A golden Guernsey goat gave birth to an extremely rare set of all-female triplets on International Women's Day.
Sarah Wild, the Animal Manager at Heeley City Farm said: "It is just unbelievable. We are really proud of this farm and what it has done."
Heeley City Farm welcomed the trio into the world on the 14 March and are yet to name the whole clan.
Sarah Wild, Animal Manager at Heeley City Farm
The farm park work through the alphabet to name new-borns and are currently on the letter J. One of the kids has been named Jinx.
Sarah Wild, an animal manager at Heeley City Park explained how the park is part of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and they aim to protect native British breeds.
They protect animals in danger of extinction and hope to rear more endangered breeds.
In 2020, the Rare Breed Survival Trust put the Golden Guernsey goat on their watchlist.
It was Sheffield Hallam who came out on top in the Varsity Cross-Country Cycling on Sunday afternoon, with alumnus Calum Brown racing home first in stunning fashion.
On a beautiful day at Parkwood Springs, Brown was able to edge out University of Sheffield rivals Kieran Savage and Ollie Maynard in second and third place respectively to secure 0.5 points for Hallam in the Varsity competition.
Racing four laps of the course, Brown posted an impressive finish time of 34:00:63.
Savage was next over the line at 34:21:22, with third placed Maynard hot on his heels with a time of 34:27:88.
The Varsity race was very hotly contested, with each rider giving their all for their university team.
Race winner Calum Brown was delighted to return to a course at Parkwood Springs he has fond memories of from his time at university.
Brown said: “I’ve spent a lot of time on this track. Probably the last time I was on it was a couple of years ago so it’s sort of a blast from the past to be back."
Brown also expressed his pleasure at being able to race on behalf of Sheffield Hallam.
He said: “It’s always good to represent Hallam. Hallam guys know how to have fun and it’s even better when we win.
“There was a good showing of Hallam colours today and it’s always nice to spend time on the track with the guys."
The final standings of the riders was as follows: Calum Brown (1st), Kieran Savage (2nd), Ollie Maynard (3rd), Harry Lee (4th), Tristan Gale (5th), Hamish Huss (6th), Martin McBrinn (7th), Nat Patthamasing (8th), Tom Williams (9th), Josh Lewis (DNS).
Brown (centre) pictured alongside the other eight finishers in the Varsity race.
After starting his racing career in Sheffield, Guanyu Zhou drove in his first Formula 1 world championship race yesterday.The 22-year-old racing driver, who has been signed with Alfa Romeo for his debut season, is originally from Shanghai but moved to Sheffield in 2012 to pursue competitive racing.He began his British career with Strawberry Racing UK, a Sheffield based racing company and team, where he won multiple titles before being scouted by the Ferrari Driver Academy.Guanyu Zhou said: “I dreamt from a young age of climbing as high as I can in a sport that I am passionate about and now the dream has come true.“It is a privilege for me to start my Formula 1 racing career with an iconic team, a team that has introduced so much young talent into Formula 1 in the past. Now the dream is reality.”While in Sheffield, he attended Westbourne school and Birkdale school, racing in his spare time.
Guanyu Zhou at Woodbourne school.
John Hicks, Headmaster of Westbourne school said: "He was a lovely lad, he got on famously well with the other students. He would disappear off quite regularly to the Italian circuit and tell us how many tyres he'd burnt off at the weekend"
Being one of the only Formula 1 drivers from Sheffield, he is also the first ever Chinese driver in F1 history.Mr Zhou said: "To be the first ever Chinese driver in Formula 1 is a breakthrough for Chinese motorsport history.“I know a lot of hopes will be resting on me and, as ever, I will take this as motivation to become better and achieve more.”After leaving Strawberry Racing UK in 2015, he has since gone on to race in Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2, before finally making his Formula 1 debut yesterday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.Yesterday, Mr Zhou qualified 15th, but quickly recovered and finished 10th in the race to score a point.Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal Alfa Romeo Racing said: “He is a very talented driver, as his results in F2 have shown, and we are looking forward to helping his talent flourish even more in Formula One”
A Sheffield woman has started a new petition to give tougher sentences to domestic abusers.
Currently there is no specific criminal offence of 'domestic abuse' - although crimes committed in cases in cases of domestic abuse include harassment, sexual assault and false imprisonment.
Victoria Miguel - the creator of the petition - said in her change.org post that: "Sentences [that] domestic abusers are given are too low".
A new domestic violence law targeting 'coercive control' was began in 2015, which sought to target actions of 'serious harm or distress' that would otherwise go unpunished.
