The YEP clock tower shaped my life - so why is this Leeds icon being left to decay?
I can still remember the first day my mum and dad dropped me off to start my new life in Leeds.
We were caught in the loop that was the absolute maze of driving through the city centre but as we came across the flyover I caught sight of a Leeds landmark that has shaped and defined my career.
On the horizon, shining like a beacon, was the Yorkshire Evening Post clock tower.
It was always my dream to be a journalist - nothing could ever sway me from my love of reading and writing from such a young age.
My mum even caught me as a toddler yapping away on the phone to a random lady who I’d dialled from the land line.
Apparently the pensioner on the end of the phone said she’d had such a “lovely chat” with me - clearly speaking and listening to people was always going to be on my radar.
But as we drove over the flyover I remember turning to my mum and dad, telling them that one day I would be working for the Yorkshire Evening Post and would eventually become its editor.
So it was with an immense sense of pride that I remember the first day entering the brutalist building on Wellington Street, with the clock tower looming over the Leeds skyline, feeling like I was finally home.
Over the decades, the clock tower has stood firm as a constant presence against our city’s ever-changing skyline.
As Leeds continues to transform around it, I can only imagine the secrets, people and stories that this proud landmark has borne witness to over the years.
It is more than just a building - it's an institution, a living witness to the trials and tribulations of life in Leeds and a keeper of secrets and stories gathered over the generations.
So it fills me with great sadness to see the once proud landmark of Leeds falling into disrepair.
And the clock is firmly ticking on what its future holds for this site.
We want answers about what will happen next to this landmark, which switched from our ownership in 2012.
But for me it is simply more than just another building.
It’s a symbol.
I’m sure I’m not alone when many of you will no doubt have used it as a landmark to say “we’re finally back home”.
And now we’re calling on its current custodians to give it the respect and dignity it deserves.