Plans to convert Kelham Island cotton mill are destroying the historic character of Sheffield
Sheffield City Council has been accused of "cashing in on the historic character of the city" by backing plans to convert an old cotton mill and workhouse into housing.
Local business owners, who are currently based in the Georgian building in Kelham Island, have voiced their outrage that they will be evicted if the controversial plans submitted by Citu Developments are approved.
Christopher Perry, a silversmith based in the property on Alma Street, said: "The city has changed, the area has changed, and the problem is you're about to remove, through granting this planning permission, over two hundred years of continuation of silversmithing and metalworking from the Kelham Island area."
Mr Perry, who's family business Perry Glossop & Co has been in the area since 2000, said that even if he relocates, he may be forced to move again.
He said: "What guarantee do we have that the next location within the city of Sheffield will not be deemed suitable for residential living area too?
"This is the second time this has happened to us, and it feels there is no longer an area designated to our profession, the profession that helped build Sheffield. The developers are cashing in on the historic character of the city."
Despite Mr Perry and other business owner's objections, the city council backed the application as necessary to meet Sheffield's housing targets.
Planning officer, Lucy Bond, said the plan will "secure the long-term viable use of the building and deliver much-needed additional housing".
She added: "I completely empathise with existing businesses in the building, there's absolutely no questions about that.
"[But] even if we made a decision today to reject the proposal, that isn't a guarantee that those tenants would be able to remain in that property because that's not something the council control."
In the Planning and Highways Committee meeting, held last Tuesday, councillors did question the plan and what it would mean for Sheffield's heritage.
Cllr Roger Davison (Liberal Democrat) said: "I personally think any development which means that someone gains at the expense of somebody else is not a good decision."
The committee voted to defer making a decision, concluding they did not have enough information on what the Sheffield Plan, the council's draft development plan, said about industry.
Debate over the application has come at the same time as ongoing building work on Alma Street, which has frustrated some locals.
Diane Johnson, manager of the Fat Cat Pub on the street, gave her opinion. She said: "It's shocking. It's terrible, lorries are blocking the road."
Full details on the planning application can be viewed here.
Hallam FC’s Youdan Cup triples in value to £350,000
The Youdan Cup, considered by many to be football's first cup competition, has been revalued at an astonishing £350,000.
Owned by Hallam FC, the cup's value has sky-rocketed in price since its last estimate, which featured on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
The Youdan Cup was first awarded after a match between Sheffield FC and Hallam FC played in 1867.
Steve Basford, the Chairman of Hallam FC, discussed the cup's valuation:
"Thomas Youdan was a theatre producer and owner and he thought, what a way to get our name forward. The Bill Gates of his time really.
"The valuation, for insurance, is £350,000, but we think if it went onto the open market... we think it would fetch considerably more."
Despite the cup's valuation, Mr Basford maintains that the cup is not for sale.
The chairman is certain of the cup's place as the oldest of football's knockout-competition trophies. The FA have claimed that their cup is the oldest.
He said: "The Youdan Trophy is the oldest football cup in the world.
"The Guinness Book of Records state it, we've got the certificates."
Councillors and campaigners meet with the public at active travel summit in Sheffield
By Joshua Thory-Rao and Ella Harget-Dash.
Campaigners, politicians and members of the public met in Sheffield last Saturday to discuss how to promote walking, cycling and public transport over car use in the active travel summit.
Hosted at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield City Centre, attendees considered various issues including the local economy, jobs, health, and the climate crisis, as reasons to promote active travel.
Julie Grocutt, deputy leader of Sheffield City Council and member of the transport and travel policy committee, said that public transport was a priority, given that not everyone can walk or cycle.
She added: “It’s really important to us that we make sure that while we are developing the schemes we are engaging with local communities.”
She said that this allows new travel infrastructure to be developed where local communities want and need it, not just where the council feels it would work best.
Although public transport is under the remit of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority, the council can make sure that bus stops are well placed, and roads are in a good condition for buses to travel on.
Dexter Johnstone, who is involved with campaign group Cycle Sheffield, stressed the need for community engagement in future council plans involving local people as soon as possible.
Mr Johnstone said that Sheffield has a number of successful schemes, including the Greater Green scheme on Castlegate, also adding that this type of scheme should be implemented across the city.
