THEGAYUK

Tag: Yorkshire News

Get the latest LGBT+ Yorkshire news from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Yorkshire, England, UK

  • This couple had their wedding in the deepest tunnel in the UK

    This couple had their wedding in the deepest tunnel in the UK

    Kate and Rebecca tied the knot in one of the UK’s most unsual venues, the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnels in Britain.

    (C) Laura Rhian

    The historic tunnel and visitor centre, which is owned by waterways and wellbeing charity the Canal & River Trust, is set in a picturesque location on the edge of the Peak District National Park just outside Huddersfield in West Yorkshire and was the stunning setting for the marriage of Kate Stephenson and Rebecca (Becks) Errett, both of Holmfirth.

    The couple, who share the same birthday and are both 36 years old, decided to tie the knot at Standedge’s Visitor Centre after viewing a number of other Yorkshire locations and deciding that the iconic tunnel was the ideal place for them.

    With the wedding date being right in the heart of the festive season, the happy couple gave their ceremony, wedding breakfast and party a Christmas theme, complete with a carol-singing choir, Christmas trees, fairy lights and a meal on sharing platters to mimic the traditional Christmas Day lunch, while guests danced late in to the night.

    the-phillips-family-139-6

    While not originally hailing from Yorkshire, Kate and Rebecca have long roots in the county having met 17 years ago while reading for a degree in performance design and production at the now defunct Bretton Hall College of Education, the Grade II listed former manor house that is now being developed into a luxury hotel within the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

    The couple met on the second day of the course and have been together ever since, while the wedding proposal from Becks to Kate came in a novel way at a breakout room game in Liverpool where the ring was hidden in the last puzzle.

    the-phillips-family-139-2

    Kate Stephenson said, “We were looking for a venue that could host the ceremony and wedding breakfast in one location, but also somewhere that was typically Yorkshire in its essence and combined a rustic feel with some industrial heritage. We looked at many different locations but as soon as we set foot in Standedge we both realised it was our dream venue. Those dreams came true in the most amazing way. We’d like to thank all the Standedge staff who helped make it such as special day.”

    Iain Weston of the Canal & River Trust which manages the Standedge site said, “We are delighted to have hosted the first same-sex wedding at Standedge Tunnel and to be part of Kate and Becks’ special Christmas present to each other. We would like to wish them many congratulations and much happiness in the future.”

    Standedge Tunnel, which dates from 1811 and stretches for more than 5km (3 miles) from Marsden in West Yorkshire to Diggle in Greater Manchester, was licensed to host wedding ceremonies in August 2017. Weddings take place in the fabulous Thomas Bourne Room which has exposed bricks, cast-iron columns and a wood-beamed ceiling. Large bright windows overlook the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and couples can arrive or depart by barge. The room holds up to 200 people. Find out more click here

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker – Leeds Grand Theatre

    ★★★★☆ | Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker – Leeds Grand Theatre

    Everyone has their own event which confirms to them that the festive season has arrived, and for some, Christmas isn’t Christmas until they have had their traditional trip to see Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The ballet tells the story of Clara, a young girl who is given a gift of a nutcracker which comes to life, and the handsome Nutcracker Prince transports her on a magical journey to battle The Mouse King, to sweep through a snow-filled forest and on to a celebration in an enchanted garden.

    There are a number of things to recommend this production, there is humour in its presentation, with some well-timed moments of comedy, whilst the scene in the snow-filled wood was enchanting. David Nixon has choreographed a thoroughly enjoyable ballet which simultaneously feels both traditional and fresh, and which has benefitted enormously from its new look and costumes.

    Northern Ballet is well known for their theatrical presentation and their storytelling; both of which combine to make this revamped production ideal for all. Young families will be charmed by the magic and spectacle; ballet novices will find the story accessible and enjoy the well-paced number of short set pieces which provides plenty of variation; and for those with a love for ballet, there are the technically impressive performances. Throw into the mix a live orchestra performing a score which you will instantly recognise and you have all the elements of a beautifully presented ballet.

