Sheffield United face Blackburn Rovers in battle for Championship play-offs
Sheffield United are facing Blackburn Rovers in their second meeting this season. The Blades are hoping to continue their campaign, after an impressive 4-0 thrashing of Swansea City that saw them climb to sixth in the Championship. Manager Paul Heckingbottom gave his assessment of Blackburn’s performance this season, saying: “They’re a really dangerous team, they’ve scored goals and have a clear way of playing the way Tony [Mowbray] sets them up. They’re very forward thinking and dangerous when they regain the ball, which is where most teams are at their most vulnerable. He continued: “We know they’re going to be a threat and very well organised, it’s going to be a tough night for us at Bramall Lane, but we’re ready for it. We know how we want to play and we just have to bring our best game, while obviously respecting the threat Blackburn bring.
Image from Sheffield United FC
Students in Sheffield evacuated overnight after Storm Franklin causes fire hazard
Students living in The Derwent apartments in Endcliffe village were told to leave their residencies at 10.30pm last night due to heavy flooding. The flood was labelled as a potential fire hazard by the university as it caused severe damage to the building's electricity supply. One Sheffield student, Ellie Fletcher, 19, labelled the incident as scary. She told Sheffield Wire she arrived home after cheerleading practice at 8pm to find a crowd of people standing outside in the rain. She was then informed by university officials almost three hours later that she had to stay elsewhere for the duration of the night and if she had difficulties, the university would assist her in finding temporary accommodation. "Luckily my boyfriend lives in Sheffield," she said, "so I decided to leave because I thought that even if they did let us in to get our valuables, it would be hours before they did. And in the end, they didn't let anyone in. My flatmates never got their things". As a result of not being able to collect their personal belongings, many did not attend university today. Reports of smoke exiting the basement last night were also made, though this has not yet been confirmed by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. A spokesperson for the university said students are can now re-enter their accommodation following checks to the power supply. They added those affected by the incident will receive a three-night credit to their accommodation. If you or anyone else has been affected, get in touch with @sheffield_wire on Twitter.
Sheffield Steelers looking to bounce back after Cardiff defeat as they prepare for Challenge Cup
The Steelers lost 2:3 to a penalty shootout to the Cardiff Devils at Sheffield Arena on Sunday.
This comes after an injury to one of their top players, Marco Vallerand. If he cannot play on Wednesday, the Steelers would have to replace him and bring in another player, which is not ideal.
Steelers Head Coach Aaron Fox said: “I thought, arguably, that was one of the better sixties we played all year. We didn’t find a way to win it which is disappointing, but at the end of the day we can all look ourselves in the mirror and know we played a heck of a game tonight.”
The team are gearing up to versus the Devils again on Wednesday, as part of the Semi-Final.
The winners of this game will either play the Nottingham Panthers or the Belfast Giants in a bid to win the Premier Sports Challenge Cup.
The 2022 Premier Sports Challenge Cup Final will be played as a one-off event in March.
Photo credits: Kieran Morse.
Free taxi rides to vaccine centre in new Sheffield scheme
A local cab firm, City Taxis, have launched a new scheme this week, giving free taxi rides to people going to get their Covid-19 vaccination.
The initiative, named Sheffield JabCab, was set up by Sheffield City Council and City Taxis, to encourage people to get their 1st, 2nd and booster vaccinations.
Sacha Skinner, a spokesperson for City Taxis said: "We believe Jab Cabs are a really positive way of supporting those in our community who are restricted from travel, either financially or accessibility, who would otherwise not be able to get the Covid-19 vaccination."
People from certain Sheffield postcodes will be able to get a free taxi to and from Longley Lane Vaccination Centre, which is near Northern General Hospital. All cabs will then be paid for by Sheffield City Council.
The centre is open every day of the week from 8am to 7pm, and vaccines are available on both an appointment and walk-in basis.
