£5M Cycle Circuit at the University of Leeds

Tilly Hall
January 29, 2016

The University of Leeds has approved funding for a new £5M development of an outdoor closed loop cycling circuit and is now seeking the necessary planning consents from Leeds City Council. Located on the University Bodington playing fields in north Leeds, the development will include a cutting edge, 1.6km tarmac cycle circuit and refurbished Pavilion which hopes to be used as a base for British Triathlon’s elite training centre.

The project will be funded in partnership with UK Sport and British Cycling who will contribute £1M towards the project. The remaining £3.5M being funded by the University of Leeds.

The project team aim to begin work on the development in April 2016 and completion expected in Autumn 2016. The new facilities will be maintained by the University of Leeds and will be open for use by students, staff and the public. British Triathlon should also be based at the new site with access to strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and other support services. Amongst these elite athletes will be Olympic medallists and University of Leeds Alumni Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.

The impressive new development will also support the elite athletes at the University ensuring they have state of the art facilities to train in to achieve their aim of competing on a world class level.

“The University of Leeds excel at cycling and triathlon, and our students are consistently at the top of their sport in the UK. Having these new facilities and British Triathlon based on site will further strengthen this.”

Rob Wadsworth- Head of Sport at the University of Leeds

“We look forward to meeting elected representatives and local residents to explain the plans and answer any questions they may have. Arrangements for a community consultation session are currently being finalised.”

“The University of Leeds is committed to sporting excellence and to opening up its facilities for the benefit of the public and this cycle track is a big part of that.”

Rob Wadsworth- Head of Sport at the University of Leeds

Donate Your Old Bike and Change A Life!

Tilly Hall
January 20, 2016

Bike Donations are Now Open!

Give your old bikes to our Gryphons Abroad team and you could change the life of a child in South Africa.

Some students live over two hours walk from school, meaning they spend 4 hours a day, often in total darkness making the journey. Other students are expected to complete jobs at home and this long commute means they do not have the time to attend school and get back in time to complete these jobs, for example cooking dinner.

The Gryphons Abroad team are planning to change this, with your help. All donations of your bikes will be taken to South Africa in June and donated to students, this will allow them to make the journey to school in half the time and therefore give them access to education, a privilege often overlooked here in the UK.

Donate Your Old Bikes Now!

To make this possible we need you help, if you have any old adult bikes that you no longer need then please donate them NOW!

  • Needed: Adult mountain bikes and hybrid bikes (no Road bikes please)
  • When: 11th January – 12th Febraury, 12 – 1pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
  • Where: You can donate bikes at Cromer Terrace Studios 

For more information please contact the project lead, Andy Lockwood: a.lockwood@leeds.ac.uk 

Fitness Courses are Back!

Mike Walker
January 18, 2016

Our popular fitness courses are back at The Edge!  Led by our team of expert Personal Trainers these courses will increase your motivation and enhance your fitness results. The courses are just £60 for a 6 week course and there are plenty of options to choose from so whatever your fitness level there’s something for you!

All courses will take place in a reserved area of the new weights training area opposite the gym reception.

“I wanted to feed back that the Women’s only strength training programme was really great and completely changed my attitude to the gym!” Daisy Payne (Edge student member)

Our fitness course start soon and are always popular so make sure you fill in the form below today to book your place now!

The courses:

Courses start week commencing 8th of February 2016 and cost £60 for a 6 week course of fitness training. Non-members will also need to pay an additional £7.50 Fitness Suite entrance fee per visit. There are a range of dates and times available. The courses have a maximum group size of 6, with a minimum of 2 needed to run the course.

Women only & Unisex Strength Training Courses

These courses are both aimed at beginners, and are aimed at educating and coaching, but the instructor will always seek to make the class challenging. There is no difference between unisex and women only courses in terms of content.

“Aimed at beginners, the purpose of this course is to build your confidence in using our free weights equipment. Really take your workout to the next level and reap the fitness benefits of using free weights correctly”.

Olympic Lifting Courses

“Aimed at weightlifters who may be interested in how to Olympic lift like the professionals. Learning these new lifts will certainly enhance your athletic performance”.

Merel, Jen and Fran all recently completed one of the Women Only Strength Training courses.

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Fran: “Being able to know how to use the equipment in the strength training room has given me the confidence to be able to get myself fitter and stronger for hockey”

 

Book today!

Please contact our fitness team for more information and to book your place today!

 

2016 – Do something new!

Mike Walker
January 5, 2016

It’s a new year and a fresh start to your health and fitness.

If you are not a member the Edge has everything you could possibly want to get into a new health and fitness routine. With memberships starting from as little at £19.60 per month and memberships open to all students, staff and public customers we have options for everyone.

Looking to try something new? Don’t just take our advice… find out more from our members!

BUY ONLINE TODAY
 
MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

If you are already a member why not try something new this year? We have a long list of activities to choose from. Why not try:

The list goes on…

If you have any questions or want any advice why not get in contact with the team at edgemembership@leeds.ac.uk or by calling 0113 343 7406

Leeds Varsity 2016 Cross Country

admin
January 4, 2016

The first event of Leeds Varsity 2016 kicked off at a very muddy Weetwood with University of Leeds securing both those all important Varsity points.

The women’s race was lead the whole way by guest runner, Leeds Beckett Alumni Sam Johnson who battled the mud in the clear blue skies to claim first place. The first student back was University of Leeds womens captain Beth Garland with a time of 22.28 minutes. Overall there was 27 runners in the womens race with University of Leeds coming away with the most team points to take the first point of the 2016 Varsity.

Next up were the men who had 45 runners in total, Callum Johnson from Leeds Beckett lead majority of the way finishing in 28.23 minutes. It was nail bitingly close with the final team scores being 141 to University of Leeds to 159 to University of Beckett, with the lowest overall score winning. This saw the hosts University of Leeds men claiming the second Varsity point.

‘It has been a great day especially without the rain or sleet, it is a tough course but pleased at the team effort our lads put in. Ultimately this has put us in a great place ahead of BUCS championships in a few weeks.’ Captain Josh Woodcock-Shaw beams.

The event raised roughly 170 for Hope Pastures Sanctuary who are based across the road from Weetwood North Pavilion that both teams run round for training. We even had Cloud the pony that made an appearance at the race!

All the results will be posted shortly. You can find the event photos here.

Next event will be American Football on Sunday 24th April at Sports Park Weetwood!

Join the Leeds Sports Team

admin
January 4, 2016

We are looking for someone who is passionate about student sport, and has experience of coordinating and promoting successful large scale events. As Leeds Sport Sports Coordinator (Events & Communications), you will coordinate, plan and promote student sport events as part of our commitment to ensuring students love their time at Leeds.

You will sit as part of the new Leeds Sport Team, a direct result of the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union’s new all encompassing sports strategy, which has the ambitious aim of becoming the leading provider of HE sport in the UK. Through this strategy we are committed to ensuring we provide opportunities for our students to fulfil their sporting potential. You will work with a diverse range of colleagues from LUU, the University and external partners to coordinate events such as Leeds Varsity, The Christie Championships, The Sports Colours & Scholarship Awards and Alumni Sports Day. Additionally, you will support the Leeds Sport Team with social media and communications.

If you have a genuine interest in student sport, and are passionate about running successful sports events, apply before midnight on Sunday 17th January 2016

Please find application pack and job description here