BBC News Leeds & West Yorkshire

A MasterChef semi-finalist who works at Leeds Cookery School says it's "fantastic" to be back teaching people how to cook face-to-face as Covid restrictions are eased.

Anthony O'ShaughnessyCopyright: Anthony O'Shaughnessy

Anthony O'Shaughnessy, who featured on MasterChef in 2018, now works with men who are over 55 and are often isolated.

He says: "We call it Men That Munch. The men are from the local area and we get them in to do some cooking and then we sit down and eat together and have a chat. It's all socially distanced.

"This week, the theme was 'Italian', so we made a spaghetti carbonara (pictured) - an authentic one - and a roasted aubergine and tomato salad. It was the first time a lot of the men had eaten aubergine and they all really enjoyed it."

Leeds Cookery School works alongside Zest, a community group which recommends the men who would benefit from taking part.

A quad biker has died in a crash with a van in Bradford city centre, police say.

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The rider was travelling on Great Horton Road when he collided with a VW Caddy, West Yorkshire Police said.

It happened at about 17:45 yesterday, with the 31-year-old rider, from Bradford, suffering serious injuries.

He was pronounced dead a short time later, police added.

Witnesses to the crash, which happened near Bradford University, are asked to get in touch with police.

A stretch of road in a West Yorkshire town centre could be permanently closed to cars under new plans revealed this week.

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Under the proposals for Shipley, near Bradford, the length of Kirkgate between the town’s indoor and outdoor market (pictured) would only be open to buses and taxis, with the stretch widened to create a cycle lane either side.

A public consultation on the plans, which also includes turning a number of streets into one-way systems and restricting entry to others, begins this week.

Bradford Council says the “bus gate” is the first step in its Shipley Streets for People scheme to make the town centre more attractive for pedestrians and less car-centric.

The new limits would be placed on Kirkgate between the Otley Road and New Kirkgate junctions.

Meanwhile, a section of Westgate, between Kirkgate and the Junction with Atkinson Street - in front of the Sun Inn - would be closed to all traffic and Growgill Road would become a one-way street – with vehicles only allowed to travel from Saltaire Road to Kirkgate.

Bradford Council says: "This would help to reduce traffic along this route, reducing noise and air pollution and improving bus journey times.

"Reducing the volume of vehicles in the Kirkgate area will also help to provide a safer, cleaner and more vibrant environment for everyone to enjoy."

The public consultation runs until 12 May and can be accessed here.

A chilly start with a little patchy fog near the Yorkshire coast clearing this morning. Sunny spells with patchy cloud developing allowing a few showers over the hills this afternoon.

Cloud will thicken this evening and it will stay cloudy tonight in Lincolnshire with light rain in places

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Up to 300 jobs will be created with the building of a new automated warehouse in West Yorkshire, Marks and Spencer has said.

Reuters/Edgar Su/File PhotoCopyright: Reuters/Edgar Su/File Photo

The facility, within the retailer's existing Bradford distribution centre, would help to grow its online business, M&S added.

Due to open by Christmas, the warehouse will be able to dispatch more than 35,000 items of clothing a day.

Stephen Langford, director of M&S.com, said growing the firm's online business had "never been more important".

The Bradford site, which currently delivers both clothing and food to stores, was believed to be one of the largest warehouses in the UK when it opened in 2010.

The expansion means that, once operational, the site can also be used to fulfil online orders, supporting operations at the firm's Castle Donington warehouse in Leicestershire.

Mr Langford said the company was "transforming" its clothing business to be more relevant to customers.

The artistic director of Leeds Playhouse says he hopes the theatre has still managed to bring people together during the coronavirus pandemic despite being closed.

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James Brining has been talking to BBC Radio Leeds' Gayle Lofthouse as venues across Yorkshire prepare to re-open in line with the government's roadmap.

Mr Brining says: "I think creativity is the thing that helps people get through this period of time, and just being positive and being engaged with each other.

"That's what people have really missed and that's what we've really tried to do over the last 12 months."

Listen to more of what Mr Brining has told Gayle Lofthouse here:

Meanwhile, the relaxation of lockdown has meant more artistic activities and classes have been able to resume in Leeds.

Last week Opera North, which is also based in the city, ran its first workshop for young people since last year.

Youth company manager Marie Lemaire says: "We've been on Zoom since September with over 120 children carrying on rehearsals and bringing directors and composers in to teach new skills.

"But, for sure, it's nothing compared to being all in a room, singing together."