Blood donation has always been a practice which has been close to my heart. It is such a vital…read moreresource to maintain, that I have always felt compelled to offer my services. Located on The Headrow, the ve-in to this branch of The National Blood Service could not be more convenient. A friend and I braved the torrential weather recently, and headed straight for the jugular. The staff could not have been any more helpful or personable, conversation was the inverse of trying to draw blood from a stone. They utterly relaxed our minds during a process which can make the donor feel slightly vulnerable. On a previous occasion, I was informed that my blood flow was too slow, rendering my donation useless. Although the blame did not lie with them whatsoever, the staff were apologetic and appreciative of my efforts, encouraging me to return in the future to try again. I ask for your pity for making these abominable puns, but your support to go and donate to an extremely worthy cause.

What I love about this particular place is that you can just walk in off the street on a whim if…read moreyou have some spare time, you don't have to make an appointment. It had been a little while since I last donated, and though I'm lucky enough to not get squeamish about the blood bit, I was a little bit nervous in general as I walked in. But it was a really easy experience and I recommend it for seasoned blood donors or for newbies wanting to give it a try. In particular, the staff are lovely and explain everything along the way. The lady who took my blood stayed with me the whole time and we had a great chat about animations - she was a right hoot. There is a little bit of form filling and a little interview at the beginning, as there always is, but it's as much for your benefit as theirs. The blood donation part only takes about 10 minutes and they give you tea and biscuits afterwards! Getting stabbed with a needle and having your life essence drained away is never going to be a barrel of laughs, but this is pretty much as close as you'll get. And you also get the side effect of feeling pretty darn good knowing you're saving lives in one simple step... which, you know, is kinda nice.

So, for a city to officially to be a city it has to have a cathedral. Well don't get too excited as…read moreLeeds Cathedral does exist but is easily missed in terms of cathedrals and on the cathedral scale, does not come high. It is in the city centre but this city has not preserved its inherent magnificance, as a cathedral, as it is squashed between other buildings and is eclipsed by The Light shopping centre car park on one side. Having said that, if you do happen to notice it, it is beautiful, relative to many of the buildings in Leeds. I went inside recently and it still functions as a church, with regular services. Despite being in the city centre it was wonderfully quiet like a haven of solitude. So maybe the lack of tourists is an advantage to the congregation who can worship in peace.

Using this Post Office is my idea of hell! When I first moved to Leeds, and had no idea where the…read moremore local services were to where I was living, I was bound to using this place and always disliked it. Whilst it has all the usual items that you might go to a Post Office to find, envelopes, jiffy bags, stationary and so on, it also has the worst some of the worst queues. I literally used to shiver with dread anytime I made an ebay sale thinking that I'd have to mooch down there and waste an hour in those awful queues, packed in with all those grumbling bodies. There was the occasional quirk, I found some comedy gold in the form of a silly compilation CD that I put in a parcel for my friend for £3, but other than that there are merely the horrid queues! It is situated opposite Tiger Tiger, it is a part of the St Johns Centre shopping mall and it is literally right next to one of the major bus stops in the city centre, which may go some way to explaining the high volume of customers! Although, on the flip side, it means there is really easy access. Essentially, it does everything a Post Office is supposed to do, it's just not that much of a pleasant experience whilst you are doing it.

This post office is rather large and has many counters available to take parcels, sort out pensions…read moreand sell stamps along with any other post office related jobs you may need to do. They sell stamps, envelopes...the usual culprits and also have all of the important forms you may need for renewing your passport and the like. It gets busy at times so expect that you may need to queue for a little while.

I refuse to pretend that I have any knowledge whatsoever about the game of chess. I once watched a…read moredocumentary about an eight-year-old Chinese girl who was humiliating scores of adults on a global scale, by mercilessly beating them. Unfortunately, I did not glean any tips from the programme, such was the speed of her moves. My Mam did attempt to teach me the rules one rainy afternoon when I was a child, but I soon lost interest, and the headache inducing Hungry Hippos made a return to the table. During the Summer months, the huge chess boards which are painted onto the ground, are often in demand. The novelty sized chess pieces make the game more visually interesting, and a large crowd is often attracted to the commotion. The characters who participate are a varied mixture of people, young and old. There is a lovely communal atmosphere to the proceedings, with strangers often engaging in a game together. Thus far, I have only been a spectator of the sport. I do not think I would be very well received if I sauntered over to the boards and casually challenged these earnest, mathematical types to a Hungry Hippos tournament. I'll just watch.

