A new £20m mental health unit will open this week in Leeds
"It’s a huge and important step forward in the region’s mental health services and will mean that children and young people can get the care they need close to home".
Red Kite View is a mental health inpatient unit for young people aged 13- 18 opening in Armley, Leeds this week.
Opening its doors for the very first time this week, Red Kite View is a purpose-built inpatient unit, built on the grounds of the old St Mary's Hospital site in Armley.
The new unit will be managed by the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and will have 22 beds, 16 of which will be on a general ward and a further 6 in a dedicated Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.
The idea is that by introducing this new unit, the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be able to slowly tackle the desperate demand for space at inpatient units. At present, young people that need the psychiatric care that being an inpatient can provide have to wait for a bed space to become available- but this comes at no guarantee of being near home and many young people are asked to travel far from their hometowns and often this means they are subsequently far from their usual sources of support, in order to be placed in an inpatient unit.
The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said that, "it’s a huge and important step forward in the region’s mental health services and will mean that children and young people can get the care they need close to home. At the moment, many of them have to be placed where beds are available and this can be many miles from home and their loved ones which can hinder some young people’s progress and recovery."
Although Red Kite will replace the current inpatient facility at Little Woodhouse Hall, the new unit will increase the capacity to cater for a further 14 young people and staffed by a team of 100 nurses, psychologists, teachers, health professionals and non-clinical support staff.
The new project, which has cost £20 million, will first open to five young people transferring from Little Woodhouse Hall and it is thought by May 2022, the inpatient unit will be fully occupied by young people detained under Section 136/135 of the Mental Health Act (1983) and "act as a space where they can receive a mental health assessment with specialist health professionals, rather than be detained in police custody or go to A&E."
According to the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the much needed improvements and facilities for children and young people across West Yorkshire will include a range of spacious and therapeutic areas, including a multi-purpose activity room, educational facilities, a family visiting room, courtyards and a green communal space for service users and staff.
The name was inspired by nature in the local area, the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said that:
"The Kite is a bird that is well-established in West Yorkshire, and it can also be something fun that you fly in the sky. The name lends itself well to further naming of the two wards at the unit, as well as a theme for the internal artwork, so Board members felt this name would appeal to young people across different ages."
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.”
Sophie Smith -
12th January 2022 
