The Big Sleep returns to Leeds Rhinos’ Emerald Stadium to raise money for charity
Three Leeds-based charities will be raising money by inviting adults to sleep out in the cold on Thursday 25 November at the Emerald Headingley Stadium.
St Gemma's Hospice, Leeds Rhinos Foundation and St George's Crypt are joining together to raise money for those most in need across Leeds at the Big Sleep.
The Big Sleep 2021 is all about coming together for charity and spending the night under the stars.
On Thursday 25 November, Headingley is the chosen location and the LS6 postcode will become a giant sleepover location for those participating in the outdoor sleepover.
This year, the event will be held at the Emerald Headingley Stadium, where groups over 18 are invited to bring their sleeping bags and brave it out in the cold for one night, all in the name of charity.
Donations from the evening will be split evenly between the charities in their fifth annual Big Sleep.
In 2018, St Gemma's Hospice Chief Executive Kerry Jackson took part in the Big Sleep. / Image: St Gemma's Hospice
St George's Crypt is a Leeds-based charity dedicated to offering care, compassion and hope to the homeless, vulnerable and those suffering from substance dependance. The organisation operates every day of the year to help those most in need across the city.
Leeds Rhino Foundation, hosting the event at their home turf of Emerald Headingley Stadium, are dedicated to changing lives through sports. Their five key principles of education, health, sport, art and heritage aid the development of healthier and more meaningful lives through collaborative work across Leeds city centre and surrounding areas.
St Gemma's Hospice is Yorkshire's largest hospice organisation and provide expert care and support to local people with life-limiting and terminal illnesses. Their care is always free of charge and provides care to anyone, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, sexual orientation or diagnosis.
These three charities will all greatly benefit from the donations made to the Big Sleep on Thursday 25 November.
The event so far has 32 supporters and £623 has been raised from the charities on a JustGiving page, but more donations are expected to come in closer to the event.
To get involved, visit any of the charities' websites for more information or if you can't make it down but would still like to donate, their JustGiving page is taking donations until the end of the year.
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 -
15th October 2021 
