Local Elections 2023 - Sheffield Wire

Live: Latest updates from Sheffield & Barnsley Local Elections 2023

Peterborough United 0 – 0 Doncaster Rovers Belles: Donny don’t punish Posh

12:46pm

Doncaster Rovers Belles were held to an away point by Peterborough United on Sunday afternoon. The Belles remain second, nine points behind Birmingham & West Midlands but with two games in hand. Posh remain seventh, lodged firmly in mid-table and without a win since the beginning of February. The home side started the brightest, with Evie Driscoll-King and Katie Steward both having opportunities to put United in front. Despite a lacklustre opening half, Rovers could have been ahead just before half time as Nadia Khan's long range effort deflected onto the crossbar. The Belles struck the woodwork again on the hour mark, as Charlotte Dinsdale's volley from a Lauren Breen corner rattled the post.

Photography - Andy Powell

Doncaster enjoyed a period of sustained pressure late on, however it was Posh who came closest to stealing it. Substitute Katie Lowder, saw a free-kick from the edge of the box smack the woodwork yet again, the ball rebounded to Driscoll-King who couldn’t adjust her feet in time. Belles boss Andy Butler was left disappointed but conceded the away side had not done enough to earn all three points. He said: "It probably was a fair result, fair play to Peterborough United they made it hard work for us. "Both teams battled but I think it was a draw to be honest, we didn't do enough to test their keeper today." Belles host already relegated Bedworth United next Sunday, with a win vital to keep Donny's title hopes alive. Butler added: "They're down now so they've got free rein to do whatever they want, there's no pressure on them. "No games are given, no games are easy, if we don't do the basics well then they will punish us." Tickets for the match can be bought on the gate, with a discount for Doncaster Rovers season ticket holders.

£100m transformation to go ahead for Gleadless Valley

12:41pm

Proposals for a £100m transformation of Gleadless Valley have been approved. The Gleadless Valley Masterplan, which includes developments in housing, green spaces and employment opportunities, was given the go-ahead on 24 March after three months of consultations with residents. Changes include the construction of 80 Older Persons Independent Living Scheme apartments and 109 new build houses and apartments. Existing maisonettes are set to be replaced and remodelled while 51 blocks of flats will be externally refurbished. The Masterplan also details plans to upgrade parks and play equipment, increase traffic calming measures and plant more trees across the estate.

Tower blocks in Gleadless Valley

Sally Pedley, Chairperson of Gleadless Valley Tenants and Residents Association, said: "The Masterplan is an excellent opportunity for Gleadless Valley. “The estate itself is very widespread with some beautiful open green spaces. The masterplan is giving the opportunity to look at how those spaces are used and to develop more active spaces for children and families. “These are going to be disruptive times, with lots of works taking place but will also create job opportunities for local people. Exciting times lay ahead for the regrowth of Gleadless Valley.” Shop fronts and local centres will be reformed and community growing and gardening projects will be introduced. Meanwhile, the Masterplan promises more opportunities for apprenticeships and training. From January, residents were asked for feedback on the draft Masterplan, and the Council found that 80% of respondents showed support for the proposals. However, a resident who lives in a high-rise flat in the Valley expressed her discontent with the plan on Twitter: “The Gleadless Valley Masterplan or disaster plan as I like to call it is throwing a LOT of money this way. It’s a bit like polishing a 💩.” Gleadless Valley was built in the late 1950s. The estate was considered a new model for social housing because it was a residential area developed within a woodland. However, parts of the Valley fall into the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, and recent consultation showed that one in three residents did not feel safe in the area at night. Sheffield City Council secured £500,000 funding from central government to develop the Masterplan in 2018. The final Masterplan will be published by June.

Jump for Ukrainian children! Sheffield trampoline park fundraises for children in danger

12:30pm

A trampoline park in Sheffield hosted an open jump session to help the children of Ukraine. Jump inc Sheffield hosted the session between 3 and 4:30pm on Sunday, hoping to fill the park and raise as much money as possible. The funds from the open jump were donated to Unicef. The trampoline park is one of the largest in the UK, with over 24,000 square feet of space.

