Sheffield run which awards Christmas puddings as prizes sees turnout of nearly 3,000 people
Sheffield's most popular 10k run lived up to its reputation last Sunday despite an early start and a bitingly cold day.
The Percy Pud 10k takes place every December in Loxley Valley and has sold out for the last ten years in a row.
This year 2800 runners took part. And instead of a traditional medal they were given a Christmas pudding and a custom beanie hat to get them in to the holiday spirit.
Organised by Steel City Striders running club, the fun run began in 1993 after the new mayor of Sheffield suggested that clubs and organisations should put on events to commemorate the centenary of the Sheffield Lord Mayor.
Angela Lally, a keen runner from Sheffield, took part in the annual run on Sunday.
She first got into running at the age of ten after seeing her dad give up smoking in his 40s and commit to fitness.
"Seeing him going out really made me think, well that's what you do, you just go out and run," she said.
Ms Lally ran the Percy Pud for the first time this year, and said it's always been on her radar.
"It's quite an iconic one, people come from all areas.
It attracts quite a lot of fast, serious runners," she said.
The festive run saw professional long-distance runner, Eilish McColgan partake five years ago.
The 10k is not just for competitive runners and also attracts groups in fancy dress, festive wear, and people running for charity.
Steel City Striders themselves work with a number of local charities to reinvest funds raised from the race back into the community.
Previous beneficiaries include St Luke's Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support, St Nicholas Church, and local primary schools.
Ms Lally ran the route in 45 minutes, 40 seconds, which was 25 seconds short of her personal best and placed her 17th out of 199 in her age category.
Prospective competitors are advised to register for the fun run as soon as possible, as the event sells out quickly and entries are capped at 3000 people.
Entries for the 2023 Percy Pud 10k will open next Autumn.
Man jailed for 18 years at Sheffield Crown Court after raping, beating and threatening to kill his victim
A man was sentenced to 18 years in prison after repeatedly beating, raping and threatening to kill his victim for more than 16 years.
Louis Williams, 39, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday after it was heard he subjected the woman to ongoing abuse since meeting her in 2002.
Det Sgt, Jack Smith, who led the investigation, said: "The victim suffered years of horrific abuse at the hands of Williams and his actions led to this woman feeling scared, alone, and in fear of her life for years."
After successfully attaining a restraining order against Williams in 2017, his violent pursuit still continued. In November 2018, Williams was arrested and later charged with indecent assault and rape.
On 29 July this year, Williams was found guilty of multiple counts of rape, one count of indecent assault, 10 counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, five counts of threats to kill and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Williams' imprisonment comes just days after South Yorkshire Police make 18 arrests in Sheffield for domestic abuse, rape and assault - tackling violence against women and girls during the annual global 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Det Sgt Smith added: "All forms of violence against women and girls will not be tolerated at South Yorkshire Police, this remains an ongoing priority. We will do our utmost to ensure that those responsible for behaviours of this nature are brought to justice.
“If you have been or feel you are a victim of abuse, please report it to us. We are ready and willing to listen. You can reach us on 101 or if you feel there is a threat to life, dial 999.”
Sheffield councillor hits out at “sticking plaster” government support as Christmas food voucher roll out begins
Over 30,000 children will receive food vouchers from Sheffield City Council this week, but one councillor has claimed it will only be a short-term solution.
Eligible families will receive £30 towards food costs during the Christmas holidays as part of the cost-of-living crisis winter support package.
The scheme is supported by the government’s Household Support Fund, and comes as part of a package of council-led measures to support local families.
Labour councillor for Woodhouse Mickey Rooney said: “The vouchers are not going to solve people’s financial problems, but they’re going to help.
“I find it ironic that the government should be providing money to keep kids fed when it’s their fault that they haven’t got enough money to feed them.
“It makes me angry to see kids hungry in the twenty-first century."
The council says people do not need to apply to the scheme, as those eligible will automatically receive a letter with information on how the vouchers can be redeemed.
Cllr Rooney said: “It’s only a short-term answer.
“What the government must do is address the fundamental problem which is that there are poor people in this country who are working their socks off to make ends meet.
“But they’ve offered a sticking plaster solution to it.”
The council has also launched the Sheffield Healthy Holidays scheme, where children can attend free activities across the city this Christmas, all of which provide hot meals.
Welcoming spaces, such as libraries, also form part of the council’s winter support package. These offer a place to stay warm, meet people and find support in navigating the cost of living crisis.
Leader of Sheffield City Council Terry Fox said: “It’s no secret that winter is going to be tough for us all.
“We’ve set up a dedicated Cost of Living webpage full of information about the support on offer, so please do get in touch as we are here to help.”