He took aim at Sheffield’s public transport: “There’s a lot of issues with public transport in Sheffield. It’s unreliable, its expensive, and services are getting cut back.”
The event happens as Sheffield prepares itself for the introduction of a Clean Air Zone next week, which will charge higher polluting vehicles that travel in the inner ring road and city centre areas.
This summit also coincides with the four-year anniversary of Sheffield City Council declaring a climate emergency in early 2019. Climate protesters were outside the town hall today to protest what they see as a lack of action on this.
Councillor Grocutt said: “It’s been great to be at the active travel summit today. This is a really important event for people of Sheffield.”
Controversy over council’s budget increase of bike hub to £410k
A recent increase of Sheffield Council's plan for a new short-term bike storage facility to £410,000 has sparked controversy on social media.
The project's cost was initially estimated at around £250,000 and was set to open in March of last year.
Less than a year later, the council's latest capital approvals have revealed a further increase to £410,000 after having already been moved to £330,000 once before.
Speaking on the reason for this increase, Cllr Douglas Johnson said: "One of the issues that affects councils all over the country is the fact that inflation in the construction industry has gone up massively, even above the rate of inflation affecting ordinary spending."
Building on the council's aim to promote cycling as well as environmental sustainability, this project will add to the already existent cycle hub in the city's train station.
Dexter Johnstone, a representative of CycleSheffield, a campaign group focusing on the safety and accessibility of cycling in the city of Sheffield said: "It is vital that we have a secure storage facility in the centre of Sheffield.
"The increase in costs is unfortunate - a consequence of the delays in opening the facility and constant increase in costs.
"The funding for the cycle hub is from central government and can only be spent on walking and cycling facilities so there is no misuse of public funds."
On Twitter, several users have also shared Mr Johnstone's concerns with bike theft.
He added: "Bike thefts are notoriously high in Sheffield and in the UK in general and so the fear of getting your bike stolen puts people off visiting the city centre by bike."
We've been waiting for this for years. It'll make it easier to cycle into town and shop, without wondering whether your bike will still be there when you get back.
— Pharmacist on a Pushbike (@PPushbike) February 14, 2023
Hope this is put in place quickly, I’d cycle into town at the weekend if I knew my bike was safe.
— Anne Tetley (@anne__tetley) February 14, 2023
These claims are supported as data suggests a shallow but significant increase in bike thefts for the year of 2022, highlighting Sheffield's position as having one of the worst crime rates in South Yorkshire for bicycle theft.
Nevertheless, other users have expressed their discontent with the situation, often referring to the latest failure of the Fargate Container Park as an example of the council's failures relating to budget allocations.
It's Sheffield Council, it'll end up costing 3mil and be placed 3.5 miles from where it was supposed to be
— Jamie (@jamymym) February 14, 2023
Old news this, budget was 250, then 330, seems their literal years of dithering has cost them even more.
— FingerBoardLies (@FingerBoardLies) February 14, 2023
Julian Barker, a Sheffield resident, said: "Would be better off spending money on something more worthwhile. Or is this short term bike storage recycling the Fargate containers?"
Techno with a twist: A “unique and intimate” evening in the Sheffield suburbs
Crookesmoor’s favourite bar Berlin Calling and events brand [TARA] have announced an evening of ambient techno that starts during the day rather than at night.
The event, organised by Techno And Resonance Association [TARA], takes place on Saturday 25 February, starting at 4pm and ending at midnight, the time it would usually start.
Organiser and DJ Ben Marks said: “We’ve got all the people that might not be able to afford a trip out into town, or people that need to work, that can come to their local and have a solid evening of music.
“In the 1990s, big venues weren't in the cities. We see with the COVID pandemic and the recession that people don’t go out in big towns anymore - they’re going to the suburbs.”
[TARA] is the brainchild of sixth form student Mr Marks, who wants to promote a more ambient side of techno, in a city that has long been associated with bass music and late nights.
The evening is described by [TARA] as being in a “unique and intimate suburban space” rather than one of Sheffield’s many larger music venues.
Rising local DJ Porter Brook will be headlining, with a variety of support from other electronic and techno artists;, including Westfall, JP Rooney, and as well as Mr Marks himself.
The 18-year-old DJ also commented that there is no competition for a techno event that took place in the evening rather than the night.