To claim a free taxi, people must call City Taxis on 0114 235 8997 and reference ‘SCC vaccine'
Three reasons why university staff are striking
“Staff have been worked to the bone, trying to prepare modules for changing conditions, with the same levels of pay. We are now in a position where we believe that’s completely untenable. People have had enough." Joe Hill, 36, is a researcher at the University of Sheffield who is participating in strikes this week. Drenched from the rain as Storm Eunice tears through the UK, he is only one of many university staff members protesting changes to their pensions, pay inequality and working conditions. This is the latest in a long-running dispute with universities over pensions and pay. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) began their latest wave of strike action on Monday, 14 February. Over 50,000 members of the UCU are striking, demanding employers reverse cuts to staff pensions. They also want a £2,500 pay rise for all staff and employers to take action to address unmanageable workloads, pay inequality and the use of unsafe and exploitative contracts. Matt Robson, 56, a teacher in the Department of Journalism Studies, said: "I’m on strike today because I want to protect my pension, but I’m also worried about the kind of workload issues, gender pay gap, and a whole bunch of things."
He continued: "I understand it's inconvenient. I understand it's possibly upsetting for some students. I fully understand that. But I've also got to look after myself. And would you want someone teaching you who was worried about their pension, who was worried about whether they're going to have a contract next year, was worried about whether they're going to be able to pay the bills at the end of the month?" There are three main reasons why the strikes are taking place:
- Pension cuts
- Working conditions
- Inequality and the pay gap
This week, 68 universities are participating in strike action on 21 and 22 February.
Pension cuts:
The staff are striking because of a dispute over the guaranteed pension staff receive. According to the UCU website, they did a study and found that university staff’s pensions have been cut by £240,000, and now there are proposals to reduce this further by 35%. This deduction is set to be formalized on 22 February. Tom Stafford, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield’s psychology department, said: “If we treat staff unfairly, we overwork them, we don’t pay them properly, we don’t allow them to retire in comfort, then we’re going to massively impoverish the kind of person that works at the university, and that’s going to make education worse, it’s going to make research worse. That’s not visually the university that I want to be behind.” The pension dispute focuses on the financing of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which provides the pensions of staff at older UK universities, research institutes and academic think tanks. Last week, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) recommended that employers dock the pay of staff who work to rule as part of the strike action. ‘Work to rule’ is a form of industrial action when staff follow official working rules and hours exactly, resulting in reduced work efficiency. The UCEA recommended that employers dock 100% of pay, but so far, only six universities have implemented this, while others are warning deductions of 25%, 33% or 50%. According to the union, the universities that have threatened to withhold 100% of pay are:- Queen Mary University of London
- City University of London
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Newcastle University
- Bristol University
- Bradford University
Working conditions:
A lot of staff are striking about the working conditions, including Dr Stafford. He said: “They’ve let people work in unsafe conditions, working themselves into ill health, keeping the university going during the pandemic. And then this is how they treat staff and the students by letting the strikes go ahead. It’s shocking. Why are we not seeing some leadership from the university?” Alison, a 20-year-old English studies student at the University of Sheffield, supports the strikes. She said: “The reason why I’m out here - I feel like it is demonstrated by the sign - working conditions are our learning conditions, and I don’t think teachers and academic staff should be treated the way that they are. It’s not right.” Alexandra, 21, a sociology student, said: “I feel like university management are really weaponizing the disruption to the student experience to get students to be against the strikes, but I think that the more students come out in solidarity, the more I think the university won’t get away with it.” Alison agrees with this, saying: “I think students do know it’s not the lecturers and aren’t blaming academic staff, but they’re directing anger at management quite a bit more. So I think students need to know who to “scare” and whose fault this is. That is really important.” Joe Hill, 36, a researcher at the University of Sheffield, said how staff have been working 50 and 60 hour weeks while on 35 or 40 hour contracts regularly for two years, because of Covid-19.“People have had enough. They've had enough of two decades of austerity, lack of support. No pay increases attached to their pensions. What does this mean for students? What does this mean for staff? We’re all supposed to be in this together, creating an environment where we are proud to be here. How can we do that when we can't afford to eat? When our disabled members are being paid less than us?”According to a 2021 report on university employment contracts by UCU, Black and Asian staff are less likely to be on a permanent contract than white staff, meaning their employment is less secure.
Inequality and the pay gap:
Data research agency Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that among academic staff, 72,610 (32%) were employed on fixed-term contracts in 2020 and 2021.
Compared with white employees, Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff are more likely to sign more unstable and insecure fixed-term contracts.
According to UCU’s 2021/22 pay claim, the report said 3545 academic staff are on zero-hour contracts around UK universities.
Zero-hour contracts are widely considered a poor employment practice as staff lack the right to a contract that guarantees their work hours. UCU is anti-zero hour contracts.
Black staff are 50% more likely than white staff and three times more likely than Asian staff to be on a zero-hours contract.
