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Live: Latest updates from Sheffield & Barnsley Local Elections 2023
Community shop in Heeley nominated for BikeBiz Award

Community shop in Heeley nominated for BikeBiz Award

12:47pm

A Sheffield community bike shop, A Different Gear, has been nominated for the BikeBiz Independent Award 2021. The BikeBiz Awards recognise various businesses in the cycling industry and are sponsored by Tannus Tyres. As a brick and mortar bike retailer with three or less stores, A Different Gear qualified for the Independent Bike Dealer Award. The shop is owned by the Heeley Trust, so any of the profits earned by the store are used to regenerate old buildings in the community. Other projects under the trust include Heeley People's Park, Big Boulder & Heeley Festival, Heeley Institute, Sheffield Online, Meersbrook Hall, Sum Studios, and Sheffield Media Productions. Tori Gray, the shop manager, said: "I am excited that we've been recognised for our hard work and dedication. It was a new experience for us as we rebranded in 2020 and with COVID affecting us the way that it did." The bike shop started providing services to its customers in 1998, under their original name 'Recycled Bikes'. At the time, it was a workshop which provided support with bike projects and second-hand parts. In 2020, it was rebranded to A Different Gear and expanded into providing accessories and reconditioned bikes.

According to Ms Gray, one of the shop's top seller is the Cargo Bike, with the newer ones priced above ÂŁ4,000. She also added the University of Sheffield students can get ÂŁ100 bike for ÂŁ50 as part of a scheme with the university. If you want to vote for A Different Gear for the BikeBiz Independent Dealer Award 2021, click here.

“We lost our complete front line” – Reaction to a fresh injury blow for the Steelers

“We lost our complete front line” – Reaction to a fresh injury blow for the Steelers

12:32pm

Sheffield Steelers star Brendan Connolly was placed on the EIHL official injury reserve list on Thursday morning - adding to the club's growing list of injured players. David Simms, the media officer for the Steelers, described Brendan Connolly's absence as a major blow for the team. "It feels right now that we’re getting jabbed at every corner. Before Brendan went down, we lost our complete front line: Marc O. Valarand, Tanner Eberle, and Robert Dowd, "When you lose a player not only of his ability, but of his presence, his leadership… it’s always a big blow. He’s one of the core, key characters in our group… he's our Roy Keane, if you like." Despite losing multiple players to injury, Simms remains hopeful for the future of the team and season: "When one door shuts, another one opens, "Brendan got his first chance playing pro hockey because somebody retired or somebody got injured. One of our former players, a Swedish lad called Andreas Valdix, came and helped us out over the weekend in the Continental cup and he’ll play for us again this weekend,"

Simms said: "If he has a great weekend, he may well be the Connolly replacement." Steelers fans everywhere will be hoping that Valdix puts in a performance tomorrow night when they play Nottingham Panthers.        

Foodhall Sheffield surpasses ÂŁ2000 fundraising target to regain music licence

Foodhall Sheffield surpasses ÂŁ2000 fundraising target to regain music licence

12:07pm

Foodhall Sheffield have surpassed their fundraising goal of £2000, needed to regain their music licence, after hosting 6 weeks of fundraisers. Their total currently stands at £2150 and now they can host late night events again. Foodhall is a social eating space, community kitchen and DIY arts and events space. They tackle food waste, food insecurity and social isolation. The community at Foodhall is a safe space for LGBT+ people, people of colour, workers and unemployed people, migrants and refugees. Emmott Baddeley, a Foodhall volunteer said: “We've raised £1650 via our online Crowdfunder, plus £500 in cash from our fundraising event hosted last week which means we've now smashed through our target. However, we don't want to stop there, as every little bit donated goes right back into our work of building space for communities.” Their fundraising events included music from local DJs around Sheffield and selling food cooked and baked by their volunteers. Emmott added: “Our funding has taken a severe hit so now that we're set up to continue our late-night events, the longevity of our project is looking much more well secured!” Being able to pay for their music license means that they can continue social justice work across Sheffield. As well as surpassing the target, Foodhall have seen a significant increase in volunteer applications and more volunteers doing shifts in the new location. Emmott continued: ‘We hosted our first party which had to end early. But was so lovely. The atmosphere was amazing, everyone was so happy and relaxed’. Tomorrow, the 27 November, Foodhall are hosting Pickle Fest hosted by Megija Anna Cekule as a launch party for their secured funding. You can attend Foodhall’s events which are advertised on their Facebook and Twitter pages and donate via their Crowdfunding page.

