Jewish Sheffielders grieve in a vigil for Palestinian and Israeli dead
As the conflict between Israel and Gaza rages on, a group of Jewish Sheffielders came together to grieve both Palestinian and Israeli dead.
In the Winter Garden on Wednesday night, the group paid their respects by lighting candles as they read the names of men, women and children killed. Then they recited the Jewish mourning prayer, the Kaddish.
Before lighting her candle, one young woman, who chose to remain anonymous, made a statement: “We are here today to mourn and to dream of a better future for all who live on the land between the river to the sea.
"There is a Jewish Talmudic phrase, 'Each life destroyed, it is as if a whole world is destroyed.' We are here to mourn the loss of every life, for each life lost - is a whole world lost. However we know that only an end to the oppression of the Palestinian people can prevent the loss of more lives.”
Sheffield has a small Jewish community, with less than 800 recorded in the 2011 census. Source: Rei Takver
The Sheffield vigil came ten days after Na’aamod UK, “a movement of Jews in the UK seeking to end our community's support for Israel's occupation and apartheid,” held the largest Jewish-led ceasefire rally in British history. That day, 800 Jewish activists rallied in a London park demanding a hostage deal, an end to the Gazan siege, and an end to antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Describing the Sheffield vigil, Maya Brown, a Community Development Worker for the Sheffield Reform Synagogue, said: “Naming the dead felt poignant, painful. But that’s part of the power. It’s a place to hold the pain.”
Sheffield’s Jewish community is very small, with only 757 Jewish residents listed in the 2011 census.
Max Munday, who helped organise the Sheffield vigil, said: “There are Jews in Sheffield who are desperately saddened by the violence against Jewish Israelis, but also the reaction by the Israeli military, the huge loss of life among Palestinian communities.”
In October, a group of Jewish Sheffielders, including Mr Munday and others from the vigil, wrote a letter to their MPs conveying their “strong and complicated feelings” about the conflict and urging an end to violence.
The letter said: “It is important that the grief of Jews – here, in Israel, and worldwide – becomes the basis for empathy and a just peace, rather than violent vengeance that will not lead to healing for anyone.”
End Abuse Together event aims to help women spot the signs of domestic abuse
Domestic abuse survivor and campaigner, Claire Throssell, is holding a free event to "get people talking about domestic abuse."
The End Abuse Together event is taking place on 8 December at the St John’s Community centre and aims to arm women with the knowledge and information they need to take action against gendered violence.
Ms Throssell said: "I wanted to do an event in Penistone, in my own community and bring my own community together to understand domestic abuse.
"This event is aiming to break down all the barriers and get people talking about domestic abuse."
Ms Throssell, who lost her two sons, Jack and Paul, after they were murdered by their own father, has been an active campaigner since 2014.
Her work has included helping to pass the Domestic Abuse Act in 2021, which included broadening the definition of domestic abuse in law.
She said: "It's too late for Jack and Paul but I don't want any parent to have to hold their children in their arms as they die knowing it's because somebody wanted to hurt them.
"Children are gifts. They bring colour to people's worlds."
The event is a part of the 16 Days campaign that has events taking place across South Yorkshire.
When asked about the importance of the event, she said: "The more people that learn about domestic abuse, the more empowered they become.
"If just one person comes away from this event and realises that a family member, or a friend, or themselves are suffering from abuse and they take away the knowledge of how to make the situation better or take action to change their own life then its been a worthwhile event."
The event is being held in partnership with the Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS), who provide support to those in Yorkshire that have experienced or been affected by any form of domestic abuse or sexual violence.
IDAS will also be sharing information at the event about the various schemes and campaigns that are available to help victims of domestic abuse.
This year, IDAS are sharing 16 stories for the 16 Days campaign. Each personal story focuses on a different type of domestic abuse faced by women across the UK.
The Child First: Safe Child Contact Saves Lives petition can be found here.
Thrilling feats and Sheffield weights: award-winning stuntman features on the big screen
An award-winning Sheffield stuntman took to the battlefield while working for an iconic director in a new historical Hollywood blockbuster which was released last week.
Adam Smith, 33, who trains at Evolution Gym in Beighton, features in the Ridley Scott epic Napoleon which was partially filmed in Malta.
He said that working with the director for two weeks of filming was a unique experience.
"Ridley is beyond interesting because he sticks eight cameras on one shot at one time, does two or three takes and moves on straight away," he said.
Mr Smith, 33, has a filmography to rival most. Featuring in Peaky Blinders, Dunkirk, The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man and Zack Snyder's Justice League - to name a few.
