Local Elections 2023 - Sheffield Wire

Live: Latest updates from Sheffield & Barnsley Local Elections 2023

Businessman Dupes Sheffield Hospitals Charity of £285000; Sentenced

4:30pm

Lottery manager Simon Rydings, responsible for running the Sheffield Hospitals Charity lottery scheme was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison at Birmingham Magistrates Court following misuse of charity funds to the tune of £285000. The charity is left downhearted as they’d placed their trust in the 50 year old CEO of Capen Limited from Edinburgh to generate revenue as its authorised external lottery manager. The charity raised £3.2 million in the last five years and relied on the several thousand pounds revenue by running the lottery scheme to support these services. Simon pleaded guilty to profiteering the lottery winnings in court. Gareth Aston, CEO of Sheffield Hospitals Charity was quoted saying: “We are deeply upset and saddened by the events which have taken place. As a charity, our biggest responsibility and priority is to assist our beneficiaries, and we rely on the wonderful supporters of the charity to be able to achieve that. "We welcome the outcome of the case and we will do everything within our power to recover the outstanding funds." The charity released a statement on their website saying: "The fraud did not affect any of the lottery players (or payment of any prizes), it simply affected the revenue generated for the charity. "Sheffield Hospitals Charity has carried out a thorough review of its processes and, through an abundance of caution, even more stringent security measures have been put in place concerning the handling of funds such that all sums generated by the lottery are now paid directly to Sheffield Hospitals Charity by the collection company, and Sheffield Hospitals Charity is confident that there is no prospect of any such fraud being perpetrated against Sheffield Hospitals Charity in the future. The charity no longer works with or has links to Capen Ltd and Directors. "We wish to assure all of our lottery players, present and future, that the proceeds from any tickets purchased will benefit the charitable causes which we fight so hard to maintain and improve. "

Cathedral full for Archer Project’s celebration of compassion for homeless

4:29pm

Former homeless people told stories and read poetry to support a charity that helped them off the streets today. The Archer Project's carol service took place in Sheffield Cathedral, where the project started in the winter of 1989. Every year the venue is used to bring people together to sing carols and celebrate the work of the project.

Sheffield Cathedral

There are currently an estimated 4,200 people on the streets in Yorkshire and the Humber. Tim Renshaw, CEO of the Archer Project, said: “The project was started because of compassion, seeing people hungry, cold and placeless and the basic human response to that.” By simply inviting those people into the cathedral for a hot drink, the Archer Project was born, and it has grown from there. Mr Renshaw told Sheffield Wire that more was now known about homelessness and there was an approach that worked with people on the street through to people getting into employment. He said: “Employment is a wonderful thing, employment is a chance to meet people, feel as though we’re doing something. It offers much more than just pay.” The Archer Project offer lots of various services such as health, accommodation and being part of society. Dean of Sheffield cathedral, Abi Thompson, ran today's carol service and told us it had been great to see the project grow and develop into what it is now and that they work extremely hard to give people food every day.

Dean of Sheffield cathedral Abi Thompson

Soup and bread were given out after the service and many homeless people that the charity helped turned up.

Post service soup and bread

Chris Lynam, 38, performed one of his poems in the service which told the story of suicide and loss and had the whole cathedral captivated.

Chris Lynam, 38

He told Sheffield Wire he came from an abusive childhood, he was led down some dark paths such as mental illness, addiction and substance misuse. In the summer of 2017 Chris got released from prison halfway through a three year and nine-month sentence and was homeless with not a lot of prospects for the future. Mr Lynam said: “I don’t know where my life would be now if I didn’t walk through the doors here.”

A tale of two cities: Covid inequalities in East and West Sheffield

4:22pm

After more than a year of living with Covid-19, the inequality that splits Sheffield in half has never been more apparent. Despite hearing that "we're all in this together" from politicians, brands, and celebrities, the pandemic showed the stark differences in the ways people live. More time was spent at home, jobs were lost or hours cut, and existing health conditions put people at risk of serious illness or death.

What’s significant about the divide in Sheffield?