Sheffield’s ‘man with the pram’ close to raising £1m for Macmillan
Sheffield's iconic 'man with a pram' has said he is close to reaching his £1m fundraising target for a cancer care charity.
John Burkhill, from Handsworth, can be seen around Sheffield almost every day, dressed in a curly green wig and pushing a decorated pram.
The pram belonged to his daughter, who died in 1991. This was followed shortly after by the death of John's wife from cancer.
Since then, he has made it his mission to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that supports people with the disease and their families.
Now Mr Burkhill said he has raised over £900,000, and is close to hitting seven digits.
"I think we'll likely hit it early next year, but I'm hopeful that one of my Christmas day walks might tip it over," he said.
But it's not just walks he does. Despite being in his mid-80s, John is a regular at marathons and this March completed the Sheffield Half in three hours and 51 minutes.
"I do a lot of marathons, all over the country," he said.
"I've done London, the Great North Run, New York. And I always take the pram with me. Everyone knows this mad bloke from Sheffield with a pram."
John's pram is decorated with flags, tinsel and even christmas lights. It also carries the teddy bear that belonged to his wife.
John's friend Doreen Birch said: "He's a good bloke and a good collector.
"I love him, me. If owt happened to him it'd break my heart."
School workshops will allow young people to reflect on how the pandemic changed their views on life
A company which runs educational workshops for young people will be hosting free reflecting on the pandemic sessions for schools in Sheffield.
Sheffield City Council has awarded Amazelab a COVID memorial fund grant to help facilitate the workshops, which will let children reflect on their experiences with the pandemic creatively.
The COVID-19 Community Memorial Fund was set up in partnership with Compassionate Sheffield, a programme which helps support people through loss, with the aim of gathering stories, connecting communities and sharing perspectives.
Leonie Briggs, director of Amazelab, said: “When I saw the grant advertised my mind immediately went to these amazing young people I get to work with.
“I really wanted to ask them how they felt about the pandemic, how they thought about it three years on - I really wanted them to be represented.”
Amazelab focuses on creative and relevant ways of teaching children and young people the STEAM subjects: science, technology, engineering, arts and maths.
Ms Briggs said: ”I stand in front of a group of children and think I wonder who’s in this room, you could be the first person to set foot on Mars, you could find the cure for cancer.”
The director said the impact of the pandemic on children’s mental health and wellbeing is her main concern as they have missed out on key social experiences and not had access to community groups, dance, football and other activities they would normally attend.
Statistics from the bmj found that between April and September 2021, there was an 81% increase in referrals for children and young people’s mental health services compared to 2011.
The workshops will revolve around making sun-catchers and teaching young people about colour, however a large portion of the sessions will focus on student voice and how the pandemic has changed their views on life.
Ms Briggs said: “I really want them to be a prominent piece in the community, in people's homes and schools, so that they can look at the sun-catchers and reflect on the pandemic and what it means to them.”
The reflecting on the pandemic workshops will be recorded in the national archives and the sun-catchers will be featured as an exhibition in the Millennium gallery.
If you are interested in hosting a reflecting on the pandemic workshop at your school, contact info@amazelab.co.uk or visit them on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
“Absolutely Ridiculous” – Pulp fans hit out at resale sites
Some fans' dreams of meeting up for Pulp's 2023 reunion have been crushed by the price of tickets listed on resale sites.
Jarvis Cocker's band will play two shows in Sheffield next July, with fellow local star Richard Hawley supporting for their first gig in over a decade.
Tickets sold out within hours after they went on sale last month, but many are now appearing on resale sites for more than triple the original price. Original prices ranged from £49 to £90. One ticket was listed on Viagogo for £1,905.
Sheffield Wire contacted Viagogo, who have declined to comment.
Judi Borland has been a Pulp fan since discovering Different Class in the nineties, and said: "I think it's absolutely ridiculous. The money doesn't go to the band, it just lines the pockets of the ticket sellers."
Judi was caught out when Pulp last toured and played the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Research. Her son booked tickets for her, but didn't realise he was paying over the odds for a resale ticket.
Judi said: "At the time I was thinking that it would be for charity. The tickets were £27.50 each and I ended up paying £154, and of course none of that extra money went to charity."
Gemma Green works as a teacher near Sheffield and tried to get tickets, but was busy teaching when they went on sale. She said "By the time I went onto the ticketing site they'd all gone.
"There was a lot of build up for it, I thought 'great, I'm finally going to see Pulp again and they're playing in Sheffield which is only 20 minutes away,' so it was a massive disappointment"
It's not just the tickets that became more expensive. One fan wrote on Facebook: "I got my hotel at the Utilita Arena for £74. The day the tickets went on sale the room price went up to £200. Rip off!"
