Leeds United top the Premier League for digital technical performance, new research reveals
Leeds United have the strongest technical foundations of any club in the Premier League, according to new research from independent digital agency Mediaworks, despite the club finishing just tenth in the table last season. The Premier League Digital Performance Index scored all 20 top flight clubs out of 500, looking at how easy each one…
Yorkshire Building Society helps families get creative at Leeds Road Festival
Families from across Bradford got involved in creative activities with Yorkshire Building Society colleagues during this year’s Leeds Road Festival, a week-long celebration of culture, creativity and community that attracted more than 25,000 attendees when it launched last year. Following its successful debut, the festival returned with events taking place across venues along Leeds Road…
“Come as You Are” to the UK’s first academic conference dedicated to grunge
The UK’s first academic conference dedicated to grunge is to take place in York next month. Grunge Included 2026 is hosted at York St John University on Monday 7 September in the Creative Centre at the Lord Mayor’s Walk campus in York. Created by York St John University PhD researchers Kristīne and Sintija Brence, Grunge Included is a multidisciplinary international conference looking…
Create SharePoint lists in minutes, not hours
Need a tracker, register or log but don’t want to build it from scratch? Microsoft Copilot in SharePoint can help you create a SharePoint List in minutes using plain English. SharePoint Lists are a great way to track information such as project actions, support tickets, company assets, risks and issues, all in a structured and…
New Cultural Passport scheme for young people in York and North Yorkshire appeals for project bids
Applications for proposals to help young people across York and North Yorkshire to benefit from arts, culture and heritage activities are now open. Developed by City of York Council, supported by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire and funded by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Cultural Passports for Young People provide funding…
England’s Over 75s veterans release charity anthem ahead of 1966 World Cup anniversary match with Germany
Football could still be coming home this month The World Cup may be over, but England have a chance at international glory of a different kind this month. England’s Veteran Over 75s footballers are gearing up to mark the 60th anniversary of England’s victory over Germany with a commemorative match against their European rivals. The England v Germany match will take place at Boundary Park, Oldham at 3pm on Thursday 30…
Aesthetica announces winners of the 2026 Art Prize & celebrates 20th anniversary of the prize
Aesthetica is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Aesthetica Art Prize, celebrating outstanding contemporary artists from around the world. The Main Prize winner is Felipe Castelblanco for Tunda: A Quantic Plant and the Devil’s Breath (2025), while the Emerging Prize goes to DIVA for Memoria 2020: When Memories Are No Longer Enough (2025). Felipe Castelblanco is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and filmmaker working at…
Mirfield station gets a makeover from young local artists
A new collection of artwork created by local students has been unveiled at Mirfield station, as part of TRU’s First and Last Mile scheme. Earlier this year, Mirfield became the second station on the TRU route to realise the benefits of the multi-billion-pound railway programme, with enhanced customer facilities and a brand-new footbridge with lifts…
Aesthetica marks 20 years with landmark programme exploring the future of contemporary art
Aesthetica announces Aesthetica 20, a major anniversary programme redefining how contemporary art is made, experienced, and understood, culminating in the Aesthetica Art Prize 2026 exhibition at York Art Gallery. Contemporary art is undergoing a profound shift in how it is produced, circulated, and interpreted. At Aesthetica, this moment is being met with clarity and ambition…
10 things you didn’t know about Bradford Lit Fest
As Bradford Literature Festival prepares to enter its closing weekend, here are 10 things you didn’t know about one of the North’s biggest literary celebrations. Ethical ticketing gives free access to most of the programme to students and educators. 1 The University of Bradford has supported the festival since its launch in 2014, with a number of…
Aesthetica marks 20 years with landmark programme exploring the future of contemporary art
Aesthetica announces Aesthetica 20, a major anniversary programme redefining how contemporary art is made, experienced, and understood, culminating in the Aesthetica Art Prize 2026 exhibition at York Art Gallery. Contemporary art is undergoing a profound shift in how it is produced, circulated, and interpreted. At Aesthetica, this moment is being met with clarity and ambition…
