Sheffield Council launch school attendance charter
Sheffield Council have launched the first ever city-wide school attendance charter. The charter marks a commitment to improving school attendance across the city through a number of pledges promoting the benefits of school life. Sheffield City Council announced this initiative in cooperation with their partners Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, South Yorkshire Police, Sheffield Children’s NHS Trust Foundation and Sheffield’s NHS CCG. Labour councillor Jayne Dunn, Executive Member for Education, Children and Families, praised the scheme and its benefits for young people. She said: "School days can be the best days of our children's lives, and every school day really does matter. "We know the last couple of years have been tough for families and we want to help children make the most of their school day." The pledges range across a number of areas, such as making sure the right support is available for parents and children to attend school, and championing the benefits of good school attendance. More information can be found on the Every School Day Matters website.
Sheffield United down South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley to boost play-offs hopes
Sheffield United have climbed back into the Championship play-offs places after Paul Heckingbottom’s men secured an all-important three points in a 2-0 victory against local foes Barnsley at Bramall Lane. Sander Berge and Morgan Gibbs-White were on the scoresheet as the Blades ended a five-match winless run in the league to conclude the day in 5th position in the Championship table and pile more misery on the relegation threatened Barnsley. In a goalless first half it was the 22nd placed visitors who first threatened to open the scoring, with midfielder Matty Wolfe forcing an outstanding low save from Wes Foderingham with a half-volley inside the area. The hosts’ best effort in the opening period came courtesy of defender Jack Robinson, whose left-foot drive outside the box sizzled just wide of Bradley Collins’ left-hand post. After a disappointing first half, the Blades re-emerged from the half-time break with clear added impetus, and it did not take long for them to get their noses in front. Oliver Norwood’s cleverly taken quick free kick set Conor Hourihane free down the left-hand side with the Irishman’s whipped cross bundled over the line by Sander Berge at the back post to give United the lead in the 54th minute. There was cause for concern for United on 65 minutes, however, as inspirational captain Billy Sharp was forced to be replaced through injury by academy graduate Daniel Jebbison. Despite this setback the Blades were able to maintain their composure, and doubled their lead in the 76th minute after substitute Oli McBurnie deftly scooped the ball over the Barnsley backline towards Morgan Gibbs-White who coolly rounded Collins in the Barnsley goal before sliding into the net to seal the points for his team.
Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom paid tribute to the collective spirit amongst his players and expressed his delight in signing off for the international break with a victory. He said: “They all need credit. We’ve had players playing out of position, players putting themselves forward who aren’t 100% fit. “I think it was only fitting that we signed off with a win today and now we get ready for the final eight games.”Sander & MGW on target. 😍
The goals that sealed the win against Barnsley this afternoon. 👇⚔️pic.twitter.com/CHLAtopJNM — Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) March 19, 2022
Sheffield United will resume their Championship campaign away at Stoke City on Saturday 2nd April after the international break."Delighted in the end. It has been a long slog."
Paul Heckingbottom reacts to the Blades 2-0 win at the Lane. 👊⚔️ — Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) March 19, 2022
Sheffield Wednesday stutter to draw at lowly Gillingham
For the second time in a week Sheffield Wednesday were held to a disappointing draw in League One, with lowly Gillingham proving a tough nut to crack in a goalless draw at Priestfield Stadium on Saturday. The away side had the lion’s share of the possession, but it was the Gills who had the better scoring opportunities across the match. The best chance of the first half fell to Gillingham striker Vadain Oliver, who failed to convert from close range after Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Wednesday goal had spilled QPR loanee Charlie Kelman’s long distance effort. The Gills went close again in the second period after some indecision at the back from Wednesday’s Sam Hutchinson almost allowed Charlie Kenman to profit, with the Gills striker just unable to slide the ball past Peacock-Farrell from inside the area. Inspirational Owls captain Barry Bannan tried his best to make the breakthrough for his side, with a left-footed effort from outside the box almost squirming past Aaron Chapman in goal for Gillingham before firing another decent effort from range just over the bar. The 3,500 strong travelling Wednesday support must have thought their team had won it when Lee Gregory fired the ball past Chapman from close range in the 83rd minute, only for Jack Tucker to save the day for Gillingham with a heroic goal-line block with Saido Berahino lurking just behind him. The result leaves the Owls hanging on to their place in the play-offs by a thread, whilst Neil Harris’ Gillingham side were able to climb out of the relegation zone. The Owls still have their play-offs destiny firmly in their own hands with eight matches remaining, however, with Cheltenham Town up next at Hillsborough next Saturday. Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore was left frustrated with his side’s inability to find a way to goal. He said: “The onus was on us to come and try and win the game whilst not conceding something stupid by overcommitting too many bodies forward and them getting a breakaway goal. It didn’t materialise like that."
