0110 RED PROGRAMME JACOB MATTY

In today's news, Leeds is remembering an anti-fascist protest from 80 years ago with the unveiling of a new plaque. The protest against Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists attracted 30,000 people. The city is also facing challenges in the farming industry, with extreme weather conditions and high demands for high-quality meat affecting farmers' profits and mental health. Additionally, a report reveals that nearly a quarter of English children are obese by the time they finish primary school, raising questions about whether schools are doing enough to promote healthy lifestyles. White Cloth Hall, the newest and largest ale hall in Leeds, has experienced high demand since its opening, with long queues every day. Finally, the original West End cast of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe performed at the Leeds Playhouse. From the Leeds Hacks Radio Newsroom, this is Red Radio News. Good afternoon, it's three o'clock, I'm Matthew Cain. And I'm Jacob Grattidge, this is Leeds Hacks Radio News. On today's programme, we report on why the city is remembering an anti-fascist process 80 years ago. And why it's never been tougher to be a farmer. And we have a sneak peek at the big Christmas production at the Leeds Playhouse. But in other news, the Foreign Secretary says he supports Israel's incursion into Lebanon, its first ground offensive there in two decades. David Lammy is urging Brits to leave on evacuation flights out of the country. Israel says its limited raids are targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, says the operation is justified. Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases, all ready for an attack on Israel. If the state of Lebanon and the world can't push Hezbollah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves. An Ubu plaque has been unveiled in Holbeck to remember the Battle of Holbeck Maw. Jake's been down to the plaque unveiling to find out more. Don't pass the man! Don't pass the man! The name Oswald Mosley may be familiar to those of you who watch the hit BBC series Peaky Blinders, but far from the image of a late-night TV bad guy, lays a very real threat for many communities. Over 80 years ago, the far-out ideology of fascism was spreading across Europe. Leeds was no different. Mosley and his group, the British Union of Fascists, saw Leeds as the perfect opportunity to stoke up hatred and support in the north. On the day of his rally, Mosley was met by a 30,000-strong crowd of Leeds residents who counter-protested the fascist rally. The event has gone down in Leeds folklore. That's why the Leeds Civic Trust have unveiled a new blue plaque dedicated to the 30,000 people who assembled to protest the rally. At the unveiling of the plaque, there were speeches made by politicians, councillors, trade union reps and family members of those who attended the event. One of those family members was Chris, whose grandmother witnessed the original rally. Here's what Chris had to say. Someone else with a personal connection was Labour MP Richard Burgon. That's my grandad, Tommy Burgon, who was 22 at the time, and was a tailor's cutter at Montague Burton's factory in Leeds. He was one of the 30,000 people there. The event was attended by other MPs, including Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Leeds South MP Hilary Bent. Bent made a speech about his experiences with the recent riots in Northern Ireland. Then it was anti-Semitism. Today it is Islamophobia. I caught up with him after. I think this is such an important and historic occasion. Sam Kerr, one of the campaigners and activists for Stand Up To Racism Leeds, said that they never realised how easy it was going to be to get the funding. When we started it, we never realised how easy it was going to be to get support and the finance for it. With the rise in far-right election victories, the echoes of the past seem to be haunting some. Fabian Hamilton, Leeds North East MP, said that we can learn from the actions of those who protested Mosley in the 1930s. Two months ago we saw the most horrific event, less than two months ago. And they seemed to go on for quite a long time until people said enough. According to a report from The Guardian, nearly a quarter of English children are obese by the time they finish primary school. Are schools doing enough to avoid this? Daisy Shaw spoke with two teachers with differing opinions. I think schools aren't putting as much of an emphasis as they should on healthy lifestyles. They tick a box, they say, yeah, we've taught it, but they're not actually implementing enough time to see it change. James, a training teacher in Leeds, states how he believes primary schools aren't implementing healthy lifestyle choices as much as they should be. They have PSHE lessons which highlight the importance of active healthy lifestyles and they also implement physical education into their curriculum. However, these directed PE lessons are usually only twice a week. I think children should have more time dedicated to physical activity and PE. It should have a bigger emphasis on the timetable, not just for physical health and fitness, but also for the mental health of the students. Despite his thoughts on the matter, Maddie, another training teacher based in Leeds, thinks the opposite. Schools are doing quite a bit to help reduce obesity in children, whether that just be little exercises in between lessons or just dance classes. They'll give extra playtime as rewards so the children can go outside. Farms across Yorkshire have been struggling financially with extreme weather conditions. High quality meat demands and the toll this has on their mental health on farmers. Lara Doan has more. Farms across Yorkshire are facing tough decisions and many factors are causing profits to be drastically sawed. UK data shows that we have lost over a fifth of farms in the past ten years alone. I went down to a local farm to see what everyone had to say on the matter. I really enjoy going to the farm. It's nice to just be outside and disconnect for the day. I love going to the farm because it's just a good, cheap day out for everybody and everybody just has fun. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Farmageel has many exciting events coming up. On a life note, at the moment we are sowing our winter crops and the farmer is being prepared for winter. We even have an exciting Halloween weekend which will be pumpkin picking. It's just about that time of year again for markets. And one of the best craft markets is back in the heart of Headingley. Matthew has been down to the Springboard Market to speak to some of the vendors. Springboard Market is a part of the Heart Enterprise for art and culture. The market targets new and upcoming vendors in the heart of Leeds. You can buy all sorts of goodies for you and your family this winter, from jewellery to plants and flowers. Some of the market sellers said... This market is the Heart Springboard Market. It's the first time I've been here so I'm not really sure. But this is the Heart Springboard Market. We sell products made from dry flowers that we grow in our own garden, that we dry in our loft. So nothing's got any air miles on it, it's not travelled very far. And we make wreaths and lots of gifts out of the dry flowers. And we sell to everyone and anyone who's interested in dry flowers. After another successful weekend for the vendors, sowing a wide range of products that are handmade, you can catch the next Springboard Market on November 30th, just in time for Christmas. Thank you Matthew. Here at Leeds CACS we do love art and culture, don't we? We're always covering stories like that. Matty, what do we have next? The newest and largest ale hall in Leeds is growing strong after its first month in business. Whiteclough Hall has experienced huge demand with long queues to get in every day. Oliver Bolton was one of the lucky ones. The new venture from the team at Whiteclough was an uncommon thing in Leeds. The newly opened food and ale hall may have some similarities with places like Belgrade Music Hall and National Shopkeepers, but the scale of the project is far larger. Taking inspiration from larger food halls in other cities, such as Manchester, the venue houses four separate food vendors and two bars. Opening a business of this scale is no easy task, and I spoke to Harry Reynolds, manager at Whiteclough, on the challenges of opening. The biggest challenge that you have with a place like this would be the unfamiliarity of the sort of model. All major cities in the UK have something like Whiteclough Hall. Not the carbon copies, but something similar. You've got the Mackinac building in Manchester. You've got an exhibition in Manchester. You've got Duke Street. You've got Liverpool and Liverpool are starting to open soon. Leeds hasn't really got much like it. In terms of its style, it's not a philosophy-focused aspect. I think sometimes the way we're served, the way the tobacco, the things we're combating, that is a hard thing to set up and get across the ground, is making sure people understand what we are. Since the new Labour government has come into power, controversy has circled around their treatment of the hospitality sector. Between the rising pint prices, potential smoking bans are both big talking points. While Mr Reynolds felt that smoking bans would merely affect beer garden-focused pubs, he also had this to say about the rising costs and how it might affect Whiteclough Hall. The amount of electricity that this place uses is mental. I think that overall, because of the rising costs and business rates, the achievement of Whiteclough Hall and things like that, we're going to have some pinch points. Speaking to staff member Luke Robinson about the unique qualities of working at Whiteclough Hall compared to other hospitality jobs he has worked at, he had this to say. The only thing that's different about working at Whiteclough Hall compared to places I've worked in, is basically just the set-up of our food hall work compared to a restaurant or a cafe. So, the lack of interaction with guests in terms of taking their orders and stuff, and you can only really speak to them when you're dropping stuff off or checking back on them. I think that's the only difference, is maybe a little less of a personal relationship you have with guests than you might do if you're working as a waiter in a restaurant. Well, that sounded lovely, didn't it? It did. And finally, the cast of the renowned West End show The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to Leeds. Abigail Johnson has more. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came to Leeds this week, with the original West End cast transporting the Leeds Playhouse into the magical world of Narnia. Music runs through the production, helping the audience to connect to the emotions and the adventures of our characters. And that music, in a way, requires the actors seeing the scene. But it's not uncommon to see a diva accompanying herself on a violin, or to see a squirrel with her child. I would love people to go, I really love that, let's go and see something else in the theatre. Because I think for some people that will be the first thing they see. And I love that, I love that it's an introduction to people. And I hope they really enjoy it and bring their imagination to it. I can remember trying the back of my wardrobe and finding it didn't go anywhere, as a kid. It's about taking people to a wonderful world and we hope to transport people there. Hopefully by using our imaginations we can go on a journey with our characters. Approaching the 75th anniversary of the book by Piers Lewis, the cast of the upcoming touring adaptation showcase what the people of Leeds will see this November. It's actually like the best gift for a show to do. My background is in musical theatre, but Leeds has everything. It has comedic, it has choreography, it has puppetry, it has acting, it has so many things elements to show. Snow, bravery, friendship and betrayal, infused with a touch of magic, it would seem the show has got everything. Wow Jake, I don't know about you, but I'm going to jump in my wardrobe now. I can't wait to see that. I've seen some of the puppetry online, it looks brilliant. We'll be back next week with more news, but until then, I'm Matthew Keynes. And I'm Jacob Grettage. You've been listening to Leeds Hacks Radio News.