In Sheffield, the richest and poorest areas are split down the middle, with a strong dividing line between the East and the West. This layout for a city is unique in England. In many cities, some of the most affluent and most deprived areas sit side-by-side, mixed throughout.

Diagram showing areas which fall into the 20% most and least deprived in the country, across England’s largest cities, from the Fairness Commission Report by Sheffield City Council

Researchers have said this is for historical reasons. In the 19th century, factory owners fled from the pollution-heavy East where the factories were based, to find home in the leafy, uphill West. After pit closures in the 1980s and 90s, the communities in the East were ravaged by poverty, while the West continued on largely unaffected.

How unequal is Sheffield?

Phil Vintin, 44, grew up in Woodhouse Mill in the East but moved as an adult to Sharrow and Nether Edge in the West. Reflecting on the differences in the city, he said: "I think the mindset within the city varies. I’d say, as a generalisation, the North and the East are similar and the South West is particularly different, due to the money and things like the nicer, tree lined environment.” Like any city, there are extreme differences to be found.

On average, a household in Fulwood and Lodge Moor made £65,700 a year, while a household in Fir Vale made £29,300. While Sheffield Hallam is the richest parliamentary constituency outside of London, many parts of Sheffield struggle with poverty. Jeni Green, co-ordinator of Cohesion Sheffield said: “So many people are living right on that poverty line.

"And when you bring Universal Credit into that, then that tips people into having to go to money lenders. They get into a cycle of not being able to pay their debts and having these ridiculous levels of payments that they're meant to make. "So there are cycles and cycles and cycles.”

How does that impact on health?

Income inequality and can lead to massive differences in the quality of someone's health. From air quality to higher risk jobs, from crime to culture. These are just some of the many ways in which living in an area where deprivation is high can impact on someone's health. NHS Sheffield's Clinical Commissioning Group highlighted five factors that led to people living in areas with higher deprivation having poorer health:

Adoption of behaviours and lifestyles that increase their risk (e.g. smoking, lack of physical exercise)
Uptake of available screening services
Willingness and confidence to ask for advice, help or treatment when they have concerns about their health
Expectations of healthcare services

Shona Kelly, Professor of Interdisciplinary Health Research at Sheffield Hallam University, researches health inequality. She said that a big problem with health inequality was how we attribute "shame and blame" to people for behaving in unhealthy ways, such as drinking or smoking. Professor Kelly said: "The way society is structured and organised gives some people chances over others, so it's going to disadvantage people. And that is stressful. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it.” “I think it's really difficult for the majority of the middle class population to understand how difficult daily life is when you are struggling for money. These people are not going out there blowing their money. “If they do go out once a week and have a pint of beer? Excuse me, but that's fine. You go out every night after work and have a glass or two of wine." In the East, 22% of people have a limiting long-term illness, compared to the 14% in the West and the national average of 18%.

The pandemic, divided

People living with long-term illnesses were at substantial risk of serious complications or death as a result of Covid.

More people worked from home in the West, due to having more office-based jobs, while more people in the East continued to go into work.

This meant people in the East were both more at risk of catching Covid in the first place, and then of suffering more serious consequences from the disease.

In Crabtree & Fir Vale, more than half of all deaths between March and July 2020 were a result of COVID-19.

As the pandemic continues, the effect of health inequalities is shown through medical distrust and vaccination rates.

Without meaningful efforts being made to lessen inequality, the differences that have been made so clear by the pandemic will only worsen.