Inequality is not limited to ethnicity, but it extends to gender and disability in the workplace.
The average gender pay gap in the UK higher education sector was 16%, the gap between black and white staff was 17%, and the gap for people with disabilities was 9%.
UCU says employers must give men and women equal treatment in terms of the conditions of their employment contracts.
Joe Hill, 36, a researcher of the University of Sheffield, said: “We are currently on strike for the full fight, which is a session or linked debate about a casualization workload and the disability and gender pay gap.
“Before covid, we were negotiating with UCS, which is a group that represents the universities across the UK.”
Joe added: “We were having really good movement and positive discussions and getting close to kind of making some really solid agreements on how to move forward to eliminate what is a 9% pay gap for disabled colleagues.”
Next week, strike actions will focus on pay and working disputes only, protesting on Monday 28 February, Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 March. The final day of strike action will coincide with the student strike on Wednesday, 2 March, organized by the National Union of Students (NUS).
by Lauren Kelly, Emily Davies, Safi Bugel, Anastasia Christodoulou and Summer Ding.
NHS waiting times soar in Sheffield: City ranked amongst the 30 worst in the country
NHS waiting times in Sheffield are amongst the 30 worst in the country.
At the end of December 2021, 63,936 people were on the waiting list at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust.
According to date from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, 1,149 people had been waiting for more than a year for an appointment and 20 people have been waiting more than two years.
Infographic showing Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust waiting time in 2021.
27-year-old Joseph Morris works in digital marketing in Sheffield. He is just one of the statistics sat still on a waiting list.
He has been awaiting an ADHD screening for eight months. He said: "in terms of waiting lists and diagnosis and assessments, there is generally an uncomfortable feeling of being forgotten."
When he asked his GP for an ADHD assessment, they warned that there is a really long waiting list. He was told he would be referred to the Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopment Service (SAANS).
SAANS informed Mr Morris that his referral had not yet been screened, after the screening process there is a two and a half year waiting list for an assessment.
This could quickly add up to a four year wait just to be seen by a professional. He often wonders why he is bothering.
He said: "I think what's frustrating is that I am one of many, many people in this situation who have no idea what's going on or what to do."
He describes the situation as a crisis, he added: "we are being told that the services are there and available to us, but in my experience I think many have given up hope of ever receiving the help they need."
Mr Morris has looked into private healthcare but it is extortionate, especially on top of rising costs of living and an energy crisis.
After having various brief telephone consultations, he is unsure if he will ever find out if he has a serious condition. Undiagnosed neurodivergent conditions can have detrimental impacts on mental health and wellbeing.
Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam said: "People in Sheffield are being forced to wait months and even years for treatment, often in pain and discomfort.
Now the Government is telling them that waiting times won’t start going down until 2024. It's unacceptable."
Campaigners, MPs and the public gathered outside Parliament with a banner and placards
© photograph by David Sandison
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Sheffield’s Kell Brook claims ‘King of the North’ title in a dominant win over Amir Khan
An electric atmosphere at the Manchester Arena promised box office entertainment as two experienced boxers went head to head in a hugely anticipated fight. Saturday evening’s premier event, started with Brook setting the precedent by totally dominating the first round, who looked to be the more composed of the two fighters. Brook and Khan, both aged 35, had been labelled as evenly matched fighters prior to the game. The result was far from close as Brook emphatically emerged as the victor in the sixth round. Speaking to the media after the fight, Brook said: "I can live at peace with Amir Khan on my record, "My mojo is back and I love this game. We will listen to loved ones and see, but I'm back, baby." After a barrage of direct hits onto Khan, Brook gained control of the fight as Khan wobbled through the opening exchanges. During the second round, Khan momentarily began to grow into the fight. The Bolton-based fighter’s best trait was arguably his speed as he managed to negotiate the second round by avoiding some of Brook’s direct hits. Normal action was shortly resumed, as Brook continued to prove his worth as the more dominant fighter, looking to deliver the match-winning blow as Khan suffered heavy facial damage. A composed Kell Brook looked certain to supply the knock-out blow in the fifth round, but Khan was saved by the bell. An end to the so-called contest came in round six as the referee, fearing for the safety of Khan, called an end to the fight after a dominant Kell Brook performance. The Sheffield fighter said in a post match interview: "I can live at peace with myself, with my career now." Saturday's fight was Brook's 40th victory in his 17-year career as a professional boxer. Meanwhile the fight at the Manchester Arena represents only the sixth defeat in Amir Khan's illustrious boxing career.
