I first visited Leeds as a prospective student in 1979 but didn’t get the grades I needed to get a place. I ended up in Norwich at the University of East Anglia and when I graduated, I went back home to East Yorkshire.

My interest in Leeds didn’t wane though. I got a job as Chief Cashier at the Leeds Permanent Building Society in Beverley, which meant frequent trips to Head Office (where the Light is now).

With every visit, I realised I wanted to move here, and it was helped by my then girlfriend getting a post graduate placement at Leeds University. I moved here finally in 1987 and it changed my life.

The city was so welcoming, so culturally diverse, so exciting and it gave me the confidence to admit to myself that I was gay. I finally came out in 1991 and I’ve felt nothing but love from the people here. I met my partner of 28 years here in Leeds, he had stayed on after his university course.

We moved to London in 2010 but came home in 2019. The pull to be back with family, friends and the people of this fantastic city is just too strong.

I can’t imagine being anywhere else now.