£20,000 memorial to ‘King of Sheffield’ featuring custom statues and jukebox was built without planning permission says council

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The memorial of the traveller king and bare-knuckle boxer Willy Collins is believed to be the largest in Britain. It was reportedly designed by the creator of Princess Margaret's headstone alongside Collins' sons. Known as 'Big Willy' or the 'King of Sheffield', Collins died in July 2020 after collapsing during a family holiday to Port de Pollença, Majorca. He was 49.

Willy Collin's headstone was unveiled two years after his death last Thursday.

His August 2020 funeral was attended by hundreds and featured a convoy of six horses and 40 Rolls Royce cars. Both the funeral and the £20,000 headstone was funded by donations from the local community. The 37-tonne memorial took two weeks to erect and features a solar powered juke box, two life size statues of Willy, LED lights and biblical scenes. The headstone also features 24 hour CCTV, after Mr Collins' grave was vandalised shortly after his funeral. Located at Shiregreen Cemetry, Mr Collins' grave is surrounded by family members. One of 16 children, Collins moved to Sheffield in the 1980s and became the patriarch of the family. Over 22 years of marriage, Mr Collins had nine children, 16 grandchildren and it is believed he had up to 400 nieces and nephews. The monument was unveiled last Thursday, almost two years after his death but council leaders say permission was not granted for the large memorial. Alison Teal, Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure, said: “We are aware of a large memorial which has been erected in Shiregreen Cemetery. This memorial was built without permission and we are currently considering our next steps.

“Cemeteries are a place where people can come, pay their respects and visit loved ones who are no longer with us. We understand memorials are deeply personal, however we must have rules in place to ensure fairness.” But the Collins family have defended the headstone, claiming they did have permission.

Willy's widow, Kathleen Collins, said: “We own the land and we do have planning permission.

“The council haven't contacted me or anyone from the family to raise any concerns. If they do have any issue with it they should contact us directly.

“It's just because it's all over the media and there's a lot of hate that this is happening.

“They watched it getting built every day without saying anything, and it wasn't done in a day. It took two weeks to get finished.” Kathleen also has a viral TikTok account where she pays tribute to her late husband. Her videos have reached up to 72 thousand people and has been met with both admiration and criticism.

Sheffield Harmony raise over £800 in week-long fundraiser for Ukraine

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A Sheffield women's acapella chorus has raised over £800 in a week for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Sheffield Harmony, established in 1978, set up a seven day online fundraising event through a Just Giving page and chorus members raised £812.50 in total to help people suffering in Ukraine. Their 38 members also wore blue and yellow clothing at their last rehearsal to show visual support for Ukraine. Angela Taylor, Team Co-ordinator for Sheffield Harmony, said: "We were all shocked and saddened by the events in Ukraine. Sheffield Harmony women have supported each other through the past two years of the pandemic in such a caring way that it was no surprise at all that everyone wanted to find a way to support the people suffering so badly from the intense conflict.

Sheffield Harmony performing

Sheffield Harmony performing

Sheffield Harmony rehearsal on Zoom during the pandemic

“The most successful environmental grassroots campaign ever”: The Felling documentary premieres at Sheffield City Hall

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Hundreds of viewers filled the Sheffield City Hall as the green carpet was rolled out for the international premiere of The Felling- An Epic Tale of People Power. Directed by Jacqui Bellamy and Eve Wood, the tree felling dispute originated from a £2bn highways contract between Sheffield City Council and contractor Amey. In a speech which sparked applause from the audience Paul Powlesland said: “It was the most successful environmental grassroots campaign ever. “After the event I’m looking forward to cycling past the trees that we have saved.”

Barrister Paul Powlesland introduces the event.

Freda Brayshaw, with her poem at the Premiere.

The Poem written by Freda Brayshaw about her arrest in November 2016.

