So today is the European Elections, the vote the UK thought would never happen. Well it has. Now is the opportunity to get out and have your say.

Here is a bit more information on who is standing in your area on the BBC website.

Have you ever considered a house share?

What even is a house share? Let us explain. House shares are when you rent an individual room in a house and share communal areas with other people – people that start out as strangers but quickly become family. House shares can be a good option to consider for many different people and they might be the best option for you!

New students often don’t want to pay to high rent rates for student halls, yet they still want to meet other students and live close to University. Moving into a house share is typically much cheaper than student halls and still include bills and internet and almost all our properties are within walking distance of Leeds’ biggest universities.

Students who lived in halls in their first year don’t always want to move in with their first-year flatmates or course mates and so house shares offer an option of moving into a house with like-minded people who may soon become your closest friends!

Leeds is a great city and graduates often choose to stay in the vibrant neighbourhoods of Hyde Park and Headingley. But if all your friends move back home or to other parts of the country, who do you live with? Professional house shares are more sociable than living alone and are generally much cheaper – leading to better lifestyles as you have more money to enjoy!

If you’re moving to Leeds for the first time, whether it’s for post-graduate study or for work, house shares are a great way to get to know the city. At least one of your new housemates is likely to be able to show you around and give tips on finding the best pubs, cafes and restaurants. If you live with someone who has just moved to Leeds its lots of fun showing them around and rediscovering places you’d forgotten you loved!

We have a number of rooms available to let individually if you’re thinking about house sharing give us a call to find out more and arrange a viewing!

Here are a couple of links to just some of the properties available as a house share:

Langdale Terrace – £450pcm inc all bills

Bentley Grove – from £385pcm – £440pcm inc all bills

Headingley is often under-rated in favour for neighbourhoods such as Hyde Park and Burley but it’s time for a re-think.

Personally it’s our favourite neighbourhood. Here are the 5 best things about it:

1. Half  of all the pubs and bars on the Otley Run are in Headingley (8 out of 16). If you haven’t already done it, fancy dress or not, do it!

2. You don’t need to leave. There’s supermarkets, bars, pubs, shops, restaurants, banks and some fantastic coffee shops. What more could you want?

3. Houses usually rent for less in Headingley than Hyde Park. Who doesn’t love getting more for their money?

4. The University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Arts University are in easy walking distance.

5. Or there are buses every few minutes into the city centre, which go straight to all the universities; or north, right past Leeds Beckett University Headingley campus to towns like Otley, Ilkley and Skipton. Ideal for some fab days out!

Check out our website to see the fantastic properties we have available in Headingley. We’ve got a room in a shared 4 bed home right through to a cracking 10 bed property in the heart of Headingley. Don’t delay, properties are letting fast.

Are your parents coming to visit you in Leeds soon? Are you unsure of things to do whilst they’re visiting? Based on our experience, you probably want to get out and about rather than staying in your home all weekend. We’re here to give you some suggestions of things you might like to do.

In Leeds you are never short of things to do. There’s so much on offer; including world class shopping, engaging museums and attractive green space. We’ve detailed some of the best below:

Leeds City Museum

Are you keen to find out more about the history of Leeds? If so, this is the place for you. Entrance to the museum is free but some special exhibitions may have a small charge. One of the oddest exhibits is a stuffed tiger that was gifted to the museum back in the 19^th Century. When it was gifted to the museum it was a tiger skin rug which was soon stuffed with straw, and remains the same to this day.

Royal Armouries

Another excellent free museum is the Royal Armouries, at Leeds Dock. The museum showcases arms and armour from around the world and through time; and they also host a variety of events throughout the year. Best of all why not take the free water taxi straight to Leeds Dock from Granary Wharf (by the south entrance to Leeds Railway Station)?

Roundhay Park

On a dry day, visiting Roundhay Park is a must. Roundhay Park includes sprawling parkland, impressive lakes, woodlands and gardens. Even if it’s wet, why not visit Tropical World? Entrance is cheap and there’s a whole host of animals; such as meerkats, lizards, snakes, monkeys and tortoises.

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

Whilst visiting Meanwood Valley Urban Farm isn’t an all-day event, it certainly makes an interesting visit where you can see alpacas, donkeys, goats, sheep and cows. Best of all, entrance is a mere £2. Why not combine a visit to the Urban Farm with a walk on the Meanwood Valley Trail?

Further afield, there’s loads of places that are well worth a visit and only a short drive or train-ride away:

Ilkley

Many of you will have heard of Ilkley from ‘On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at’. Ilkley is about a 30 minute drive or train ride from Leeds. You can walk on the moor, clamber around at the Cow and Calf and/or visit the famous Betty’s Tea Room. Unsurprisingly, Betty’s has a massive selection of loose leaf tea and homemade cakes. One of the most popular cakes is a ‘Fat Rascal’; a fruit scone with a cherry and almond face.

