when Doug was 17, he joined the Home Guard. At 19, he was in the RAF serving in Britain and Germany as an Instrument Repairer. When demobbed in 1947, Doug took an Art course and embarked on a career in commercial art. He moved to Leeds in 1950. From 1985, for twenty years, Doug has produced much appreciated posters and art work for Kirkstall Festival and Kirkstall Matters. Doug's 'Monastic Moments' cartoons have acquired quite a following, including a local community of nuns. In 2006, Doug was made an Honorary Vice President of KVCA.

Doug, a bachelor, was a life member, since his retirement, of the Yorkshire Air Museum. Doug has drawn cartoons for their newsletters and has painted signs, pictures and RAF badges for them over the years. Always interested in aviation, he contributed to books on the subject. Doug’s cartoons have been used by the RAF Benevolent Fund and other service charities.

Doug and his cartoons will be remembered in Yorkshire, with affection. Present and past members of the Festival and K.V.C.A. committees held Doug in great respect. He will be sadly missed.

Val Crompton

A65 Bus Scheme widens road

The A65 Kirkstall Road/Abbey Road is the most congested road in Leeds according to research by Leeds City Council.

The new suggested "Quality Bus Initiative" will widen the road to two lanes in each direction with priority given to buses. The work will involve widening the road, compulsory purchases, business closures, demolition and removal of some green spaces.

Questions are being asked as to whether there are enough environmental impact considerations for the scheme or adequate consultation with both ward councillors and the public.

Over the next few years there will be more pressure on the A65 from the Kirkstall Forge development as well as new housing further outside the city at Highroyds and expansion to the Leeds and Bradford airport.

Although many people welcome the scheme, including the ward councillors, concerns have been expressed about whether such a major scheme should go ahead without more consultation and involvement of the local community. This could include assessing the impact on the environment as well as local business and proposed developments such as the Kirkstall District Centre.

If approved construction on the scheme is scheduled to commence in August 2008 and be completed in the late summer of 2010.

Festival 2007

Another great Kirkstall Festival weekend. Despite the damp start the weather improved through the day and the rain did nothing to dampen people's spirit.

Thanks to Val Crompton, we have photographs of this year's event available online. These include the parade and the festival in two galleries.

New Server

Kirkstall Online has today moved to a new server.

Please report any broken lnks or other problems using our contact form

Thanks

Matthew Guy

Kirkstall Election Results

John Illingworth re-elected councillor for Kirkstall Ward.

COCKAYNE, SANDRA MARIE 380 votes 7.42% for the British National Party
COLEMAN, CHRISTINE RUTH 1743 votes 34.02% for the Liberal Democrats
ILLINGWORTH, JOHN ANTHONY 2236 votes 43.64% for The Labour Party
KAPP, JEREMY MARK 374 votes 7.30% for The Conservative Party
REED, MARTIN LESLIE 378 votes 7.38% for the Green Party

St. Stephen's Gala Concert

St. Stephen's Church present the final event of "Treasures Revealed Week 2007" a "Gala Concert" on
Sunday 13th May 2007 at 7.30pm.

An Evening Of Varied Music With Artistes From Opera North.

Victoria Sharpe Soprano
John Cunningham Bass
Susan Lenton Accompanist
Tickets: £5.00 (Including Refreshments) Tel: 267 7775

Proceeds In Aid Of The Building Development Fund

Comedy and Shakespeare Return

Leeds Comedy in the Park, Monday 30th July and
Monday 6th August

Two nights of stand-up comedy from the biggest
and best names on the comedy circuit in a beautiful
open air setting. Week one artistes include Stephen
Frost, Josie Lawrence, Andy Smart, Richard Vranch
and Lee Simpson.

Week two will be an evening of comedy with
Madame Galina, Mandy Knight, Junior Simpson and
Andrew Bird.

http://www.comedyinthepark.com

13th Leeds Shakespeare Festival, 23rd July to 19th
August 2007

Kirkstall Abbey Cloisters provide an idyllic setting
for two of Shakespeare's most popular plays Henry
V and As You Like It. Henry V is Shakespeare's most
powerful, popular and compelling history play and
As You Like It his wittiest and best-loved romantic
comedy.

These productions are performed in beautiful
Elizabethan costumes by a cast of sixteen of
Britain's finest professional Shakespearian actors.
They will include live music, action, exciting sword
fights and hilarious comedy all set in the stunning
natural surroundings that Shakespeare intended for
his plays.

http://www.britishshakespearecompany.com/leeds.html

Distric Centre to get go ahead?

The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that a decision on the redevelopment of the Kirkstall District Centre should be made next week at the West Plans Panel on Thursday.

The plans include apartments, shops, restaurants and cafes, parking, public squares, health centre and council offices.

The redevelopment will cost in the region of £100m in total.

To see the photographs from the 2005 consultation on the plans, click here.

Click here for the full article from the Yorkshire Evening Post.