    The Nutcracker is an utterly charming, enchanting and high-class production which is full of sparkle; and if the end of the first act doesn’t leave you feeling festive, then very little will.

    Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker is at Leeds Grand Theatre until the 16th December 2018. Visit www.northernballet.com for more details

  • TRAVEL GUIDE | Gay York

    TRAVEL GUIDE | Gay York

    York in the North of England is a gorgeous, historic city with a number of things to do for LGBT+ travellers.

    So what is in York for gay travellers and LGBT guests? There are a couple of gay-friendly pubs in York and generally speaking in terms of crime the city of York is safer than similar areas of its size.

    In terms of politics, however, things are not so great. There are four MPs who represent the area three from the Conservatives and one from Labour. MP Greg Knight (CONS) has generally voted against gay rights, but did vote for same-sex marriage in 2013. MP Rishi Sunak (CONS) has consistently voted against laws to promote equality and human rights. MP Rachael Maskell (LAB/COOP) has consistently voted for laws that promote equality and human rights. MP Julian Sturdy, has almost always voted against gay rights including same-sex marriage in 2013.

    Gay Bars

    Are there any gay bars in York? There are a couple of places of note and although they’re not specifically “gay bars” they are very LGBT+ friendly. Firstly there’s the Nag’s Head, (100 Micklegate, York YO1 6LX)  which is described as very LGBT friendly and managed.

    There is karaoke (8:30 PM til 12:00 AM) with Kira every Monday at Thomas’s Bar of York (Museum Street, York, YO1 7DT)- and there’s a free shot for singers.

    There’s the York Arms in High Petergate (26 High Petergate, York, YO1 7EH) attracts a mainly gay male customer.

    There is a transgender/cross dresser and TV night at Corner Pin and Flares (17 Tanner Row, York, YO1 6JB) every Third Saturday.

    Fibbers (3-5 Toft Green, York, YO1 6JT)  runs a Lip-Sync night event on the last Sunday of the month, described as LGBT+ friendly.

    There is a monthly “queer” night at Dusk on New Street called Hot Crush. Times vary so you should check their website.

    Is there a LGBT pride in Durham?

    (FILE PHOTO) TuendeBede / Pixabay

    York has a yearly Pride event.

    There is a yearly pride event held in York. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 9th June 2018. You can find out more about the event here.

    Are there any gay saunas in York?

    There are no gay saunas in York, the closest is Basement Complex and Steam Complex both in Leeds (29 miles), Lindum in Bradford (43 miles), Plastic Ivy in Dewsbury (36 miles).

    Any LGBT Hotels in York?

    There aren’t any gay or LGBT+ hotels available in York. However, you can check for the best deals from Hotels.com, Booking.com and Travelodge

    How to get to York

    York is centrally located in the heart of the UK. There are direct rail links from London, Edinburgh, Manchester in around two hours. There are numerous airports close to York, including, Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds/Bradford. Seaports that are closest are, Hull and Newcastle, both around a two hours drive.

    If you’re travelling by car here are the travel times and approx miles: London: 3h 50m / 210 miles | Edinburgh: 4h 12m / 210 miles | Manchester: 1h 34m / 73 miles | Sheffield: 1h 19m / 63 miles | Cardiff: 4h 23m / 250 miles | Glasgow: 3h 56m / 211 miles | Newcastle: 1h 47m / 87 miles | Nottingham: 1h 45m / 87 miles | Bristol: 3h 53m / 223 miles | Liverpool: 2h 01m / 102 miles | Derby: 1h 47m / 91 miles | Carlisle: 2h 23m / 116 miles | Birmingham: 2h 26m / 134 miles

    Meeting gay guys in York?

    If you’re looking for a connect to gay and bisexual guys in York why not join our free social network.

    With many thanks to York LGBT Forum for the help in signposting for this article.