Jump Inc Sheffield

Charlie Drayton, 21, a staff member at the park said: “I didn’t think it would turn out like it did but from what I’ve seen it’s been a good turnout. "By throwing the event we’ve let kids have fun. Adults have bounced, they’ve had fun. There’s been smiles on everyone’s faces, and hopefully the money we’ve raised and everything that will be sent over to Ukraine will put smiles on people’s faces over there.”

Charlie Drayton works for Jump Inc

The entire child population of Ukraine, 7.5 million, is now at risk as a result of the conflict with Russia. Children have been separated from their families and are threatened on a daily basis by explosives including landmines. The event was an open jump, and was therefore open for all ages. A range of features were available, from inflatables to trampolines to the UK's largest ninja course. Jump Inc asked that jumpers were over 1.25m for some events. The fundraising scheme also occurred at Jump Inc's parks in Leeds, Rotherham, Beverley, Lincoln and Bicester.

A Ukraine flag on display

Mark Poole, Jump Inc.'s finance director said: "We wanted to help as like everyone else we've watched powerlessly as millions of ordinary Ukrainians have been forced to seek refuge away from their homes, friends and families through no fault of their own. Although the warn and sunny weather reduced the number of participants at our parks, we raised total donations of £506." Gemma Robinson, 29, who lives near the Sheffield park, attended the event with her friends. She said: “What they are doing here is different to what other people are doing. Here you’re donating and having fun at the same time. It’s different, it’s nice.”

Gemma Robinson attended with her friends

Charlie shows his skills! https://youtu.be/UhB-U3Z7GRE

St Leonard’s Day Nursery calls for help after vandalism forces closure

12:29pm

St Leonard’s Day Nursery in Sheffield is asking for local businesses and the community to help with repair costs after vandals smashed windows and caused substantial damage to the building yesterday. The nursery in Longley has had to close today and manager Lynne Cotton said the incident now "jeopardises the future of the nursery" as they do not have the money to repair the damage.

Damage to windows at St Leonard's Day Nursery

Ms Cotton told Sheffield Wire: "The people who did this have got to be children from our area and are possibly even children that we have looked after. It's such a shame and it's so sad that people thinking something like that is a fun thing to do. "We've been here for nearly 30 years and we've never really had that much trouble. But this is a local-based business, serving the community, and we really can't afford it."

A photograph posted by the nursery on Facebook shows two young boys at a fence outside the building, who they believe to be responsible for the vandalism. Parents and carers were notified last night of the closure this morning and it is not known yet when the nursery will re-open.

Other parts of the church building, which are not designed for educational use, will have to be used by staff when the nursery does open its doors again after a clean-up operation today. Anyone with any information about the incident should contact South Yorkshire Police on 101.

Yorkshire celebrates UEFA’s big step for women and sell out football final after they become home to TWO hosting venues

12:22pm

The biggest European women’s football event, attracting over 48,000 spectators, is coming to Sheffield and Rotherham. This July, Rotherham United’s New York Stadium and Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane are proudly hosting eight UEFA Women’s Euro matches. South Yorkshire is now encouraging people across the region to get involved and do their part to celebrate this monumental achievement for women.

Rotherham's New York Stadium. Source: UEFA

Women’s Recreational Football Officer at Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA, Sarah Harnett, said: “I think that it is incredibly important when women turn around and say and girls turn around and say, we want to play, that needs to happen quickly. "It's been a game that a lot of you know, a lot of women and girls have felt shunned out of many, many years. "At the minute they say I want, we say we give, and that's the beauty of that legacy program, and that's why it's so important.” UEFA has set up a legacy programme surrounding this tournament to encourage young girls to get involved with their favourite sport. The football governing body hopes to achieve this with three national host city goals. They want equal access for all girls to play football in schools and clubs. They also want a diverse workforce of coaches, referees and local leaders delivering and organising football for their communities. And they want inclusive, safe and welcoming environments for every woman and girl to play competitive or recreational grassroots football, irrespective of ability, age or ambition. They are hoping to provide more than 500,000 new football opportunities. These include 300 new FA-qualified female coaches which is double the current number in host cities as well as 1,000 women and girls completing the entry-level FA Playmaker Award.