However, the maximum sentence for this is five years in prison.
In South Yorkshire, 65% of legal decisions resulted in a charge for domestic abuse related crimes in 2020 - according to a report from the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
The average across England and Wales was 73%.
Ms Miguel said: "Some [offenders are] receiving quite low sentences for horrific crimes - domestic abuse is rarely a one-off incident, it is likely to become more frequent and serious the longer it continues".
34,864 incidents related to domestic abuse were recorded in South Yorkshire by police in the same year - which is around 25 instances per 1000 people.
The petition can be found at Petition · Tougher sentences for domestic abuses · Change.org
Basketball legend Betty Codona has sadly died aged 83 after dedicating 60 years to inspiring thousands of basketball players across the world. The grandmother was titled the 'Queen of Basketball' by many after dedicating her life to women’s equality within sports. The Sheffield Hatters coach founded the first women’s basketball club in 1961 and was later awarded an OBE for her services in sport in 1998.
Betty receiving an award. Image credit: @hatters_bc Instagram
A spokesperson for Sheffield Hatters said: “Betty was a pioneer in women’s sport throughout her life and was honoured with an OBE for her services to basketball.“Dedicating her time to the equality of not just basketball but all of women’s sport. Betty founded the first women’s basketball team in Sheffield which was formed over 60 years ago. “She has carried on her legacy in basketball through playing, coaching and even as the Chair of England Basketball.During this time Betty’s family would like to thank everyone who has reached out to pay their respects. Over the coming weeks we hope to celebrate the life that Betty has lived and hope to inspire all who knew Betty to do the same.”Betty started her sports career as a PE teacher and competed in the first National Cup Championship in 1965.She subsequently delivered 40 separate pieces of silverware as head coach between 1989 and 2009, prior to moving on to work as the Chair of the club.
Betty and her team. Image credit: @hatters_bc Instagram
Basketball England CEO Stewart Kellett told the British Basketball League: “Betty lived an amazingly full and productive life. Her passion, determination and selflessness in promoting and serving the sport, and in particular, women’s basketball, has been unparalleled in terms of its success and influence.“She was one of a kind. Her spirit and generosity saw her contribute to the sport and her community in Sheffield over such a long period of time, positively impacting so many lives. She will be greatly missed but her fantastic legacy is rightly a huge source of pride form her family and the Hatters club and all of us in basketball.”Betty’s basketball success did not stop at coaching. Her two daughters Vanessa and Loraine both played to the highest level of basketball in England.
Betty and her family. Image credit: @hatters_bc Instagram
Vanessa went on to coach, representing Great Britain, and became a Commonwealth silver medallist. Loraine champions junior basketball development across Yorkshire, organising school and club tournaments. The pioneer was named an ‘Unsung Hero for Yorkshire’ by the BBC after her efforts to create a ‘bubble’ league for women’s basketball throughout the pandemic to help keep the club going throughout COVID. Betty’s legacy will not only live on through her daughters but her three grandchildren as well. Tyler is following in her footsteps as a coach within the Sheffield Hatters club. Her other grandchild Georgia, is a star player for the Sheffield Hatters WBBL and GB representative. And Quinn is carrying on her success internationally as a highly-touted prospect playing for Capo d’Orlando in Italy.
Betty winning an award. Image credit: @hatters_bc Instagram
Described by many who knew her as a force of nature, the inclusive and family environment Codona fostered within Hatters is something she was fiercely proud of and will remain stronger than ever.The sport stood together this past weekend in recognition of her impressive accomplishments. There were 24 seconds of applause before each game across the BBL, WBBL, and NBL, as British Basketball pauses to remember and respect a true great.
Doncaster had to settle for a point at Fleetwood Town in a draw which does little for either side's chances of avoiding the drop.
A game of low quality typified both team's seasons as clear-cut opportunities were few and far between.
Rovers came into the game on the back of a five-game loss streak, while Fleetwood are the league's lowest scorers.
Neither keeper was fully tested all afternoon as Cian Hayes came closest for the home side, firing just over early on.
Rovers' best chance came just before the break as Jordy Hiwula's effort from outside the box was saved by Kieran O'Hara.
Fans took to Twitter to complain about the display and looming relegation.
Rovers' manager Gary McSheffrey aired his frustration at the draw after the game, but also took some positives.
He said: “We had opportunities. We had a few good efforts and more good entries into the final third where we just didn’t make the right decision with the final pass or final shot.
“We’d have loved to have won it but if you can’t win then you don’t lose.
“We’ve gained a point on a couple of teams and if we can back that up with a big win next week it could turn out to be a good point.”