The Owls gaffer went on to salute the Wednesday faithful for their unrelenting away support. “It’s fabulous. I always ask the secretary the numbers we are bringing away from home and it’s great to see 3,500 come here today. I was just desperate to get the win today to send them back up north with the three points in the bag,” Moore said.🗣️ Post-match reaction from manager Darren Moore at Priestfield#GILSHW
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) March 19, 2022
Morning Briefing: varsity, van thefts, cute animals and fundraisers.
Good morning from sunny Sheffield. Here's a quick glance at what we will be covering today... A 13-year-old stole a Covid testing van and crashed it into another vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning. A dog owner in Meersbrook is sharing Ace the Border Collie with the community who can borrow this doggie. Three Billy Goats Gruff: Heeley City Farm welcomes a rare female trio into the world. The foundations are being laid for a £40m Fargate revamp taking the form of a shipping container shopping complex. Meersbrook Bank Primary school are donating essential items for Ukrainian children- a Barnsley man with a van is taking supplies to the Polish border today. Will Sheffield be Black and Gold? The Sheffield Varsity kicks off today with cycling and trampolining!
Sheffield searches for talented blind footballers with new initiative
A new scheme for blind footballers of all abilities is hoping to produce future England players after it kicks off this Saturday. The Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme will help deliver the B1 programme which will include high quality training sessions from Sheffield Wednesday staff and aims to give new opportunities for blind and visually impaired people to try football. The scheme is hoped to produce future England disability players and one volunteer has already been scouted by coaches in the lead up to the initiative. Julie Callaghan, Disability and Inclusion Football Development Officer at Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA, said: “It’s about realisation of dreams, to be able to play at that level.” “We had a volunteer turn up and one of the England Blind coaches identified them as a blind footballer that could play for England within the next 12-months, with work. He could be a role model in Sheffield for future young players in Sheffield.”
The initiative is in partnership with Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA, Sheffield Royal Society for The Blind, and Yorkshire Sport Foundation and will feature a non-contact version of blind football. Ms Callaghan said: “There’s nothing in the South Yorkshire corridor for blind football so this is quite massive really, to fill a gap to give an opportunity for male and female players that want to play football.” The sessions will take place outside at Tapton Community Sport Centre, and kicks off this Saturday with a free turn up and play session from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Sessions will continue to run on a Saturday at the same time on the dates shown below costing £3 per session and £24 for all ten. Session Dates: March 19th – free turn up and play session. April 23rd May 7th, 14th and 21st June 11th, 18th and 25th July 2nd, 9th and 16thAhead of the launch of our new #BlindFootball initiative, Project B1. This Saturday our coaches were down giving it a go themselves 🦉⚽
Read more here: 👇https://t.co/56meXoVx5n@SHCFA @SheffCouncil #sheffield #community #swfc #wawa pic.twitter.com/UdMbS2mOpN — SWFC Community Programme (@SWFCCP) March 14, 2022
Valiant Knights defeat Cornish Pirates in fiery contest
The Doncaster Knights got a bonus-point win against the Cornish Pirates in a feisty final home game. The Knights won 22-15. They scored all four of their tries in the first half, and were then forced to defend their lead despite a comeback from their opposition.The first try was scored by George Edgson after a driving maul. Lock John Kelly scored the second. Thom Smith scored the third try after short repeated phases and Edgson took his second try before the closing of the first half. Fly-half Sam Olver had a tough day on the tee as he was only able to convert one of the Knight's tries. There was a humorous moment in the game after his first successful kick of the day, as Olver good-naturedly turned to the main stand and gave a laugh and a shrug, in acknowledgement of his misfortune in regards to conversions.