He became a fully qualified stunt performer in 2015. Having started kickboxing when he was four, at the British Martial Arts Academy in Hackenthorpe, he then started training for the stunt register at 23, and got accepted at 25.
Now he is an award-winning performer. He was part of the Wonder Woman (2017) team, winning the Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture award at the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards. He was also part of the shared nomination for the Best Stunt Coordination award at the 2020 Online Film and Television Association awards for his part in 1917 (2019).
In order to get accredited, Mr Smith and other stunt hopefuls, must be able to display six skills across different categories - martial arts, trampolining, gymnastics, swimming, scuba diving and rock climbing.
He said the misconceptions around stunt performing were as prominent as ever.
"It’s like going to university - you do a course to get you there, but all paid for yourself. So you have to cover different categories, one might be water, one's falling, one's fighting and you’ve got other choices like horse riding, bikes, cars, whatever you want to specialise in.
“It’s much more of a challenge than just turning up and falling over. You never know what you’re going to do in each job, you can go from doing a massive fight scene to being set on fire."
With each job in the stunt world demanding more and more from your body Jon Clark, 52, owner of Evolution gym added: “With nutrition and training you can achieve anything, you’ve just got to understand it and adjust it. If you break any goal down, there’s a way to achieve it and that’s what we do here.”
Reflecting on his journey so far, Mr Smith said: “One of my firsts stunts I did, I went through a window but the glass was too big so they had to detonate it. As I went through I had to land with my hands down and ended up cutting my hands to shreds. I spent longer in hospital than on the job. It was for Casualty and I ended up in casualty.
"I was just buzzing to be doing a stunt, because you dream about it. You spend those two-to-three years training and all you want to be doing is be doing it and working on a film, doing something cool."
In order to work as a professional stunt performer you need to get accredited by organisations such as The British Stunt Registry. Working at every level, from gaming to independent film to the blockbuster film franchises, the BSR strides to make sure all of their members can meet the specific requirements for productions on any scale.
The criteria members need has changed in recent years to protect their performers, and Mr Smith said: “Since I got on the stunt registry it’s changed massively, so now you have to do a drama course, you need to do a health and safety course. So I think it’s improving in terms of both quality of work and also safety for us."
For years now calls have been heard for stunt performers to finally receive the recognition they deserve, through ways such as the Academy introducing a category for them.
Mr Smith believes that recognition is on the horizon and many major actors have voiced their support for the art form getting its own category, including Jackie Chan, Jason Statham and Scott Adkins.
“I do think it’s moving in the right direction, I don’t think it’s there yet as obviously it’s not fully recognised as a category in the Oscar’s or anything. But it is moving forwards and for years stunt performers have gone under appreciated. That’s by everyone, from directors to people just watching it."
“Transformed” Owls full of belief after encouraging performances under Danny Rohl
Sheffield Wednesday face in-form Blackburn Rovers at Hillsborough this weekend, hoping to build on an encouraging performance against league leaders Leicester City in midweek.
Danny Rohl's men nicked a point at the death of Wednesday's match and the Owls manager is hoping that the performance against the Foxes will help invigorate his struggling side.
Rohl said: "I think this is an important signal for the team that we can do this and this is about belief.”
Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers have been fighting at opposite ends of Championship table this season with Wednesday 21 points behind the visitors. The Owls' record of seven points after 18 games has them sitting comfortably bottom of the league with a wretched record in front of goal of just nine goals scored, six worse than QPR who are 23rd in the goal scoring charts.
Rovers' season so far is much brighter as they sit two points off the playoff places in seventh with their attack mixing it with the best in the Championship, joint fourth alongside Leeds United.
Danny Rohl spoke highly of his opponents as he discussed the promising form they have been in recently.
Rohl said: "They are a very good team. They play very quick through the centre, a lot of rotation, a lot of movements, they've scored a lot of times.. They’ve had a good run in the last weeks and they deserve at the moment to be on top of the table as well."
Since Rohl arrived in S6 in October, Wednesday have picked up four points in seven games, more than the three points from 11 before he stepped foot in Hillsborough. The performances in the German's first ever managerial post have inspired fans to believe they can secure their status in the Championship this season.
Lifelong fan and season ticket holder Dan Knight believes that Rohl's work has revolutionised this Sheffield Wednesday team after the lack of style of play on show under former manager Xisco Munoz.
Mr Knight, 22, said: "I think Rohl has obviously transformed the team tactically, we've now got the ability and composure to play out from the back and actually create chances, although we still end up missing most of them.
"I think the fans have been encouraged since his first game to be honest, we're clearly in the hands of a very good coach."
Sheffield Vulcans RUFC: South Yorkshire’s first IGR team
Sheffield Vulcans, founded in August 2017, is South Yorkshire's first and only all-inclusive rugby club.