He added: “A night that’s on from 11pm - 4am, you potentially have six other nights to compete with.
“Berlin Calling is in an area that everyone can come down and see. It’s respectful to people. We don’t want to run anything until 5am in a suburban area.”
Sheffield has always been a champion of cultivating exciting acts and spaces in the music scene.
It is home to vibrant and alternative venues such as Bal Fashions, whose Apricot Ballroom party was voted one of the best club nights in the UK by Time Out Magazine.
[TARA] and Berlin Calling are not alone in their mission to reimagine the clubbing scene.
Irish DJ Annie Mac is hosting her own DJ sets across the country this April with a similar twist - Before Midnight also ends at the stroke of twelve.
The party aims to cater for those who aren’t able to stay out until the early hours.
Mr Marks added: “This is the first of many events for [TARA]. If we can make this successful, I hope to run stuff monthly. Possibly at Berlin Calling or elsewhere.”
Tickets to [TARA] and Berlin Calling’s Berlin Calling 001 featuring Porter Brook on Saturday 25 February are available here.
“We’ll be shouting about it from the rooftops”: Wombwell councillor thrilled over investment into town
Works will start in Wombwell today as part of a multi-million investment programme to transform the High Street into a “cleaner, safer and a more enjoyable place for people to visit”.
Wombwell will receive funding from Barnsley Council as part of the principal towns and local village centres programme.
Barnsley Council has committed to investing £35 million into the programme to carry out improvements in the surrounding towns.
James Higginbottom, Labour Councillor for Wombwell said: “It's about making the place a cleaner, safer, more enjoyable area for people to visit to shop and use the market. A more attractive heart of community in the short term.”
Some of the improvements taking place include regrading the pavements around the bus stops where there are flooding issues, as well as investing into making the high street more accessible for wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs.
The council is also investing in more electrical charging points, covers and stalls for market traders.
Mr Higginbottom added: “I do want to stress that this is about a longer term piece of investment that will look at the repurposing of buildings, and some really exciting longer term work around making best use of the assets that we've got on the high street.
“Whilst at the same time investing in the cultural offering and green spaces that we've got to build stronger and more vibrant local economies.”
The town has already seen the benefits of the programme, with investment being used to improve CCTV coverage on the High Street, as well as a shop front grant scheme.
Mr Higginbottom said: ”Over 60 shops have taken advantage of the scheme. It has been so popular that we were having to reassess his options in terms of how much money we're able to put into it.
“It's been very popular and it gives people a bit of a buzz if they see that the shops are getting a new look. It's giving the high street a fresh feel.”
“I hope that that will have that direct economic benefit in terms of creating jobs and supporting business start-ups."
In the coming years the scheme aims to renovate buildings in Wombwell and add to the Transpennine Trail.
The Labour Councillor has also called on local residents to be patient with some short-term disruption.
He said: “We are working as hard as we possibly can to keep the disruption to a minimum. Most of the work will take place at night so we don't have an impact on businesses and on market traders.
“All I would say to people is bear with us. A couple of weeks of potential pain and disruption will be far outweighed by the economic and social benefits that we'll see.”
“This is a really exciting thing. We'll be shouting about it from the rooftops.”
New art project opens up in Walkley for local businesses and artists
A new project, inviting artists to create murals is opening in Walkley, in an effort to add colour to the community.
The wall piece is a part of the Walkley & Upperthorpe Arts Trail, which seeks to create a set of installations between the two areas.
Rob Duffin, 54, owner of gift shop Walkley Press, said how much potential the space has: "It is a tiny little spotlight, sort of. I imagine a lot of people would find it to be a little gem on this road."
Running the project is Zest Community, a business with the aim of improving local wellbeing through their services.
Other works in this trail will include painted telecoms boxes, benches, planters and painted shop shutters.
Financed by the Council’s Economic Recovery Fund, the project is a result of asking communities in Sheffield what changes they would like to see on their high streets after the pandemic.
Brad Mcanearney, 30, a local art enthusiast, believes wall art is a win-win situation for businesses and artists alike.
He said: "It is showing people the less destructive side of street art. It is also beneficial for these companies because it adds a bit of vibrancy. It makes the area just look nice, as if it is popping with colour."