The Pirates received many penalties and two yellow cards in as many minutes. They scored two tries, the first came after they moved the ball quickly off their rolling maul to send Matt Bolwell over, with the score converted by Arwell Robson. Their second was scored in the second half. The Knights seemed to be expecting a rolling maul off the lineout, but the Pirates popped the ball out quickly to Josh Caulfield, allowing the forward to bound over. The try was not converted.𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙮! ⚔️
That feeling when you realise it's the last Knights home league game of the season. pic.twitter.com/ED8RylSh9o — Doncaster Knights 🏉 (@DoncasterKnight) March 12, 2022
Tempers flared and the two teams had to be separated from one another on a few occasions. Firstly, on the half-time marker before the knights scored their fourth try, and also in the second half after Knights player Maliq Holden received an ankle tap which knocked him to the ground, and resulted in him leaving the pitch. The confrontation and shoving, which came after Maliq's injury, resulted in the referee overturning a penalty which would have gone to Pirates. It was a tense affair at the end of the game as the Knights were forced to defend on their line in extra-time. However, penalties got the better of the Pirates, who were unable to capitalise on the opportunity presented to them. The Knights are still top of the league.𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙨 📸
Some of our favourite moments from yesterday's bonus point win in the spring sunshine at Castle Park. pic.twitter.com/MX2EPgSlvQ — Doncaster Knights 🏉 (@DoncasterKnight) March 13, 2022
https://youtu.be/UqY5YhjlOA4
Sheffield Steelers organise shirt-raffle to support player’s Ukrainian family
The Sheffield Steelers have organised a raffle to help Martin Latal's extended family survive war-torn Ukraine. Martin's wife, Iryna, is Ukrainian and her family had to flee from Ukraine due to the bombing. 11 of her family members fled to the Latals' family hometown of Mladá Boleslav. Martin decided to look after his wife’s family and rented an apartment, paid for clothes, heating, and food without asking for anything in return. The Steelers, upon being made aware of the situation, asked Martin if they could help by raising funds to look after the family's "immediate care and future requirements." The club is raffling off Martin’s white away shirt from the weekend’s games in Belfast. The funds raised from the raffle are being donated to Martin and his family. The winner of the raffle will also receive tickets to Sheffield Steeler's next home game against Manchester Storm on the 27th March where Martin will present the winner with his shirt after the game. The Steelers put out a statement in which they said: "Sheffield, the Latal family need the help of Hockey’s biggest family at this terrible time. We hope that once again we can ask for your support." The raffle will run until 9.00pm on Tuesday evening.
Sheffield couple to welcome Ukrainian refugees through new government scheme
A Sheffield couple hope to welcome refugees into their home after the government announced a new scheme to help people fleeing the Ukraine war. Homes for Ukraine will allow host families to home Ukrainian refugees, and in exchange will be given £350 a month. They are yet to release more details. Alison Zwaard and her husband Tim Dixon-Phillip have wanted to help since the crisis struck in Ukraine. They joined icanhelp.host, a solidarity platform allowing people across Europe to open their homes to refugees. Ms Zwaard, 63, said: “I do a bit of air bnb so I’m used to having people around. My children have grown up, we have the space and I think why not. “These people didn’t ask to be homeless, they’re going through the most horrendous time at the moment, of uncertainty and fear. So it’s the human thing to do.” Ms Zwaard and her husband wanted to help refugees with or without the payment. The artist added she felt 99 per cent of people in the world were good and she had no worries about letting people into her home. She said she thought the government should run background checks on host families to ensure vulnerable people aren’t exploited. The government said today it will announce a ‘new Homes for Ukraine’ helpline and webpage where people can register to offer accommodation and employment to Ukrainian refugees. In response to the scheme, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council said: “This programme falls short of enabling any Ukrainian, particularly the most vulnerable such as children who are alone, to seek safety in the UK and access the full support they urgently need.” Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, has criticised the government’s response to accepting Ukrainian refugees up to now. He said: “It’s appalling that the Government’s been so reluctant to match the generosity of other countries across Europe. This is a step forward, but leaves unanswered questions. It’s important that those seeking sanctuary are given safe and good quality accommodation, so we need more detail about how they’re going to match people.”
“Not just for men”: Sheffield skatepark wheels out new initiative to become more inclusive
The House Skatepark in Sheffield is running exclusive skateboarding evenings each month to encourage women and people who belong to minority genders to try the sport. The event, termed the “Minority Genders Night” is for anyone who isn’t a cisgender man and occurs on the last Saturday of each month.
House Skatepark "New Wave" event.
"New Wave" poster for Minority Genders
Meet the gender pay gap bot exposing companies across South Yorkshire
For this International Women's Day an anonymous bot account on Twitter has stunned users with its exposure of some very big gender pay gaps. 8 March 2022 marked this year's International Women's Day and many companies took this day as an opportunity to thank their female workers and colleagues for the amazing work they do. One user on Twitter, @genderpaygapbot, decided to expose every company that used the #IWD tag and replied exposing each gender pay gap. The definition of unequal pay is paying men and women differently for the same or similar job role. This is illegal in the UK and all companies must ensure equal pay within the same job roles. The definition of gender pay gap is the difference in median hourly pay between men and women. If, for example, a woman's pay is less than a man's it usually means more men, on average, have senior roles in the company. Some of the companies exposed by the account were based in South Yorkshire, and a horrifying amount paid their female workers less than their male workers. Sumo Digital was one company victim of this cyber bot who exposed the organisation for paying women 23.4% less per hour than men.
