Sheffield Cathedral spreads festive joy with third annual Christmas light show
A show which celebrates the heart of the Christmas story has been called "the most beautiful and uplifting event I have ever seen in this city."
This was one visitor's view on the Sheffield Cathedral event, themed this year as 'The Manger'.
The Cathedral expects to welcome thousands of visitors this year to see the display of Christmas-themed digital art that will be projected on the main face of the Cathedral.
The previous shows from 2019 and 2020 welcomed more than 20,000 people in total.
The Very Reverend Abi Thompson, Dean of Sheffield, said: "We want to share the Christmas story and invite everyone to
come along and see the Cathedral transformed by light and sound and to start their Christmas celebrations with us.”
All of the artwork is created by Luxmuralis, a digital arts specialist working in collaboration with the Cathedral.
Peter Walker, artistic director of Luxmuralis, said: “We are delighted to return to Sheffield for our third Christmas show at the Cathedral. For many the illuminations have become a tradition for Sheffield, bringing people of all ages and all backgrounds together in the heart of the city.
"The Manger is a beautiful production which we are sure will get people in the mood for Christmas celebrations this year.”
Alongside the lights, the Cathedral features 40 Christmas trees that have been decorated by local businesses, charities and community groups.
The lights go on at 5.30pm every evening until 4 December and tickets are still available to purchase online.
Sheffield wig bank hosting fundraiser for new salon
A charity founder has organised an event for new facilities because the living room she operates out of is now ‘bursting at the seams’.
Hayley Ekwubiri, 34, of Intake, owns the Self Empowered wig bank which provides free wigs to those experiencing hair loss.
Ms Ekwubiri said: “It’s a misconception that hair loss isn’t a big deal, but hair is a huge part of our identity.
“So just because someone doesn’t have biological hair doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a great experience at the hairdressers and feel empowered in their own skin.”
After previously working for a wig maker, Ms Ekwubiri opened her hair charity in her garden shed a year ago but has since moved to a new house where the salon is now based.
She said: “People come to me for a wig and ask to be made beautiful again.
“But I tell them that's not what I'm doing. They’re already beautiful - I’m just here to make their hair journey a positive experience.”
But with her wigs in high demand, Ms Ekwubiri has outgrown her salon and is looking to hit her target of £1,000 to help fund a new one.
She said: “We were bursting at the seams, but this fundraiser means my charity can find a new home, which is vital because it has such a massive impact on the community.”
The importance of having free wig banks like Self Empowered is echoed by Rachel Wadsworth from Sheffield Alopecia UK who understands the burden of buying hair.
She said: “Wig Bank services are hugely valuable to those who struggle with the affordability of purchasing wigs.
“It's great when businesses do their bit to help those who might be in distress and find it hard to access the products they need.”
The Self Empowered fundraiser will take place on 3 December at The George Pub in Woodhouse at 3pm, with activities ranging from food and homemade crafts to donkeys and Santa for the kids.
Ms Ekwubiri said: “I'm a firm believer in inclusivity so no matter your background come down and celebrate this great cause with us.”
The charity is also asking anyone who has old wigs, extensions or hair pieces, no matter the condition, to donate.
Ms Ekwubiri said: “It means so much to be able to help - It’s such a small act yet it impacts people so massively.”
Santa Paws Walk to raise money for Sheffield Support Dogs
A Sheffield charity is hosting a Santa Claus walk this month to raise money for support dogs across the UK.
The specialist assistance animals provide life-changing support for people with epilepsy, autism and physical disabilities who need help performing daily and essential tasks.
Danny Anderson, Fundraising Manager at Support Dogs, said: “It can be live saving and gives people their independence back. We have clients who are parents now and they wouldn’t be able to hold, or be alone with their children, but their dogs help them.
“It means they can leave their home and be okay and know they have their dog there to support them."
The walk aims to raise money for the charity and also encourage people to volunteer to help socialise puppies before they are old enough to attend school or foster dogs in training.
Mr Anderson said: "It’s been a lovely event for us in the past. It’s about getting people who are dog lovers or walking lovers or just love the idea of our charity to get them out on a lovely crisp winter morning, going out and have a lovely walk raising money for our charity.
People who wish to take part in the walk are encouraged to bring their own dogs who will be given a goody bag after completing the trail.
"There’s lots of opportunity to eat cake and lots of opportunity to dress up and look silly," Mr Anderson said.