Wellbeing dogs used by South Yorkshire Police to help officers cope with trauma
More than a dozen dogs have been trained to help South Yorkshire police officers improve their wellbeing, following traumatic incidents.
Following a suitability assessment and thorough training, the dogs are there to support officers and staff and help them to open up about things they are struggling with.
The dogs release oxytocin which leads to trust and a sense of security. It also help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety by increasing cortisol.
Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said: "Our police officers and staff work incredibly hard to keep our communities safe, and will often be exposed to danger, trauma and stress in their line of duty.
"In recent years, police forces nationwide have recognised the value of dogs in helping the workforce with their wellbeing. When a dog scampers into a room, the atmosphere instantly changes and people want to fuss over the dog. It is an incredibly simple but effective way of encouraging our teams to open up when they're having a difficult time."
The wellbeing and trauma support dogs are part of the 'OK9' branch of Oscar Kilo, which is the National Police Wellbeing Service that looks after the mental health of police officers and staff.
Sgt Garry Botterill, 59, the Wellbeing and Trauma Support Dog Project Lead, said: "We find that dogs are a furry bridge to communication and it really helps people to talk about things that perhaps they wouldn't want to talk about."
When talking about the success of the project, he said: "It’s been phenomenal, it’s been absolutely amazing."
Following pilot schemes, Garry said they found people were going for walks with the dog handlers, who are mental health first aiders and peer supporters, and were able to open up about things they were struggling with.
Plans are in place to get more furry friends involved in the project soon.
Swim teachers to run half-marathon in aid of Down Syndrome support group
Swim teachers have been inspired by one of their pupils to run the Sheffield half-marathon. Amos Popplewell, aged 6, has Down Syndrome and began swimming lessons at Swim! Sheffield last year. Amos' mother Rebecca, 36, is a member of Sheffield Down Syndrome Support Group (SHEDS). She said her son loves his lessons and the staff "are just a lovely bunch of human beings." The team plan to raise £2,000 for parent-run group SHEDS by running the Sheffield half-marathon on 27 March. "He’s progressing slowly but having that kind of inclusive space is just so valuable to parents like me, where you don't feel like you have to fight for your kid to have access to the same stuff." Mrs Popplewell said shortly before Christmas the plan to run the marathon on behalf of Amos and the SHEDS community was suggested to her by Swim! Sheffield manager Braxston Timms. He said: "On opening week, we saw many children from all backgrounds come to swim! Amos was one of these and he stole everyone's heart. Amos's resilience has inspired the team at swim! Sheffield to take up their own group challenge by running the Sheffield half marathon. "As an organisation, we value ourselves on breaking down barriers and going above and beyond, just as Amos has done."
Amos, aged 6, inspired the team at Swim! Sheffield to fundraise for SHEDS
To donate to Swim! Sheffield's fundraiser, click here.
Further information about SHEDS can be found on their website.
Walkies! Sheffield’s adventure cat goes on hikes and bike rides with owner
A dog-like adventurous cat has been enjoying hikes and bike rides with its owner - and will soon be going on camping trips too.
Kyle Kana'iaupuni Robertson, who lives in Meersbrook, got his cat Pōhaku in March last year.
Pō, as he calls his cat for short, is a Russian Blue Ragdoll and spends every day with his owner.
Mr Robertson, 31, said: “I am not sure which one of us is more co-dependent, but he is always in the same room as me. I picked the roundest, fluffiest and cuddliest cat, but he is also quite dog-like. I didn’t teach him to play fetch but he taught me how to play fetch with him instead.”
Pōhaku’s name leads back to Mr Robertson’s Hawaiian roots and the word has a sacred connotation in the culture.
His adventures started small with lead-training in Mr Robertson’s garden and quickly evolved to walks in nearby Meersbrook park either on a lead or in a carrier backpack.
The proud cat-dad said: “Pō was pretty brave to begin with and wanted to climb all the trees and I had to hold him back, since he would just climb up and not know how to get down. Then he just started to get a bit bored with that, because it's just a wide, open space. There's not much to look at. "But it wasn't until he finally climbed out of the backpack and got on my shoulder that I was like, ‘Oh, wow, we can actually kind of venture out a bit more’." The trips to the Peak District were carefully planned, so that Pōhaku could roam lead-free without any hazards nearby. Whenever any dogs or other potentially threatening things meet the adventure duo on their walks, Pōhaku finds refuge on his owner’s shoulder, where he sits like a parrot.