Sheffield United's stadium. Source: UEFA

Sport England's Chief Executive, Tim Hollingsworth said: "UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 will be an exciting and potentially transformational event. "We are delighted to be working with The FA to use the tournament being hosted here in England as an opportunity to grow the women’s game."

Tim Hollingsworth

Bodies such as Rotherham Town Centre are attempting to get the ball rolling early with celebrations by starting a ‘knit off to kick off’ campaign to bring their community together by knitting flowers and footballs to dress up Rotherham.

There are also encouraging children of all ages and gender to get involved this season by offering schools tournament focused cross-curriculum resources for Key Stage 2 and 3 to help bring the biggest women’s football event in Europe to life. Community Projects Officer, Sheffield City Council, Gareth Hayden said: “Hopefully we can leave a legacy for women and girls football in Sheffield and hopefully a host for tournaments in the future. "It's important to carry on that drive and keep people's enthusiasm beyond the tournament. "It's important that girls have a good experience at school because then that will then create that mindset of oh when I go and play outside of school, I want to join a club. "We're mindful of making sure those links are there and that they know a girl might go to play at school.” Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Greener Communities, Cllr Sarah Allen, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the town to showcase women’s football and for visitors from around the world to see what an amazing place Rotherham is. Rotherham folk are some of the most welcoming people in the country, and I’m sure we will all come together to welcome this great event to our town. "Rotherham has already shown it can successfully host European games having welcomed the UEFA Euro Men’s Under 17 finals in 2018, inspiring children to get involved in the world of sport. This now gives us the opportunity to inspire the next female footballers of the future and to promote participation in culture, sport and physical activity."

Cllr Sarah Allen

This year 6 nations will be competing across 10 venues, in nine cities. Both stadiums will host four games of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, including a one-quarter final game and one semi-finals game in July. See the full schedule HERE. If you want to get involved and celebrate this big step for women in sports, you can inquire HERE.

Sheffield Half Marathon returns raising thousands for charities

11:34am

Sheffield Half Marathon returned yesterday to glorious sunshine and eager participants raising thousands of pounds for great causes. A 9:30am start saw runners and spectators gather at Arundel Gate from as early as 8am. The 13-mile route through the city to the edges of the Peak District was pounded by thousands - many raising money to support charities near and far.

Emma Clarke, Chief Executive of Weston Park Cancer Charity, took part in the event alongside a team of sixty, raising around £30,000. Ms Clarke said: "The Half Marathon is incredibly important. We are stood here in the middle of Sheffield and it gives that amazing sense of community. "This is ordinary people, families, and businesses, all getting behind some amazing causes." Weston Park Cancer Charity supports specialist cancer hospitals across the country, as well as research in Sheffield to help enhance treatments for the disease.

Also running was Mike Provert, raising money for Sheffield Children's Hospital, where he works and has first-hand experience of the vital treatment sick children receive. He said: "I know that we make a big difference to children's lives and it's really worthwhile raising this money as it goes towards a) the quality of their care and b) their enjoyment at the hospital." Entries for the Sheffield Half Marathon 2023 are now open.

Sheffield Wednesday move into top six after 4-1 Cheltenham victory

11:03am

Sheffield Wednesday boosted their hopes of promotion this weekend after beating Cheltenham 4-1 at Hillsborough. The Owls rebounded after a fourth minute goal from Alfie May, going on to equalise in the seventh minute. Massimo Luongo made good connection from Harlee Dean's corner and headed it into the net. Wednesday then took the lead in the 58th minute with Lee Gregory's goal to the bottom left corner.

