Category: Virtual Festival 2020

Categories GardensVirtual Festival 2020

Virtual Gardens – deadline extended

Many of us have turned to our gardens this year, no matter what size of garden you have, or maybe a balcony or pots on the street we are celebrating the Gardens of Kirkstall a part of our Virtual Festival we want to help you celebrate you garden or favourite flowers you’ve grown so we are having a bit of a competition. Please send your pictures and the first part of you postcode, eg. LS5 to gardens@kirkstall.org.uk closing date extended to 31st August. Entries already received can be reviewed on our Festival Website here. We also invite you to submit…

Categories Virtual Festival 2020WalkingWildlife

Walking & Wildlife in Kirkstall

by Paul Holdsworth It is amazing how frequently people who visit me remark on the view from my street.  Even folk from neighboroughing parts of Leeds say things like “I never realised how green Kirkstall Valley is” and “What is all that open space?”  Probably because most people’s experience of Kirkstall is based on driving through it on the A65, and you can’t see much of the valley from there. And even if you could, you would be too busy negotiating the heavy traffic, “challenging” road layout and the latest set of roadworks courtesy of Northern Gas Networks (who seem…

Categories Virtual Festival 2020

Sporting Kirkstall

Every year in the Festival Arena we can showcase some of the many sports we have access to in Kirkstall! The Corona Virus has brought to our attention more now than ever, the need to be fit and healthy whatever our age. A healthy diet is always advised but sport plays a major part in wellbeing whether it is sport at the highest level right down to the grass roots. Being active is not simply good for you physically but is also good for your mental health. It can help manage medical conditions such as diabetes, reduce anxiety or stress,…

Categories Virtual Festival 2020

2020 Pet Show

Kicking off the 2020 Virtual Festival is the ever popular dog show. Starting at 2pm Saturday 11th July and running for 90 minutes.There will be 6 categories in total. In each 30 minute period there will be 2 categories which can be entered. To enter complete the form below, any queries please email petshow@kirkstall.org.uk Session A: 2pm – 2.30pm Best trick by your pet Best cat and dog together  Session B: 2.30pm – 3.00pm Best disabled pet and their story Most unlikely pet friendship Session C: 3.00pm – 3.30pm Most obedient pet Most placid and tolerant pet A maximum number will be invited by Zoom…

Categories Virtual Festival 2020

2020 KirkFest goes Virtual

Tonight would have been the last festival committee meeting before the 2020 Festival, know as T.S.H.T.F. meeting (leave you to work that out!). We are obviously disappointed to be missing our 40th year so over the next few weeks we will be bring you a number of online events starting with a Virtual Pet Show on Saturday over Zoom where it is safe to mix cats and dogs. More about that soon. Other ideas in the pipeline, some may be pipe-dreams others may be added, you may have ideas of your own you can help with: Kirkstall Festival offline quiz…

Categories HistoryVirtual Festival 2020

TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING….1978….

Liz Minkin looks back to the beginning, the formation of KVCA and the first festival held in July 1981. St.Stephen’s School hall was full that night, and the Kirkstall Village Community Association came into enthusiastic and energetic being. The initial spur had been Barrett’s housebuilders’ proposal to build back to back houses on the Abbey Gorse site – the Victorian turreted yellow brick mansion had been blown up “accidentally on purpose” (as was popularly rumoured) and was derelict. The first major issue the KVCA tackled was the proposed closure of St. Stephen’s School and in the end that was a…