CHRISTMAS markets will be staged at Yeadon Town Hall during December.

The festive markets will take place from 10am to 4pm on December 5, 6, 12 and 13. A range of stalls will offer the perfect opportunity for visitors to buy stocking fillers and Christmas gifts - or to treat themselves. Local stallholders will provide a varied and unique range of products and produce.

Entry to the markets costs £1. All stalls will be socially distanced and organisers are giving assurances that the events will be compliant with COVID-19 safety guidelines and requirements. Visitors will be required to wear a face covering.

Yeadon Town Hall’s community markets have already proved a hit throughout the Autumn and Winter season. All of the Town Hall’s previously scheduled events have been postponed or cancelled but the markets have provided a welcome focal point.

The news that Leeds has been placed into tier 3 restrictions means that Yeadon Town Hall will not be able to go ahead with additional plans to host live entertainment.

But a spokesman said there were exciting new plans in the pipeline for when the Town Hall team are given the green light to open the venue fully.

Jamie Hudson, CEO at Yeadon Town Hall, said: “We are determined to bring the community together this festive season - and our series of Christmas markets at the Town Hall is the ideal way to do this. We hope the markets will give everyone the chance to experience a little bit of Christmas cheer, having had such a difficult 2020.”

For more information about Yeadon’s Community Markets, including a full list of opening dates and times, visit the town hall’s website.

The Christmas markets are the latest of many initiatives put in place by the Yeadon Town Hall Community Interest Company since it took over in April 2019 after being given a 50-year lease by Leeds City Council.

The CIC set to work to refurbish key parts of the 140-year-old building, including the main auditorium and the theatre bar.

New lighting and sound equipment, plus a control booth, were installed, and a backlog of general repairs and refurbishments have been carried out. Work has included roof repairs, refurbishment of the hall’s clock and clock tower, improvements to internal lighting and the fire alarm system, and work on leaded stained glass.

Hundreds of people attended an open day at the hall, a Grade II Listed building, last year to have a look around and hear about the new management team’s ambitious plans for the property.

It set about staging a full schedule of performances and events - including live music and shows. But the town hall’s packed programme of events for 2020 had to be postponed until next year because of coronavirus.