Rovers welcome Charlton to the Eco Power Stadium on Saturday in another huge game as they battle the drop.
South Yorkshire Police have charged two people with drug and weapons offences after a drugs raid in the Batemoor area of Sheffield last week. Yasher Haji Ferhadi, 22, and Lauren Murphy, 26, both of Whinacre Place were arrested under suspicion of possession with intent to supply heroin and cocaine and possession of an offensive weapon. The pair were charged with the offences on Thursday 17 March after Police discovered substantial quantities of class A drugs on the Batemoor street the previous day. Both appeared at Sheffield Magistrates Court on Friday 18 March and have been remanded in custody until Tuesday 19 April when they will appear at Sheffield Crown Court. Detective Sergeant James Dyson, from the Operation Fortify team, said: “Drugs are not welcome in our communities and I am pleased that as a result of this activity, we have seized a large quantity of class A drugs that were otherwise destined for our streets.“If you have any information or concerns relating to drugs in your area, please report it.”
The memorial of the traveller king and bare-knuckle boxer Willy Collins is believed to be the largest in Britain.
It was reportedly designed by the creator of Princess Margaret's headstone alongside Collins' sons.
Known as 'Big Willy' or the 'King of Sheffield', Collins died in July 2020 after collapsing during a family holiday to Port de Pollença, Majorca.
He was 49.
Willy Collin's headstone was unveiled two years after his death last Thursday.
His August 2020 funeral was attended by hundreds and featured a convoy of six horses and 40 Rolls Royce cars.
Both the funeral and the £20,000 headstone was funded by donations from the local community.
The 37-tonne memorial took two weeks to erect and features a solar powered juke box, two life size statues of Willy, LED lights and biblical scenes.
The headstone also features 24 hour CCTV, after Mr Collins' grave was vandalised shortly after his funeral.
Located at Shiregreen Cemetry, Mr Collins' grave is surrounded by family members.
One of 16 children, Collins moved to Sheffield in the 1980s and became the patriarch of the family.
Over 22 years of marriage, Mr Collins had nine children, 16 grandchildren and it is believed he had up to 400 nieces and nephews.
The monument was unveiled last Thursday, almost two years after his death but council leaders say permission was not granted for the large memorial.
Alison Teal, Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure, said: “We are aware of a large memorial which has been erected in Shiregreen Cemetery. This memorial was built without permission and we are currently considering our next steps.
“Cemeteries are a place where people can come, pay their respects and visit loved ones who are no longer with us. We understand memorials are deeply personal, however we must have rules in place to ensure fairness.”
But the Collins family have defended the headstone, claiming they did have permission.
Willy's widow, Kathleen Collins, said: “We own the land and we do have planning permission.
“The council haven't contacted me or anyone from the family to raise any concerns. If they do have any issue with it they should contact us directly.
“It's just because it's all over the media and there's a lot of hate that this is happening.
“They watched it getting built every day without saying anything, and it wasn't done in a day. It took two weeks to get finished.”
Kathleen also has a viral TikTok account where she pays tribute to her late husband.
Her videos have reached up to 72 thousand people and has been met with both admiration and criticism.
A Sheffield women's acapella chorus has raised over £800 in a week for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.Sheffield Harmony, established in 1978, set up a seven day online fundraising event through a Just Giving page and chorus members raised £812.50 in total to help people suffering in Ukraine.
Their 38 members also wore blue and yellow clothing at their last rehearsal to show visual support for Ukraine.
Angela Taylor, Team Co-ordinator for Sheffield Harmony, said: "We were all shocked and saddened by the events in Ukraine. Sheffield Harmony women have supported each other through the past two years of the pandemic in such a caring way that it was no surprise at all that everyone wanted to find a way to support the people suffering so badly from the intense conflict.
Sheffield Harmony performing
"Raising funds for the DEC charity already working there [in Ukraine] seemed to be the most effective way of providing practical support swiftly."
The chorus group decided a short donation period was the best way to raise funds quickly.
Angela continued: "I was delighted that we were able to raise a significant amount. We hope that it will alleviate a little of the suffering."
Sheffield Harmony rehearse every Monday at Banner cross Methodist Church.
Members come from all backgrounds and profession and range from women in their 30s to retirement age.
Sheffield Harmony performing
The group are long-time members of international singing organisation Sweet Adelines, one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The acapella group compete against other chorus groups in Barbershop acapella competitions.
Their next competition, the first one since the pandemic, 'Region 31 Sweet Adelines International Quartet of Nations Contest', will be held in Warwick where 31 Sheffield Harmony members will compete against groups from England, Scotland, Wales and the Netherlands.