Sheffield women to reclaim the night this Saturday

Sheffield women to reclaim the night this Saturday

12:03pm

Women in Sheffield will march through the city this Saturday, to show solidarity with victims of violence against women.  Tomorrow at 6pm the people of Sheffield have been invited to gather at the cathedral and march through the city to take a stand against gender based violence.   Hannah Budd, 20, the University of Sheffield women's officer outlined why this year has been overwhelming for women.   She said: “we want to express some of the anger that a lot of women have been feeling this year, after seeing so many murders in the news and seeing the horrific statistics about how much domestic abuse has increased throughout the pandemic." For the Sheffield student community, the issue of spiking has been on everyone’s mind and is motivating members of the student body to march. The women’s officer encourages those who have been spiked to not be silenced and to report the incidents.   The Students Union are also working to deliver consent workshops for men. The Reclaim the Night movement started in Leeds in 1977, to protest the Ripper killings and the curfew that was placed on women in response.  Miss Budd stressed the importance of taking to the streets after lockdown last year stopped women from marching.  The women’s rights advocate hopes that the march will provide a safe space for women to express their emotions. She said “there will be an outpouring of emotion, a space to be angry, to grieve and to show support and solidarity.” The march falls on the third day of the UN’s 16 days against gendered violence and another vigil for victims of violence against women and girls will be held on Sunday 5th December on Devonshire Green.  All women, and all those who feel ‘woman’ applies to them in some way are welcome, alongside their dependents or carers.   

Paul Heckingbottom: What to expect from Sheffield United’s new manager

Paul Heckingbottom: What to expect from Sheffield United’s new manager

12:03pm

New Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has vowed to breathe new life into a Blades side languishing in the bottom half of the Championship table. Previously in charge of the club’s Under-23s side, 44-year-old Heckingbottom has been promoted to the top job to replace the outgoing Slaviša Jokanović, who was sacked yesterday after less than six months in the role. Speaking at a Bramall Lane press conference yesterday afternoon, Heckingbottom said: “I know the players and I really think that this season can be an exciting one regardless of the start, regardless of where we are right now.” An academy graduate at Manchester United as a player, Heckingbottom also made 46 appearances for the Blades’ bitter city rivals Sheffield Wednesday between 2004 and 2006. Following Chris Wilder’s departure as manager in March last year, Heckingbottom assumed caretaker charge of United for the final stage of the Premier League season. He only managed to oversee three victories in eleven matches, however. The former Hibernian, Leeds and Barnsley boss has announced that he will persevere with a back three formation as he attempts to turn the Blades’ season around. He said: “There will be variations, whether 3-5-2, 3-4-3 depends on the game but want to try and build on that. I want to get the most out of this squad.”

James Ray, a contributor for Football League website 72.co.uk, is unconvinced about the Heckingbottom hiring. He said: “I think it’s strange. When he was at Hibs and Leeds he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, he was unable to succeed. It sounds like he’s a popular bloke and he’s a well-liked person, but it seems like an odd appointment.” Heckingbottom has unveiled an approach built around hard work and collective application, with an onus on everybody coming together to achieve success. His era as manager of the club will begin with a visit from Bristol City to Bramall Lane on Sunday, with both sides locked together on 23 points in the Championship table. Blades fans will be hoping to enjoy a ‘managerial bounce’ under Heckingbottom’s administration. "Sunday's game & this season is most important. We have to go and attack it,” said Sheffield United’s new manager.

JustEat drivers to protest “outrageous” pay cuts

JustEat drivers to protest “outrageous” pay cuts

11:57am

Delivery drivers for a company called Stuart Delivery, who deliver for JustEat, are protesting outside Sheffield Town Hall this weekend over 25% pay cuts. Couriers from the third-party company are protesting their pay being slashed from £4.50 to £3.40 on most deliveries under a new payment structure that will also require couriers to cover their own vehicle costs. Driver for Stuart, Bahador Roshan said: “We work all our lives to push our lives to the next level and get better. It is not just losing money, it is losing hope for the future, it is like a nightmare for us.” The protestors are calling for a minimum pay of £6 plus mileage per delivery and paid waiting times after ten minutes. On Sunday drivers will form a motorcade leaving Queen Street at 11am and arrive at Sheffield Town Hall at 12 noon. Mr Roshan said: “We just want to be able to run our lives. When we talked to Stuart they said they want to keep our business going. This is what it is, we keep our fists on your neck to keep our business and we don’t care about you.” A spokesperson for Stuart Delivery said that the changes to their pay model would only affect deliveries under 0.5 miles which according to their performance data make up 4% of total deliveries The spokesperson said: “We will continue to guarantee par per hour that is among the highest in the sector.” However, protesters say that even such short deliveries of 0.5 miles can take a significant amount of time with delays to food preparation and traffic in the city centre. Alex Marshall, President of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said: “At a time when the government is raising minimum wage, it is outrageous that these workers - who are deprived of basic rights such as holiday and pension and are forced to pay their own vehicle expenses - are facing a pay cut of nearly 25% for most deliveries.” “Striking and protesting is the only way to force Stuart and JustEat to end the exploitation and stop treating our workers as disposable." Delivery driver’s continued to work throughout the pandemic, which the IWGB and drivers say they have not been acknowledged for. Mr Roshan said: “I put my own life at risk and my family to keep people inside their houses. It is not fair. Olivia Blake MP for Sheffield Hallam has backed the strikes and will make a speech at the protest alongside council members and workers.She said: ““Stuart couriers have helped keep Sheffield going through the pandemic. For them to be rewarded with a pay cut like this is not acceptable. Every worker deserves a living wage, job security, and proper employment rights.”