According to statistics from 2018/19, fundraising and donations from individuals, groups and businesses accounted for 46% of the charity's income.
Mr Anderson: “We provide all our services entirely free of charge and the cost of living and inflation has hit small charities like us really hard.”
The annual Santa Paws Walk is set to take place on 11 December and will be setting off from Endcliffe Park before splitting into three different routes, including an accessible 3km trail.
To participate in the event, entrants are asked to pay £10, which includes a free Santa hat and some cake at the end of the route.
Annual Victorian Christmas Market opens tomorrow
Seasonal food, entertainment and gifts will be on offer at the Victorian Christmas Market, which opens tomorrow at Kelham Island Museum.
For two days there will be 80 stalls selling Sheffield-made wares including ceramics, prints, jewellery and handmade cards and food featuring a traditional hog roast, Bavarian sausages and traditional mulled wine.
The market will be open on Saturday from 10am to 7pm and Sunday from the same time until 5pm.
Kim Streets, chief executive of Sheffield Museums, said: “Kelham Island Museum’s Victorian Christmas Market has become a Sheffield tradition and the start of seasonal celebrations for so many people in the city.
“It’s one of our favourite times of year and we can’t wait to welcome people.”
Entertainment including brass bands, dancers and carollers will be there, as well as the opportunity to relax in the museum’s onsite pub, The Millowners Arms.
Admission charge is £7.50 for adults and free for accompanied children under 16.
Sheffield donated 15 beds to Ugandan mental health ward
A Sheffield health organisation has paid for 15 new hospital beds to ease pressure on mental health services in Uganda.
The country, which has a population of over 43 million but only 43 psychiatrists, has struggled to keep up with demands on their limited wellbeing services.
Nicholas Opiyo, who works at the Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, where the beds were donated, said: "We had 24 patients in the ward, but now we have less than 15. This is a clear sign the patients are improving, so they're getting help from the beds installed on the ward."
The partnership with Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust and the mental health ward at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, offer support through expertise and privately-fundraised projects.
Uganda was rocked by a 20 year civil war which began in the 1980s. The Uganda National Liberation Front moved people into refugee camps, where it was reported a series of human rights abuses took place.
The country's limited mental health support is now straining under the weight of people who were traumatised during the war, resulting in high levels of anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder and a rising number of suicides.
Mr Opiyo said: "People witnessed their mothers being killed in front of them. Mothers were forced to have intercourse with their children in front of the public.
"People were abducted, taken to the bush and made to kill people. When the war ended, their land had been taken. Issues of land conflict have exposed so many people to depression because people don't have anywhere to belong."
Mr Opiyo explained the mental health unit at the hospital has in the past been forced to turn people away due to a lack of unusable beds. Some were in such a bad condition patients were contracting infections from them.
Greg Harrisson, coordinator of the Sheffield and Uganda partnership, said: "The benefits to the staff here who go to Gulu are also very strong. It is a two-way thing. Health staff from Sheffield who go to the hospital feel more confident.
"They also feel stronger working as a team. [Our staff] say their service to people has improved, so there's definitely a benefit to the NHS and Sheffield."
Sheffield’s Gay Quarter part closes and has late licence removed
Queer Junction has been forced to close while their neighbour Dempsey's has lost their late licence, as the two have been branded the "most crime ridden" in Sheffield.
After 22 years of being the hub of Sheffield's gay scene, it was announced late on Thursday night that Sheffield Gay Quarter on Hereford Street is fighting collapse.
South Yorkshire Police named the two venues as "the most crime ridden" in the city with the number of sexual and homophobic attacks peaking in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday. They were the only two locations in the city with a license to stay open till 6am.
With over five percent of the Sheffield population estimated to be LGBTQ+, there now remains only one nightclub tailored towards the community.
Dempsey's Bar and Club posted on their Facebook that the change in opening hours is "totally out of our control" to a large and mainly unhappy response from customers.
Labour MP for Sheffield Central Paul Blomfield said: "Dempsey's has always played a really important role, certainly in the LGBTQ+ community, and it's bad news. It's simply shocking that in this day and age the community is still facing any kind of harassment. We should be doing everything we can to support a vibrant LGBTQ+ community within Sheffield."
Queer Junction also put out a post, saying that they "have no option other than to close [their] doors." They have speculated that police are looking to shut down any club opening past 3am.
The manager and assistant manager for Dempsey's were unavailable for comment.