Penny Baddeley, a Sheffield Harmony Community Reach team member, said: "We are a competition choir, but we also have a strong sense of community.
"This group is like a big sisterhood. It's an inspiring group of women who are genuinely supportive of one another, whether this be through our singing, vocal technique or emotional support through the pandemic.
Sheffield Harmony rehearsal on Zoom during the pandemic
During the pandemic, the group rehearsed on Zoom and Musical Director, Ros Kipps, helped keep the chorus running at such a hard time.
Penny said: "We don't sing with any instrumental accompaniment, so we can sing anywhere and in any place. Ros did a fantastic job in keeping the group going through the pandemic."
Hundreds of viewers filled the Sheffield City Hall as the green carpet was rolled out for the international premiere of The Felling- An Epic Tale of People Power.
Directed by Jacqui Bellamy and Eve Wood, the tree felling dispute originated from a £2bn highways contract between Sheffield City Council and contractor Amey.
In a speech which sparked applause from the audience Paul Powlesland said: “It was the most successful environmental grassroots campaign ever.
“After the event I’m looking forward to cycling past the trees that we have saved.”
Barrister Paul Powlesland introduces the event.
As part of a 25-year resurfacing project on Sheffield highways the campaign had intended to fell 17,500 perfectly healthy trees, according to Sheffield Tree Action Group (STAG).
The afternoon’s entertainment was introduced by Barrister, Mr Powlesland, who defended the protesting Sheffield Tree Campaigners in 2017 for free in court and eventually won the case.
The film showcased the stories of protesters, many of whom were arrested for disrupting the Council’s tree felling activity.
Freda Brayshaw, was arrested in November 2016 for standing underneath a tree to prevent its felling during the 4am Rustlings Road night raid.
Freda Brayshaw, with her poem at the Premiere.
Mrs Brayshaw, who read her poem to the audience prior to the showing, said: “It’s a great occasion, this means so much more than saving trees, it’s about the community.”
The Poem written by Freda Brayshaw about her arrest in November 2016.
The film encapsulated the excessive measures in which the Sheffield City Council took in order to prevent protesters from disrupting tree felling.
Footage from the film revealed night time tree felling taking place on Rustlings Road and Meersbrook Park Road despite a curfew on activity before 7am.
Staff from multinational contractor, Amey, were seen in the film to forcibly remove protestors in order to fell trees and set up high steel barriers around trees to prevent disruption from protesters.
The conclusion of the film sparked a standing ovation with the overall feeling of justice being served in what marked a celebratory occasion for the protesters who had faced years of hardship.
Following a well-attended premiere at the Sheffield City Hall the film will be shown in cinemas from 1 April 2022.
A parkrun community are dedicating their next run to a woman who, three months ago, was close to death.
Kate Green, 42, suffered a severe stroke in December 2021, with runners at Clifton Park, Rotherham now raising money to show their support.
In early December Kate complained of a bad headache, but within 10 minutes she was unable to walk or talk.
After being taken to Rotherham Hospital, CT scans found she had suffered an acute haemorrhage pontine stroke.
Her husband, Adam Green, 44, was told it was a significant bleed in the brain which was inoperable because the of the high risk involved.
He said: "They were going to refer her to the stroke ward if she pulled through, but effectively the language coming out of it was 'she's going to die tonight'."
She was in an induced coma, however after turning the ventilator off to see how her body would respond, miraculously Kate was able to breathe on her own.
As time went on, she began to communicate through blinking and small head movements.
She even had a special signal of raising her eyes three times to say "I love you" to her husband and seven-year-old son, Stanley.
Kate Green and her son, Stanley
With the help of doctors, nurses, physios, occupational and speech therapists, she has now got feeling back in her left side, with her right side beginning to get stronger too.
After a tracheotomy removal, she is now able to communicate vocally.
Adam set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his wife's recovery and over night it had already hit £15,000, reaching its target of £30,000 in just one week.
The money will be used to pay for six weeks of intensive private rehabilitation to give Kate the best possible chance of making a good recovery.
If NHS funding is secured Adam said they will use the donations to fund essential alterations to their house to accommodate Kate’s return and to give back to hospital staff who helped Kate through her recovery.
Adam said: "The hospital have been just fantastic, absolutely fantastic."
Adam and Kate Green, from Rotherham
When Adam told Kate the GoFundMe page had hit £15,000 over night, she broke down in tears.
He said: "I think it's just overwhelming for her to understand how much she's thought of, by friends, family and also the wider community. It's been a really humbling experience."