Sheffield Business Awards show local enterprises are bouncing back

4:21pm

Sheffield Business Awards prove local enterprises are bouncing back after the pandemic. Last night, unLTD, a Sheffield business magazine, hosted the annual Sheffield Business Awards. There were 15 awards up for grabs, with four companies nominated in each category. These categories include Employer of the Year, Social Impact Award and Sheffield Maker Award. Ian Finkill, director of Robert Sorby, who won the Maker Award for Manufacturing Company of the Year, said: “It was good to be back catching up with other Sheffield businesses again, and to come away with the trophy was fantastic.” The local business community were glad to have an opportunity to show they are still thriving, despite the pandemic. Zoe Wadsworth, owner and creator of Fab Events, explained that COVID meant she had to change the business she has been running for 15 years. She said: “As events were illegal we had to pivot so we now advise businesses on events they can run to improve their brand strategy. "It has been difficult when people know you are doing one thing and now we do something different, but this award feels like a sign we’re on the right track." Many of the businesses that won awards were also able to innovate during the pandemic, but for some, the lockdown restrictions had unexpected positive consequences. Ian Finkill said: “As sad it is to say, all the lockdowns meant people wanted to start new hobbies, so they came to us for the woodworking tools we make. "Our order book is now the biggest it’s been in our 200 year history.” Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens won the Planet Saver Award for their drive to be as eco-friendly as possible and director Rob Cole said the pandemic increased business for them as well. “As soon as the first lockdown ended our phone started ringing off the hook. "People had been sitting at home, not able to spend money on holidays and wanted to make their homes more special.” Whilst the economic landscape may have been irreversibly changed by the last 18 months, Sheffield businesses are refusing to go anywhere. (Picture courtesy of Robert Sorby)

Ambulance worker jailed for sexually attacking 15-year-old girl

4:16pm

An ambulance service worker who used social media to target a 15-year-old girl before sexually attacking her has been jailed. Jamie Robinson, 33, from Doncaster, has been jailed for over seven years after he asked the minor whether she wanted to lose her virginity to him on Facebook and Snapchat. When the young girl deleted him on Snapchat, the Emergency Medical Technician pressured her to re-add him.

Jamie Robinson, went by the username Jamie999 on Snapchat

He then sent the girl multiple messages urging her to visit him at his flat on West Street, Thorn. DS Kath Coulter, investigating, said: "Robinson took her back to his flat and sexually assaulted her, despite the victim crying and telling him to stop. Even after the victim shouted at him to stop and demanded he take her back home, he continued to touch her inappropriately and make sexual comments." On 1 September 2019, Robinson took her to his flat. He met the youngster in the evening and away from her home. DS Coulter said: "The victim did not want to go to the flat and told him a number of times that she was busy. However, Robinson's messages became increasingly aggressive and she was becoming upset by them. Due to his constant harassment, she reluctantly agreed to meet him." The girl made an online report to Childline and Robinson was arrested on 21 September 2019. During the interviews he made no comment. A jury found the man guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday 7 December at Sheffield Crown Court. Yesterday he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for assault by penetration and two and a half years for sexual assault, to run concurrently. The judge, Mr Recorder Keir Monteith QC, stated Robinson had taken advantage of his position of trust, and set out with a significant amount of planning to commit the offences. The judge went on to recognise the victim's bravery for calling Childline and the Police DS Coulter said: "This young victim has been left traumatised by what happened to her and I commend her bravery in coming forward and reporting Robinson's vile behaviour. She was left very frightened and distressed after her horrendous ordeal and didn't initially report it or tell her mum as she was worried about getting into trouble. "I want to be very clear - a victim will never get in trouble with the police for reporting these crimes. We are there to listen to you, support you and seek justice for what has happened, and I am satisfied that in this case justice has been served."

Police say Barnsley stabbing was an “isolated incident”

4:13pm

Police have deemed a Barnsley stabbing an "isolated incident" after a woman was killed by her son. Renars Geslers, 32, has since been charged with murdering his mother and is currently awaiting sentencing. His mother, Agita Geslers, 61, was found on 25 May in a property on Brierfield Close after emergency services were contacted at 12:30am. They found her with serious injuries and took her to hospital but she died a short time later. Mr Geslers, of Hoyle Mill Road, Barnsley, was charged with her murder and appeared at Sheffield Crown court in October in front of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson to deny the charges. He has admitted to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, a plea accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service following medical reports that revealed he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Mr Geslers will be sentenced on 28 January 2022 at 2pm. DCI Mick Hakin, who is leading the investigation, said: "I want to reassure the local community that enquires so far indicate this to be an isolated incident." He also asked for those with information to contact the police on 101, quoting incident number 15 of 25 May 2021, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Plan B: Covid pass creating concern for older generation

