A heartbreaking tribute has been shared to a four-year-old girl who tragically died just hours before her first day of school.
Tiny Rose O'Leary had just undergone her third open heart surgery to help treat a heart condition.
But she contracted an infection and tragically died several weeks later.
Rose, who was from Pool-in-Wharfedale near Leeds, passed away just one day before she was supposed to start school.
Her heartbroken parents, Katie and Sue O'Leary-Hall, have released a moving tribute to the four-year-old, describing her as 'feisty' and 'gorgeous'.
Issuing a tribute through a GoFundMe set up by a friend, they wrote: "Sue O'Leary-Hall and I are devastated to inform everyone that our beautiful baby girl, Rose, has lost her fight to CHD.
"She had her third open heart surgery on the 15th of August and despite battling ferociously for her life died yesterday after contracting an infection. We are spending the next few days at Martin House Hospice.
"I have no words to describe the depth of the pain we feel on the day she should have started school.
"Rose was so full of love and life. Our lives will forever be shaped by knowing and loving her and they will certainly never be the same without her.
"Her feisty, strong willed and gorgeous nature will last forever in our hearts. Sleep well, beautiful girl."
The GoFundMe has been set up to help with funeral costs for Rose and her family. It's already raised almost £8,000 at the time of writing - double its target.
It reads: "I’m sorry we’re all connecting due to the tragic circumstances of Rose’s death. I’m sure we’re all grieving the devastating loss of such a beautiful, feisty little girl.
"Unfortunately with such tragic grief also comes the heartache and financial burden of arranging a funeral.
"I’m sure we all feel completely useless in this situation and would love to do anything to support Katie and Sue. Therefore, Amy, Laura and I have spoken to Katie about us arranging some donations from friends in order to support them with the financial costs of the funeral.
"We completely understand that everyone’s situations are different and there’s absolutely no pressure to donate and there’s absolutely no set amount - just anything you feel you’re able to contribute."
Featured image: GoFundMe
Leeds
No Greek Tragedy, just indie bangers – The Wombats set Leeds’ First Direct Arena alight
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
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.”
Daisy Jackson -
11th September 2023 