Poetry in Motion: Creative Writing lecturer’s work connects passengers with the history of reopened railway
Dr John Challis ‘honoured’ to see his verse brought to life at stations along the Northumberland Line. Dr John Challis, Poet and Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University says it’s a ‘great honour’ for his poetry to be selected to celebrate the reopened Northumberland Line. His specially commissioned poem The Journey has…
Es Devlin responds to Vanbrugh with new artwork for Castle Howard
Internationally renowned artist and designer Es Devlin presents Library of the Four Winds, a new public sculpture in the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard. The work is on show from 13 June – 27 September and is conceived to mark the tricentenary of Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), the visionary architect behind Castle…
Star names announced as Bradford Literature Festival returns with biggest programme yet
What do Green Party MP Hannah Spencer, official 2012 Olympic poet Lemn Sissay and Bake Off star Prue Leith have in common? That’s right, they’re all taking part in this year’s star-studded Bradford Literature Festival, from July 3-12. They will be joined by not one but two former Emmerdale actors Bradley Riches and Jessie Elland, poet Lemn Sissay, former first Minister of…
Wyedean’s medal ribbon production hits record high
Internationally renowned manufacturer of braid and military uniform accoutrement, Wyedean Weaving, has reported doubling its medal ribbon orders since 2024. The fourth-generation family business has seen its medal making partnerships rocket as uniformed services, medal mounters, dealers and retailers around the world seek out the company’s British manufacturing expertise in medal ribbon manufacture. After securing…
Play installation by Yorkshire artist opens at Castle Howard
An interactive art installation designed to encourage people of all ages to play has opened at Castle Howard, Yorkshire’s most famous stately home. Open to the public from today, Playshapes: Castle Constructors is a large-scale, hands-on installation made from five one-metre coloured cubes that can be broken down into steps, triangles, polygons, cylinders and prisms….
What could YOU do with an extra day a week?
That’s the question we ask every business owner we meet, because most teams spend hours each week on emails, routine admin, reports, and repetitive tasks that AI can handle in minutes. At iThink365, we help and show businesses how to put Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI Agents to work properly. Not as a gimmick, not…
Breaking free from the spreadsheet trap
How Excel Could Be Holding Your Organisation Back For many organisations, Excel has slowly become embedded in everyday operations. Holiday tracking, scheduling, order handling, approvals and finance processes. If a workflow exists, chances are someone has built it in a spreadsheet. And initially, that works just fine. But as organisations grow, expectations increase, and AI…
Over £1 million awarded to boost young people’s mental health through creative writing and ethical AI
York St John University partners with Goldsmiths and University of Leeds for Creative Writing Together project A major new research project led by York St John University has secured over £1 million in funding to support young people’s mental health, strengthen family relationships and promote inclusion through creative writing. The three-year project, Creative Writing Together, is…
AI questions validity of famous Anne Boleyn sketch
This year marks the 490th anniversary of the death of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and one of the most controversial, and celebrated, figures in British history, not least because of her pivotal role as catalyst of the English Reformation. It was famously Anne Boleyn’s refusal to become Henry VIII’s mistress that prompted…
Es Devlin responds to Vanbrugh with new artwork for Castle Howard
Internationally renowned artist and designer Es Devlin will present Library of the Four Winds this summer, a new public sculpture in the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard. The work will be on show from 13 June – 27 September and is conceived to mark the tricentenary of Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), the…
Bradford workwear supplier launches 7-step enterprise ordering platform for local businesses
Revolutionary system streamlines uniform procurement with professional 7-step ordering process Bradford-based uniform supplier BR Apparel has announced the launch of an innovative enterprise ordering platform that transforms uniform management for local businesses with significant workwear requirements. The new system provides companies spending £5,000+ annually on uniforms with a comprehensive 7-step ordering process through their own…
Do you budget for Microsoft 365 or just hope nothing breaks?
