A new 'dog walk and talk' group has been launched in Leeds with a focus on mental health and wellbeing.
Dog walkers from the Leeds LGBT+ Dog Walkers group have created an inclusive space to openly talk about mental health.
After Tom Mansell passed away in 2020 after battling depression, friends of the property entrepreneur wanted to raise money for mental health charities and help others to speak out about their internal battles.
If you are used to getting out and about with your four-legged friend you will know how refreshing it can be to get outdoors early in the mornings or late at night and reflect.
But it can also be an overwhelmingly lonely period for some, so creating a safe space for anyone to come along and speak honestly about their wellbeing and mental health will go a long way.
The Leeds LGBT+ Dog Walkers have officially assigned three of their walks as 'walk and talk' events, and you don't even need a dog to attend the mental-health-focused events.
The walks will raise money for MindOut, a mental health charity for the LGBTQ+ community over a period of six weeks but the walkers have another goal in mind too.
The group wants to show people that they're not alone, particularly those within the LGBTQ+ community.
Danny Silk, posted the launch of the walk and talk events, stating that:
"Tom was a well known person in Leeds and his family and friends loved and miss him dearly.
There’s a lot of stigma surrounding suicide and depression, we are hoping to create a safe space once a month during and after our walks where we will be sitting down for a coffee to talk or just listen about other people’s experiences with the above."
The first 'dog walk and talk' event was held over the weekend, where Leeds Mind and Tom's family attended to show their support and raise awareness for community mental health services.
The dog walking group already have a Facebook group of 300 members and regularly enforce this feeling of belonging through shared memes and advice about their dogs.
The group hold weekly dog walking events, meeting at mutually agreed locations around Leeds city centre.
To join the Leeds LGBT+ Dog Walkers on their 'walk and talk' events in memory of Tom Mansell, or to simply show your support for the cause, visit their dedicated Facebook page.
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 November 2021 