The club was initially set up as part of the Spirit of Rugby Campaign, which launched in 2016. This development initiative, implemented by World Rugby, aimed to mould rugby into a 'sport for all', with its key values being integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline.
The scope of the proposals also celebrated themes of social inclusion, gender equity, peace building, health and education.
In hopes to redefine the the game of rugby, Sheffield Vulcans welcome players from all backgrounds and identities, celebrating diversity and providing a space where people can play with pride.
The club offers an inclusive environment, one where you can embrace your true self on and off the field. They praise themselves on community ethics and support, offering the space to find mentorship, build friendships and celebrate each other's individuality.
Homophobia is common within sports, meaning many people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community avoid participating. Nevertheless, Sheffield Vulcans assure that you will receive support and acceptance from the start.
As well as their active contribution to the LGBTQ+ community, they have also raised money for many local charities, supporting queer-led organisations and even hosting the Unofficial Pride After Party in 2019.
They also regularly post on their social channels, drawing attention to World Aids Day, Trans Day of Remembrance and Bisexual visibility week, staying committed to their values.
Sheffield Vulcans RUFC is a proud member of International Gay Rugby (IGR). IGR are a group that work across the world to keep the rugby community connected and supported.
In 2022, after England Rugby proposed the significant reduction in opportunities for transgender women, IGR addressed the transgender and non-binary community and said: "You will always be welcome to play rugby."
Sam Biscoe, 37, Chairperson of all-inclusive rugby club Colchester Kings, said: "Teams like ours have allowed access to sport in a way that traditional teams haven’t been able to.
By creating safe spaces for people to come and give rugby a try, it’s given opportunities to those who might have never engaged in sport before.
It’s important to allow a wide range of people access to team sports because it’s proven to increase fitness levels and reduce social isolation.
Being part of a group of people who are like-minded is important as it brings us closer together as a group and improves our game on the field. But not only that, we have found friendships and connections off the field too."
Colchester Kings was founded in June 2022 and has had huge success. They have over 100 members and have even competed in their first international tournament. The Colchester Kings Chairperson said: "We’re looking forward to heading to Rome in 2024 for the World Cup."
Legendary Golf Club Closes After 122 Years
Renishaw Park Golf Club, established in 1911, is set to cease trading after ongoing financial hardship.
Despite club members raising a substantial fee of £20,000, it was not enough to keep the club open during the upcoming winter months when trade is slow.
Renishaw Park Golf Club has also confirmed that multiple donators have come forward to offer further payment, but they will be declining.
The club released a statement to members that said: "We are respectfully declining the very kind offers made and will not be using your money to prop up the club for the next couple of months with no future beyond."
Despite the situation, Renishaw Park Golf Club have stated that they will be exploring options so that a club may continue to operate on location, "in whatever form that may be."
On Sunday 3 December at 4.30pm, the club is scheduled to shut its doors for the last time.
Sheffield company produce UK’s only barefoot running sandals
A Sheffield footwear company has become the first manufacturer in the UK to produce handmade barefoot running sandals.
Tom Harper and James Jones met in 2020 after competing in a six man, 100 mile relay race organised by Tony Riddle, a barefoot endurance athlete and author of the bestselling book Be More Human.
Both Mr Harper and Mr Jones shared a passion for being outdoors and collaborated together to start wildsole sandals alongside their wives Faye Harper and Naomi Jones before launching their footwear in April this year.
“That’s what the sandals are all about really, having an enhanced connection to nature but also to ourselves. There’s a disconnect between people’s feet and themselves and it’s really important that feet get more attention because they’re our foundation,” said Mr Harper, 46, from Penistone.
He was inspired to start wearing barefoot sandals after listening to the podcast ‘Feel Better, Live More with Rangan Chatterjee’, in which guest podcaster, Galahad Clark, an ancestor of the Clark Shoes’ founders, talked about the importance of barefoot shoes.
One of their main aims was to source and produce the materials for the sandal from Yorkshire.
Mr & Mrs Harper make the shoes in Penistone from sustainable, animal friendly materials and have worked hard to ensure they use plastic free shipping
The toe plug, which can be found at the bottom of the sole with the company’s logo, was developed in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University and the branding of the foot-bed and packaging of the product was developed by M. Shaw Engraving Ltd., a local company located on Hill Street.
Mr Harper also explained he was also inspired by Christopher McDougall’s non-fiction book, Born to Run, about the Tarahumara Indians tribe of Mexico’s Copper Canyons and their ability to run phenomenally long distances wearing barefoot sandals.
