I am often frustrated about the amount of attention other British cities receive. I am born and bred in Leeds I can see that it has grown into a fantastic tourist destination.

The idea of the site My Life in Leeds came about after searching online for things to do with my 13-year old nephew - I found a lot of the information to be either out-of-date or written by people who have never visited the city.

All of the content on the site will be written by locals. I know, as a traveller, I would prefer to read guides written by people who have experienced the destination.

My role will be to primarily promote the site and publish the guides.

Review: The Ellington, Leeds

The financial capital of the North gets a five-star hideaway that's more New Orleans than Yorkshire

Waterfall Spa, Leeds

All-female boutique day spa with an Eastern accent

Related Links

• The Twitter Report: family travel

Darren Cronian is also a blogger and author of Travelrants - and you can find him on Twitter

MY 10 TOP THINGS TO DO IN LEEDS

Jousting and the Royal Armouries
Recommended as a day out with the family; free entrance. The museum holds the national collection of arms and armour and more than 8,500 items within the five themed galleries.

For a small entrance charge you can watch live jousting. Make sure you plan in at least four hours to get around all of the galleries (read more on Family activities in Leeds ).

Picnic, walk around parklands and Temple Newsam House
Take a picnic and relax within 1500 acres of parkland or walk around Europe's largest working rare breed’s farm, with over 350 animals. A must visit is a tour around the house, with over 40 rooms on two levels, that dates back to the 15th century.

City centre pub crawl
What I love about nightlife in Leeds is that everything is so close together. You can literally fall out of one bar or pub and into another. Favourites are the North Bar, which serves international beers, Bar Censa, lively at the weekend and Beckett’s Bank, a popular meet-up place.

Walk around Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall abbey is only 3 miles from the city centre. Set in parkland along the River Aire, the ruins dating back to 1152. Open space for the kids with playground and picnic areas and riverside seating. Over the road from the Abbey is the Abbey House Museum which is well worth a visit.

Watch a band at the 02 Academy
The venue was originally opened in 1885 by Prince Albert and is a grade I listed gothic building. One of the city’s newest music venues, the 02 Academy opened in October 2008 by the Kaiser Chiefs. Future acts include Franz Ferdinand and the Cribs.

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