Microsoft 365 quickly becomes business‑critical. Teams, approvals, workflows, automations, before long, people rely on them every day to get work done. Licences are planned and solutions are delivered. However, what often isn’t planned is what happens after go‑live. Keeping things running Improving what’s clunky Adapting as Microsoft changes Instead, support tends to be reactive. Something…
West Yorkshire consultancy marks growth with move to Salts Mill
A West Yorkshire technology consultancy is building on more than a decade of growth following its move to Salts Mill in Saltaire, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. True9 Limited, founded in 2014 by Chris Richardson and Martin Taylor, has relocated from Croft Myl in Halifax and is now based at the historic Salts…
Commemorative student and community documentary honours railway police officer killed in wartime air raids in York
PC Robert Smith – The Final Beat brings together students, historians, museums, businesses and creatives from across York and North Yorkshire York St John University is to host the premiere of a new historical documentary, PC Robert Smith – The Final Beat. The film tells the tale of Robert Smith, a railway police officer who was on duty the night York was targeted in the so-called Baedeker Raids in WWII. The film is produced and directed by Mick Child as his MA Media Production Independent Project at York St John University. As a former railway worker himself, the the project represents a deeply personal creative endeavour for filmmaker Mick. More than ten MA and undergraduate students from York St John University have been involved in both the film’s production and the organisation of the premiere evening. The film will premiere on Monday 27 April 2026 in the Creative Centre at the University. The date is especially significant, taking place two days before the 84th anniversary of the devastating 1942 bombing in York that claimed numerous lives, including that of PC…
Katrina Lewis champions AI innovation transforming workplace design
As a board member of the West North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and founder of Katrina Lewis Interiors, Katrina Lewis is proud to spotlight a groundbreaking step forward in workplace design innovation led by Design Tonic. Working in client development at Design Tonic, Katrina is supporting the launch of an industry-first AI-powered moodboarding tool—an idea…
York St John researcher and music activist selected to represent the UK at TED2026 with warning about AI’s cultural erasure of women
Gabriella Di Laccio MBE wins TED Idea Search London PhD student Gabriella Di Laccio MBE is to present her research at TED2026 in Vancouver after bringing judges and audiences to tears with her powerful talk about gender inequality in music through history and in the age of AI. “If we don’t fix this silence now,…
Accu to present FightFest at Smart Manufacturing Week
Leading precision engineering screw supplier Accu is bringing a thrilling, exciting and engineering-driven combat robotics tournament with FightFest to Smart Manufacturing Week held at the NEC in Birmingham on June 3rd and 4th. FightFest, presented by Accu, is a high-energy one-on-one combat robotics exhibit designed to add drama and excitement to Smart Manufacturing Week, making it…
Keane celebrates shortlisting at 2026 Prolific North Champions Awards
Recognition highlights impactful B2C campaign for Wilfreda Beehive Keane is proud to announce its shortlisting in the B2C Marketing Campaign of the Year category at the prestigious 2026 Prolific North Champions Awards, marking a significant milestone for the agency and its growing portfolio of high-impact work. The Prolific North Champions Awards celebrate excellence across the…
Bradford student champions children’s creativity in age of AI
A University of Bradford student is encouraging children to discover their creative voices at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we read, write, and communicate. David Ben Eke is looking for children aged between five and 17 from the Bradford district to write short stories and poems for his next two books….
Gamesmania® powers up the Merrion Centre this Easter
Retro arcade fun, immersive gaming and family entertainment arrive in Leeds The Merrion Centre is set to level up the Easter holidays with the arrival of Gamesmania®, an exciting pop-up gaming event running from Saturday 4th April to Saturday 11th April, bringing interactive entertainment for all ages into the heart of the city. Open daily from 10:00am…
Local mental health charity ensures Bradford’s City of Culture legacy lives on through major new creative health programme
Bradford District and Craven Mind is set to continue the creative legacy of Bradford 2025 with the launch of an ambitious two-year programme designed to tackle local health inequalities through arts, culture and creativity. Bradford is currently the fifth most income‑deprived district in England, facing deep-rooted challenges including economic inequality, poor health outcomes and limited…
Our brand evolves for the future…
Over the past 27 years we’ve helped thousands of companies across the UK evolve their brands or completely rebrand through visual display. Now, as we enter our next chapter, it felt right to give ourselves the same treatment. Reaching 27 years in business has given us a rare chance to pause, look back and ask…
Why Microsoft MVP expertise gives your business a strategic advantage
Microsoft’s ecosystem is shifting faster than ever, new AI features, platform changes, governance updates and Copilot capabilities arrive monthly. For most businesses, that pace creates a simple challenge: how do you make confident decisions when the technology won’t sit still? That’s where recognised expertise matters and why partners backed by Microsoft MVP leadership, like iThink…
Council commits to York Cultural Strategy
