Behold the Teapots and Twirls raffle grand prize: a teapot full of Twirls!
Big, massive, whopping mega-thanks!
We at Teapots and Twirls have been very lucky to have some wonderful raffle prize donations from some lovely companies and individuals at our events. These kind donations have meant we are able to raise loads of money for the works of our chosen charities and we extend our vast gratitude to them!
Huge thanks to our raffle donors:
Not only did they provide all the tea for our very first tea dance, via the extremely cute ‘Little Urn’, Yorkshire Tea also provided us a couple of hampers of their goodies to raffle off. A much-loved Yorkshire institution, Yorkshire Tea are a still a family business, as they were when they set up back in 1919, and with many wonderful things in place to ensure environmental, fair-trading an charitable benefits, they are well worth checking out! Pop the kettle on and feel good about it – you’re helping them do good!
Jules might be a Yorkshire Lass through and through, but where Tessa comes from, Ringtons is the tea of choice! A family business, they were set up by Samuel Smith in 1907 when he moved from Leeds(!) to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and started selling Tea from a Horse and Cart. Ringtons still sell door-to-door (having upgraded their horse-and-carts to vans) and very kindly donated not only a hamper for one of our raffles, but so much tasty tea for one of our events that it kept us going for quite a while after!
Established in 2006, Lindy Fridays has been providing Lindy Hop lessons in Leeds City Centre for all those willing to learn, and can be held responsible for introducing both Tessa and Jules to the world of Lindy Hop (and to each other!) A not-for-profit group, run by volunteers, Lindy Fridays has kindly donated passes for their classes at each one of our events so that we may spread the Lindy joy even further!
A lovely dance studio in Leeds City Centre, and run by the talented Katie Geddes, Dance Studio Leeds has been kind enough to donate passes to their Tap Classes for our raffle. We highly recommend you give them a visit – there are so many classes to choose from that if Swing dancing isn’t your thing (though we can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be) there’s bound to be something that takes your fancy!
Our October 2013 event saw us playing host to everyone’s favourite, Scott Cupit. Not only is Scott the founder/organiser of Swing Patrol and a ruddy marvellous dancer, we’re pretty convinced he might be one of the nicest men on the planet. He very kindly donated some Swing Patrol Sunday Social passes to our raffle prize pile and we highly recommend any Swing Patrol class/night if you ever find yourself down in That London!
Run by talented dancer and patient Yoga instructor Rachel Gosling, Vinyasa Flow Yoga (at Dance Studio Leeds) is a class focussed on getting you connected to your body, breath, mind and the world around you. Rachel very kindly donated some passes to our raffle and we endorse her teaching whole-heartedly! Pop along one week and see for yourself!
One of the reasons that Leeds is such a wonderful place to be is the incredible friendliness of the independent organisations we are lucky enough to have. Minicine is one of those marvellous organisations, and AWARD-WINNING at that! Focussing on screenings of independent films and documentaries, Woody puts on events all over the city, but most often is Minicine At The Mills where tea, cake and a full evening of film is presented in the absolutely adorable Palace Picture House: a 1920s-style, 26-seat cinema in the basement of Armley Mills. Sounds pretty perfect to us! Minicine have kindly donated many pairs of tickets to us in the past, and we hope you will go and visit them soon and often.
Run by Ivor and Richard, this is another marvel of the independent Leeds/Leeds Twitter world. An evening of presentations with one rule: no pitches. Five minutes per presenter, with the aid of 20 slides, you can expect to be entertained far more than this description makes it sound!
Back in the days where Tessa and Jules only conversed in the Twittersphere, Jules the Grammar Nazi presented on how punctuation is vital and how the misuse of it will anger her immensely. Tessa credits this Bettakultcha with the realisation she would enjoy working with Jules! Richard and Ivor have made a couple of donations to our raffle, and we’re very grateful to them.
Most Twitter-based Leeds people will probably know LBC as the wonderful online shop of Pesky Chloe. Lovely jewellery (including Tessa’s favourite necklace) great stationery, cards and gifts for any occasion, Life’s Big Canvas is definitely one to have bookmarked in your browser. Pesky has kindly donated raffle prizes as well as sending a collection of her lovely wares to have on sale in our Kitschen.
If you’ve fallen for Lindy Hop in a big way, there’s nothing better than an Exchange to meet new people, visit new places, and dance! Leeds’ very own exchange happens in August, and Helena very kindly gave us some tickets for the 2013 event for our raffle.
The Leeds Roller Derby ladies, the Roller Dolls, very kindly donated tickets to one of their events for our raffle in March. Be sure to check out this energetic sport if you get a chance, and be amazed!
Another wonderful Leeds business, providing tasty food for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike! Run by lovely couple Jo and Stu, if you’re ever in need of nourishment, head down to North Street! Locally sourced, all homemade and expertly prepared, Tessa has been fuelled by a Greedy Pig Veggie Breakfast for many a Teapots and Twirls!
Outlaws Yacht Club and Rebel Pin Up
An independent bar with a hair salon? Only in Leeds! Both businesses have provided us with generous raffle prizes, as well as a lovely venue for Jules and Tessa to meet, plot and scheme! Just opposite the Bus Station, it’s definitely a place to visit when you’re in Leeds – particularly if you like your beer, food and music (and fancy a haircut too)!