Saltaire

Another attractive place to visit is Saltaire village. Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village was established by Sir Titus Salt when he built a textile mill; with housing, a hospital, libraries and schools for his workers and their families. An art gallery and shops is now based in the textile mill, and the village is well-worth a wander around. A walk from Saltaire along the Aire makes a nice day out too.

Knaresborough

Home to the ‘world famous’ bed race (the next one is the 8^th June 2019), Knaresborough is a popular place to visit. You could choose to punt on the River Nidd (if it’s not too cold), or just wander around the Medieval streets and market square. The UK’s oldest visitor attraction, Mother Shipton’s Cave, is close by but this does close during the winter months.

Wherever you choose to go, we’re sure you’ll have a great time. If you think there are other places we could suggest then don’t hesitate to get in contact with us!

It’s Bonfire Night and the big dilemma is which bonfire and firework display you should go to. Many of the events were held over the weekend, but you’ve still got some fantastic options tonight. We thought we would share our thoughts with you to help you decide.

Woodhouse Moor

Woodhouse Moor is always a popular event with its large bonfire and firework display. Being close to the University of Leeds, and walking distance from Leeds Beckett University too, it attracts the majority of students. The downside is the event tends to be quite busy and you have to be there early to get a good spot without a tree blocking part of your view. Living in Headingley, and with the event being only a 20 minute walk away, this tends to be our favourite. After the display, we recommend warming up in one of many local pubs. The event starts at 7pm today but remember to get there early.

Roundhay Park

Another option is the much larger bonfire and firework display at Roundhay Park. This event is the largest free firework display in Leeds. Each year there are approximately 70,000 people in attendance. The bonfire is lit at 7:30pm today; with fireworks commencing at 8pm. The main downside is getting to the event. Roundhay Park is approximately 4 and a half miles from Headingley and Hyde Park.  If you don’t have a car, that either means a very long walk or getting public transport which can easily take an hour. The event is always popular and if you don’t go, you hear about it from so many other people until you end up wishing you went…

Wherever you decide to go, we’re sure that you’ll have a great evening. Make sure you wrap up warm; gloves, scarves and bobble hats are a must. Plan on getting to the display early. The earlier you arrive; the closer you can get to the bonfire and the better the view for the firework display. Decide on where you want to head after the event too. Pubs and restaurants fill up quickly afterwards so have somewhere in mind and head straight there.

From all of us at Silverspring Lettings, have a fantastic bonfire night!

Another boost for Leeds today as Channel 4 announced they will be relocating their national headquarters to the city. Beating off competition from Birmingham and Manchester to gain around 200 staff by the end of next year. Requirements were to have a population of more than 200,000, a travel time to London of less than three hours and high-quality physical and digital infrastructure.

The decision to choose Leeds was influenced by the ability to establish a presence close to independent production companies in Yorkshire and the north-east, which were underserved by other broadcasters. “It’s a vibrant and growing city. It has a really, really strong production sector … they were very strong in terms of their partnerships and they have a diverse community across the Leeds-Bradford region.”

Read the full article here.

When you move out you can end up with a load of things that you don’t want. Clothes, non-perishable food and furniture are amongst those items that can be of great benefit to those in a less fortunate position.

Leeds University Union are running events where you can drop in these items at the Co-Op on Cardigan Road, Hyde Park Picture House or in the LUU building.

All can be donated on the following dates, between 11am and 3pm:

• Sunday 20 May
• Sunday 27 May
• Sunday 03 June
• Sunday 10 June
• Sunday 17 June
• Sunday 24 June
• Friday 29 June
• Sunday 01 July

You can also donate to St Michael’s Church from 11am-3pm on:

• Sunday 20 May
• Sunday 27 May
• Sunday 03 June
• Sunday 10 June

More information can also be found here.

Are you voting in the local elections today?

Today is the day when all of the local councillors positions are up for election – 99 seats in total. You have 3 votes to use across all of the candidates, but you can only vote for each candidate once. Leeds City Counil have produced a guide https://www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council/elections/leeds-city-council-election

Why should you vote?

Now is the opportunity to go and and have a say on who will be making decisions on spending and projects in your local area. It is the chance to have your voice and influence how Leeds might look in a few years time.

When everyone around you is arguing about Leaving the EU or the latest Kanye West interview debacle, it is easy to forgot about the issues which are affecting your local community.

Local politics might not seem as interesting or exciting as some of the international issues, but decisions made by your local council have a significant impact on you. Massive funding cuts and increasing demand on services and putting the council under a lot of pressure.

The council states that by 2020 the funding it receives from central Government will have been slashed by a whopping £267 million and this means it will become “increasingly difficult to protect front line services”.

Additional cuts to the council-run services in Leeds are inevitable and the councillors you elect will ultimately decide what gets the chop and what else the council can do to cope with these financial pressures.

This year all 99 council seats will be up for grabs, and you get to decide which councillors deserve to stay and who should be replaced.

If you have opinions on whether run down areas should get money spent on them, see an increase in services in your local area or just get the potholes sorted out, now is your time to vote!