Olivia Blake MP for Sheffield Hallam

She said: “Stuart couriers have helped keep Sheffield going through the pandemic. For them to be rewarded with a pay cut like this is not acceptable. Every worker deserves a living wage, job security, and proper employment rights."

Barnsley ‘stuck in the slow lane’ as councillors delay action on bus services

Barnsley ‘stuck in the slow lane’ as councillors delay action on bus services

11:36am

A proposed motion to bring buses back into public control in Barnsley was delayed yesterday after councillors amended it. In this proposal, the local council would take charge of bus routes, fares and standards, instead of individual operators. Matthew Topham, of the campaign group Better Buses for South Yorkshire, said: "The leaders of the region are dragging their heels." The original motion asked the local council to commit to findings from the South Yorkshire Bus Review, which took place in 2020 and consulted nearly 6000 people, Mr Topham said. The review gave councillors three years to make a final decision on public control, with no progress so far. Greater Manchester set off their campaign in 2018, sparking other regions around the country to follow suit. This week, following an email action on the group's Twitter page, over 200 local people contacted the Barnsley Cabinet asking them to pass the motion unamended. Cllr Steve Houghton, Labour leader of the council, said the costs of public control needed to be understood through a further preliminary assessment, before the proposed statutory assessment could go ahead. Mr Topham said prior to the council meeting that this type of setback would undermine what the campaign are wanting to achieve and, following the meeting, frustration continues. He said: "Public control was identified as the best way to deliver improvements to our services by the Mayor’s bus review, with a statutory investigation identified as the next step. "Why have our councillors decided to leave the handbrake on and introduce yet another delay?" Many other organisations are involved in campaigning, including South Yorkshire Freedom Riders, Unite Community, Yorkshire Pensioners Association and national campaign organisation, We Own It. The news comes as last week Sheffield City Council passed the motion's recommendations, with passenger protests outside Dan Jarvis' mayoral office. After the action in Barnsley yesterday, Mr Topham said: "Once again, South Yorkshire is stuck in the slow lane."

Protesters chain themselves to the ground at Doncaster Amazon warehouse

Protesters chain themselves to the ground at Doncaster Amazon warehouse

11:26am

By Lauren Kelly and Jacob Waters Two Extinction Rebellion protesters have chained themselves to the ground outside the Amazon warehouse in Doncaster. The protest is expected to last all of Black Friday weekend, with 12 activists blocking the entrance and exit for delivery vans.

The group said they plan to stay there for 48 hours, the whole of Black Friday weekend, a busy time for Amazon. One protester who wished to remain anonymous said Amazon is a: “Picture perfect storm of a rubbish company that exploits their workers and that’s why we’re here.” Another worker said they had been there since 4am this morning when it was dark and cold. A 10foot bamboo structure has been built outside of the exit making it difficult for any drivers to go in or out. South Yorkshire police are currently monitoring the protest.

Where is everyone in Sheffield this Black Friday?

Where is everyone in Sheffield this Black Friday?

11:11am

Sheffield’s main high street, The Moor, was deserted this Black Friday, with most shoppers deciding to find the bargains online rather than in person.  Online retailers have been offering discounts in the weeks leading up to today, meaning independent retailers, without websites, are being disadvantaged.  Al Bermawi, manager at Moor Perfume, said: “We have discounts but we feel as though the Moor is being a bit slow today “Customer habits are hard to change. But, the whole Moor market management should encourage people to shop in small local businesses”. 