4:13pm

New COVID restrictions being introduced across the UK have sparked concern about the inaccessibility of downloading COVID passes via smartphones. An NHS COVID Pass will be required to enter large venues from 15 December. But some older people said they were struggling because there were no clear guidelines to access a digital vision, and some said their phones were too old to download the app. One interviewee from the city centre told Sheffield Wire that she even had to ask her grandkids for a tutorial. “People at my age never used anything like that, It’s new to us.” Another said: “The government can’t force us to get digital proof just for now, we need to learn how to learn to live with the virus for the rest of our life.” Plastic cards were suggested as an alternative.

Barnsley take on Preston for manager Ryan Lowe’s first match in charge

4:11pm

Barnsley travel to Deepdale for Saturday’s game against a Preston side buoyed by the appointment of new manager Ryan Lowe. The Tykes head into the game on the back of a five match winless run, however, the club’s form has improved slightly over the past two games with draws away at Peterborough and at home to Huddersfield. Carlton Morris scored the first goal of newly-appointed Poya Asbaghi’s reign during the game at Oakwell and the Iranian manager will be looking for his side to build on this against Preston. Barnsley remain 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship with only administration hit Derby below them. Aapo Halme is the only injury doubt for the away side. Ahead of the game, Asbaghi said: “I’ve seen good foundations, a solid structure. That’s normally where you need to start. It gives the players confidence, they trust upon that solid organisation. “It will be a challenging fixture for us, they all are. This is a high quality division. But we are feeling good, we have a strong belief in everything that we are doing. Goalkeeper, Brad Collins praised the side’s defensive improvement: “We certainly look more solid as a collective, as a unit, we’re not conceding as many goals so it’s been a good start from that point of view. “But it’s about taking it game by game. There are so many games left to play, a lot of points to play for and the confidence is growing day by day." Ryan Lowe will take charge of Preston for the first time. The Lilywhites are currently 18th in the second tier with Ched Evans, Andre Hughes and Sepp Van der Berg likely to miss the match through injury.

Sheffield therapist offers free reflexology sessions to clients who can’t afford to pay

4:10pm

A woman from Sheffield has started providing free reflexology sessions to clients who can’t afford to pay full price. Zoe Hartwood, 39, from Netherthorpe, began offering reflexology and other complementary therapy sessions on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis when she started her business, Hartwood Well Being, earlier this year. Considering well-being to be a human right irrespective of income, she believes the current capitalist system we live in isn’t working and wants to challenge it with a ‘financially accessible’ pricing structure.

Zoe qualified in reflexology 5 years ago and is "rebelling against capitalism"

“[Capitalism] doesn’t encourage people to live their best lives. They’re stuck working in jobs they don’t necessarily like because they have bills to pay and houses to run,” she said. Driven by a desire to help people, Zoe feels there is a lot of injustice in the world. She says she doesn’t want to contribute to that injustice by being “monetarily motivated”. “We didn’t have loads of stuff when I was growing up, and maybe that attitude has gone with me – that you don’t need money to be happy." she said. Zoe is effectively able to provide treatment on a volunteer basis as she works another job to provide her primary income. While she has prices listed for her sessions, she asks that people only pay what they can as a ‘donation’ that suits their income level, even if that means not paying anything.

Running the sessions from her home, Zoe hopes her therapies can make a real difference to people's lives.

Shunning the traditional focus on money, she says her interactions with business coaches over the years made her feel like they were taking a cynical approach, targeting people’s suffering to make a profit. “I worked with a few business coaches who said, ‘if they want to work with you, people will find the money’, and I simply wasn’t comfortable with that,” said Zoe. “I don’t want to use somebody’s pain to get money.” Working with local organisations, Zoe is trying to widen the awareness of her services through local groups who work with under-privileged people and those with mental health struggles. Through the practice of social prescribing, where health professionals refer patients to support in the community, she aims to reach more people who need her services, and hopes other healthcare providers will follow her lead. “It would be nice to grow into a movement of therapists in Sheffield with the same mentality,” said Zoe, however her primary goal for now is to help as many people as she can.

