Welcome to Day 21 of the 2025 Harehills Good News Advent Calendar.
It is easy to think of museums as places that just look backwards—guardians of glass cabinets and old stories. But if you head down to Beckett Street, you’ll find that the Thackray Museum of Medicine is spending just as much time looking forward.
Today, we are celebrating a moment from October that planted the seeds for something huge in 2026.
On October 15th, the museum threw open its doors for the “Dig Into a Feast of Ideas” event. This wasn’t your typical stuffy board meeting or clipboard consultation. It was a proper community get-together. The concept was simple but effective: good company, thoughtful conversation, and a delicious vegan meal shared by neighbours. Crucially, it was alcohol-free and family-friendly, making sure that everyone in our diverse neighbourhood felt welcome to pull up a chair.
But they weren’t just sharing food; they were sharing a vision.
The museum has teamed up with the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)—the folks usually associated with the Chelsea Flower Show—to create a ground-breaking family exhibition for Summer 2026. The project will explore how plants and gardens can nurture both our minds and our bodies.
For a dense urban area like Harehills, where green space is precious, this is a vital conversation. And the best part? The exhibition isn’t being designed for us; it’s being designed by us. The ideas, memories, and hopes shared across the dinner table in October are being woven directly into the plans.
So, while the ground might be frozen this December, we can warm ourselves with the knowledge that something green and beautiful is growing right on our doorstep, ready to bloom next summer.
Read more:
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS): https://www.rhs.org.uk/
Thackray Museum of Medicine: https://thackraymuseum.co.uk/
East Side Story Coverage: https://eastsidestory.co.uk/dig-into-a-feast-of-ideas-at-thackrays-community-table/
Harehills ❤️ Love 
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