Leeds residents angry after Woodhouse Moor attracted mass gatherings at the weekend

The recent sunny weekend has left many local Leeds residents furious after large gatherings of students were seen gathering at Woodhouse Moor, with one resident dubbing Woodhouse Moor as “Coronafest ’21”.

Last weekend was the warmest weather Leeds has seen so far this year, leading to the student hub in Hyde Park being packed with students and young-adults soaking up the sunshine.

Sue Buckle, Friend of Woodhouse Moor member, spoke ITV News and complained of the mess visitors made: “A of of the people here yesterday ignored the notice which is on the tree over there which says, ‘if the bins are full, please take your litter home’, which is quite basic. And they’d just left the half-eaten strawberries, the Sainsbury’s pasta meals, the bottles, the cans, the cardboard, just where they’d been sitting”.

Many Leeds residents Tweeted their disapproval of the mass gatherings in the park.

@localbandita posted this to Twitter

One person wrote on Twitter: “I understand they are bored and want to chill with their friends but you have to respect the rules and think of other people, the weather isn’t even that warm but they just need an excuse to chill.”

Another replied: “Yeah just no respect or understanding seen of the rules its just selfish.”

Sophie, a second year English Literature student who was at the park on Sunday, told The Leeds Tab: “Obviously we were bending the rules, but I think we’ve all got to the point where we are really struggling with our mental health. The sun really lifted our spirits and gave us hope for what’s to come”.

A TikTok with almost 250,000 views showed Leeds students gathered on Woodhouse Moor with the caption: “When we get bored but remember we’re Leeds uni students”.

The post was met with comments such as “anyway who else is excited for lockdown 4?” and “bet all the people in Hyde Park are planning on going to Reading and Leeds and will be shocked when it doesn’t happen”.

The glorious weather at the weekend made it feel like summer (we hope)

Whilst Woodhouse Moor would usually be flooded with students, due to the coronavirus pandemic, current regulations prevent this unless it is for exercise. It is currently against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble, but this is due to change on March 29th.

Current COVID restrictions mean a stay-at-home order is in force, so you can only leave your home for shopping for groceries, going to work, exercising with your household or support bubble, meeting your support bubble, attending education or seeking medical assistance.

It has been revealed by LeedsLive that Leeds City Council are proposing strict new rules in the popular parks and beauty spots within the city boundary, to prevent overcrowding and “minimise the number of issues which we saw over the weekend”. Increased patrols will be used to patrol parks to avoid crowding, and police will increase their presence.

Students came out in force at Woodhouse Moor at the Weekend

After Boris’ announcement last week, the roadmap out of lockdown has been initiated, and from the 8 March, all school pupils will return to education and by 29 March, outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed.

Let’s be honest, we’re all just counting down the days until 21 June aren’t we.

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