A grandad in Leeds has gone the extra mile for his grandsons, building them a bespoke Minecraft-inspired bedroom from scratch.
Mark McFarlane from Bramley has become a bit of a local legend after images of the Minecraft-inspired bedroom he built for his lads were shared hundreds of times on Facebook.
Created for Oscar, 7, and Finn, 4, Mark needed a project to help him stave off boredom during lockdown and the Minecraft bedroom proved the perfect thing.
Mark McFarlane
He even let the boys watch him on FaceTime as he assembled redstone torches and painted diamond swords, building up to a big final reveal to show them the end product.
Due to covid restrictions, the boys haven't been able to visit him for over a year, so he wanted to make the room extra special for them.
Mark designed his own shelves, cupboards and decorations based on the hit video game, combining different colours of paint with masking tape to create the unique block, wooden and stone-walled effects.
The Minecraft tools on display were cut from an old 1.5mm foam board he had laying around in the shed, whilst the boys' crafting box/table is made from wood lats.
The project, which Mark told the YEP took around three weeks and £60 to complete, has definitely made him a hit with his grandchildren who are beyond pleased with their new digs.
"It was a small project to starve off the boredom we've all had to endure during lockdown whilst everyone has had to sit their regular routines out, but now things are looking up we can all start getting back to filling those voids," he said.
As a founder and director of registered nonprofit organisation 'Sentinel Squad UK,' a Star Wars-themed group that raises thousands of pounds for Yorkshire and surrounding areas children's charities - Mark is a dab hand at building characters and bringing fantasy to life.
He can often be seen walking around West Yorkshire dressed as a 7.5 foot Wookie - so if you spot him, make sure to say hello. It's all for a good cause.
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Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Georgina Pellant -
24th May 2021 
