A Christmas party is coming to Leeds for small businesses and self employed workers and best of all, there's no networking involved.
Small businesses, self employed workers and freelancers don't exactly get the best deal when it comes to socialising at party events.
Unless you're a keen networker or already have plenty of allies within your sector, Christmas usually goes by without a party in sight.
Not anymore.
The Sleigh Bell Social is a Christmas Party designed to bring people from all sectors together for a night of festive cheer. For freelancers, small businesses and self employed workers, this one is going to be a night to remember.
On Sunday 12 December grab some comfy dancing shoes and a santa hat and head down to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for a Christmas party like no other.
Whether you made the leap to go self employed in lockdown or have owned a small business for years gone by, this night is all about celebrating Christmas with people that are just like you.
The no networking Christmas party is a night of festive celebrations where making new friends is optional. / Image: Sleigh Bell Social
Organised by Leeds' Ink events, the idea is there will be zero networking. That's right. No need to put on a smile and pretend to enjoy creating business opportunitites.
It's time to let your hair down and have some much needed time off.
Tickets give party-goers access to a free drink on arrival, followed by a delicious three course meal with all the festive trimmings.
A night of live music from a 1920s swing-style band, Christmas games and yuletide activities will follow to celebrate the tough year 2021 has been for small businesses.
Plus, everyone gets a secret santa gift, so nobody will walk away empty handed.
Secret santa, free drinks and a three course meal are all part of the tax deductible ticket price. / Image: Sleigh Bell Social
Organisers Leeds' Ink Events explained that they wanted to offer a stress-free evening for those most affected by the pandemic and other pressures that 2021 has brought..
“After another touch-and-go year for small business owners and freelancers, we wanted to put something together which is purely a celebration, no networking or sales pitches, just a good, straight up party with drinks and dancing!
If you come away from the night with a few new awesome business connections then that’s just an amazing bonus.”
Tickets are available online from £50 but as HMRC is providing tax relief against the cost of holding a Christmas party for business employees, the Sleigh Bell Social is completely tax-deductible.
Bring on the mulled wine and mince pies and enjoy a night of celebrating the festive season with like-minded individuals across Leeds.
The Sleigh Bell Social will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Sunday 12 December from 7pm.
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 -
4th November 2021 