Ok, I love a good library, so I'm already biased. Really, this isn't quite what I'd count as a…read more"good" library. When I think of a good library I think of a huge library packed with more books than a person could ever hope to read. This library (at least in this location, it's possible it's spread across other buildings) does not have endless books. It has books, but it focusses on a few, small-ish sections with only a couple of themes, the most extensive of which seems to be the arts section. That makes sense, the library is housed in the same building as the art gallery (closed for work on the roof in 2016, to reopen in 2017 some time). Still, it would be nice if more options were available, but this isn't the place to go pick up the latest best seller or to find the book you need to help you finish your essay. So why is this a five star review? Because of the building. Even without being able to explore the art gallery half of it, it is incredibly beautiful inside. It's a grade II listed building that was constructed between 1878 and 1884. It's all arch ways and vaulted ceilings, the marble staircases are framed with sculptures of dogs fighting, begging and guarding the books. Beautiful tiles line the floors and walls, giving a slightly Turkish effect and exploring all of this is a real treat even if you've never really been all that fussed about books. The Leeds tapestries are also on display here, a modern series of tapestries celebrating the city and deserving of study. There's a cafe on the ground floor which looks and smells very good and is certainly popular. There's also a gift shop and with a slightly more specialised shop attached, selling paintings, sculptures and jewellery by local artists. Across several of the floors are spaces for study and learning. Don't go in expecting to borrow any book you can imagine (unless you want art books or books on family history). Go in to explore the beautiful architecture. It really is something special.

What more could I say about this space, that hasn't already been said? Well, that's the point -…read morejust because it's been said, doesn't mean that I shouldn't add some extra love. Right? So, the things that I've enjoyed in this place since the beginning of the year: Christkindlemarkt (which I wish was a Yorkshire Christmas market), Leeds Loves Food, Curry Festival, Wimbledon, 2.8 hours later, and many a sunny sit. I love that the area is constantly in flux, depending on the weather and season, and used in interesting ways. I completely missed the Leeds beach, like a fool, but I heard it was really interesting. I'm not sure I'm brave enough for ice skating, but I'll give it a go given a little nudge. (Last time I was swarmed by childs and ended up holding on to the edge in fear.) It's conveniently got a cash point for the spendage. There's even the Carriageworks, right there, if you want some theatre. Basically, often you might simply walk on through, but occasionally you'll have a wonderful time here. And I love it!

Millennium Square is such a cameleon place. One moment it's an ice rink, then it's a live music…read morevenue or a market, or a live broadcast venue. Whatever disguise it wears it's great! It's the real, warm, beating heart of our fabulous city, surrounded by lovely eateries and overlooked by a jolly decent (and cheap) pub. Can't go wrong really

My favourite Barrelman moment was when he wore a scarf and bobble-hat for Light Night 2010, what a…read morejoker!

A truly beautiful building, with the recent addition of a swanky cafe/shop at the front, where…read morethere used to be exhibitions that nobody looked at much, which is nice. Very cosmopolitan. I like the layout, and the wide selection of books, and that I can still take any I get out from here back to Headingley or another one if it's easier. The one thing I don't like about this library so much is the staff. The lady down in the kids section is friendly (I got an Asterix book out for nostalgic reasons), but the people in the adult section, especially the old lady and the man with the beard, are a bit grumpy and snooty, and I feel like I have to ask their permission to take books out, in case they don't approve. Feels a little bit cliquey, if a library can feel cliquey. Well, I just said it does, so it does (in my opinion, of course).

It's hard to even pay any attention to your food and drink, really, in the tiled hall. The…read moresurroundings are so beautiful and strange that they consume all your attention. The strangeness is due in large part to the huge marble heads that stare blindly down at you from the elaborately modelled cornices. To be frank, they're actually a little bit eerie, but in a pleasant, shiver-down-the-neck way. It's amazing to think that this gorgeous room had been forgotten about and covered up until relatively recently. We had americanos and lemon poppy seed cake on our visit (since I suppose we must pay some attention to the comestibles). The coffee was strong and good, the cake rather dry and heavy with an oddly medicinal taste. (In fairness I must say my companion loved it). But in any case, a fascinating visit, irrespective of the food.

Despite going at various times of day throughout the year this Post Office is always woefully…read moreunderstaffed and oversubscribed. At some point last year they installed a ticketing system, prompting customers to use the touchscreen to select the service required, which then issues them with a ticket for the appropriate counter service. 'Logical' I hear you say, but, for whatever reason the device is always manned by one or two Post Office staff who ask what service you need and then generate your ticket. So the automated ticket machine designed to save time and increase efficiency is manned by two staff who are not sat behind the counter. Therefore when I visited last week at a busy lunchtime there were only four counter staff and a 25 minute wait ensued. I can appreciate post offices are having a hard time of it, and the staff are always friendly, but the system needs a rethink. To top this off, whenever I'm done checking mail in, they always ask if I'm in the market for life insurance. It's a painful irony when each visit robs me of 25 minutes of my life that I will never get back....

Another awful place to queue for ages to send your parcel. This is just as bad as the one in new…read moreYork Street and the 30 minute wait is almost assured every time. It's a soul draining place and feels more claustrophobic than it's bigger brother near the market. Buy your postage on line or go to a local Post Office - anything but these 2 big boys!