Emergency Protest to demand safe passage for refugees into the UK to be held outside Sheffield Town Hall tomorrow
Stand Up to Racism have organised an emergency protest at Sheffield Town Hall tomorrow, following the death of 27 Asylum seekers in the English Channel on Wednesday night. The campaigners are calling for the Nationalities and Borders bill to be scrapped and for refugees to be able to enter Britain through safe and legal routes. In Sheffield, the protest will take place on Saturday at 1.30pm outside the Town Hall. Student Action For Refugees at The University of Sheffield said: “We greatly support the Emergency Solidarity Protest happening tomorrow outside the town hall. “We hope that it will send a strong message of solidarity for the people risking their lives to cross the Channel and be a symbol of objection to the government's continued hostility towards those travelling to the UK.” The student body, which aims to raise awareness about refugees and asylum seekers, also said: “It is an especially important time to push for change as we move into the colder months - it is vital to establish safe routes to the UK and build a fair asylum process for those in need.”
Sustainable Christmas market to launch in Sheffield this weekend
Can Do South Yorkshire is holding an alternative sustainable Christmas market in Shirecliffe this weekend. The event will be the first of two markets which hope to engage and unite people in climate action over the festive season. Emily Lewis of the South Yorkshire Climate Alliance which runs the Can Do project said: “We wanted to show that Christmas doesn’t have to cost the earth - it can be a very wasteful time of year but there are plenty of things we can do to move away from consumerism and have a positive climate impact.” The event will feature campaign stalls from organisations such as Greenpeace and Sheffield for Democracy, as well as craft activities from Craftivists of South Yorkshire. The organisers of the market want to focus on reducing spending this Christmas and buying recycled or upcycled gifts. Miss Lewis said: “People often get caught up in the excitement of Christmas and end up being wasteful with their money and our resources. We want to show people it is possible to have a conscious and thoughtful Christmas.” Dinah Ward, organiser of the campaign Future Friendly Christmas, will be hosting a stall at the market that will ask people to make a Christmas promise to do something different this year. She said: “It’s not trying to make people feel bad, it is trying to appreciate the fact that people have an emotional attachment to Christmas, to things that are good and positive.” The campaigner hoped the market and her campaign would encourage people to think about the ways in which their shopping habits impact the environment this Christmas. Ms Ward said: “It is best to buy less. The number one thing you can do is reduce. You can have a great Christmas without actually buying stuff.” The market will run from 11am to 4pm this Sunday at Shirecliffe Community Centre. A second market is planned at the Common Ground Community Centre on Sunday 5 December.
A new housing development once again poses the question, where is Kelham Island going?
Kelham Island is a tale of two cities. On the one hand, you have hipster-esque coffee shops, bars, barbers, and pubs - some charging a fiver for a pint, and on the other, you have buildings built in Sheffield’s industrial heyday that are now crumbling to pieces. It used to be home to Sheffield’s industrial prowess, immortalised with the Kelham Island Museum, but is now more known for bars, underground clubs, food establishments, and housing. The area has seen grand attempts at regeneration in the past decade, however after plans were recently announced to build a new seven-story flat building, the question of “Where is Kelham Island going?” has once again been raised. On a Friday morning in Kelham, watching young professionals grab coffees before heading to work, it does feel as if its development has been quite disjointed - with more focus placed on some areas. Parts of Kelham are neat, tidy, and welcoming whilst others are decrepit with smashed windows and an abundance of graffiti, where locals air their grievances at the development of the area. “This whole area has gone to s**t,” being particularly stinging.
Some of the graffiti to be found in Kelham
The new seven-story building has a design aiming at a net-zero carbon rating, and will also have a cycle shop, a hire & repair shop, a bakery, market deli, artists studio, and co-working spaces.
Katherine Jones, who lives in one of the flat buildings next to the museum, says it is a “lovely place to live” and she thinks the new businesses and flat buildings have been “great for the local economy”
Alp Ozan, a cafe and bar owner in Kelham, says he “thinks it’s obvious that this is designed to encourage the arts and cultural scene in the area because that’s what’s been missing in Kelham”
But Silas Hand, a Sheffield resident who often visits Kelham, disagrees and believes artists and creatives have been driven out of Kelham by developers.
“Artists and creatives move into an area because it’s industrial and edgy, developers see this and choose to swoop in, drive the prices up, and then those artists and creatives are forced to leave”, he says.