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Sheffield’s Snowdrop Project donates Christmas bags for modern slavery and human trafficking survivors
Sheffield's Snowdrop Project has prepared more than 100 Christmas gift bags for human trafficking and modern slavery victims to help them celebrate the festive season.
The award winning charity were initially concerned the cost of living crisis would hinder their plans to help those most in need.
Katie Pendray, 30, Communications Manager for the charity, said: "We've been amazed this year because we've managed to get all 100 gift bags in only a couple of weeks.
"Sometimes these will be the only thing our clients receive that year because they're either alone or their families live in different countries, so it's often the highlight of their year."
The gift bags are filled with a variety of presents including chocolate, stationery, clothing accessories and bubble bath.
Despite reaching their goal, the charity has noticed a decrease in support this winter and staff have launched a new campaign asking people if they can donate just the cost of a hot drink or a meal for the survivors.
"This is a really tough time for the survivors we support in terms of how the cost of living crisis has hit them, but also for us as a charity. Some of our clients have just moved into council flats and are really scared to turn on their heating," said Ms Pendray.
"Some have mushrooms growing on their walls because of the damp and mould in their buildings."
The Snowdrop Project has had to make some very difficult decisions this year, but they remain committed to keeping their support services running as usual over the winter.
Ms Pendray said: "We really don't want to reduce our support because this is the time people need it more than ever."
Last year, the project supported 124 people in their recovery .Services include one-to-one casework support and community activities lsuch as pottery, English classes and toddler groups, creating a safe space for survivors.
One client, who turned to the charity for support, said: "When I'm out and about I feel fearful, but when I walk into the Snowdrop Project office, that fear is gone."
Visit the charity's website here to make a donation.
Sheffield University researchers work on AI project to combat disinformation
Sheffield University are working on a new project to develop artificial intelligence in a bid to tackle digital disinformation.
The multi-million pound scheme will use cutting edge tools to target the increasing spread of misleading information which finds its way into the public domain.
Dr Carolina Scarton, 35, a lecturer in Natural Language Processing at Sheffield University, said: "Digital disinformation is evolving and becoming easier to create, yet increasingly harder to detect and verify."
The project, Vera.ai, is bringing together experts from many different fields, including Computer Science, Social Sciences and Journalism.
"Our main aim is to create AI tools to support journalists and fact-checkers in identifying and debunking disinformation that appears in multiple platforms like social media, closed networks and even in the mainstream media," said Dr Scarton.
Technological developments mean the creation of deceiving material, like forged images, requires less expertise and is becoming increasingly difficult to spot.
The Vera.ai team aims to keep up with these developments and make sure the new tools are open, easy to use and accessible to the general public.
Prof Kalina Bontcheva, Head of the Natural Language (NLP) research group at the University and the Vera.ai scientific director, said: "With disinformation growing continuously in terms of its volume, spread and sophistication, new tools are urgently needed to help verification professionals with detection, analysis and exposure of disinformation campaigns in a timely and reliable manner."
Disinformation can appear in various forms, including audio, video, images, and text, and is defined as false or misleading information created to deceive the general public for economic gain.
Researchers from the University believe disinformation poses a serious threat to the functioning of open democracies, public discourse, the economy and social cohesion.
Dr Scarton explained disinformation around the Covid-19 vaccine caused a reduction in the rate of vaccinations, which was a severe public health risk.
She said: "Not only did it lead to a reduction in rates of the Covid vaccine, but also caused doubt about other vaccines."
Sophisticated disinformation campaigns around the war in Ukraine have also been used to spread false information to citizens.
Dr Scarton said: "The project has created many opportunities for us in terms of future long-term collaborations with researchers and key stakeholders in the field."
Vera.ai will also act as a continuation of the successful WeVerify project which led to the creation of a browser extension with over 70,000 monthly users.
Steelers seal dramatic penalty win against Panthers
Steelers fans had been warned of a frantic opening 10 minutes by Aaron Fox in last night's fixture against long standing rivals the Nottingham Panthers, and he wasn't wrong.
In the opening minutes of the game Notts' Duggie Lagrone who was knocked unconscious following an awkward collision with a Steelers player.
Thankfully though, he was seen talking with medical staff and gave a reassuring thumbs up to the applauding Steelers and Panthers fans.
Rivalry was put to one side as Steelers' Danny Kristo brought the stretcher to the then-unconscious Notts defender, who thankfully did not require hospital treatment, and, reassuringly, travelled home with his Panthers teammates.
