Plans for a new bank holiday will be under review today following the England football team's crushing defeat against Italy last night, reports The Times.
The news comes as England fans wake up this morning with sore heads and even sorer hearts, as over half a century of anguish continued last night when the team lost to Italy on penalty shoot-outs.
Coach Gareth Southgate will still receive a knighthood for his role in leading the Three Lions to their first final since the 1966 World Cup.
Whilst Boris Johnson is expected to make a final decision on whether to give the go-ahead for a four-day August bank holiday weekend imminently.
However, any suggestions that it would be timed to coincide with "freedom day" has been reportedly played down by government sources.
Fans in Leeds threw themselves to the floor in tears last night following the team's painful defeat, mirroring the actions of millions of others up and down the country.
Johnson tweeted: “That was a heartbreaking result to end #Euro2020 but Gareth Southgate and his @England squad played like heroes. They have done the nation proud and deserve great credit.”
Gary Neville, a member of the 1996 squad, told ITV: “The lads fell a little bit short but they should be so proud. Every single one of them has been outstanding through this tournament. We’ll have to look after the young lads.”
TV presenter Alex Beresford tweeted, "Sorry to ask @BorisJohnson but did we ever get to the bottom of whether tomorrow is a Bank HOliday or not? Asking for a nation."
Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, said: “Gareth is a fantastic leader and instilled the players with belief, to go alongside their undoubted ability.
"Irrespective of tonight’s result, I am excited for the future — to see not only what this squad can go on to achieve, but also for the millions of people their success will inspire to play, support and get involved with our sport.”
Boris Johnson is due to hold a press conference later today on whether the planned easing of regulations will go ahead on July 19th, dubbed "freedom day."
With news being reported that he will also make a decision on a Bank Holiday too today, we wouldn't be surprised if he rolls the two into one with his announcement later.
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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 -
12th July 2021 