He adds that the artists and creatives “have been commodified.”
Mr Hand says that “the development has been useful in some ways, as it was quite a rejected area” but also that Kelham’s “usage has changed”.
He also highlights that prices have increased in recent years, and “everywhere is really expensive, apart from the Gardeners rest”.
A loving community
The Gardeners Rest is quite the hidden gem in Kelham, and a testament to the strength of the love for the area and local community. With an eclectically lit smoking area that looks out upon the Kelham Riverside, the community banded together to buy it after it was unofficially put onto the market for sale. A small number of regulars established the Gardeners Rest Community Society with the aim of inviting like-minded people to invest in the society so that it could buy the pub and bring it into community ownership. It raised over double its £100,000 target and ended with a total of 382 investors donating £237,600, their website says. Mr Hand continues that aside from the Museum, Kelham was never somewhere he really used to frequent until bars and cafes moved into the area, and he can “never really remember there being much residential space there”. Residential spaces being built in the area has been one of the biggest changes of the past 10 years, with one of the most famous developments being Little Kelham.
The entrance to the Little Kelham housing development
The Green Lane works clock tower
#WhatKeepsYouAfloat: the new campaign asking the people of Sheffield what keeps them going
A mental health organisation has just launched a campaign to discuss how Sheffielders stay afloat. The campaign #WhatKeepsYouAfloat, from Flourish Sheffield, encourages the community of Sheffield to discuss how they keep on top of their mental health. Jordan Brandon, a student at the University of Sheffield, founded the movement alongside designer Issy Alderton (@issylucydesign). The movement will run until 5 December and uplifting posters can be spotted in the city centre that will signpost onlookers to the Sheffield mental health guide. This contains be a variety of things that help improve mental health from hobbies and interests to friends and family. He said: “As a city we are a community of people that care. Sheffield is a city up in the North that has the stereotype of being super friendly. "I just want to get people talking and sharing their interests and the people that help them so they don’t feel isolated, and to get them working together to make sure that we’re all managing and looking after our mental health.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJUYl6XMt64 According to Flourish, around 20% of Sheffield are struggling with their mental health. 95,000 people have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety and over 5,000 people are living with a severe mental illness. Mr Brandon hopes to help Sheffielders recognise they’re never alone and are part of a wider community they can connect with. The creator of #WhatKeepsYouAfloat has stressed that we should seize the opportunity to get out into the city and do things that make us happy, now that we can after numerous lockdowns. Jordan emphasised the wonderful greenery Sheffield offers through its parks and its proximity to the Peaks. He said: “Now more than ever get out and go for walks and do things that fill your day with a bit of joy and make you want to get out of bed in the morning , to live every day to the best of your ability.” He also stressed that “there isn’t a one size fits all” fix for mental health, and it takes work, but that Sheffield Flourish aims to be there to help people find solutions. The inspiration for the designs came from the concept of a life buoy station, something that keeps us up. If you are struggling with your mental health or want to know more, visit: Local support for when you're feeling low | Sheffield Mental Health Guide.
Chinese students targeted by fraudsters
South Yorkshire Police have warned Chinese students about a new money-robbing scam. The scammers disguise themselves as employees of The Chinese Embassy, Immigration or Customs Services, the Chinese Police, or Royal Mail under the pretence of solving an international crime. Andy Foster, from the Fraud Coordination Team, said: “The criminals carrying out this fraudulent activity are very convincing and are using threats to frighten and trick innocent students, many of whom have only recently arrived in the UK, into transferring large amounts of money overseas. He then went on to say that fraudsters are believed to have access to personal information which belongs to the victims and encouraged everyone to spread the word on this scam. One student from The University of Sheffield, who wishes to remain anonymous, had money stolen for her bank account. She said: "One morning when I woke up I received a phone call, that claimed they were calling from the Chinese Embassy. They said I got involved in a money-washing case and two elderly were dead because of me. They urged me to find out what happened, got my identification card and showed me a warrant for my arrest. They asked me for 10,000 Chinese Yuan for bail. They then threatened me and said that if I did not cooperate with them they would extradite me to China". Police have urged anyone who has been victim you to report it to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre, by calling 0300 123 2040 or online at actionfraud.police.uk.
Scrapped free festive parking a ‘kick in the teeth’ to Sheffield City Centre, say local businesses
Local business owners fear that removing free parking could rob them of the boost they need to recover in the post-COVID economy. Historically, Sheffield City Council have provided the free parking as a "gesture of goodwill" to increase spending over the Christmas period. but say the move is essential to reducing climate change and air pollution, encouraging people to use public transport alternatives.