  • TRAVEL REVIEW | Glamping In Yorkshire

    A million stars looked down upon my boyfriend and me, as we gazed into the endless night sky. If you’re looking to get out into the wilderness and can’t quite pull off that Bear Grylls’ ruggedness, then perhaps Glamping should be your next holiday idea.

    Right in the middle of rural Yorkshire is the stunning Camp Kutur, miles from any city. The days are still and silent and the nights are awe inspiring. As you gaze into the night sky, with the fire’s embers glowing softly as you sit on your private decking, you’ll feel like you’re at one with nature, but not too at one. Set in hundreds of acres of private land of the Camp Hill estate, Camp Kutur has just a handful of different accommodation options including Teepees, Unidomes, Hobit Pods and Geodomes. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the gorgeous Geodomes for two nights at the tail end of September.

    The Geodomes are a spacious tented space, set on the forest’s edge, with a clear front overlooking the rest of the site. They are self-contained units, with a comfy double bed and seating area as well as a log burner. It’s all very very cosy. Outside there is a kitchenette and it’s own private toilet and shower. At the front of the Geodome is your own private decking area, complete with bar-b-que and a warming wood burner for those nights with a chill in the air.

    On the site, there’s also an eco spa and sauna, although these come at an extra cost.

    Glamping has almost become synonymous with hen parties, let’s face it. There probably isn’t a girlfriend of yours that hasn’t been on a glamping weekend and gone on and on about the rugs, the tea lights and the overall cosines of their yurt. Well, boys, I’m here to say it’s everything they said it was and we whole-heartedly approve.

    A quick word of warning, despite it being glamping and there are the comfort extras over and beyond an ordinary campsite, it is still back to basics where tech is concerned. There is no electricity and no WiFi. So if you’re a techno junkie, you won’t be able to charge your devices or log onto the web. You may want to check with your phone’s network provider to see if there is 3 or 4G in the area. But if you’re looking to cut off be truly DND (do not disturb) then this is your haven.

    Geodomes start at £80 (Oct/Nov) per night and a minimum of two nights booking is required.

  • Gay couple and two friends beaten by a “group of 15” on Christmas day

    Gay couple and two friends beaten by a “group of 15” on Christmas day

    It is being reported that a gay couple and their two friends, in North Yorkshire, were beaten by a group of up to 15 in a homophobic incident.

    Homophobic attack Thornaby Yorkshire
    CREDIT: Google Maps

    A gay couple and their two friends were left needing medical attention, after an attack by “group of about 15” outside a pub in Thornaby, North Yorkshire by what they call a “homophobic gang”.

    Jayson Homer and his partner, 21, and two friends, Marc Vasey and a female friend, allege that the incident started at around 8:30 PM inside the pub, where they were enjoying a festive drink. Jayson’s partner, who wished to remain anonymous, says that he was questioned about his religion by another group at the pub. The debate escalated to verbal abuse when he said that the group started calling him homophobic slurs.

    Speaking to the Gazette Live the anonymous victim said,

    “At first a girl in the group started taking the mick out of me for being Jewish. Then another lad from the group came over saying being Jewish was a race.

    “I was disagreeing with him and it was just a little debate really at first. But then the girl started shouting ‘queer’ at me. Every time I went to the toilet someone said it while I was walking past.”

    Eventually, the couple and their two friends decided to leave the pub at 11.15 PM, when they say they were set upon and physically attacked by “a group of about 15” on Thornaby Road.

    Jayson said that he was bottled in the face and had to have a CT scan at the hospital to check for brain damage. His partner suffered bruising and a black eye.

    Jayson said that the attack has left him feeling suicidal and petrified to leave his own home.

    He said,

    “To tell the truth it left me feeling suicidal. I was petrified to go out of my front door but I’m not going to let it stop me living my life.”