The goal finally arrived for Jack! #SHWCHE
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) March 26, 2022

A cross from Marvin Johnson at the left-hand side met Jack Hunt who volleyed home his first goal for the Owls. George Byers sealed the victory in the 87th minute when he cut inside the Cheltenham defence, scoring with the aid of a deflection. Sheffield Wednesday will play the struggling AFC Wimbledon this Saturday, kicking off at 3pm.

Morning Briefing: Sheffield ‘Jump for Ukraine’, South Yorkshire to host UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 and other news

10:30am

Good Morning from Sheffield Wire, here's what stories are coming up today. Rotherham and Sheffield to host the largest women's football event in UEFA history. Sheffield trampoline park, Jump Inc, "Jump for Ukraine" in efforts to raise money for Ukrainian children. The Yorkshire 'Speak Their Name' project to create a quilt designed by local people who have been bereaved to suicide. A Sheffield student stranded in Spain after being beaten up and having his passport stolen. The Sheffield half marathon took place over the weekend. And much more to come.

‘Outrageous’ plans to build apartment block would ‘greatly decrease’ quality of life in Crookes, say residents

4:29pm

The Crookes community has launched efforts to oppose the plans, which would see 13 flats and three retail units built on Cobden View Road. This is the third time the local community has come together to object to planning applications on the site. The area used to be a community garden managed by nearby St Timothy's church but has been empty for two years, attracting anti-social behaviour and becoming an eye-sore for the local community. Councillor Ruth Milsom said: "It was heart-breaking to watch the destruction of what had been a much loved and valued community garden. "But the strength of feeling of the local community, and it's readiness to act, remain steadfast. A cynical tactic of the developer is to argue that rejecting their plans for tiny rabbit hutch apartments would rob the area of much needed new builds." When the first planning applications was submitted the community applied for the site to be a designated Village Green with the support of MP Olivia Blake and many local councillors. Such green spaces, says local resident Jane Monach, 77, are "little jewels" for the local community. John Vose, who lives directly opposite the proposed flats said: "The plans are outrageous. The monster building would greatly decrease my quality of life. "The people who lived next door already sold their house and moved away." Locals say the building would block light from reaching their homes, decrease their privacy, increase congestion, and make crossing the road unsafe. They also claim that parking, already an issue in the area, would be made increasingly difficult. Previous plans for 18 flats were denied after they failed to meet national space standards. The revised plans will provide 11 two bedroom and two one bedroom apartments with three retail units. These will not be used for food and drink outlets. Some have questioned the need for more outlets after the closure of two popular stores, Fulton's Foods and Priceless, due to rising rent prices. Hopeful local councillor Minesh Parekh, said: "There are many areas in Crookes which are vacant and can be redeveloped. "There are many other things that can be done to increase footfall for Crookes which will have better social impact for the area like subsidised public transport." To read more about the plans or to share comments and objections, click here.

Sheffield Varsity Trampolining Competition Returns in 2022

4:18pm

Sheffield's Varsity Trampolining competition made a triumphant return at the weekend, with Sheffield Hallam securing victory over the University of Sheffield by 24 points to 18. Ben Green, duty manager of Sheffield Sport, said students have been really excited to have Varsity back. He said: “It’s great to see all the competitions going ahead with Varsity, particularly after the time that our students and our athletes have had to wait for this opportunity. This is their first chance to compete for their university in the Varsity due to the pandemic that we've had for the past couple of years. “Everybody has impressed me, to be honest. The skills and the abilities that everybody's showing through here and Hallam is absolutely phenomenal.”

University of Sheffield supporters at the Goodwin Centre cheering on their Trampolining team. (Image by https://studiok.photography/

Varsity has taken place in March for the first time since 2019. It is not only a head-to-head battle between the sports teams of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, but also captivates all corners of the two university's communities. Lauren Seven, a physio freshman from Sheffield Hallam University, said: “It's so much fun. It's like a whole weekend activity rolled into one day and then you have a really big nice social experience where you get to meet other trampoliners from all the universities and really get to know each other.”