Sheffield coffee shops battle rising costs

4:09pm

In the last few months, coffee roasters and cafes in Sheffield have faced a united struggle with product suppliers, staff shortages and tax increase on key items. To compensate for these problems, many businesses have had no choice but to increase their coffee prices. "I haven't spoken to one place in hospitality that hasn't had to put their prices up," said Olivia Hunt, manager of Copa Caffè on Ecclesall Road. Sipping a coffee in her cafe early on a Friday morning, Hunt said business was quieter than usual. The pandemic was already having an impact on the hospitality sector and this week, the price of coffee beans hit a 10-year high. The price increase of coffee is now even more important for the independent coffee scene in the city. "We've had to put our coffee prices up, not through any choice of our own, but simply to compensate for the supplier prices going up and also tax on our products has dramatically increased", Hunt added. Copa Caffe raised most of their coffee prices by 20 pence, two weeks ago. "We'd already spent a few months not getting as much profit as most coffee places and then when all the supplier prices went up, we had to put our prices up to stay competitive," says Hunt. "It's supply and demand at its essence."

'Everything has gone up in price'

Although Covid isn't a direct link to the price increase at Copa, Hunt said the new Omicron variant may become a problem. "After Boris' Covid announcement on Wednesday evening, we haven't been nearly as busy as we usually are. People have started working from home again. "It wasn't a factor to consider at the time of our price change, but it may become one." Copa's coffee is supplied by Sheffield Roasters 'Cuppers Choice'. Established by two brothers Jasper and Thomas, they supply Copa with fresh coffee every week.

Copa Caffè staff working throughout the pandemic

Hunt mentioned that packaging and labour hours were also accountable for their coffee price increase. "You have to take into accountability that when you pay for a product, you pay for the product itself, but also what the product is put in and the time it take for someone to make it. "You're actually paying for a lot of different facets. "Everything has gone up in price, even the takeaway cups. We can't physically get what we normally can and we have to buy more expensive products. "This month I couldn't get our normal large cups and I had to pay £30 more to get these different cups." Hunt said that Copa have tried to be as reasonable as possible with their price increases. "Coffees like Macchiatos and Cortados, which are smaller drinks, we have actually shaved 20 pence off the price. We are losing money on these drinks but making it back on the rest. I didn't want to shock everyone with the price increase."

Copa Caffè's coffee machine

Albie's Coffee on Snig Hill, have also tried to keep their costs reasonable by maintaining their latte prices at £2.90. But, like Copa, they have had to increase their coffee prices to keep in line with industry standards. The sibling-run business said there were many contributing factors for this decision. One reason was the cost surge in disposable coffee products like takeout cups, bags and napkins. "We go through an incredible amount of products and the cost of these have risen significantly. "We will always choose to buy recyclable and biodegradable products which adds to the price. However, we do not want to compromise our company and personal ethics to keep the product cheaper", said Robyn Hodges, the co-owner of Albie's. Hodges said the increased cost of utilities, in particular the excess cost of electricity, is a huge contributor for the coffee price increase.

'Demand for coffee is through the roof'

The damage from the loss of footfall due to the ongoing pandemic was another factor. "Volume will always result in a cheaper product and if we can't sell the volume, then unfortunately, the individual unit price will increase", said Hodges. She said that even though their coffee bean supply has naturally increased, this wasn't connected to their price increase. "We are really proud to serve coffee that has been sourced sustainably, where the farmer has been paid fairly. "We will always support these price increases and often take a hit ourselves instead of passing them on to the customer." Hodges said it was important to recognise that many factors caused the price increase on their coffee products and she hopes customers will support this decision. "We hope that guests can appreciate a business that pays its staff and suppliers a fair price to help. It will create a much more sustainable industry for all parties, and one that can thrive for years to come."