Lagrone has only just returned from a head injury following a game against Manchester Storm so concern from the sidelines was justifiable.
Steelers head coach Aaron Fox admitted after the game that the incident dampened proceedings in the opening exchanges.
He said: "It absolutely did suck the life out of the first period. But we were outstanding. We only gave up two shots and suffocated them defensively."
The second period saw Steelers score two goals in quick succession. Danny Kristo, who spoke exclusively to Sheffield Wire before the match, was the first to put a puck in the back of the net before Piche doubled the lead for the Steelers.
Chances grew in number for Fox's players but derbies are never straight forward.
After Corey Nielson's appointment as new head coach for the Panthers, this fixture was never going to stick to script. So when Kelly Summers equalised with only five seconds of regulation time remaining, Notts fans may have been forgiven for thinking the same magic that Nielson wielded when he won 14 trophies for his team was at work in his first game back.
The stars appeared to be aligning as sudden death beckoned.
Both sides went close in a frenetic overtime and it was only penalties that could separate the two sides in the end. Brendan Connolly's sudden death penalty was enough to ruin Nielson's hope of a dream first game, much to the elation of the frenzied Steelers faithful.
Following the on rink celebrations, opening scorer Danny Kristo said afterwards it was a "good win for the team."
Fox praised a "huge and awesome crowd" of more than 7,600 fans at the Utilita Sheffield Arena, as his side now look to chase down Guildford Flames. With two games in hand on the league leaders, the dream of bringing silverware back to Sheffield is still on very much alive.
Ex-Sheffield United footballer is keeping his Dronfield hotel a World-Cup-free zone
A former professional footballer will not be showing any World Cup games in his hotel bar for fear of rowdy crowds ruining the atmosphere for his clientele.
Kevin Gage, who played for The Blades between 1991 and 1996, said the Manor House Hotel had not put up flags and will not be showing any games on TV.
In fact, he said: "If you want to come and escape the World Cup, you can come here."
Mr Gage said he wasn't really trying to draw in business by avoiding the World Cup but staying true to the style of business that his hotel has.
He said: "We don't want to ruin the business we have - having mass rowdy crowds doesn't fit in with being a boutique hotel."
Mr Gage acquired the 15th century Grade II listed building in 2009 along with his business partner Stephen Geary. They "renovated, re-designed and re-styled" the property after acquisition.
The Manor House Hotel is now billed as a boutique hotel with a café lounge and bar. It has a mix of single and double rooms as well as two suites.
It is located on the high street of Dronfield, in the old part of the town.
Asked if he thought it odd that an ex-professional footballer would do this, Mr Gage said a lot of the clientele weren't familiar with his past career that ended more than 20 years ago. He added he will be watching the World Cup games elsewhere.
Striking Sheffield nurse says NHS staff forced to sleep in cars and use food banks amid government pay dispute
A Sheffield nurse has said reports of colleagues barely affording to travel to work and eat has led her to support the upcoming Royal College of Nursing strikes in December.
The nurse, who asked to be kept anonymous, described challenging conditions for NHS staff, with some sleeping in cars to avoid the cost of travelling to and from work, using food banks in hospitals and many suffering from the effects of long Covid.
“It’s unacceptable to be in a situation where essential staff are struggling to make ends meet,” she added.
She said a lack of NHS funding, a failure to prioritise the staffing crisis and pay cuts amount to an erosion of worker’s rights, which prevent nurses from doing their jobs safely.
“The strikes absolutely are about pay, but they’re also about patient safety,” she said.
“Most of us went into the profession to care - we just want to be able to do our job safely.
“We need to prioritise looking after the staff so they can look after patients.”
The Royal College of Nursing announced today that two strikes will take place in December after the government rejected the union’s offer to negotiate on pay.
The strikes will last for 12 hours on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December 2022, and are set to take place across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
According to the RCN, the strikes will follow the life-preserving care model, which will not affect emergency intervention and therapeutic services for the preservation of life and the prevention of permanent disability, and urgent diagnostic procedures.
The Sheffield nurse said the strikes have been a long time coming.
“We feel like it’s a last resort.
“The government have had plenty of warning from the unions and campaigns from staff about the emergency crisis in the NHS but it has been constantly ignored.
“We don’t make the decision to strike lightly, but if we don’t, things will just get worse.”