The Peacock mural celebrates the Marching Out Together campaign: the community "paving the way for an inclusive space for LGBTQ+ fans at Leeds United Football Club (LUFC)".
Internationally recognised artist Jay Gilleard, Cbloxx, has taken the mural from concept to creation and has unveiled their work today in Leeds city centre.
Celebrating the Leeds-based 'Marching Out Together' group, East Street Arts, the leading artist-led arts charity in the city, and Leeds United Football Club teamed up to commission the mural to show the progress the club has made, the safe spaces they offer and the incredible community of LGBTQ+ supporters.
Organisers have commented: "the focus of The Peacock is to bring a union of football, art and queer culture into the limelight. Cbloxx’s intention is to deliver an image that would both honour the lengthy heritage of LUFC, whilst celebrating the diversity of its fans and the important work of Marching Out Together".
The Marching Out Together group now has over 300 members, and chose Cbloxx, a Huddersfield-born and celebrated internationally as a multi-disciplined muralist, painter, music producer and co-founder of street art duo, Nomad Clan, as the perfect artist to complete the mural.
Speaking about their work with East Street Arts, Leeds United and Marching Out Together, Cbloxx said:
''It’s an honour to be painting back in a place I used to call home. Leeds has always rallied for liberalism, equality, and multiplicity, its cultural significance is something to remain incredibly proud of. Speaking personally, football at its very best is a cohesive healer when it champions diversity. Football signifies a unification, the Leeds chant 'All Leeds Aren't We' speaks volumes and is a wonderful sentiment to start ideas flowing around LGBTQI inclusivity.
“The core thematic of The Peacock really is Pride, what is more sassy and full of pride than a peacock? Its otherworldly flamboyance, confidence and striking visuals made it a focal point no brainer.
"To convey the notion of activism, protest and visibility I borrowed aesthetics from the old coal mining embroidered flags, which echo the typical northern working class heritage that is so often celebrated in my work. It’s hard to not be inspired by your own ancestry! The elegance and creativity executed in the banners really highlight the ornate features of the building, so that it adds to its aesthetic beautifully.
Image: @spraydaysofficial
“With The Peacock I hope to echo the sentiments of 'Marching Out Together', take some visible space for LGBTQI football fans and spread a wider message of solidarity and togetherness.”
The mural will sweep across the side of East Street Arts Studio building adjoining York Road, inspiring hope and change to 68,000 people passing by each day.
Feature Image- @spraydaysofficial
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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.
Sophie Smith -
7th April 2022 