'It's like a ghost town'
According to Centre for Cities, footfall in Sheffield city centre has recently decreased and it is still lagging behind pre-pandemic standards. Compared to pre-lockdown, the footfall decrease is especially true amongst those who are most likely to drive into Sheffield, such as people coming from other towns and cities. In the run up to Christmas, the average UK family spends 29% more than other months and with unemployment on the rise in Sheffield, business owners worry that charging for parking will dissuade people from spending in city centre shops.
Heidi Carvalho, Owner of Black Tourmaline
What do locals think?
Christian Bates, co-owner of vintage shop Savage Sister said he had lived in Sheffield his whole life "and if you came to the city centre ten years ago, it was bustling, there was loads of little shops, little independent businesses and high street brands but now its like a ghost town. So to stop free parking is stupid". "Everybody’s saying the retail industry needs support, it needs a push, it’s struggling, and then they do things like that and it just seems a bit backhanded. We do need the footfall, we need a boost."'Bad for climate change'
The removal of free parking contradicts the expansion of the scheme to include areas outside of the city centre last year to "give shops a much-needed boost in the run up to Christmas". But this year the council has scrapped the initiative, claiming it would be inconsistent with attempts to address climate change such as the clean air zone. The zone will impose charges on vehicles which do not meet emissions standards and will come into force next year.
Christian Bates, co-owner of Savage Sister
50% cut to tram services
There is also less public transport available. The push for increased use of public transport comes as Sheffield's main bus and tram company, Stagecoach, has announced strike action from the 28th of November to the 5th of December, alongside a 50% cut to tram services to a shortage of drivers.
Tram services have been cut by 50%
Students hike through the Peak District to support Sheffield charities this Christmas
University of Sheffield’s Raising and Giving society are walking 12 miles through the Peak District for local charities.
Sheffield RAG’s Step into Christmas aims to raise around £20,000 for organisations chosen by students.
A number of local charities have been nominated including S6 Foodbank, Assist, Roundabout and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Students participating in the walk can vote for their chosen charity and the three most voted for will receive 40% of the funds raised.
Ellie Norton, events coordinator for Sheffield RAG, said: “We have found foodbanks in particular have been the most popular. I think that really resonates with people at Christmas.”
S6 Foodbank feed over 1,200 people a week and are usually in high demand throughout the winter. The organisation has recently launched a 12 Days of Christmas Giving appeal to encourage people to donate food through the festive period.
Half of the funds raised by Step into Christmas will go towards Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as those with additional educational needs.
The “Super Christmassy” walk will take around four to five hours; starting at 5pm from the University of Sheffield, Student’s Union, through Forge Dam to Whirlow Farm Park. Returning back to the SU at 10pm.
Participants are being sponsored by friends and family, with the minimum of £30 needed to be raised in order to take part.
Izzi Bradsaw, the chair of Sheffield RAG’s committee, said there is no limit to the amount people can raise and that they have been very successful in the past, with individual’s raising around £1,000.
The individual or society that raises the most money will be able to nominate their own charity of choice, which will receive 10% of the proceeds.
The society has sold over 70 tickets for Step into Christmas so far and is continuing to receive more signups. Miss Bradsaw said: “At Christmas, there is such a demand and many people do want to give back.
“I do think fundraising as a whole has taken a hit with Covid. A lot of people have a lot less money to spend as well but we are still hoping to raise a good sum of money for these charities.”