An athlete from SHU shows off their moves in the air. Image by My website is https://studiok.photography/

For two weeks each year, both campuses turn the colours of their respective teams: black and gold for the University of Sheffield, and maroon for Team Hallam. The rivalry between the teams is clear. Kate William, Head Coach of the trampolining Club, has been coaching for five years. She said the key to achieving success in trampolining is consistency and commitment. She said: That's a big part that a lot of people miss. The conditioning and stretching are such a big part of what we do. You need to tell yourself that you are not going to check out halfway through, but a lot is dependent on the prep work that you put in beforehand.” You can check out more events at Varsity here:https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/sheffield-varsity

Sheffield’s ground-breaking solar solution to boost crops in East Africa

4:17pm

A successful trial, dubbed as ‘harvesting the sun twice’, found growing crops beneath solar panels resulted in larger plants and reduced water. The concept, known as agrivoltaics, enabled a farm in Kenya to grow cabbages 21% larger than usual. A researcher on the project from the University of Sheffield, Dr Richard Randle-Boggis, 33, said the long and short-term benefits of the new solution to crop growth were innumerable. He said one of the key pros was the system provided low carbon electricity. Dr Randle-Boggis continued: “Another long term benefit is potential for climate change and resilience because the solar panels reduce daytime air temperatures and UV damage and water loss. "As the climate is changing and rainfall becomes more unpredictable and temperature is increasing, then solar panels could help abate those more extreme conditions then in an open field system.” He said the project has been met with exceptionally good reviews across the board. However, it was not always received in such a way. When Dr Randle-Boggis first presented the project to farms in East Africa he was met with questions as to how it would be beneficial for them.

Photo of the farmers with Dr. Richard in Kenya. Photo credit: Chloride Exide ltd.

“I remember speaking with a solar developer in Uganda about agrivoltaics and he said why are you talking to me about tomatoes, yet he was an energy developer,” he said. “Thankfully one of his colleagues realised the importance of what was being done and saw that the water saving was a goal of the government. It is important to think of the holistic solutions and outside of the box.” The turning point was when a training farm south of Nairobi accepted they wanted agrivoltaics to be on their site. The site was up and running in May 2021. Since then, they have had interest globally in countries that are in South America, Southern Europe and the Caribbean. Data is currently being collected to see how the agrovoltaics system will benefit multiple terrains.

14 arrested in county lines drug raids

4:09pm

In a national 'week of action' South Yorkshire Police have arrested 13 men and one woman, targeting county lines drug gangs and child exploitation. County lines refers to the transportation of illegal drugs from one area to another, often urban to rural, and across police force boundaries. Detective Inspector Ben Wood, who led the operation, said: “National weeks of action like this are so important for us to shine a light on issues around child exploitation and county lines." In these criminal operations, drugs are frequently transported and sold by children, who gangs have coerced. Gangs sometimes take over vulnerable adults' homes as bases to deal drugs from, which is known as 'cuckooing'. Raids carried out across South Yorkshire led to police seizing over £1,000 worth of crack cocaine and £157,000 worth of cannabis. Across the week, police visited three properties believed to be cuckooed and put safeguarding in place for residents. Det Insp Wood continued: “We know how devastating this type of crime can be to families and communities across South Yorkshire. "Although this week was around disrupting county lines activity, we have also been raising awareness of child exploitation. Everybody has a role to play in spotting the signs a child might be exploited, through drug running, money laundering or sexually.” As well as action targeting criminal activity, SYP engaged with an adult and 12 children who had been identified as being at risk of being exploited. Officers also visited schools to help raise awareness of the risks of county lines. DI Wood added: "Although the week of action for county lines is now over, our work to disrupt this is far from over. We have dedicated teams that will continue every day to make South Yorkshire safer for everyone.” More information about county lines and how to spot exploitation can be found at County Lines - National Crime Agency