He added: "You have got to pay to go to the National Gallery, and even while the Millennium Gallery is free, it is only accessible within the set times. On the other hand, a mural is open 24/7."
Businesses around Walkley are largely supportive of the idea, with many owners encouraging artists to display their art on the streets.
Pete, 43, owner of Gerry’s Bakery said: "If we can work together with local creators to make something that represents the community and Walkley, that would be a fantastic idea.
"We are actually looking to do something on our shutters too with this art scene becoming more popular. We are open to do anything in future with these artists."
For more information on the project, please check the link here.
‘Worst places to live in the UK’ poll features various Yorkshire places – light-hearted fun or extremely damaging?
A poll has listed the worst places to live in the country, and the Yorkshire cities of Bradford, Doncaster and Hull are all featured, alongside a surprise appearance of York included in the ratings.
ILiveHere’s infamous poll, known for its satirical take, was created after more than 100,000 people expressed their opinions.
Luton took a beating and was ranked the ‘worst place’ to live in the UK, with Peterborough and Portsmouth taking second and third spot respectively.
Toby Wood, vice chairman of Peterborough Civic Society, believes the poll renowned for its questionable and comical views, are extremely damaging for the denounced towns and cities.
He said: "I wonder who actually completes their 'online survey' - I doubt whether that sample of respondents is very representative."
York has featured on alternate polls boasting of the safety of the area in contrast to ILiveHere, OneFamily naming it as one of ten safest places to live in the UK.
ILiveHere does label its opinions as 'satire' but are these polls more damaging than just an amusing analysis of towns and cities up and down the country?
People from Yorkshire have complained about the controversial survey online, stating that the 'crumby survey' is nothing more than exaggerated hyberbole.
It's not all doom and gloom for the town ranked the 'worst place to live' however, with the Luton community having a real-life superhero to rely on.
Affectionately known as ‘Luton’s Deadpool’, the masked crusader remains anonymous whilst he goes around the local community to help those in need.
Logging on to chat with Sheffield Wire this weekend, the mask was off but the reasons for why he dons the Deadpool costume did the talking.
He said: "I like to put a smile on people’s faces. More than that, when it comes to the kids, that’s what it’s obviously all for.
"The whole idea of the character is to surprise them, make them think, oh my God, there’s a real superhero that lives in the town. He knows who I am and he’s there for me. When I was a kid, I could’ve certainly used someone like that."
Peterborough and Luton will however benefit from a proposed levelling up fund from the government which will inject £2.1 billion into more than 100 projects up and down the United Kingdom, both areas in question receiving a combined £68 million cut.
Yet, with previous levelling up failures still in recent memory, these areas will be cautiously optimistic about the proposed funding and whether they will see concrete change.
For Luton's Deadpool though, even with this cash injection promised, attitudes towards the town in the media in the now are stopping Luton from reaching its potential.
King Charles III visited Bedfordshire recently but the royal occasion was lost to stories about a bystander throwing eggs at the King.
He said: "There was so much more to it, he (King Charles III) got to meet so many wonderful people in our community who raised money for charity, people who set up community events.
They report on false things, things that are quite small in respects of the entirety of the town. As you say, the ILiveHere poll, which I think is the biggest joke and waste of time that anyone in the media pays attention to."
Still, areas such as Luton, Peterborough and Doncaster have suffered in recent years to contribute to this recent media backlash.
Luton has significantly high levels of child poverty, with a recent This Is Luton census for 2021 indicating that half of children in the Biscot and Dallow wards in the Bedfordshire town are estimated to be living in poverty and deprivation.
The rate of homelessness in the town is also worryingly high, with Luton's rate of homelessness coming in at 14.16 per thousand which is higher than the national average in England at 6.34. This leaves Luton with one of the highest rates in the country.
There's improvements too however, Luton's crime rate has dropped from 100 per 1,000 people in 2019 to 85 when looking at CrimeRate statistics from 2021.
Comparatively, other notable names on the top 50 have alarmingly high crime rates - Doncaster ranks as the unsafest city in South Yorkshire, 149 crimes being reported per 1000 people.
Deb Ikin, a 49 year old gardener, has experienced both Luton and Doncaster first hand - having lived in the Bedfordshire town for over 35 years with her current work located in South Yorkshire's newest city.