We contacted The Moor’s Management, but they were unavailable for comment.  It comes as Sheffield was named as having the best high street recovery score of the 63 largest towns and cities in the UK .  Brands being online creates a competitive advantage, with Boohoo’s half-year revenue growth of 45% and ASOS’s full year sales up by 20%, according to Space48.  Adobe’s Digital Economy Index found that UK shoppers spend 12% year on year for Black Friday online. But, the survey also found that the majority of shoppers, 53%, do not plan on shopping on Black Friday at all.  Most were sceptical about the discounts on offer, with 39% saying that they felt this year’s discounts would be smaller than previous years. Sheffield Wire will be providing updates on the busyness of the city centre’s Black Friday, which can be followed via our Twitter feed.   

Football for Foodbanks: popular Sheffield charity to expand to Manchester

Football for Foodbanks: popular Sheffield charity to expand to Manchester

6:15pm

A Sheffield charity has announced that it will be expanding to Manchester later this month - less than a year after it was founded.

Football for Foodbanks launched in August 2020 after founder Matty Cassell noticed an increase in people wanting to play football again after the U.K’s first national lockdown.

https://twitter.com/FootballForFood/status/1390531000590028802?s=20

The charity rents football pitches across Sheffield to ensure matches are as accessible as possible. Players are charged an affordable extra fee compared to the cost of renting the pitch with the extra proceeds going to a local foodbank.

For example, if a pitch would usually cost £30 for an hour 5-a-side game, and 10 people are playing, the usual cost would be £3 each. 

Football for Foodbanks instead charges each player ÂŁ4, meaning a quarter of the money would go to those that need it.

Last month, the money raised was enough to supply families around Sheffield with 450kgs of food - the equivalent to 90 bags of shopping. 

Tom Moore, who will head up the new Manchester division said: “Since turning up for a kick-about to get fit post lockdown, I’ve seen Football for Foodbanks grow into a cracking little community of players and volunteers from all over Sheffield. 

“Moving over to Manchester has given me the opportunity to continue that good work across the Pennines. I’m massively excited to share an initiative that has given me such a huge boost, to try and help bring communities closer together as we ease out of lockdown.”

Despite launching in the shadow of lockdown, Sheffield’s Football for Foodbanks has experienced a huge increase in the number of people signing up.

After starting with just a handful of teams, there are now over 300 players in the men’s division with a new women and gender minorities league being launched to widen participation even further.

Alice Rhind Tutt, who runs the women and gender minorities division said: “We had a lot of people signing up after lockdown saying they were looking for something new to try.

“People are looking for somewhere to exercise but also socialise. That’s something we’ve all missed out on massively over the last year.

“I think especially in terms of casual football matches there’s not a lot of opportunities to go and have a kick about. A lot of it seems to either be leagues or expensive. Most places expect a lot of commitment, for example playing every Wednesday at 6pm.

“A lot of adults just can’t manage that. Especially if they’re a parent.”

Football for Foodbanks instead provides a barrier-free alternative.

Each week the charity posts upcoming games in its Facebook group, with members simply having to comment “in” to secure a place in an upcoming game.

Football for Foodbanks’ Manchester division’s first game will take place on 20th May.

Sheffield’s Football For Foodbanks will also be playing on the same day at Sheffield High School for Girls, with proceeds going towards tackling period poverty in the local area.

Alice Rhind Tutt said: “Aside from food donations it’s also important to point out that Foodbanks accept hygiene products. Lots of people don’t know this so we’ve decided to focus on that for our upcoming game” 