Mr Harper decided to create his own barefoot sandals when he discovered that there were no similar products in the UK leaving him no choice but to have a pair shipped from the US,
Now, after three years of developing wildsole sandals, Mr Harper ships his product across the country.
Prior to opening the business, Mr Harper and his wife ran L&S Fashion Ltd, a fast fashion retail company.
The branding for wildsole has other links to Sheffield too, as the font is a revival of one made by English type foundry Stephenson Blake at the end of the 19th century.
Mr Harper estimates he has made over 1,000 pair of sandals and they can take up to three to four hours to produce each pair.
The long-term plans of the company include franchising and increasing their UK market but they currently do not have any plans to ship internationally.
Big Bike Revival funds free bike maintenance in Sheffield
People in Sheffield can have their bike fixed for free at Park Hill flats, as part of Cycling UK's Big Bike Revival.
Big Bike Revival provides funding for events designed by community groups and not-for-profits organisations to increase cycling skills and confidence in people who are not regular cyclists.
They have reached over 700,000 people since 2014.
Tom Mutton, 35, is a self-employed mechanic working with Cycling UK to deliver these sessions.
He said: "There's a lot of hardy cyclists in Sheffield.
"The fact that it's so close to the Peak District, I think that's in its favour massively because there's a lot of people who get out to the Peak District to go riding."
This Saturday and next, he is running completely free 'Dr Bike' and 'Learn 2 Fix' sessions held in the main lobby of Park Hill flats for anyone in Sheffield to attend.
The Dr Bike sessions run between 9am-3pm in the form of 20 minute bookable slots where you can drop your bike off with Mr Mutton to have a basic assessment to make sure it is safe to ride.
Afterwards, participants are given a written report outlining any issues the bike owner might need to address.
Between 3pm-5pm, Learn 2 Fix classes will take place for people to spend time getting to know their bike and how to look after it.
These sessions are bespoke and participant led based on areas people want to learn more about.
Becky Greenwood, 36, has had her bike fixed twice by Mr Mutton. she said: "I don't have a car, it's how I get to work, It's how I get everywhere.
"It's amazing because some people cycle because they can't afford a vehicle or public transport's too expensive."
She lives in Gleadless Valley and said she relies on her bike because in the evening only one bus comes every hour but doesn't have the time to .
In October, Big Bike Revival secured a £4m funding boost from Active Travel England, ensuring it will run until March 2025.
Cycling UK chief executive Sarah Mitchell said: "this significant new funding will enable us to spread the benefits of cycling to even more communities, improving health and wellbeing and saving people money in a cost of living crisis."
To book your place at either Dr Bike or Learn to Fix, email tommutton@me.com.
Doncaster ready to upset the odds in FA Cup tie with Peterborough
FA Cup magic is on the cards tomorrow as Doncaster Rovers have the chance to produce the upset of the weekend in their knockout match against Peterborough United.
League Two’s Rovers travel to Peterborough for their Second Round match-up knowing they are just one win away from the opportunity to take on Premier League opposition.
However, they must first defeat a high-flying Peterborough side who sit 36 places higher in the League One play-off places, with Doncaster 17th in the division below.
Manager Grant McCann is very familiar with the opposition having managed Peterborough in several spells including as recently as last season, as well as making 186 appearances for the club as a player, but is uninterested in getting distracted by emotion.
McCann said: “We’re not treating this game any differently just because it’s Peterborough. I think everyone will have it down as a Peterborough win, but hopefully we can have other ideas and go there and give it a go.”
Doncaster only narrowly reached the Second Round after defeating Accrington Stanley 2-1 in extra time of their First Round replay.
While their league campaign has been below par so far with the side marooned in mid-table adrift from the play-off places, a 3-1 home victory against Colchester on Tuesday helped to restore some confidence ahead of their cup clash.
Rovers have already come close to knockout success this season when they narrowly lost 2-1 at home to top-flight Everton in the League Cup in August, but the defeat has only made 21-year-old left-back James Maxwell more eager to win on Saturday.
Maxwell said: “One of the favourite games of my career so far has been that Everton game just for the atmosphere and seeing the stadium full and feeling the buzz around the place, and we want to achieve that again.”
Peterborough will be confident of progressing to the Third Round themselves after a strong start to the season has seen them score the joint-most goals in League One and sit just four points off the top of the table.
However, Posh had to rely on penalties to beat League Two Salford City in the previous round of the FA Cup having drawn 2-2 at home and 4-4 away.
Kick-off is at 3pm tomorrow at the Weston Homes Stadium.
Five fire engines tackle blaze in Sheffield students flat
The shared kitchen in a students flat caught fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving students "worried and scared" for their safety.