For the 49 year-old, who also lives in Sheffield, both Doncaster and Luton suffer where the Steel City shines.
She said: "The pride everyone takes in being from Sheffield is much higher than that of Luton and Doncaster. Residents of the latter two would probably agree if you dissed their town.
Whereas, Sheffielders would leap to its defence. It's hard for outsiders to appreciate a place if everyone there tells you its rubbish!"
Regardless of naysayers and the unwanted negative media attention from ILiveHere, residents such as Toby from Peterborough, will continue to champion a City that recently had its Cathedral roof praised at the Cathedral Treasures competition.
He said: "I have always had a strong sense of place and contributing to that place - I was a primary school headteacher and I always tried to instil a sense of pride and belonging.
Yes, I think the future is much brighter for the City."
To work against this unwanted negative media attention conjured up from this controversial poll, places such as Doncaster, Hull and Bradford could well turn to their local communities to seek out their very own Deadpool.
New ring discovered in Solar System by Sheffield scientists
A new ring around a dwarf planet in our Solar System has been found by astronomers from the University of Sheffield.
The ring has been found using HiPERCAM, an extremely high-speed camera developed by Sheffield scientists, mounted on the world's largest optical telescope.
Professor Vik Dhillon, co-author of the study from the University of Sheffield's Department of Physics and Astronomy said: "It was very exciting to see the event happening in real time in the sky, it's really rare that this sort of thing happens in astronomy."
Scientists were examining the shadow of a dwarf planet known as Quaoar which is half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun beyond Neptune.
What makes the discovery so unusual is the ring is much further away from the dwarf planet than what would be expected for it to be able to survive.
Normally when rings are this far out, we expect them to disintegrate into moons, as they do not orbit close enough to the planet for tidal forces to prevent the ring material from accumulating.
Prof. Dhillon said: "The whole event lasted less than a minute, but in that time we noticed the little dip in light before and after the main event which was the ring going across the star."
He said that this discovery would impact the ring formation theory and how we will look for these things in the future.
So far, only Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are known to have rings, along with another two dwarf planets.
The study involved 59 academics from all over the world, led by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
It involved six UK Universities, including The University of Sheffield.
Children deaths to be remembered as Russia-Ukraine War reaches its first year
A project, which will commemorate the children who have died as a result of the war in Ukraine, is set to take place this Friday as the invasion reaches its first year.
The event will be centred around its 'tree of remembrance' which is to be decorated with handmade resin angels, symbolising the young children who lost their lives.
Anna Musiienko, 39, the Ukrainian lawyer and artist who created the event, said: "When a mother and father lose a child, it's a very big tragedy which lasts their whole life.
"So, I decided we must remember these children, and angels were what came to mind."
The angels, which have been decorated in blue, white, and yellow to reflect Ukraine's national flag, will be given to visitors to put them up on the tree.
The event, which has been sponsored and publicised by the council, takes place at the Winter Gardens on 24 February and will last for a week.
Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, who has been involved in bringing the project to life, said: "I think it will foster better links and also send a message that Sheffield is a city of sanctuary.
"We will stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they continue their fight against the dictatorship and tyranny of Vladimir Putin."
War casualties, particularly among young children, have continued to rise as a result of the constant attacks by the Russian offensive.
The latest data from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has revealed over 1,200 children have been killed or injured since the beginning of the war, with the real number estimated to be much higher.
Ms Musiienko, who fled the war with her 11-year-old son back in April 2022, added: "One day, I sat on the bus and listened to news about the statistics of how many children had died, and I cried for a long time."
Geraldine Sayers, 52, who has hosted the family since April, said: "We've been so impressed with Anna's determination to forge a life here.
"She is amazingly talented, creative, and artistic, and I think that art has been a way of expressing herself and find peace."
The event will also feature a map of Ukraine in which portraits of some of these children will be placed along with their personal story, highlighting the fact that children have died across the country and not just in cities.
Elena Mandrik, a researcher at The University of Sheffield and former chair at the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), said: "People always think and talk about big cities but, in reality, there are many destroyed villages where children have died."
This project comes at a time where, as the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's annual digital news report has found, people are increasingly selectively avoiding news such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is something which is reflected in the sharp dip of news output relating to the war.