Kate was involved in setting up the Rotherham parkrun in 2013 and is usually the run director at Clifton Park each Saturday morning.
Parkrun volunteer and friend of Kate, Kat Westwood, 36, said: "A lot of her work friends are coming down to do the event to celebrate what we've raised and to encourage people to get to parkrun, because Kate always likes to try and encourage people to come along and she would be delighted if it meant that more people came."
Speaking of the event's importance, Adam said: "At the moment, she is really banging the drum again about how she's made this recovery, it's obviously part down to the incredible work that they've done in the hospital, part down to her own determination. But she said, part of it has to be attributed to the fact that she was fit and healthy to begin with."
The parkrun fundraiser will take place on Saturday 26 March at 9am in Clifton Park, Rotherham.
To donate to Kate's GoFundMe page, the link can be found here.
Fears have been raised across Sheffield after PCR testing centres have started to close the same week the city saw a 73.8% increase in Covid cases.
Sheffield City Centre
Between 12 and 18 March 2022, 3,720 people had a confirmed positive test result compared to the previous week where 2,140 people had a confirmed case. This makes Sheffield the worst constituent in the Yorkshire and The Humber Region as 1 in 17 people have a confirmed case. Medical Researcher, Daniel Jones, 26 said: “It is bad that the test centres are closing and also that we now have to pay for testing kits, no one is going to buy the tests unless it is necessary for their job.“Luckily I ordered a bunch of them before the end date.”
COVID Home Testing Kit
The last date people can get a PCR test in the region is 30th March 2022 but sites have already started to close. The site on Alderson Road in Sharrow closed on 19 March and the site on Shipton Street in Upperthorpe is set to close on 22 March. Despite national Covid restrictions easing, Public Health Sheffield has recognised life is not back to normal just yet and has advised people to do all they can to help stop the spread of the infection. Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield: “This (Covid) isn't over yet by a long stretch.“The next variant might not be as benign as Omicron has turned out to be, so let's not all fall into a sense of security that this is over.”
Gregg Fell
While some may have stopped wearing masks and social distance, people are still testing every day. The steel city saw a 15.3% increase in testing after 35,598 tests were taken between 11-17 March 2022 when compared to the previous week.
Masks are still worn by some
An O2 Academy staff member, Holly Horrowsmith said: “It doesn't make sense, I don't understand why they are closing all of the test centres, maybe just a few but not all of them. Not when cases are rising again.“They should keep the centres open, they’re not doing any harm, they are just making sure people who have it get a positive test result.”There is also still free LFD testing for the general public until 1 April 2022. You order packs of seven online or collect for free from:
The Community Covid Bus: see #CommunityCovidBus on social media
Community Covid Hub stall: Moor Market, stand 81
Community COVID bus- Sheffield City Council
Across the city, hospital admissions have also been on the rise. There was a 25.9% increase in people going to the hospital with Covid between 7-13 March after 102 people were admitted.The number of Covid patients being treated bySheffield Teaching Hospitals is still below the level recorded earlier this year, when it peaked at 293 on 17 January.
Sheffield Children's Hospital
Patients admitted to the hospital will be given free tests if they have symptoms and so will care home residents and other vulnerable groups. Free testing for those in child care will stop and so will testing for staff and students in education.Student, Liberty Smith, 19 said: “I don’t think it makes any sense at all, especially because we are such a high student populated area. In our lectures. If one person gets it, everyone gets it and our lectures are packed. “I don't understand why the tests are not free anymore, it limits students who don’t have the financial income to buy these tests.”Out of Sheffield’s 71 neighbourhoods where data is recorded, all but five have seen a rise in case rates. The UK as a whole saw a 56% rise in Covid-19 cases during the week ending 10th March compared to the week before. 410,173 people were tested positive.Despite the increases in testing, positive cases and hospital admissions according to Sheffield Public Health Covid infection is now forty times less likely to result in death than it was in January 2021. Vaccines have been shown to have a significant impact on the number of deaths caused by Covid-19. At the time of writing, 77.5% of Sheffield residents have received their first dose:
428,288 people have been given their first dose
401,589 people have been given their second dose
308,701 people have been given their third dose
Only 55.9% of the 552, 698 residents have received their third dose.
COVID-19 vaccines
According to government sources, anyone who needs a test from 1st April to confirm their symptoms are COVID, will have to pay £2 and £5 per individual LFT or around £20 per pack of seven. At the time of writing for those who would want to purchase an At-Home Covid-19 PCR Testing Kit, it could cost around £62 based on the current Boots.com prices.