A spokesperson for Sumo Digital said: "Sumo Digital can confirm than men and women receive equal pay for the same or similar work, we have a culture of honesty at Sumo and acknowledge we have to improve our gender pay gap. We are committed to working towards this goal in the future and will share more in our upcoming report." Housing 21 posted a Twitter press release in response to being targeted by the bot for female workers earning 31% lower than the average male in the company.In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 23.4% lower than men's. https://t.co/fgodoIu9YO
— Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 10, 2022
In the Twitter thread they said: "The gap is driven mainly by the structure of our workforce, where women occupy the vast majority of service delivery roles. However, we know this is something we must keep working to improve and our new Respect and Inclusion strategy has exciting plans to explore new pathways to progression for women in the organisation."In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 31% lower than men's. https://t.co/Fwebd06kTP
— Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 9, 2022
Excuses about childcare and child rearing are often the top excuse as to why companies suggest women are mainly in the lower paying roles within their companies yet the average male graduate is paid 5% more per year than the average female graduate. This is despite the fact that women are more likely to get a first class degree or a 2:1 than men. A silver lining in the appalling pay statistics: Barnsley Council only pay women 0.8% less than male workers, this is a huge win for pay gap equality.In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 41% lower than men's. https://t.co/3HRxWBQf5U
— Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 11, 2022
Educational establishments are not in the clear either with The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and Astrea Academy Trust with men being paid more on average than women.In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 0.8% lower than men's. https://t.co/eo24CZvrgA
— Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 8, 2022
The University of Sheffield were exposed by the bot for paying women a median of 8.4% less per hour than men and told Sheffield Wire the mean figure is actually 15.8% less. They also said action is being taken to improve the recruitment processes and career progression opportunities for women. Astrea Academy Trust is an all-through school for children aged 2-18 years old and pays women a median average hourly pay of 44.1% lower than men. A spokesperson for Astrea Academy Trust said: "At every level women are part of our workforce, including at board level, which has a majority or women and is chaired by a woman. All our staff are paid the same for the same role, but we need to do more to attract women into more senior secondary leadership and operations roles." Chrissy Meleady MBE, CEO of equalities and human rights UK said: "Women should be compensated fairly for the work they do. It is shameful and outrageous that now, in 2022, here in Sheffield and South Yorkshire we still have employers who are paying women less per hour than what they pay men." Chrissy Meleady went onto tell Sheffield Wire that in 2019 the average difference in pay was 16% whereas now in 2022 it has grown to 37%. This is predicted to be from the increase in more women working part-time. At Sheffield Wednesday the gender pay gap bot exposed the company who pay women 41% lower than men. After contacting the Sheffield Wednesday directly, they refused to comment on the matter.In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 13.7% lower than men's. https://t.co/rL0LxoGe7a
— Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 8, 2022
Could these robots be the future of Sheffield Children’s Hospital?
Meet MiRo and Pepper, two androids that have been combatting stress and anxiety in young patients at the hospital. The project aimed to keep children from the ages of five to 12 calm in-between waiting for treatment. It was the brainchild of Brenda Little, 29, a PhD student at The University of Sheffield, who said the project was close to her heart. She said: “The idea of coming to hospitals is daunting enough as an adult, let alone a kid. It was important for me to find a way to ease this for them. The project held a soft spot in my heart.” The robots used for the project had different functions. MiRo had pet-like features and wagged its tail whereas Pepper read the children stories, danced and sang. The project ended later last month, but the overall feedback of the robots in children and parents has been extremely positive. “A lot of them saw Pepper as a buddy and there was generally positive feedback”, Brenda said. “One parent said his child was always nervous when he came into the hospital and used to shake his legs. Since the robots were introduced, his leg stopped shaking. Another child took complete ownership of MiRo and would pretend that she was its owner. Her mother said she would love to have a pet but could not due to being in hospital constantly. Several kids were also happy to have MiRo on the bed with them when they were getting blood tests.”
Brenda and a patient with MiRo the robot. Source: Sheffield Children's hospital
‘Go With the Flow’: People are exercising to shed light on period poverty in South Yorkshire
A Sheffield charity is encouraging people to get active to raise awareness of period poverty in South Yorkshire. Menstruation Matters launched ‘Go With the Flow’ this morning, a month-long campaign which sets biking, running and walking challenges for participants to complete across Sheffield and the Peak District. Those involved are asked to wear red while exercising and share photos online to spread the message. Campaign trustee, Emily Milne, said: “A lot of people don’t know what period poverty is. At Menstruation Matters, we believe having access to period products is a human right, not something you should have to purchase. “This is a good excuse to get out there and exercise while raising awareness of and money for a good cause.” Milne also hopes the campaign will tackle the stigma around menstruation, something which she believes still exists. A new route will become available to runners and cyclists every Monday for the next four weeks and prizes will be available for those who complete the fastest times. Money raised throughout the campaign will help the charity to continue distributing menstrual products to women’s shelters, refuge centres, food banks and schools in the area. Aimee Brownlow, 23, is among those joining in. She said: “It is lovely getting involved with a local Sheffield charity and raising money for such an important cause. “Any excuse to get out to the Peak District is a bonus. I do a bit of running and cycling but this campaign is inspiring me to do more.” For more information, see here.