During the current financial crisis, many fans will worry that local artists like Pulp won't be singing along with the 'common people' for much longer.
Despite the cost of some tickets, some are still holding out hope of attending in 2023 by getting tickets through fan-to-fan sales or sites such as Twickets, which only allows resale at face value.
Meadowhall expansion to “damage our city’s economy well into the future”
Meadowhall's £300m expansion has been approved by planners in Sheffield this week, despite objections from the Green Party.
Councillor Brian Holmshaw, the Green Party's representative on the planning and highways committee, voted against the expansion saying: "The 35,000 square metres of concrete, tarmac and brick of the Meadowhall extension represents a danger to Sheffield’s city centre, to our small businesses and to our environment.”
This comes after the council released a report on the development where it admitted Sheffield city centre was fragile.
It has predicted a two per cent impact on city centre trade, resulting in dozens of family-owned businesses, jobs lost, and more indirectly affected.
The council has yet to completely finish The Heart of the City II and The Moor scheme, which is substantially completed but still in its third phase.
There are plans for a fifth phase of The Moor scheme which is currently the subject of a planning application.
Rotherham City Council is also unhappy at the prospect of the new development as it fears it will further withdraw footfall from local areas and the city centre.
There are concerns surrounding Meadowhall's new leisure quarter threatening the Rotherham Forge Island development, which is currently in the second phase of building.
Cllr Holmshaw said: "Those of us around in the 1990s saw how damaging Meadowhall was to city centre trade then, a legacy that lives with us now. Why would we want to further damage our city’s economy well into the future?"
The development is going to include a gym, a bar, a car showroom and an expansion of the current VUE cinema.
Sheffield City Council and Meadowhall declined to comment on the development.
Price comparison site for dinosaur-related items launches just in time for Christmas
Parents searching for a toy T-Rex or a pair of Pterodactyl pyjamas, have been given a lifeline thanks to a Sheffield dad.
Looking for a bargain for Christmas is a regular occurrence for many households, and Mark Edlington's interest in dinosaurs could help people looking for anything dino-related this year.
Before his son was born, Mark noticed he was accumulating dinosaur toys, books, and clothes. Having had an idea for a price comparison website for a while, he opted for the prehistoric.
He said, "When I started to notice these dinosaurs absolutely everywhere, I realised it would be the perfect niche for my site.
The sheer volume and variety of products available made it perfect for the price comparison model I was looking at"
He was made temporarily redundant just over a year ago, and this helped to kickstart the development of the site.
He said "This Christmas seemed like a great target to set myself. It was far enough away that it would be possible, and yet still a big challenge to make it happen".
The eye catching site provides a catalogue of items including toys and games, books, Christmas items, home and garden, and clothing.
There are also facts, figures and information about dinosaurs on the site. Mark hopes it will draw people in for more than just the price comparison.
He said, "In the long run, I want it to have something for everyone. From school kids needing information for homework, hardcore dinosaur geeks looking for information about certain fossils, to parents and grandparents looking for inspiration for gifts".
He's also looking to expand beyond the web. Trained in animation and game design, he wants to put those skills to use.
He said, "I do have a pipe dream of creating a spin-off children's cartoon from it and maybe a computer game or two".
There is more information at dinosaurmadness.com.
Further train strikes set to hit Sheffield after negotiations “absolutely torpedoed” at the last minute
A rail union has announced that further train strikes are to take place over the Christmas period after the latest round of negotiations collapsed.
Gary Jackson, lead organiser for the RMT in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, has accused the government of jeopardising negotiations at the “11th hour”.
Workers had been offered up to an 8% pay rise but it was conditional on vast changes to working conditions, including the closure of all ticket offices and the introduction of a one driver only operation.
Train strikes are due to take place on the 13,14,16,17 December and then from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on the 27 December.
The industrial action over the Christmas period will mainly impact engineering works as few trains run on Christmas and Boxing Day.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: "The RMT has deliberately chosen to try and ruin Christmas for millions of passengers and businesses.
"They’re also intent on inflicting a monumental act of harm on an industry still desperate to recover from post-Covid challenges by sabotaging a vital £100m programme of rail upgrades planned for Christmas Day and Boxing Day."
Mr Jackson, 36, said: “Our members have been left with no other choice.
"We've not taken a day's industrial action since October. The government, train operating companies and Network Rail have had plenty of opportunities to do a deal for us and our members.
"What they've done in the 11th hour, certainly on the train operating companies, absolutely torpedoed the deal by throwing in the one driver only operation.”