The fire began in a shared kitchen in Sharman Court at 12.15am Tuesday, and was dealt with by 2.45am.
Peixu Du, 23 who lives in the flat, waited outside of the building for three hours, and he couldn’t fall asleep until after 4am because his room smelled of smoke.
He said: “I thought the fire alarm would only last a few minutes and then stop, but it just kept going off and on.
“I walked out and saw everyone downstairs looking up. There was very heavy white smoke coming out, and then it turned to black smoke.
“I was worried and scared. From the outside of the flat, you can see that the inside of the burning building was very dark,” Mr Du said.
Katherine Yao, 22, a student at the University of Sheffield who lives in another block said: “I was sleeping and had no idea what’s going on.
“I guessed it was something burning in my room, but after checking all the appliances and finding that everything was fine. I realised that the smell was from someone else’s room.
“I was a bit angry at first, when I was woken up by the fire alarm ringing, then I started to worry that the fire would spread to my room.
“The building reeked of smoke. It’s so pungent that I thought I was going to be poisoned.”
Greg Mattocks-Evans, from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “It was caused accidentally. Fortunately, no one was injured.
“The exact cause has been hard to determine but was most likely caused either by an extractor fan or airfryer."
He also added: “Always keep an eye on your cooking and never leave it unattended, turn appliances/cooker off when you’ve gone to bed and if you come home after a night out, get a takeaway rather than try and cook anything.”
Horsham FC: The non-league side Barnsley fans are rooting for
Barnsley FC made headlines on November 22 when they were expelled out of the FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player.
Their opponents, seventh-tier minnows Horsham FC, managed to hold the Tykes to a hard-fought 3-3 draw at Oakwell, before Barnsley won the replay 3-0.
However, the south Yorkshire side fielded a player in the replay who had not been registered for the initial fixture, a breach of FA Cup Rule 103.
This therefore allowed Horsham, who are based in Sussex, to reach the second round of the world’s oldest cup competition, where they will play Sutton United this Saturday, and they appear to have acquired some Barnsley fans in the process.
Speaking after the news was confirmed, Horsham chairman Kevin Borrett said: “We’re in the second round through circumstances this time but we want to try and capitalise on that and believe we have a strong level of support, even from Barnsley.
“I think we have a northern branch who will be rooting strongly for us on Saturday. We’ve already talked about future collaboration between the clubs in some way.”
A number of Barnsley fans have been vocally supportive on X (twitter).
Good luck tomorrow chaps! Barnsley fan rooting for you 👌👍
— Dave (@Superdaveyy) December 1, 2023
One fan tweeted: “Good luck tomorrow chaps! Barnsley fan rooting for you.”
Another wrote: “Good luck tomorrow @HorshamFC. Hope you get through and get a good tie in the next round.”
Horsham have never made it through to the third round of the tournament, but will be eying up the game against Sutton, who are sat in 24th in League Two, as a golden opportunity to make history.
Levelling Up on everyone’s lips as Question Time comes to Doncaster
Last night's Question Time was dominated by concerns over Levelling Up as the show returned to Doncaster.
People in the audience wanted to ask a question on the government policy more than any other topic, according to host Fiona Bruce.
Doncaster residents were eager to find out how the policy to invest in the north would impact their city.
Among the show’s panellists was Cabinet Office Minister, Esther McVey, and Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Reed.
Ms McVey said: “Millions of pounds have come to Doncaster in the Levelling Up Fund and it’s really important that we do support our businesses.”
However, Mr Reed argued Doncaster has been worse off since the Conservatives took office in 2010.
The debate on levelling up in Doncaster came just over a week after the Autumn Statement.
In it, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced £25m of the Levelling Up Fund would be spent on development projects in Moorends and Mexborough.
Also on the panel was editor of The Spectator, Andrew Neil, who spoke of his frustrations with the implementation of the Levelling Up policy.
Speaking directly to the audience, he said: “From what I’ve just heard, you’re not happy and you have every right to be not happy.
“I think levelling up was a wonderful idea. It’s just a pity it was never implemented.”
The government say they are committed to investing £13bn in Levelling Up projects across the country.
At the Conservative Party Conference in October, the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced the northern leg of the HS2 rail project would be scrapped.
He promised to divert £36bn into improving transport in the north and midlands instead, according to the Guardian.
Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Layla Moran, another Question Time panellist, spoke of her dismay at HS2’s northern leg being scrapped.
She said: “I would’ve started [the project] in the north and gone south. You start the investment there; you don’t stop it.”
No Doncaster MP featured on the show, with Don Valley MP, Nick Fletcher, saying on Facebook he applied to be on the Question Time panel but was rejected.