Until 1974 it was a separate borough, not part of Leeds, and many older residents still think of it as a distinct town. Here are some facts and figures.

- Pudsey has a defined town centre with a variety of independent and chain shops around Church Lane and Lowtown. An open market is held there too. The area is also home to the huge Owlcotes Shopping Centre just off the Stanningley by-pass, which includes large Marks and Spencer and Asda Wal-Mart stores as well as a few smaller chain shops.

- The name Pudsey is familiar to people all over the UK thanks to the BBC's Children in Need fundraising. The mascot is Pudsey Bear, so named because the original BBC graphic artist who designed him was from Pudsey and her grandfather was a past mayor of the borough.

- Pudsey Police Station, part of Pudsey/Weetwood Division, is at Dawson's Corner and is open 24 hours.

- Firefighting cover is provided by Stanningley fire station, opened in 2003 to replace the stations at Pudsey and Bramley, on Stanningley Road. The nearest ambulance station is at Bramley.

- Close to the police station at Dawson's Corner is Pudsey Civic Hall. Leeds City Council's Outer West Area Committee covers Pudsey and meets every two months to discuss local issues especially community safety, keeping the streets clean and activities for young people.

- The MP for Pudsey is Labour's Paul Truswell.

- Pudsey electoral ward borders Farnley ward to the east, Calverley and Farsley along with Bramley and Stanningley to the north and Armley to the north east.

- The Moravian settlement of Fulneck is one of the area's historic attractions. This small village is home to Fulneck School, a fee-paying school which provides education from nursery to sixth-form.

- According to data complied in 2004 using 2001 census results (Pudsey at that time was split into two electoral wards and has since become only one), Pudsey's population was 22,304. The majority of those (41 per cent) were aged between 30 and 59 and nearly 22 per cent were aged 60 or over. Education Leeds figures from 2003 show 36.5 per cent of the population achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A-C.


- New Pudsey railway station, close to the Owlcotes Shopping Centre, provides rail links to Bradford and Leeds. Pudsey bus station is in the Market Place in the town centre and plans for improvements to it have recently been drawn up.

- There is a wide variety of housing from traditional terraces, cottages, council houses, new homes and flats and sheltered accommodation. As in the rest of the city, many new homes have been built in recent years.

- There are several nurseries, nine state primary schools and three state secondary schools in Pudsey.

- Five GPs surgeries are based in Pudsey and there are three dental surgeries.

- Churches include St Andrew's Methodist Church, St Lawrence and St Paul Church, Swinnow St. Mark's Methodist Church, James the Great Church and Pudsey United Reformed Church.

- Cultural activities in Pudsey include theatre from Fulneck Dramatic Society, which stages several productions a year at the Comenius Arts Centre in Fulneck.

- Pudsey has an active Civic Society which holds historical archives and meets regularly. They also run trips and walks around the area.

- The Rotary Club of Pudsey is very active. Pudsey Chess Club, Pudsey Cross Stitch are Pudsey Scrabble Club also located in the area.

- Pudsey Carnival and the Good Gallop fun run, which began in memory of a Pudsey man in 2004, are among the annual events held in the district.

- There are pubs dotted throughout Pudsey and restaurants include the a branch of the Aagrah curry house chain as well as eateries serving a wide variety of other cuisines.