Ms Mandrik added: "If a year ago everyone was shocked, terrified and willing to stand for a good cause, then after a year, the war doesn't seem to be that shocking anymore.
"It's not only a war where the military take part, civilians and their children continue to die."
“The way I see it, books are a cheap night in” Crookes’ new cupboard bookshop on its latest pop-up and creating a community
Going from market stalls to a sell-out store in Crookes, a couples' bookshop dream has received a very warm welcome on their opening weekend.
Novel, a bookshop the size of a large cupboard on Conduit Road, is the passion project of Walkley couple Kate and Joe Nixon.
Located in the back of Crookes coffee shop Queen of the Suburbs, their first weekend open left them with empty shelves and a feeling that Crookes is the place for independent stores to thrive.
Kate Nixon, co-owner of Novel, said: "I'm really passionate about my area and have always wanted to be in a suburb for that community feel. The place where we've always had the best reception is Crookes."
The pair, who are also part-time teachers, curate a selection of 10 carefully selected books each month. They span across all genres, from the autobiographical fiction Fresh Water to a collection of short stories, Homesick For Another World.
She added: “People will come and see me to chat about the books they’ve read that we've chosen for them. Knowing this is on their doorstep, it really generates a community."
While everyone is leading their own busy lives, books are a way to easily connect with old and new friends, Kate told Sheffield Wire.
Keeping the cost of living crisis in mind, Novel owners are aware that people are spending less. "The way I see it, books are a cheap night in," Kate jokes. "I find reading incredibly mindful and it can have such a positive impact on people’s wellbeing."
The pair have purposely chosen shorter, more accessible reads for their new store. "We want to help people who haven’t traditionally been readers, or who’ve fallen out of love with it over time,” Mrs Nixon said.
Novel's current book of the month is On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, a fictional autobiography about a Vietnamese-American boy and his relationships growing up.
Ms Nixon said: "He's a poet by trade and this is his first book - it's just gorgeous. I really love the way he writes, so I thought I've got to stock it here."
For more recommendations, visit Kate and Joe at Novel. They are open Thursdays and Fridays 7:30am - 3pm and Saturdays 9am - 3pm at the Queen of the Suburbs. You can also find them online here.
Birley councillors help expand Food Works’ ‘Just Meals’ scheme to Sheffield’s S12 area
A Sheffield food organisation has expanded their popular sustainable meals scheme to the S12 area from tomorrow thanks to a local resident and the Birley ward councillors.
The ‘Just Meals’ initiative was started by Food Works, a non-profit enterprise aiming to reduce waste, as a high-quality, convenient alternative to ready-meals.
When coordinator Jayne Mason, 47, from Frecheville, went with a friend to try one for herself, she thought people in her local area might benefit from having a ‘Just Meals’ hub closer to them.
Ms Mason said: “The meals are amazing and help on so many different levels from reducing landfill to supporting people during the cost of living crisis.
“This scheme is so good it should be in every postcode.”
After contacting Food Works to see if launching the project in the area was possible, Ms Mason realised she’d need a venue to store the frozen meals, so she approached the Birley councillors for help about 12 months ago.
Councillor Denise Fox said: “We were approached by a volunteer asking if we could help find a suitable place to store a freezer. We were happy to offer Scowerdons community centre and help pay towards the upkeep.
“This is a great initiative that we fully support. A homemade nutritious meal for one for £1. Supporting busy families that are struggling with the cost of living.”
The home-cooked dishes come frozen in 100% biodegradable packaging and are packed with vegetables and protein, so people don’t have to compromise price with nutrition.
Ms Mason said: “They’re not just your regular frozen meals and they’ll save residents so much money in energy too as they don’t need to put their oven on.”
The meals can be ordered online from Food Works, and collected on Tuesdays between 4pm and 5pm from Scowerdons Community Centre, who support the project.
The food is available from tomorrow and there’s a minimum donation of £1, or more for those able to.
The scheme is also open to everyone, not just those struggling, with no referral system to reduce potential stigma.
Ms Mason said: “This just wouldn’t have been possible without the Birley councillors and the response has already been so positive on social media.
“I’m so pleased people are taking to the initiative and even if it only helps the S12 area, it’s helping someone.”
To find out more or make an order, visit the Scowerdons Food Works Facebook page here or the Food Works website here.