One driver only operation is when there are no other workers on the train apart from the driver.
Mr Jackson added: “If there's any accidents, emergencies or accessibility issues, it's down to the driver.
"When drivers are going 125 miles per hour down the East Coast mainline, the last thing that they want to do is stop the train in the middle of nowhere and go and sort something out.”
However, not everyone agrees with the RMT planned strike action.
Small business owner, Scott Saynor, 26, said: “I understand the unions and the workers need much better pay. But I think disrupting the working people is going about it wrong the way.”
He added: “I experienced the tube strikes, I was in London working down there, and as a small business owner myself, it just ruined me.”
To keep up to date with the latest information about the train strikes check https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
University of Sheffield secures £4m investment to develop cutting-edge technology
Phlux Technology, an off-shoot of the University, has received £4 million worth of funding from investors such as Octopus Ventures and Northern Gritstone to develop a revolutionary type of infrared sensor.
It's made of antimony- a silvery-white metal found in the Earth's crust- instead of the commonly-used silicon. That results in a product that is 10 times as sensitive and with 50% more range compared to any current sensor. In turn, far less of them are needed, making it cheaper and more efficient in new inventions like self-driving cars.
CEO of Phlux Technology Ben White said: "Our challenge was to drive down cost and make it accessible to the mass market. What we wanted to see was this to reach a price point where it can be enrolled on a mass scale into every car to really improve road safety. With this investment, I'd like to think that we're waving the flag for Northern universities and blazing a trail for people to follow."
Infrared sensors are all around us and we use them every day in our daily lives. How your TV remote connects to the TV, and how your PC transfers data to the internet.
They are also vital to the success of self-driving cars. Infrared sensors are already used for automated lane keeping and emergency stopping. The new material is more efficient, operating in a similar way to how bats can fly in complete darkness. They use sounds, cars do the same with infrared light.
Thanks to the University of Sheffield and their breakthrough, we are one step closer to the realisation of fully functioning self-driving cars.
Universities in the North of England are finally having their world-class research globally recognised and it's certainly a huge win for Sheffield-based engineers.
Mr White said: "The investment is usually very concentrated in what's called the 'golden triangle', which is Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial College London. It's great to see there's a belief now in the other universities around the country, that we can do this too and we can create world-class businesses from the world-class science that goes on here.''
If you enjoyed this then head over to the Sheffield Wire Page or my Twitter @luke_reevey for more!
Darren Moore eyeing up top two as Sheffield Wednesday travel to Exeter City
With Sheffield Wednesday unbeaten in their last eight games, Darren Moore's Owls are full of confidence ahead of a mammoth journey down to Exeter City this weekend.
Wednesday are loving League One life at the moment - 12 wins from 20 mean they're only one point off an automatic promotion spot.
If Ipswich slip-up in their early kick-off versus Peterborough United, the Owls could make them pay and push for those top two places.
Even with a positive and confident mood apparent in the Owls camp, Darren Moore wants to see even more from his players to dominate the division.
He said: "We are in a competitive industry and if you stand still, you get caught and we don't want that. We want to continue moving forward.
"Our minds must be fresh, we have to have the ability to come in and learn and develop and formulate a group that is winning football matches."
Moore will have the likes of Lee Gregory and Josh Windass to potentially pick from, the Owls manager confirming that they're back in training ahead of the away trip on Saturday.
Exeter City will not be underestimated. Gary Caldwell's Grecians are a surprise package this season - after promotion from League Two, they are sitting in 11th.
Their early season form - which saw Exeter convincingly win 7-0 away at Cheltenham - even saw Matt Taylor leave the club for Sheffield Wednesday's near neighbours Rotherham United.
Jon Beer, an Exeter City fan and co-host of My New Football club podcast, said: "Most City fans are happy with how this season is going and are just enjoying playing in League One. They are loving this young, exciting, free-flowing team."
Exeter have scored 32 League One goals in just 20 played, Sam Nombe and Jevani Brown forming a formidable partnership in attack.
Gary Caldwell doesn't fear the test of Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, with Exeter excited to test themselves once more.
He said: "We have shown with Derby and Peterborough that on our day we are very capable. We can hurt even the better teams, the teams higher up in this league.
"No matter who we play, whether it was Morecambe on Friday or Sheffield Wednesday, the process is the same."
A cover has been put on the St James Park pitch as a precaution with around 1,500 Wednesday supporters making the trip down to Devon.
Two League One games have already been postponed with freezing temperatures forecast.
Kick-off is at 3pm tomorrow at the St James Park Stadium. Highlights will be shown on ITV4 at 10pm.
