Yorkshire is in the blood for presenter, writer, podcaster and former international gymnast Gabby Logan MBE who will chair the spectacular Awakening opening event which heralds the LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture in January. 

Somewhere in Yorkshire that makes you smile 
So much. Harrogate. Leeds. Cow & Calf. The drive from to Harrogate from Knaresborough  

A place you love to eat  
San Carol Flying Pizza in Street Lane, Roundhay. A real family favourite. 

A childhood memory  
My teenage years being spent in Leeds was a really grounding experience after having moved around a lot. Being in Leeds gave me a sense of belonging for the first time – I was born there but when we came back, I felt like ‘I belong’. Leeds felt like it was big enough to feel like you were somewhere exciting but small enough that there’d always be someone in town that you knew and would bump into; that nice familiarity but exciting when you’re a young person. Lots of opportunities for sport and the arts – you felt like you could never get bored there. 

A place to take friends  
Leeds - I’ve got a lot of friends who think ’the north’ is Watford but they get to Leeds and it’s ‘Oh my god it’s amazing!’ In some ways that gets you annoyed but in others you’re very proud, like ‘I’ve been telling you that for years!’   

My mum is one of the proudest Leodians ever – she just loves Leeds and wouldn't consider living anywhere else. She is like a Leeds PR machine. 

A cultural go-to 
LEEDS 2023 – it feels very Leeds-like that after not being able to apply to be city of culture they decided to go it on their own and it felt like the attitude and the passion of the people of Leeds was behind that. Art and culture and entertainment and sport are things that the city has in abundance. 

Inspiration outdoors  
In Yorkshire you can go to Haworth, you can go to Piece Hall - I used to love going to Skipton because I could get there on the train from near my house – when I was 14 or 15 - could spend a day in Skipton on my own. When I went to uni, a good friend came from Grassington so I’d get the train up there – it’s a beautiful part of the world.  

A view that inspires  
I love the view from the top of our house near Shadwell ring road of Leeds city skyline 

LEEDS 2023 – what to expect 
LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture will start with an unmissable opening show at Headingley Stadium on January 7 2023.   

‘The Awakening’ will celebrate Leeds’ past, present and future in a live show from the home of Leeds Rhinos.  With 15,000 tickets available Leeds people are being asked to get creative and submit a piece of art to be in with a chance of gaining a pair of free tickets to the one-off show.  

Directed by Kully Thiarai, Creative Director and Chief Executive of LEEDS 2023 and Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low, each known for creating large-scale, radical, inclusive work, ‘The Awakening’ will be an original celebratory collective act.  

Hosted by LEEDS 2023 Chair  Gabby Logan MBE with broadcaster Sanchez Payne, a Trustee of LEEDS 2023 and former Leeds United footballer, leading Leeds artists will perform in a creative collision of surprising pairings, new commissions and collaborations including:  

Global star, singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae 

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and band LYR  

Music from The Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North including a rendition of Chumbawumba’s ‘Tubthumping’  

Ntantu, UK Rap and RnB artist  

George Webster, TV presenter, actor, dancer and the first CBeebies presenter with Down’s syndrome. 

British rapper and former footballer Graft 

The LEEDS 2023 programme will play out in three seasons will shape the year, with ‘awakening’ influencing Season One (January to April), ‘playing’ the focus of Season Two (May to August), and ‘dreaming’ a forward-looking end to the year (September to December).  

November 25 is the deadline for submissions when 7,500 pieces of the public’s art will be selected at random to receive a pair of free tickets. Find out more at leeds2023.co.uk 

Gabby's memoir, The First Half is out now