When on walks, a lot of people still give the cat and his owner puzzled looks. He said: “A lot of people say that it seems so unnatural to take my cat on walks and ask if the cat actually takes to the lead, but show me a dog that didn’t need lead training?”
The process of finding what works for Pō required a lot of trial and error.
Mr Robertson said: “He's not very treat-driven, so that never worked. It was kind of just testing things out and just being quite vigilant and seeing if he was up for certain things, but I wouldn’t ever actually take him out of the bag unless he wants to come out by himself. It’s always open and I got him on a lead anyways, just in case, but lately he's graduated a bit more from that to go without it.”
For Pōhaku’s first birthday in January, his human dad took him a bike ride through the peaks and at one point the brave cat actually stood on his owner’s shoulder while he was riding the bike and leaned into the wind.
The adventurous cat had a hard time in winter, since the weather wasn’t ideal for long walks outside.
His owner said: “He got a bit feisty. I don’t let him out on his own as I live on a busy road with lots of cars and I’m convinced he’s too friendly so would get stolen.
“I think the scale of his adventures are yet to be properly pushed.”
He recently got a van and wants to take Pōhaku on camping trips soon.
“He’s the best little guy. The dream is to be camping with him on a nice day, have the van’s doors thrown open and we’re just both chilling in the sun. Maybe playing fetch? One day I would like to take him to the beach, see how that goes.”
Recently, Mr Robertson tried to look for other cat walkers in the area, so Pō could make some furry friends. He hopes to inspire more cat owners in South Yorkshire to take their cats on adventures.
You can follow Pōhaku’s adventures here. 
Severe flooding closes part of Yorkshire’s railways as Storm Franklin hits
Railways around Sheffield has been severely affected by the hitting storm Franklin since Sunday and multiple train line have been postponed.
High winds and heavy rain present a risk of further short notice disruption caused by debris such as trees being blown onto the tracks and flooding, according to East Midlands Railway’s official website.
Heavy rain has led to severe flooding across parts of South and West Yorkshire, including Rotherham, Doncaster, Kirkstall, Mirfield and parts of the Calder Valley line between Leeds and Manchester.
Passengers travelled on 20th found themselves having to contend with delays, standstills and even cancellations.
Georgia, a 22 student, was planning to take the train from Sheffield to York at 17:10 20th, arrived at Doncaster around 17:25 and was told that there was a technical issue at Leeds station so she had to wait for more than an hour at Doncaster station until the bridges being fixed in Leeds.
“I was kind of scared as I was stuck in a strange place because of the weather and when the conductor on the train told us that hopefully we would set off "in the future", I felt the uncertainty and unsafety as I did not know how long I had to wait exactly.” Said Georgia.
Most passengers found it frustrating to stuck in some unfamiliar place and left to wait for broadcast, hope to get some good news, or in worse case, being sent back to their point of departure.
EMR and Northern strongly encourage customers to check their journeys before they travel, postpone their travel plan, and promise that their tickets for 21st will still be valid on the day next.
The disruption continues and all lines between Sheffield and Doncaster are still blocked today due to heavy rain flooding.
Bus replacement services are now in operation between Doncaster and Meadowhall to relieve the pressure caused by stalled passenger train services.
“Sheffield cannot afford to lose anymore of its historical heritage”: Community group continue to campaign to save Birley Spa Bath House
The Friends of Birley Spa House are campaigning to save Sheffield's only Victorian plunge pool. Birley Spa Bath House, on Birley Spa Lane, Hackenthorpe has fallen into disrepair and is under threat of being sold by Sheffield City Council. The Community led group are determined to restore the historical building and re-open it for public use. Fiona Milne, a member of Friends of Birley House Spa Group, said: "Birley Spa is a unique building. Saving it should be of national interest and at least be of city wide interest. "This place is part of the social history of Sheffield. There are so many layers to Birley Spa. There is the history, the nature, the education and the mental health and wellbeing aspects. Why are we having to argue to save this place?"
Birley Spa Bath House
Lorna Croker and family at the Birley Spa Christmas 2021 fundraiser.
Inside Birley Spa Bath House