Tee-shirts designed by Lindy Hoppers, for Lindy Hoppers! Not only that, but a business run by friend and workshop leader of T&T, Benjamin Cook! These lovely designs are made from super comfy bamboo (bamboo!) that have all sorts of benefits for the discerning dancer. Check them out!
For 132 years, Duerr’s have been making jam with their family recipes across the Pennines in Manchester. The oldest family-owed jam maker in England, these lovely folk contacted us on Twitter and sent us a whole load of their lovely treats for one of our raffles. Not only that, but they gave us some extras for our scones too!
Tea and Cake – Mike Wallis
Mike is one of those lovely individuals that we know from Twitter and love both online and in real life. An incredibly talented baker, he has been known to provide a cake for the raffle, and he’s just a joy to know. Follow him at @nalsa!
A monthly event in Leeds City Centre, battle it out as a ‘baker’, join in as a ‘judge’ or simply attend as an ‘eater’ and enjoy sampling numerous themed cupcakes! Charlotte was kind enough to donate two free tickets to one of her events in 2013, and we know many-a Teapot Twirler who would love to have won it! Why not pop along to the next event?
Leeds can boast of many lovely things (as you can see!) and one of them is most definitely the incredible Hyde Park Picture House. Opened in 1914, it still rocks its early 20th-century charm and boasts a varied mix of independent films, as well as blockbusters. We are super grateful to them for providing a raffle prize for our November 2013 event (and are hoping we can win the tickets ourselves so we can watch It’s A Wonderful Life over the Festive period!)
Ever wished you could just have afternoon tea delivered to your door, no fuss? Well, with Crumb, it’s not difficult! Send your friends and family a gift box, specially designed to go though your letter box so you don’t have to be in to receive it! Lovely Lindy-hopping Vicky donated one of these lovely gifts to our very first raffle!
The Swing Dance Society at Leeds University is one of the cornerstones of the Leeds Lindy Scene. Not only has Teapots and Twirls collaborated with them to bring megastar Mikey Pedroza to visit, but they have also been very kind in donating exciting raffle prizes for our events. Check them out here.
Mega high-fives to our bands:
The marvellous Leeds City Stompers are popular with dancers and non-dancers alike, and are certainly firm favourites here at Teapots and Twirls. Martyn and David were our first port of call when we decided to put on a tea dance, and we are thrilled that they have agreed to join us on many occasions since. If you haven’t yet heard their wonderful music, make sure you give them a listen as soon as you can!
One of our favourite bands, and for which we make no apology, the energetic and loveable boys that make up Louis Louis Louis have had our dance floor rocking on a number of occasions. They have always provided us with a CD for the raffle when they’ve played, and if you weren’t the lucky winner we suggest you go and buy one for yourself. Now! 🙂
Rehearsing on Wednesdays in the lovely bars of Leeds, High Spirits are a jolly choir of friendly folk (including Jazzy Jules!) and directed by Choir Mistress, Tessa! Having made their debut performance at our second Tea Dance, High Spirits have performed at every event since, often learning special arrangements for our visiting teachers, and setting the challenge of dancing to a cappella songs for our lovely guests!
All-singing, some-dancing trio, The Honeybirds joined us on our very first tea dance, having only been singing together 4 weeks! Daisy, Jenny and Twirly Tessa were a lovely edition to that sunny May afternoon, with their 1940s-style harmonies, and we hope to see them back again one day!
Hailing from Sheffield, fabulous Bass Player and vocalist Nicola Farnon knows exactly what Lindy Hopper’s are after on the dance floor. Joined by talented folk on Piano and Drums, this 3-piece had our floor filled from the second they started, and we’re sure they’ll join us again soon – particularly as Nicola won the raffle!
And huge hugs to the wonderful people who have contributed in one way or another:
Our fantastic tea dance venue, Interplay, do some marvellous work of their own. And they have always been super excited to have us visit. Why not have a look at what they do when they’re not providing the back drop for a day with Teapots and Twirls?
When Tessa persuaded Jules that a workshop with Lunch was the next step for T&T, we slowly realised that there were a few things we needed help with. Vital items for our ‘play host’ days include extra tables that have been extremely kindly donated to us by both Jane Earnshaw at I Love West Leeds (and we definitely do!) and Logistik Group, care of the fabulous Elly Snare.
Cato
It’s always a treat when you know you have marvellous friends. Marvellous friends who work for Appletons Rum and are master cocktail makers are a bonus! Our very tasty iced-tea concoction and number our boozy drinks since have been created and/or supplied by Mr Mark Cato, and we are very grateful indeed. Thank you, Cato!
The cake bakers we had that first event (or at least Toby who did the first Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies!)
The Dream Team (Smithers, Tom, Amy and Liz)
And last, but by no means least, our wonderful family and friends who have given up their afternoons to serve cakes, wash crockery and provide most excellent doorman duties. So big love to Mistress of the Marigolds Smithers, Queen of Cakes Liz, Awesome Doorman Tom and The Amazin’ Cake-Bakin’ Amy. You guys are ace and we couldn’t do it without you.