Today’s emergency transport meeting shows a broken system
The emergency transport meeting, called by councillor Terry Fox, “is a sign that the system is broken”. Councillor Fox called the emergency transport meeting this afternoon with the South Yorkshire mayor, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and transport providers Stagecoach and First. The meeting was called due to Stagecoach and First’s recent changes to the Supertram and bus services respectively, and in light of the upcoming Stagecoach bus driver strike. These changes might not be the last to come, as Nigel Eggleton, Managing Director at First South Yorkshire, said: “We are continuing to monitor demand across all our services and individual journeys and will be concentrating our provision in these areas.” First’s next review with potential service changes will be in January, when further adjustments may come into place as demand and travel patterns change. Council leader Fox said: “Just when Christmas and winter are here, just when we need public transport to serve our communities, we see these draconian cuts. Just when the City Council, along with our regional partners and the Mayoral Combined Authority have lobbied hard to get £100million in for Supertram and £20 million in for bus operators, this is a sign that the system is broken.” Council leader Fox believes that the system is not delivering for Sheffield and has repeatedly called for the Mayor to start the formal process of investigating bus franchising as a way to deliver the service South Yorkshire needs. He said: “I’m glad that this is now making progress.” Lewis Dagnall, Labour candidate for South Yorkshire Mayor, agrees with the need for a franchised public transport system in Sheffield and sets the realisation of this as part of his campaign for South Yorkshire mayor. He said: “The franchising of public transport would see the public mandating a network of routes that serve the public, but also a publicly owned bus and tram company that can put passengers before profit.” Dagnall believes that the only solution to the current public transport problems in Sheffield is to take it private, therefore preventing cuts to the transport system in Sheffield merely based on profit. Local pensioner, Alan Horner, agrees and said: "It's the worst I've ever known the public transport in Sheffield and I have lived here over 80 years. It's about time we got it back into public control."
Go Green This Black Friday
The return of Black Friday sales means that whilst business sales soar and people buy more for less, the general problem of mass consumerism will be more apparent than ever and the effects on the environment will be damaging. This time of year, city centres are flooded with eager shoppers, hoping to find the best deals they can. Latest statistics from Finder suggest that Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending in Britain will total an estimated £4.8 billion this year and the average spend will be £275 per shopper. However, many businesses are encouraging people to not get caught up in the hype of Black Friday and shop more responsibly or are even taking an active stance against the day.
'Fast fashion is awful'
For many independent shops, Black Friday doesn't make a lot of economic sense. Statistics from a survey by Bira found that this year, 85% of independent retailers will not be participating in Black Friday. Andrew Goodacre, Bira CEO, said: “The main reasons for them not wanting to take part in this, is because they either don’t agree with this idea, there are higher prices, and there is also insufficient volume to make the large discounting work.” Following the global pandemic, many independent businesses were forced to shut and of those that are still open, many cannot afford to highly discount their products this Black Friday. Tom Smith, the store manager of Vintage Kilo, Sheffield, said he doesn’t agree with the idea of people spending lots of money on something they are going to throw away in a couple of weeks. “Mass consumerism is awful, fast fashion is awful. If you can discount the products that much, why aren’t they that price all the time?”
Heidi Carvalho, Store Owner, Black Tourmaline Alternative Fashion, Sheffield
What do the people of Sheffield think of Black Friday?
But it's not just independent businesses rejecting the idea of Black Friday. Many bigger businesses are also opting out this year. The clothing brand Monki said goodbye to Black Friday in 2019 as they want to be part of the solution, not the problem and “create positive change within the fashion industry and work towards a kinder world.” Patagonia is a sustainable fashion brand that will also not be participating in Black Friday. They want to encourage people to think about the necessity of each thing they buy, and their message is “Buy Less, Demand More.” As a brand, they have pledged 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment and 87% of their clothing line uses recycled materials. The sustainable activewear and athleisure clothing brand TALA has pledged that they will never create products specifically for Black Friday sales and aim to drive awareness of the impact of fast fashion and encourage consumers to shop sustainably and only buy what they need.Resist the pressure
In response to the negative impacts Black Friday can have on the environment, different campaigns have been set up to try to induce positive change. Holly Tucker, founder of Not On the High Street and Holly & Co., has set up a campaign called #ColourFriday which aims to encourage people to support local and independent businesses this Black Friday. In an interview for the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, she said “Small businesses cannot afford the margins to discount. A recent survey we did found that half of small businesses are worried about surviving past Christmas.” In an Instagram post she said: “The combined voice of the small business community is powerful and by coming together with the same message, we can make a bigger impact on consumer behaviour, this Christmas and beyond.”
Michael Smith, 53, is a graphic designer who is part of the ‘Buy Nothing Day’ campaign taking place on Black Friday. It encourages people to go 24 hours without spending money to acknowledge the impact shopping can have on the environment. He said through consumption, we are causing a lot of environmental damage and the first step is to buy less. People should shop more responsibly and sustainably. He said: “Don’t feel under pressure to go out and buy loads of stuff just to make people happy or yourself happy.”
‘Future-Friendly Christmas’ is another campaign which has been created to encourage people to buy less. Dinah Ward, from the campaign, said: “Following COP26, lots of people are concerned about the risk to our children’s future posed by climate change, but not many people realise that our consumer culture is partly to blame.