City of York Council has confirmed it will adopt the York Cultural Strategy following a Decision Session today, Tuesday 3 March. The strategy, though funded by the Council thanks to a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, was developed independently by arts, heritage and cultural organisations across the city. It lays out a clear…
Leeds shopping centre and Yorkshire art organisation team up to raise breast cancer awareness during National Self-Check Month
Yorkshire art organisation Sand in Your Eye has partnered with White Rose Shopping Centre to showcase an impactful display highlighting the importance of breast cancer awareness: seven unique nude torsos, each sculpted from ice and snow. Created to illustrate the statistic that one in seven people will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their life…
Leeds locals invited to be part of 400-Portrait celebration
To mark 400 years since Leeds received its Royal Charter, award-winning creative studio Buttercrumble is embarking on an ambitious creative challenge: to illustrate 400 portraits of the people who make Leeds, Leeds. During March, Buttercrumble’s twin-founders, Chloe and Abigail Baldwin, will capture residents’ faces in a celebratory drawathon designed to reflect the city’s diversity, warmth…
New member introduction: BR Apparel
The Premium Standard in Branded Workwear Across Yorkshire BR Apparel is a trusted partner to ambitious businesses seeking a higher standard in branded workwear. We specialise in supporting growing companies with 10–50 employees who recognise that team presentation is a direct reflection of their brand. Through carefully selected premium garments, precision embroidery and refined finishing,…
Castle Howard announces Vanbrugh celebration for anniversary year
Image Caption (above): Castle Howard. Photo by David Lindsay Castle Howard celebrates its creator and architect Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) throughout 2026, the 300th anniversary of his death. Hailed as ‘The Rockstar of the English Baroque’ and ‘The original starchitect’, Vanbrugh had concurrent careers as an architect, playwright, adventurer, soldier, spy, diplomat and garden designer. Castle Howard is celebrating…
Redefining creativity in the age of generative AI
Internationally acclaimed VFX artist and Visiting Professor at York St John University to give free lecture on how generative AI (artificial intelligence) is transforming creative practice. Professor Andrew McNamara, an award winning VFX artist, creative and technologist, will share insights and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities AI presents, in a special talk on Wednesday…
Haworth manufacturer crafts replica Brontë hair bracelet for film premiere
A fourth-generation West Yorkshire manufacturer has demonstrated how heritage craftsmanship can intersect with global film promotion, after recreating one of the Brontë family’s most intimate artefacts for the red carpet premiere of Wuthering Heights. Wyedean Weaving, a Haworth-based specialist in braiding and ceremonial manufacturing, was commissioned to produce a replica of the 175-year-old mourning bracelet…
Bradford students win global satellite competition
Students from the University of Bradford have been named among the global winners of a prestigious international satellite engineering competition, beating teams from around the world and becoming the only UK team ever selected in the challenge’s history. The multidisciplinary student team was chosen as one of five global winners of the IEEE Geoscience and…
Browse the region’s best independent crafts at White Rose’s Yorkshire Market
White Rose Shopping Centre invites guests to shop local as R.S.H Artisan Markets brings a new Yorkshire Market to the centre every month, showcasing an assortment of handmade crafts and gifts. Taking place in the Central Atrium the first weekend of each month between February and October, visitors can support local businesses and find truly…
Warm Spaces cinema returns to York
York St John University’s Cinema & Social Justice team offer free film screenings for people trying to stay warm this winter York St John University is pleased to invite the local community to free Warm Spaces film screenings this winter. The University’s Cinema & Social Justice project is screening all-ages favourites Zootropolis 2 and Happy Feet at…
North Yorkshire homebuilder sponsors creative arts day with Whitby charity
Barratt and David Wilson Homes sponsors creative arts day for Whitby charity, WHISH. Barratt and David Wilson Homes sponsored a creative arts day at St. Hilda’s Hub with Whitby charity, WHISH. Nearby Barratt Homes’ Abbey View and David Wilson Homes’ Chaloners Green developments, the charity is a hub for the community, supporting many individuals with hidden impairments. The day…
5 simple ways to introduce AI into your daily operations
Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer reserved for tech giants or futuristic visions, it’s here, and it’s transforming the way businesses operate every day. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), AI offers practical, affordable solutions that can save time, boost productivity, and give you a competitive edge. The good news? You don’t need a…
Bradford College launches new academy for creative skills
The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, officially opened Bradford College’s new skills development space for the creative leaders of tomorrow. ‘The Producing Academy’ is an exciting new facility designed to nurture the wave of creative talent needed across West Yorkshire, helping to position the region as a national powerhouse for the creative industries. Covering…
Dilettante wins inaugural new music stage at Aesthetica Film Festival
Aesthetica Film Festival is delighted to announce Dilettante as the winner of its first-ever New Music Stage, a showcase of the UK’s most exciting emerging musical talent. Dubbed the “UK’s version of SXSW,” the festival brings together music, film, games, and XR in one immersive environment, providing a unique platform for collaboration, discovery, and cultural exchange. This…