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Close up of a blue paddleboard with coiled rope floating on a calm lake.

Leeds sailing open day sets 400-lap Yeadon Tarn challenge

Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre is opening its doors at Yeadon Tarn on Saturday, June 6, with a four-hour open day built around a 400-lap community challenge.

The event runs from 9am to 1pm at Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre, Yeadon Tarn. The price has not been specified in the source information. Sessions are bookable in advance online through Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre | Active Leeds.

The day is aimed at local people and adventure seekers who want to take part on the water or around the tarn. Participants can add laps by sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding or walking, with every completed circuit counted towards the centre team’s target.

400 laps at Yeadon Tarn on Saturday morning

The Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre Open Day and 400 Laps Challenge marks two anniversaries at once: 20 years since the centre first opened at Yeadon Tarn, and 400 years since Leeds received its first City Charter.

The challenge is part of the city-wide What’s Your 400? campaign, which asks people across Leeds to create activities, events or personal challenges linked to the number 400.

At Yeadon Tarn, the centre’s version is deliberately simple: help build the lap count between the doors opening at 9am and the end of the open day at 1pm. The laps can be completed on the water or on foot, making the challenge open to people with different levels of confidence and experience.

Qualified instructors will be on hand for visitors who want to try getting safely out on the water. The activities named for the open day are sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Event details for visitors

Detail Information
Event Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre Open Day and 400 Laps Challenge
Date Saturday, June 6, 2026
Time 9am to 1pm
Venue Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre, Yeadon Tarn
Location Yeadon Tarn, Leeds
Price Not specified
Booking Sessions are bookable in advance online through Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre
Who it is for Local people and adventure seekers

Visitors should note that the source announcement does not list parking, public transport, food stalls or accessibility arrangements. The confirmed location detail is Yeadon Tarn.

How the open day fits Leeds 400

The event was sparked by research carried out by outdoor activities coach Toby Cade. Over the past two decades, the centre has introduced thousands of visitors to water sports including sailing and paddleboarding, alongside outdoor pursuits such as orienteering and off-road biking.

For this weekend’s challenge, the centre is tying that local activity history to Leeds 400, the programme marking four centuries since King Charles I bestowed the first Leeds City Charter in 1626.

The wider What’s Your 400? campaign has invited people in Leeds to mark the year through their own ideas, from walking, running and cycling to baking, volunteering, dancing and painting. People completing a challenge are asked to share their efforts on social media using #WhatsYour400 and can download a certificate online.

Adam-Peter Gair, outdoor activities manager at the centre, said the team wanted to mark the centre’s anniversary while taking part in the city’s wider 400-year celebration.

“We’re so proud that we’ve been open for 20 years and that we’ve given so many people the chance to get active out on the water and try something different in such a beautiful part of Leeds,” he said.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for economy, said the campaign had shown “the breadth and creativity of ideas” coming forward for Leeds 400.

What to do before going

Anyone planning to take part should check the bookable sessions for Leeds Sailing and Activity Centre in advance, as the source information says sessions are bookable online.

The lap count will run only during the open day, from 9am until 1pm on Saturday, June 6. Participants can contribute by completing laps of Yeadon Tarn on the water or on foot.

Source: Leeds City Council

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Eleanor Thompson

Eleanor Thompson

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Eleanor Thompson is a dedicated journalist with over a decade of experience covering regional governance in West Yorkshire. Specialising in Leeds City Council affairs, she focuses on translating complex policy decisions into clear, actionable news for the local community. Eleanor is committed to high standards of civic reporting, ensuring that municipal spending and development plans are transparent and serve the public interest of Leeds residents

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