Leeds United have once again announced that they will be sponsoring this year's Leeds Pride celebration.
The Whites are in the midst of a tense playoff battle as they look to climb back into the Premier League next season, but they have still made the all-important time to help out the city's annual festival and parade.
Along with Leeds United's official LGBTQ+ supporters group, Marching Out Together, the Yorkshire club has confirmed they will be serving as infrastructure sponsor for the second year running, having previously backed the event in other capacities.
2024 marks the 19th year of Leeds Pride, which champions inclusivity, diversity and acceptance, as well as acting as a platform for education whilst highlighting the ongoing fight for quality and inclusion.
The promotion hopefuls first took their infrastructure role in 2023 - having previously become the first UK club to have a member of their first team, Luke Ayling, attend Pride - and will once again be helping the operate the day through funding.
Leeds Pride is one of the biggest one-day festivals in the city centre and continues to grow year-on-year, with more than 70,000 people choosing to visit the parade and various other associated events in 2023 alone.
As detailed in an official statement from United, "This is a testament to the progress and acceptance achieved over the years, but there is still work to be done, and the club will continue to support and help where possible to ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community feel empowered to be their true selves."
Leeds strong support for the LGBTQ+ community is exhibiting not only through their dedicated Marching Out Together fan group but in backing campaigns like Rainbow Laces and Football v Homophobia throughout the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xjEGCTpqUA
The team and supporters club support several other similar initiatives in local schools and organisations.
As well as acting as a key sponsor for the seventh year running, Pride 2024 is also set to see further representation on the day from staff, as well as both current and former Leeds United players.
A spokesperson from Marching Out Together said: "It’s fantastic to see once again Leeds United proudly announce their sponsorship of Leeds Pride this year. It sends out such a powerful message of support to the LGBTQ+ community.
"We are now working with the club to ensure we enjoy another successful day at the wonderful Leeds Pride, and our thanks go to all those players and staff at Leeds United who give such valuable support throughout the year to the work of Marching Out Together."
This years Leeds Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, 21 July and is set to be a truly wonderful celebration as always. You can find out more down below.
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.”
Danny Jones -
16th May 2024 