How close are we to a general strike?
Postal workers, ambulance staff and train drivers are just some of the workers who will be taking to the picket line almost daily throughout December.
As the country struggles to cope with the cost of living crisis and battles against a recession, one union after another have announced their intention to embark upon industrial action fighting for better pay.
As of today, there are only being three days this month when there will be no strike action.
We ask, how close are we to a general strike?
Why are there so many strikes taking place in December this year?
The cost of living crisis is a result of soaring inflation rates which have exceeded wages following the worldwide pandemic.
Shutdowns of factories to prevent the spread of Covid-19 have led to the disruption of supply chains across the globe and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to many international companies ceasing their operations in the Kremlin run country.
Workers are just one sector of the country who are feeling the brunt of the economic consequences.
On the picket line outside Sheffield West Delivery Post Office this morning. Ben, a representative for Communication Workers Union (CWU), said employees had been threatened with a change to working conditions and a pay rise offer of 2% which was not in line with inflation.
He also argued it was always going to be a “provocative action” for the bosses of Royal Mail to suggest a "derisory" small pay offer.
In an open letter to their customers, CEO of Royal Mail Simon Thompson, urged the CWU to call off their “damaging” strikes.
He claimed they listen to their employees and their “terms, conditions and pensions will still be the best in the industry”.
Ben said: “There’s no point striking if it’s not going to cause any disruption. Nobody wants to cause any disruption anymore than we want to lose wages.
“The service user who should be pressuring the business to resolve this dispute that they started. For that to happen, it needs to happen when it is the most inconvenient.”
It’s not just postal workers that are unhappy.
The University and College Union (UCU) represents teaching staff, lecturers and academics.
This year they organised and supported a strike that saw 70,000 university staff taking industrial action for three days in November. This was also over pay, pensions and working conditions.
A Sheffield UCU source said that the strikes were a consequence of an economy that is run for financial gain rather than for the interests of workers.
He said: “Whilst we know that our employers have the money to offer us inflation matching pay rises, and we can see the decline in investment in staff costs in percentage times, the sector overall is heavily influenced by government funding and priorities.
“People experiencing the consequences of inflation are saying enough is enough.”
Not all workers would choose to take strike action.
Charlotte, an apprentice emergency medical technician for the ambulance service, said she understands the sentiments behind the strikes.
Ambulance workers are said to be struggling to make ends meet after their pay was not increased in line with inflation. Their walkout comes the day after members of the Royal College of Nursing staged their own strike.
Charlotte said: “I completely agree with it and understand why everyone wants to do it. But personally, I will come to work as normal, as will my crewmate.”
She explained that the results of the vote for the East of England were really close - between 48-49% in support of industrial action - but some of her colleagues complained they did not receive their ballot in time because of the Royal Mail strikes.
UNISON, the union for ambulance workers, have confirmed they are going to re-ballot all ten trusts of the ambulance service, after the most recent vote was just short of the threshold needed.
What is a general strike?
A general strike, which is classed as a political act, refers to when members of several unions across different sectors work together in tandem and refuse to work.
The last general strike in the UK took place in May 1926. Over a million workers refused to go to work in solidarity with the miners, who were protesting against a pay cut and an increase in their working hours. It lasted nine days but ultimately did not work.
Following her own Winter of Discontent in the 1970s, Margaret Thatcher banned secondary strikes, also known as “sympathy” strikes, under Section 224 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
This prevents unions in other sectors from calling strike action in solidarity with one particular set of workers, line in 1926.
However, there are no laws against unions collaborating with action on the same day - or action being taken on multiple days close together.
What happened in 2011?
On the 30 November 2011, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers took strike action over an ongoing dispute over pensions.
It led to the closure of some schools and cancellations of hospital appointments and ended up being semi-successful, as negotiations moved forward.
The industrial action was exacerbated by concerns over a fall in living standards, much like we are seeing today with the cost of living crisis.
While it was not considered a general strike, the 2011 industrial action over pension had the most working days lost since 1992.
So will we have a general strike this winter?
A general strike has not explicitly been called for by the larger unions as of yet.
While the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to do more this winter, including pressure to get pay increased to protect families from the “misery of a recession”, they have not come out in favour of a general strike.
Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), has become a prominent voice in recent weeks in advocation for a general strike.
He predicts that “generalised” strike action could be seen as early as the beginning of next year.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on Tuesday, he said the government was “coordinating an attack on working people” and that “it would be foolish of unions not to coordinate themselves in response to those attacks.”
If unions deem the almost collaborative strike action in December as beneficial to their progress in negotiations, the UK could possibly see discussions about generalised action early next year.