“Christmas is a time when we get bombarded with messages telling us we need to spend money if we want to enjoy ourselves, but at Future friendly Christmas we’ve got lots of ideas for ways to have a great Christmas without giving in to the endless stream of adverts.”
While it might be easy to get caught up in the Black Friday shopping frenzy, it's also all too easy to forget the sustainability issues that matter the rest of the year.
So this Black Friday, try to be more environmentally aware when shopping and where possible, just buy less.
South Yorkshire Police recruit strategic lead to fight violence against women and girls
South Yorkshire Police have recruited a new strategic lead for the prevention of violence against women and girls this afternoon. Natalie Shaw, the new lead and former Chief Superintendent, wanted to return in a new role at this crucial time, when the nation is still mourning the losses of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. She said she began advising her daughter on how to be safe on nights out and she did not have to have any similar conversations with her son when he was the same age. South Yorkshire Police said all women will experience some kind of violence during their lifetime, and is determined to make future generations’ experiences different. The new strategic lead emphasised that women’s safety is paramount. She added: "It's not just murder that's the issue here - it's the domestic violence, the rape, it's going out for a jog and being uncomfortable when you are wolf-whistled.” Her first objective is to have a deep understanding of the violence taking place, and is developing a national plan. She said: “The solution was easy, we would have done it already.” She also wants to make communication easier, and encourage victims to come forward as soon as possible, whether this be to police, teachers or parents. Shaw is hoping to change the fact that women have to live in a world where they have to think about which way to walk home to avoid being attacked.
Sheffield Sharks prepare for ‘exciting’ Basketball League double-header
Sheffield Sharks return to British Basketball League action this weekend with a highly anticipated double-header against the Newcastle Eagles and Leicester Riders respectively. Starting with a trip north to face the Eagles at 7.30pm tonight in front of Sky Sports cameras at the Vertu Motors arena, the Sharks will be hoping to build on a positive start to their league campaign with two victories from their first three matches. Level on four points with tonight’s opposition in the BBL, the Sharks will be hungry to edge their noses in front of their Newcastle rivals by securing victory on the road. Tonight’s match is followed up by a home fixture for the Sharks against the Riders at 4pm at Ponds Forge on Sunday afternoon. With the Riders also currently placed alongside the Sharks on four points in the league table, Sunday’s contest provides further opportunity for Sheffield’s premier basketball club to attain a strong position near the top of the BBL table.
Sharks’ Assistant Head Coach, Nick Montgomery, is looking forward to seeing his charges test themselves against formidable opposition this weekend. He said: “It’s exciting stuff. It’ll be good to test ourselves against two of the premier teams in the league, both of whom we’re quite familiar with. It’s a test of how far we’ve come I’ll guess, so we’ll see.” Montgomery is bullish about his team’s chances of not only enjoying a successful weekend in the BBL but to compete for even bigger prizes as the season progresses. He added: “We believe that we can win both games. Of course we are going to have to play at our best to do so, but that’s normal and that’s what professional sport is all about. We want to compete for all the competitions and have a good run in the playoffs.”Back on @SkySports Baby!! 🆚 @NewcastleEagle 📍 Vertu Motors Arena 🕧 7:30pm Tip-off 🇬🇧 🏀 BBL Championship 📺 Sky Sports Arena, Mix 💻 https://t.co/NMDzGg2mTm #GameDay #FearTheFin #BritishBasketball pic.twitter.com/FSAHhYiZAw
— B. Braun Sheffield Sharks (@SheffieldSharks) November 26, 2021
Transport providers in emergency meeting with Sheffield Council
Sheffield Council are holding an emergency meeting with transport providers right now to address service reductions and strike action across Sheffield. Councillor Terry Fox called an online meeting with South Yorkshire Mayor, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and transport providers Stagecoach and First. This comes after Stagecoach recently announced timetable changes alongside service reductions on the Supertram due to driver shortages and the upcoming bus driver strike from the 28 November to 4 December. He said: “Just when Christmas and winter are here, just when we need public transport to serve our communities, we see these draconian cuts.” Councillor Fox’s demands are clear: operators should return to their provided services before the recently announced changes and have them understand the anger and the feeling from Sheffield communities over this issue. “We really need these operators to stand up now, put Sheffield first and deliver for our residents”, said the council leader.