Albie's Coffee

Karen Close, owner of All is Good Deli in Penistone, said the pandemic and Brexit are the main reasons behind her price increase. "Demand for coffee is through the roof. There are coffee shops popping up left, right and centre and they're pulling on all these coffee suppliers and prices are going up." At present, Close has not raised her coffee prices but to keep up with the competitive market, said she will in the new year. "In keeping with our company's focus on delivering quality products at competitive market prices, the increase will be 10% on coffee products. "I've taken the hit for now as I've only just opened this new business and I don't want to put myself out of the market. "I need people first to invest in the coffee and taste and see how good it is, so they'll come back and buy it again."

'It's time to work in solidarity'

Despite having to increase their coffee prices, all three businesses have received positive support from the customers. Hunt said: "We've got a lot of loyal customers that come everyday and we also get lots of new customers. "They have all been really supportive. I was really worried that customers were going to complain and be upset that the prices had gone up. "It's humbling because it has actually been the complete opposite. Some customers have been said they can't believe the prices were so cheap anyway."

All is Good Deli

Close said: "From a retailers point of view, my customers don't blink an eye when they're picking up a bag of coffee. "I think for my particular customers, they are looking for quality and if they want to pay a little bit more for quality, that is what they'll do." Hunt said that with the tax increases, the ongoing pandemic and Brexit, independent coffee businesses in Yorkshire need to work together. "With everyone being in the same position, I think it's time to come together and work in solidarity through it."

Blades look to build on revitalised start under Heckingbottom

3:59pm

Sheffield United fans will be hopeful that Paul Heckingbottom’s bright start as manager will continue with a third successive league victory. The Blades welcome London-side QPR to Bramall Lane on Monday evening, in a game that could go either way. The Championship has a reputation for providing unpredictable and entertaining fixtures, with supporters often witnessing shock results during the season. On the openness of the league, Heckingbottom said: “In the Championship. any team can turn a result around against any team." The cut-throat nature of the Championship is understood by Heckingbottom, who has previous experience of managing at this level with Leeds United and Barnsley. He added: “You have to be flat out every single time, and sometimes that might not be good enough. “I think there will be a lot of changes in the table between now and the end of the season. It’s all about consistency, if you get that consistency you suddenly become a team that’s talked about.” Most recently the Blades played out an entertaining 3-2 victory away to Cardiff City. In the game, 21-year-old Morgan Gibbs-White featured as the standout player, claiming one goal and two assists. When asked about the future of the England under-21 international, Heckingbottom said: “The biggest thing about Morgan is he wants to play, he just loves the game. Those types of players are going to make the most of themselves.” Whilst Blades fans will be excited to see the Wolves loanee in action again on Monday, they will be without striker Rhian Brewster and midfielder John Fleck. Visitors QPR sit 6th in the Championship table and should offer a stern test for Heckingbottom’s in-form side. Tickets can be purchased online at: https://tickets.sufc.co.uk/en-GB/categories/home

Hundreds signed up for Theo’s Glow Run in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity

3:58pm

Glow sticks and fairy lights will be illuminating a Sheffield park this Tuesday as hundreds of people raise money for Sheffield's Hospital Charity. The event called Theo's Glow Run is set to start in Endcliffe Park at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 14 December. Runners, joggers and walkers are encouraged to dress up and head down to the park to complete 5km early next week. Rachel Thomas, 24, is the events fundraising officer for the charity and she said: "With it being December, it can be quite dark around Christmas time, so the whole idea is to light up Endcliffe Park." On average, the event usually raises just over £30,000 and Rachel said: "We really hope to raise just as much this year, but we do understand that it's a difficult time, with restrictions changing and things like that, but fingers crossed we raise between £20,000 to £30,000." Team Theo's Glow Run first took place in 2017 and this is the fourth year it has been on, after it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Last year, the event took place virtually and people were encouraged to dress up and complete the run around their local area. The event is now sold out, with over 500 people taking part. Donations to the Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity can contribute towards funding workshops on the ward when children are in isolation and can also help towards building a new Emergency Department.