Wakefield pensioner Neil Waugh has been praised online for offering the spare room in his bungalow to Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.
The 76-year-old took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce that he had room for two Afghan refugees in his Wakefield home and that he would be opening up his property to house two people in need.
He wrote: “I am a 76 years old pensioner, I live on my own in a 2 bedroom bungalow. I have today informed Wakefield Council I am willing and able to give 2 refugees accommodation in my spare room.”
Members of the online community quickly flooded in to praise the pensioner's actions, with one user @ScottMurphy13 commenting: "It's always "oh why don't you have them in your house then?", until someone says sure, I will. Then it's all "oh why arent you having homeless there instead". Give over, he's doing a good thing. Keep it up mate, need more like yourself in [sic] England."
However, in a follow-up tweet, Neil was quick to assert that he wasn't looking for praise but rather to show that "there's always something we can do" - even when we might feel helpless.
Neil, who describes himself as a "revolutionary socialist / marxist" added: “I see it as a gesture to people who have been put in an impossible position by the Western coalition, in Particular America, NATO, and us in the in the UK.”
It appears his actions have now also inspired others around the UK to do the same, with tens of thousands saying that Neil's offer had encouraged them to follow suit and offer their own homes to those fleeing the situation in Afghanistan.
Twitter user @collinsedmunds replied: "That’s fantastic and inspiring, I’m off to do the same! I have followed you for a while now because I liked what you wrote, now I think your amazing and wish you lived close so I could drop in for a cuppa and chat!"
Another user @ellie46256165 said: "I have a spare room and am ready to help."
It comes as the British government launches its Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme, which will welcome up to 5,000 Afghans fleeing persecution in their home country to the UK within the next year.
In the long term, the program will aim to accommodate as many as 25,000 refugees to the country. Under the scheme, councils will be working with the government on the best places to house refugees.
The Prime Minister has said that women and children will be given priority status for relocation in the first year of the program.
To find out more about the government's Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme, click here.
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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.”
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 -
22nd August 2021 