    According to Gazette Live this is the second homophobic attack in less than a week in Thornaby. On Wednesday 21st December a 30-year-old cyclist was assaulted, following a homophobic verbal attack by two men. His attackers were travelling in a white Mercedes, when they pulled over, shouted homophobic abuse at him, got out of their car and attacked him.

    In January a teenager was attacked by two men who approached him after he alighted the 1C bus on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, in North Yorkshire. As he walked passed the men, the victim was grabbed by one who held his arms behind his back whilst being punched and kicked in the head.

    Cleveland Police are investigating the attack and are urging anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Woman In Black – West Yorkshire Playhouse & National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Woman In Black – West Yorkshire Playhouse & National Tour

    ★★★★ | Set in an old theatre in the late 1950’s, a solicitor, Arthur Kipps, enlists the assistance of a young actor to tell his story. His tale revolves around a terrifying incident when he was younger, when he travelled to Eel Marsh House to settle the estate of a long standing deceased client. Initially finding a conspiracy of secrecy from the locals, he makes his way across the Nine Lives Causeway, which is cut off at high tide. Alone in the mansion, he is plagued by the sound of a pony and trap, an unexplained banging noise and a door which appears to be locked from the inside. What secrets does the estate hold? What lurks in the swirling mist…? And who is the woman in black he keeps seeing?

    Photo Credit - Tristram Kenton (PR supplied Photograph)
    Photo Credit – Tristram Kenton (PR supplied Photograph)

    This chilling and effective ghost story is beautifully crafted and uses simple techniques to create a very taught atmosphere in the theatre. The lighting design in particular was incredibly well done – who would have thought that a dark stage with just a door highlighted would draw worried mumblings from those around you?

    The production slowly cranks up the tension, which quite literally draws you to the edge of your seat and then throws you back into it with “cattle prod” jolts that elicited genuine screams of fright from the audience. The narrative of the piece draws you in; and the production avoids spoon feeding you the story, leaving you as the audience to create your own horrors in your imagination. The set, staging and props were remarkably effective in their simplicity and created an atmosphere where you held your breath with the central character as he explored the darkness. Setting the show in a theatre made you feel very much part of the story and the dark atmosphere and low level lighting only add to the gloominess and intimacy of the piece.

    The performances from the two leads were both very good, with Matthew Spencer playing the part of The Actor and Young Kipps, and David Acton providing the elderly Kipps and the other characters he comes across. It’s a production which shows just how effective a simply staged double hander could be; and the way in which the audience is manipulated via the events unfolding on stage is testament to the quality of writing behind the show.

    This show is faithful to its original source material, the book by Susan Hill, rather than the 2012 film; and The Woman In Black is well crafted fireside ghost story which proves that there is more to what is unseen than what is seen. This show is a chilling pre-Halloween treat and a perfect way to spend a dark, stormy winter evening.

    The Woman In Black is currently at West Yorkshire Playhouse until 29th October 2016 (www.wyp.org.uk) before continuing on its national tour until June 2017 (http://www.thewomaninblack.com/).

  • Teen Brutally Beaten In Homophobic And Racist Attack In York

    A teenager in North Yorkshire is recovering after being brutally attacked in an apparent homophobic and racist beating.

    A 19-year-old man is recovering after being beaten in an apparent racist and homophobic attack in Yorkshire on the 28th January. The man was attacked by two men who approached him after he alighted the 1C bus on Knaresborough Road, Harrogate.

    As he walked passed the men, the victim was grabbed by one who held his arms behind his back whilst being punched and kicked in the head.

    Police in North Yorkshire report that racial and homophobic slurs were hurled at the victim during the assault and police are treating the attack as a hate crime.

    According to a statement from North Yorkshire police,

    “One of the suspects is described as white and in his mid to late 40s. He had very short, shaved hair, was a chunky or fat build and had neatly-shaven sideburns. He is described as having excess skin on his neck, like a “turkey neck”.

    He was dressed in workwear including a navy blue outdoor coat, dirty blue jeans and tan or sand-coloured Timberland-style workers’ boots, with construction-type dirt on them.