‘It’s like watching Brazil’: Barnsley’s season in the sun

‘It’s like watching Brazil’: Barnsley’s season in the sun

5:30pm

Image Credit: Premier League It is almost exactly 24 years since Barnsley celebrated promotion to the Premier League with a 5-1 defeat Oxford United on the final day of the season. Neil Redfearn scored a consolation goal that day as The Tykes suffered a thrashing, but it mattered not as a place in the top-flight had already been secured for the first time in the club's 99-year history. It was truly a remarkable achievement for the South Yorkshire outfit and it represented the culmination of manager Danny Wilson's quiet transformation of Barnsley from a mid-table second-tier side into one capable of challenging for a promotion place. More than a quarter of a century on, those same dreams could be realised once again as the club looks ahead to the play-offs after a magnificent season. With the Premier League just three games away, we look back to their last campaign in the top-flight and explore a time when Brazil played at Oakwell stadium. "You've just made it to the promised land" explained Carlo van de Watering, co-host of the popular Barnsley podcast 'The Reds Report'. For Carlo and many other Tykes fans there was a sense that playing Premier League football was something of an aberration, a fantastical experience that simply had to be enjoyed. To complement their seat at English football's top table, Barnsley played a superb brand of passing football that led to fans exclaiming that watching their beloved reds was more akin to watching Brazil. "My first emotion was let's just enjoy it and, of course, there's the tagline of 'its just like watching Brazil' but it really was like watching Brazil I think with the passing football that we played. "It was flowing football and it was brilliant to watch." It truly was. Wilson's side earned their first top-flight victory on a clammy midweek evening at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace fell victim to the flowing football and Neil Redfearn's left foot. With his collar up, Redfearn collected the ball mid-way inside the Palace half, nonchalantly shimmied his way across the edge of the penalty area and struck a piledriver into the top corner of the net. The trip to South London was one of many treasured away games enjoyed by the Tykes faithful that season but for Carlo and his fellow supporters, the result was largely irrelevant. "I remember when United beat us seven nil or whatever at Old Trafford, it didn't matter, did it because you never expect to win there. "I remember playing Chelsea, we're losing five nil and, you know, there's 20,000 of us Barnsley fans singing we're going to win 6-5. Yeah, we got battered but I can say I saw Gianfranco Zola and Vialli." However, the Tykes showed time and again that they weren't just there to make up the numbers as they enjoyed famous victories at Anfield and Villa Park, with Ashley Ward scoring the winner on both occasions. It was not only the league that yielded such monumental wins as Danny Wilson's men enjoyed a wonderful cup run that saw Barnsley brush aside Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur before they faced Manchester United in the fifth round. After holding United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, the Tykes welcomed Sir Alex Ferguson's champions to Oakwell where they played out one of the most iconic games the old stadium has ever seen. John Hendrie opened the scoring with a deft chip over the towering Peter Schmeichel before the largely unknown Scott Jones headed home a second, just prior to the break. Teddy Sheringham's reply was cancelled out quickly by none other than Jones, who scored perhaps the only brace he would ever score in his career, with another crashing header. Andy Cole added a second for the visitors but it was a mere consolation as Wilson's side held on to knock the champions out of the FA Cup. "Scott Jones, I mean, he had to fill in because it was an injury close to the game and to be honest nobody had really heard of him, but yeah he popped up with a couple of goals. "But I think that that was the advantage of us that season that we would expect it to lose every match and when results went that way it was a bonus." Such results meant more than just three points for Barnsley, it meant that the town was able to shed the negative image it had been unfairly handed by the press during the 1980s and gave locals something to be proud of. "I suppose Barnsley was still in the aftermath of the mining industry sort of closing down, there was the miner's strike and mining was all that Barnsley had. "So to realise the dream of playing in the Premier League, it just united the town and people started to notice Barnsley for the right reasons." There is a poignancy to Barnsley's promotion push of this season as, just like in 1997, the town is emerging from a traumatic period and uniting around the success on the pitch, albeit virtually. "You look at the greater scope of things, people have lost lives, jobs, so a lot of people have been worse off. So it's been great that during those times that we've been able to have this lift, to enjoy what we see on a Saturday to go on that run." Looking into his crystal ball, Carlo was optimistic about where the club could be, come May 2022. "Survival on the last day from the Premier League. Is that too much to ask?"

James Coppinger states he’s “loved every minute’ at Doncaster

James Coppinger states he’s “loved every minute’ at Doncaster

5:00pm

(Photo credit: Doncaster Free Press). Doncaster’s James Coppinger states his motivation throughout his career was always to be happy. The 40-year-old is preparing to make his final appearance for Rovers this weekend, ahead of his retirement from football. After spending 17 years in South Yorkshire, he states his good relationship with the club is behind his long stay. He said: “We’ve been loyal with each other. There have been opportunities to leave, which in some cases I haven’t found out until after, but Doncaster have always matched my expectations. I have spoken to lads who have left, and I’ve told myself ‘the grass isn’t always greener’” “I never felt the need to leave. I’ve never played for money, my motivation is to play football and to be happy, which is why I’ve stayed here.”

Although Doncaster has now become home for Coppinger, it wasn’t instant love at first sight. “I remember walking through the door at Belle Vue with the porta cabins thinking what the hell is this, but as soon as I walked into the dressing room I felt at home and that hasn’t changed, I’ve loved every minute.” He also admits an early conversation with former manager Dave Penney convinced him he had joined the right club. “I had been at a team that were used to losing every week and were stuck in that mentality, so I spoke to Dave (Penney) and asked him what the difference was and why they were doing so well. “He just said: ‘we are huge on team spirit; we’ve got a fantastic group of players who work hard for each other.’” Coppinger also admits the match in which he was scouted by Doncaster was far from perfection. “I remember the game; it was a tough one away in terrible conditions, but I’m glad I played. I was so grateful to get the chance to come back up north and join a club on the up and flying high.”