Rotherham parkrun fundraiser to ‘show love and support’ for organiser recovering from severe stroke that left her paralysed

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A parkrun community are dedicating their next run to a woman who, three months ago, was close to death. Kate Green, 42, suffered a severe stroke in December 2021, with runners at Clifton Park, Rotherham now raising money to show their support. In early December Kate complained of a bad headache, but within 10 minutes she was unable to walk or talk. After being taken to Rotherham Hospital, CT scans found she had suffered an acute haemorrhage pontine stroke. Her husband, Adam Green, 44, was told it was a significant bleed in the brain which was inoperable because the of the high risk involved. He said: "They were going to refer her to the stroke ward if she pulled through, but effectively the language coming out of it was 'she's going to die tonight'." She was in an induced coma, however after turning the ventilator off to see how her body would respond, miraculously Kate was able to breathe on her own. As time went on, she began to communicate through blinking and small head movements. She even had a special signal of raising her eyes three times to say "I love you" to her husband and seven-year-old son, Stanley.

Kate Green and her son, Stanley

Adam and Kate Green, from Rotherham

Kate, Adam, and Stanley Green

Polish owned café in Hillsborough raises over £3,000 for Ukraine

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A café in Hillsborough has raised over three thousand pounds for Ukraine by selling baked goods.  Molly’s Café and Deli is owned by Lucy Poplawski, 35, and her husband, Poitr, 39. Lucy said that the community has been incredibly generous, especially because of her husband being from Poland.  “We didn't know what we could do at first. But the one thing we knew we could do was bake.” Mr Poplawski's family live on the border of Ukraine and Poland so they have seen the “full impact of the refugees coming over the border,” his wife Lucy said.  She added: “It's just something so close to home that we thought we've got to do something.  “We've got a family of three little girls and watching the news every day is just heart breaking.” The Deli has been baking Ukraine cake and Ukraine barszcz soup, as well as cupcakes decorated with the Ukrainian flag. They have also named a brownie after Vladimir Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine.  https://youtu.be/MHNFafAgjWo She said they started off with a target of £500 to give to the Red Cross for specialist equipment, like wheelchairs for injured children. But people were flooding in, giving all that they could, with donations ranging from £20 to £100. Before they knew it, they had raised £3100 and are continuing to receive donations.  The café has spread their thanks on Facebook by posting: “We have been blown away by your generosity and kindness, and for all the donations brought into the deli what an AMAZING bunch of people you all are.”

‘Granny Meg’ makes toy dolls for Ukraine refugee children

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A Sheffield born 87-year-old is making handmade toy dolls to be sent to Ukraine refugee children. Margery (Meg) Holden, born in Mosborough and known as 'Granny Meg' by family and friends, has made 10 dolls so far, which were sent to the Ukraine borders last week via a donation service running at her daughter's local gym. She is continuing to make dolls for the refugee children and hopes her work inspires others to support the Ukraine crisis. Anita Morris, Granny Meg's daughter, said: "Mum is able to feel that she is contributing and she hopes that the children who receive the toys are given a little hope that someone else cares about them. "The children in Ukraine at this stage, just need something to hold onto and to love. My mum and dad survived a war [WWII] and we all hope the Ukrainian people soon live in a peaceful world again." Granny Meg suffers from severe osteoporosis, a health condition that thins her bones and leaves her in constant pain and unable to walk very far.