    He is said to have spoken with a local accent and wore a plain gold wedding band on his wedding ring finger.

    The second suspect is described as a chunky or fat white man who is also in his mid to late 40s. He had short, thinning hair and a bit of stubble. He wore a black leather bomber jacket, jeans, brown workers’ boots and had a blue tattoo on one of his wrists.

    A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “We’d urge anyone who witnessed this incident, or has any information, to contact police immediately on 101. Please ask for Rebecca Wood and quote incident number NYP-28012016-0193.”

    You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

  • THEATRE REVIEW: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang West Yorkshire Playhouse & National Tour

    Ian Flemming’s fantasmagorical story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang comes to life on stage this year at West Yorkshire Playhouse, bringing with it everyone’s favourite “Toot Sweets”, banging about with “Me Ol’ Bamboo” and, of course, taking off with the fantastic flying car. ★★★

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  • Gay friendly pub in Wakefield opens itself to UKIP rallies and events

    A gay friendly pub in Wakefield, Yorkshire has opened its doors for UKIP to hold meetings and events in.

    The Harewood Arms, a gay friendly pub in Wakefield is open to opening its doors to UKIP meetings and events, in what is thought to be the UK’s only gay friendly UKIP endorsing establishment.

    Many of the pubs regulars have reacted with dismay that UKIP, a party with members who have had their fair share of homophobic headlines like this and this, could be allowed to use the pub for meetings and events.

    The announcement was made last weekend on Facebook, when landlord Matt Eason wrote in a message to UKIP Wakefield,

    “We’re not planning on painting the interior yellow and purple any time soon, however we do support the ukip stance on the pub industry. Not one person can agree 100 % with any parties policies, you have to choose the few that are right for you. That’s why it’s called politics.”

    “We may loose one or two customers ‘support’ but will gain more in other ways. Im not going to sit by and watch our current government tax us thousands a year in unfair business rates and continue to take the piss with beer duty.

    “Increased tax on beer and the smoking ban is what has ruined the pub trade and I’m not gonna sit here and say that it’s fine and not do anything about it. In the 3 years I’ve controlled the business side of the Harewood it has never made a profit, ever !

    “I can confirm there will be a rally style meet and greet evening at the pub the dates will be confirmed so that people offended by it have the choice to not visit the pub that day”

    Yesterday a theatre company in London sent an open invite to Nigel Farage to it’s comedy play about HIV after he was criticised by the other leaders on the televised debate, with Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood winning the first applause from the audience after saying that he should be “ashamed” for his remarks.

  • “We Do Not Like Gays Living Here” Vile Welcome Note To Gay Couple

    A gay couple that have recently moved to a small town in Yorkshire, England, were shocked to find this most unwelcoming note from a neighbour.

    A note that a gay couple reportedly received when they moved to a village near York has surfaced on Twitter and Facebook. The letter contained outrageous homophobic terms such as backstabbers and s*** stabbers.

    The person who wrote the note was quite adamant that the couple would cause trouble for the neighbourhood saying, “This is a respectable village. We do not like gays living here, we do not want a load of gays coming and going day and night.

    We have heard about the partys (sic) you have, and the young lads you having stayed the night.

    “You only have young lads for one thing.

    “You [are] a pair of s*** stabbers,

    “You pair of dirty b*****ds,

    “We will have you run out of the village.

    “This is a warning so get this house up for sale and push off back where you came from, you are not welcome here.
    “S*** stabbers.”

    It is unclear whether the police have been informed, however, The Mirror states that the police are believed to be investigating the note.

    The York Pride facebook page wrote, “Why are pride events important in 2015? Read this letter received by someone right here in North Yorkshire to see what views still exist in 2015!”

  • One Man’s Gay Marriage Protest In Wakefield

    So, it seems, not everyone is happy about same-sex marriage in the UK… As one lone man shows.

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