The superstars of south Leeds are crowned!

Caption: Hillary Benn MP with the winners of this year's Junior Superstar competition in south Leeds.

South Leeds was alive with talent at the weekend as more than a dozen young acts performed for the title of Junior Superstar.

Staged as part of the I Love South Leeds festival, a crowd of around 300 local people watched the 15 acts perform for the judges on Saturday at Holbeck Gala.

In the end, five acts were crowned 2009’s Junior Superstars: singers Miriam Diangenda and Karthi Sivaganesh; dancers Glamour Girls; dancing duo Ellie Haigh and Hollie Adamson; breakdancers Brad Thomas and Ross Sherron.

This year, around 1,000 young people from the communities of Beeston, Holbeck, Cottingley, Hunslet, Middleton & Belle Isle took part in the competition.

Prizes on the day were presented to all young people taking part in the final by Hillary Benn MP. The winners will be performing at the Celebrate South Leeds event, at John Charles Centre for Sport, on Saturday 5th September.

Junior Superstar forms part of Leeds City Council’s Inner South Area Committee funded I Love South Leeds Festival, which has loads of free activities happening for young people throughout the summer. For further details contact South East Area Management on 2243040 or visit ilovesouthleeds.com

Councillor Angela Gabriel, chair of the South Leeds Area Committee, said:
“Congratulations to all the winners of what has been a fantastic competition that has brought together so many different young people from these communities.
“It’s great to see so many taking part, though obviously someone has to win in the end. Well done to everyone involved.”

ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Michael Molcher, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 224 3937
Email: michael.molcher@leeds.gov.uk

Urban rugby ‘tries’ to give kids positive messages

A scheme using ‘urban’ rugby to teach youngsters about promoting healthy living and respect will be launched for the summer holidays.

East North East Homes Leeds (ENEHL) has teamed up with East Leeds Amateur Rugby League Football Club (ARLFC), which will be providing training coaches, to deliver the scheme in the Halton Moor and Gipton areas from now until September.

Urban Rugby has already been successfully rolled out across the country and reaches out to children and teenagers in inner-city estates and seeks to raise sporting participation for young people. Urban Rugby is a modified, non-contact version of Rugby League promoting healthy living and respect. It aims to help reduce crime levels and anti-social behaviour. Young people who attend receive a free rugby ball and water bottle.

Sam, 9, who took part in one of the first sessions in East End Park said: “It was great; I made new friends and had a really good time. I can’t wait till next week.”

The cultural diversity of the programme encourages social cohesion as well as providing a diversionary activity for youngsters, helping reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

The dates of the sessions are:

Halton Moor
Outside Corpus Christi playing fields at 6.45pm - meet outside the school
Friday 17 July
Friday 24 July
Friday 31 July
Friday 7 August

Gipton
Harehills Park, meet outside the bowling green at 6.45pm
Friday 14 August
Friday 21 August
Friday 28 August
Friday 5 September

Angelena Fixter, chair of the East North East Homes Leeds board said:
“Providing an opportunity for young people and building vibrant communities is a key area of work for East North East Homes Leeds. This kind of project helps us achieve these thanks to our partnership with East Leeds ARLFC.”

For more information on the Urban Rugby initiative contact Dan Callaghan, Partnership Development Officer on 0113 247 6085.

Notes for editors
East North East Homes Leeds is one of three Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) which manage and maintain council housing on behalf of Leeds City Council. It is wholly owned by the council, which retains ownership of housing stock and sets rents. East North East Homes Leeds covers the areas of Boston Spa, Burmantofts, Chapel Allerton, Chapeltown, Collingham, Gipton, Halton Moor, Harehills, Linton, Meanwood, Moor Allerton, Moortown, Seacroft, and Wetherby.

ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact:
Michael Molcher, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 224 3937
Email: michael.molcher@leeds.gov.uk

Garden waste collection services are a blooming success

Mountains of weeds, leaves and grass cuttings have been recycled by Leeds residents as more garden waste bins are rolled out.

Over 12 months, around 16,000 tonnes of garden waste has been collected from green-fingered residents and successfully diverted from landfill.

The latest phase of the garden waste recycling scheme roll out is nearing completion. By the end of the month an extra 60,000 properties will be receiving a garden waste collection service taking the total number of households benefiting from the scheme to around 188,000.

New collection routes include suitable properties in parts of Horsforth, Bramley, Stanningley, Pudsey, Farnley, Wortley, Morley, Middleton, Belle Isle, Temple Newsam, Seacroft and Chapel Allerton.

The specialised collections are designed to convert resident’s garden waste into compost rather than putting it in black bins which will lead it to being buried in landfill, releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere.

Councillor James Monaghan, executive board member for environment services, said:
“It’s great to see that the garden waste recycling scheme is continuing to prove popular with residents. Garden waste is naturally recyclable and should not go to in black bins where it will be buried in landfill.

“The success of the roll out so far has been extremely encouraging towards helping our ambitions to be recycling and composting around 34% of household this year, and these extra collection routes will go a long way in helping us reach our goals.”

The brown bins are collected fortnightly during spring and summer – Easter to October - and monthly during winter, and can be used for grass cuttings, hedge clippings, leaves, dead plants, and windfall fruits as well as weeds and small branches.

Residents who do not have the brown bin collection scheme are being urged not to dispose of their garden waste in their black bins, but to take it to one of the 11 household sort sites across the city.

Home composting is another important way to divert garden and kitchen waste from landfill and it can be used by householders to re-use on their own gardens. Subsidised home compost bins are available through the council in partnership with Recycle Now and WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme). For more details visit www.recyclenow.com/compost or phone by telephoning 0845 076 0223 quoting ‘reference Loop’. The offer is available until 30 September 2009.

Last year residents recycled, re-used and composted 30.4% of household waste, an increase from 25.92% in 2006-07. The council wants households to be recycling over half of their rubbish by 2020.

The council must meet tough recycling targets set by the Government and European Union, by reducing the amount of waste from black wheeled bins going to landfill, particularly biodegradable waste such as garden and food waste and paper.

ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact;
Laura Ferris, Leeds City Council press office (0113) 224 3335
Email: laura.ferris@leeds.gov.uk