Granny Meg's handmade dolls sent to Ukraine

Granny Meg's handmade dolls sent to Ukraine

Granny Meg's 'luck' owls made for Hack Back CIC

30,000 trees to be planted on Totley Moor to kickstart biodiversity

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A team of people from Sheffield took to the moors on Sunday morning to plant 300 trees in an attempt to boost wildlife in the area. The event, dubbed ‘the planting’, was a smaller part of a much bigger scheme set to last throughout the year. Avid tree planter Philip Unger, 41, came all the way from Bochum, Germany to support the event. He said the city, which is twinned with Sheffield, has a huge amount of climate activists, all of whom are interested in collaborating with Sheffield’s tree cause. He said: “For a week we have been driving around Sheffield making pop-up exhibitions at old protest sites where trees were saved. For example, we went to Heeley city farm. "If there is good education on topics like this there should be enough people that say stop. We are lucky that enough of these people are in Sheffield.” He hopes in the future Bochum activists will be more involved with Sheffield’s aim. The scheme, which was started by the Eastern Moors Partnership, was facilitated by Ecclesall ward Green Party candidate, Peter Gilbert, 38. He said the group came about after the street tree protests. Mr Gilbert continued: “During that time it was traumatic for the people involved protecting the trees in Sheffield and one of the members of the group had the great idea of creating a group, almost a therapy session, to feel a bit connected and regenerated. I have simply carried out her work and kept going.” Mr Gilbert said the planting was vital for the survival not only of the moors but also Sheffield itself. He claimed planting trees would benefit Sheffield greatly as they would be useful for flood prevention. The project is being funded by a Woodland Creation grant ran by the government. Eastern Moors Partnership is currently looking at the next phase of woodland establishment in the area for the next 10 years.

Cab riders to spend more after Uber and City Taxis raise prices

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Cab riders will need to shell out more money after City Taxis and Uber increased their fares for different reasons. City Taxis sent out an email to their customers, citing the rising fuel prices as the reasoning for the increased fares. The raised prices came into effect from midday on 18 March. They said: “Passing price increases onto our customer base is not a decision we take lightly, and this step is being taken purely in the interest of helping our drivers absorb a sudden increase in their running costs."

Uber raised their prices this week, following the High Court decision on 6 December which found the company had a “contractual obligation" to make sure the passengers got a ride. This means when you order a cab on the app and the drivers cancel, it is the company's job to ensure you get a ride. Uber previously claimed they were a software company that acted as a "booking agent" and not a "contractor". Since the ruling, the company's business model has changed. Hence, they have to pay 20% Value Added Tax (VAT), which they are passing on the riders. The tax value will not be shown separately to the rider and will instead be added in the fare beforehand. The company said: "We have completed the changes to our business model as required by law. “Uber operates in an intensely competitive market and we are committed to always offering consumers affordable prices. As always, riders will get a trip price before booking their journey.” The increase in the prices will vary from city to city, though they have not revealed further details as they consider it sensitive information. There is no update from the company on how much the prices will affect the riders in Sheffield.

‘Having the trike would be like having my legs back’: Fundraising campaign to buy Sheffield amputee hand-controlled trike

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A campaign has been launched to raise £40,000 to buy a modified motorbike for a life-long biker who lost both his legs in March last year. Darren Rix had both legs amputated after he contracted Sepsis in March 2021. He also suffered a heart attack and kidney failure following the operation and was told he only had days to live. He has made a miraculous recovery since but he has largely spent it isolated at home. The organiser of the fundraiser, Steve Eyre 61, said: “It would be life changing for him to get this trike. “Every weekend he used to travel all over the country to all the big conventions. He's gone from that to being, you know, a virtual prisoner in his own home. Having the trike would give him his freedom back.” Mr Rix, from the Abbeydale area of the city, said: "I've been in the house for two years now and it's been driving me mad. Having the trike would be like having my legs back. "It would bring me so much joy and I would be out in it all the time."   Before the pandemic, Mr Rix would travel between comic book conventions and memorabilia events across the country. The modified trike would allow him to start getting around the country again. The fundraisers have been quoted £40,000 by trike specialists, Trike Guys. Mr Eyre’s company World of Superheroes would then cover all the running costs to keep Darren going.  Mr Eyre, from Mosborough, said: “He's done so much over the years for different charities. He’s always offered up different models to go to auction and he’s helped so many people over his lifetime. It would be massive to give something back and getting his freedom back would mean everything to him.  “If everyone was able to donate a pound to it then we will get there.”  Anyone who would like to donate to the fundraiser can find a link to it here.