Leeds 800th Anniversary celebrations,or lack of.

Post by **cnosni** » Thu 13 Sep, 2007 7:12 pm

What have Leeds council done about celebrating the 800th anniversary of the the charter granting Leeds Borough status in 1207.Liverpool have just celebrated their 800th anniversary and went down the road of a large carnival with strret performers ,bands etc,people were even having street parties like the jubilee.All i have seen in Leeds is a photo in the evening post of a guy from the armouries dressed in 15th century plate armour (nowt to do with Leeds) and number of disperate unconnected events which would be fine on their own if combined with a big celebration as a focus. Is it the same old story,Leeds just doing the middle of the road thing hoping that second best is good enough.I know i wont be here for Leeds millenium but lets hope they go for it big style to make up for this one.

oldleedsman · Post by **oldleedsman** » Thu 13 Sep, 2007 9:33 pm

Have a look here: http://www.celebrateleeds07.com/I went to an exhibition of maps and photos of Leeds through the ages at the City Library in the early summer - it was pretty interesting. Don't know if it is still running.

sulkycat · Post by **sulkycat** » Thu 13 Sep, 2007 11:29 pm

must say that i get most of the post at school (a. because i teach the most subjects, b. because i am marvellous) (ok, just a. actually applies but we all have our delusions)so far i have had a whole ONE letter with (mostly useless) info about things to do with the kids linked to the 800th anniversary

JanCee · Post by **JanCee** » Thu 13 Sep, 2007 11:58 pm

From where I live I can always see / hear the fireworks when anything goes off at the Civic Hall. The last 'celebration' I heard [apart from bonfire night, New Year and the like] was for the launch of the 'Live it, Love it' logo, where no doubt the 'great and the good' as John Thorpe never fails to call them, gathered for some junketing on my council tax. Never mind that Hong Kong had already used that very slogan.*and relax*

Post by **chameleon** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 12:18 am

oldleedsman wrote: Have a look here: http://www.celebrateleeds07.com/I went to an exhibition of maps and photos of Leeds through the ages at the City Library in the early summer - it was pretty interesting. Don't know if it is still running. I posted a message about this early in July I think it was - 'fraid it closed towards the end of July.

pid · Post by **pid** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 9:01 am

apparently "the event of the year" to celebrate leeds 800th birthday is a black tie dinner at the queens hotel on the 10th of november costing £95 pound a head !!! how appropriate , how inclusive , how visionary ,not !!!! its a disgrace that this is the best this city ( council ) can do . so there

munki · Post by **munki** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 10:17 am

In answer to your questions above...I think that your comments about the Celebrate Leeds 2007 festival are, in some senses appropriate. It should be pointed out that Liverpool's birthday has been & gone (August), whereas the actual birthday of Leeds 'the Morrow of Saint Martin'smass' is yet to come.There is a programme of events around that date, which will not be on the scale of Liverpool's events. In the run up to Liverpool's 2008 european City of Culture, their council have been given several million pounds in order to celebrate the birthday, directly from the funding for City of Culture. Sadly, Leeds does not have this luxury.We haven't yet been able to publicise all the events around the birthday celebrations as there are protocols around announcing these kinds of things. Events will be publicised via the website, www.celebrateleeds2007.com, & via a special supplement published by our media partner, the Yorkshire Evening Post, nearer the time. I hope that there will be something in there for you to enjoy.The dinner at the Queen's Hotel is happening because of the happy coincidence that the hotel itself is 70 years old on the same day that the city is 800 years old. The price of the tickets reflects this occasion, but it should be pointed out that event is designed to raise as much money on the night as possible for local charities. See www.celebrateleeds07.com/celebrateleedsatthequeensON A SEPARATE NOTE. Wiggy - your comments are wholly, wholly inappropriate for a site like this. Celebrate Leeds 2007 is a festival designed for all the people of Leeds. If you think that it should be run for some ethnic groups of the city & not for others then you have no place on this site to comment on such things.I will leave your comment up for a few hours so that people know what I am talking about. It will then be deleted. Any repeat of such comments from yourself will lead to you being blocked as a user. In future, people making similar comments will be deleted without a 'second chance'.

wsmith · Post by **wsmith** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 11:56 am

urm, has anyone else noticed that Secret Leeds ws launched as part of the Celebrate Leeds festival???

pid · Post by **pid** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 12:32 pm

fair enough munki i hadnt heard the whole story and stand corrected on the queens hotel evening , it just seems a shame when a city as large and vibrant as ours always ends up playing second fiddle to cities like glasgow, liverpool, birmingham etc. i for one , and judging by the ammount of traffic on here am not alone , am very proud of leeds and think it has lots to shout about but it does sometimes feel like those in a position to organise events dont have the same level of civic pride . your light night is a fantastic and inventive way of celebrating the city as is this site but as i said earlier its a shame some higher powers dont want to push the boat out as much . im waffling now but its dissapointing to me . ah well come on leeds utd tonight !!!!

munki · Post by **munki** » Fri 14 Sep, 2007 12:48 pm

Thanks for the kind words about Light Night. Light Night is actually, the 'opening of the month long celebrations of the city's 800th birthday' according to the brochure I am currently trying to write!