Sheffield protesters rally over Iran crisis
Iranians took to Sheffield city centre on Sunday to protest against the Islamic Regime in Iran.
Protesters gathered at Sheffield City Hall with flags and placards, singing national songs and chants to show patriotism while calling for political change in Iran.
One protester said: “We want freedom, we don’t want this government who has destroyed this country (Iran)”.
The demonstration was part of a wider wave of protests around the world as tensions surrounding Iran have grown.
In January, the largest ever protest took place in Iran calling for the removal of the current government, which led to thousands of protestors being killed.
On February 28, President Trump and Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, launched surprise missile airstrikes leading to the death of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranians in Sheffield took to the streets to celebrate his death.
However, as he has now been replaced with his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, they are calling for a complete dismantling of the government in support of a “free Iran”.
At the protest they thanked and celebrated the actions of President Trump and the Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, for their involvement in the war and the removal of the former Ayatollah Khamenei.
Another protestor called for countries, including the UK, to remove their support of the Mullah, clerics who hold power in Iran, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who are loyal to the supreme leader and have an enormous amount of influential influence beyond the military.
The protester said: “They are outsiders of Iran. We’re asking the UK government to not support the Mullah, please.”
The war in the Middle East has been ongoing for just over 2 weeks.
This protest is one of many and Iranians in Sheffield have stated they will continue to protest until they witness a ‘free Iran’.
Crookes councillor pushes for private landlords to improve housing standards across Sheffield
A local councillor has called for a licensing scheme, which holds landlords accountable for housing repairs, to be made city wide.
Two previous pilot schemes saw a total of £1.45m improvements of housing repairs. They forced landlords to fix £250,000 repairs on a small scale in Chesterfield Road, London Road, Abbeydale Road and Page Hall.
The Crookes and Crosspool councillor, Minesh Parekh, said the council has a tendency to deprioritise "student heavy areas" such as Crookesmoor and Broomhill.
Mr Parekh said: "I don't think anyone's housing quality should be left to chance, left to a lottery system."
The scheme in Page Hall saw the largest improvements of £1.2m which shows the potential of a landlord licensing in Sheffield.
Sheffield resident Abi Cowley, 20, lives at home, but she often witnessed her friends struggling with student accommodation as small repairs were often dismissed.
Nationally the Renters Right Act will be enforced in May 2026. This will change fixed term tenancies for private renters to a monthly rolling contract.
Initially, this will provide more security for tenants over their landlords.
Mr Parekh said: "In student heavy areas, you've got more transit to your population and therefore you've got people who are potentially less likely to raise issues with the council than other areas with large numbers of private renters."
The Labour government in December 2024 lifted the requirement of Secretary of State approval being needed for selective licensing schemes.
The previous restrictions in 2015 meant schemes required general approval and for at least 20% of the area had to be covered in the planning for it to be reviewed by the government.
The landlord licensing scheme motion is being considered by Sheffield City Council.
The councillor urged renters to contact councillors on the housing committee and to email phs@sheffield.gov.uk to show support for a landlord licensing scheme.
Student loan inquiry opens as average graduate debt reaches £53,000
The Government is calling for evidence from those with a "lived experience" of student loans, as the Treasury Committee opens an inquiry into mounting levels of graduate debt.
According to their website, the inquiry aims to find out whether current loan repayment agreements are fair for graduates, and to tackle "widespread dissatisfaction among graduates who may not have fully understood their repayment terms and the possibility they could change."
Student loans are offered to any student enrolled on a recognised full-time higher education course, and are split into tuition loans, to be paid directly as fees to the university, and maintenance loans, which change depending on the needs of the student.
According to the House of Commons Library, there is £267bn of student loan debt in the UK, with a new £21bn given out each year between around 1.5 million students.
Estimates suggest total student loan debt will reach £500bn by 2050 based on current repayment rates.
The average debt per person for those who left university in 2024 was £53,000, with many doubtful they will ever be able fully repay them.
In the 2025 budget, the Government announced it would freeze the loan repayment threshold for those with plan 2 loans, which is most people who joined university between September 2012 and July 2023 for three years.
This means that these graduates will begin to pay their loan back on any income over £29,385, paying 9% of anything earned over this threshold.
At the same time, those with plan 2 loans will get 6.2% interest on their debt whilst studying.
The freeze means that the repayment threshold will not increase alongside inflation as it has previously, with National Union of Students (NUS) vice-president Alex Stanley saying it is now "dangerously close" to the minimum wage.
A study by the Higher Education Statistics Agency found that the average graduate salary in Yorkshire and the Humber was only £28,165, meaning that the majority of people would not even reach the threshold to start repaying their loans.
On their website, the NUS have called the freeze a "stealth tax" on graduates, and called for better terms which allow graduates to pay their debt off faster than it grows.
At the same time, very few students appear to fully understand the terms of their loans, and how much debt they will have after they graduate.
The Government inquiry will aim to look at whether the student loan repayment system is currently unfair and, if not, how it should be changed to make it more equitable.
Potential measures being considered include scrapping interest on student loans, and altering interest rates depending on income.
You can submit evidence to the inquiry here.
Sheffield’s wood burning problem: How will one of the UK’s most densely polluted cities be affected by government consultation?
Wood burning stoves are a growing method of heating and Sheffield is no exception to this phenomenon, with the South-West of the city having one of the highest densities of wood burners in the north.
A two-month Government consultation ends this week, with new guidelines on wood-burning-stoves to be addressed, in an attempt to reduce emissions from homes.
Wood burning is one is the main sources of particulate pollution in the UK, and many residents have voiced their concerns over the impact. Between August 2023 and September 2024, 208 complaints were made to Sheffield City Council, who sent 135 warning letters, but issued zero fines.
One woman from Totley, who wishes to remain anonymous, feels the increase of people using wood burners has significantly affected her family. She believes that her mother developed respiratory problems due to someone's wood burner.
The occupants had installed a chimney, causing smoke to enter through her bedroom window. She said : "My mother was waking up at two in the morning with asthma symptoms.
"She had never had asthma before, but suddenly when she woke up she couldn't breathe."
Her mother was provided with a monitor to measure pollutants and particulates, but she claims the readings were inaccurate.
She feels this problem is part of a bigger issue around the need for cleaner air in Sheffield. "I can't go out running in winter because of the choking flames on my street, you're just not breathing fresh air," she said.
Sheffield City Council announced a clean air zone in the city centre in 2023, to reduce harmful emissions by drivers. Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), vans, and taxis must pay a £10 daily fine, £50 per day for coaches, buses and lorries, if they do not meet Euro 6 diesel standards.
Despite these limitations, there is no legislation on wood burning inside the city. Our anonymous source said: "I'd like to move closer to the city, but I just don't dare, the smell (from wood-burning) is so much stronger."
"How is this in the spirit of the clean air act? It's not."
She called for stronger Government legislation and council enforcement to prohibit wood-burners. "The council have absolutely neglected this issue," she said. "They are neglecting communities."
Sheffield Wire has contacted Sheffield City Council for comment.
South-West Sheffield is one of the densest spaces for wood burner usage. Sheffield Wire travelled to Hunters Bar to discover whether people use wood burners and what their feelings on the heavily debated source of heating are.
Everyone we asked owned a wood burner, but they had differing opinions on their effects and whether legislation should be introduced.
Yannia, a local resident, said rising gas prices have made wood burning a much cheaper alternative. "It's the only way people will keep warm at this moment in time," she said.
"I'd cut down trees to keep my family warm, if it wasn't for a log burner what would young working families do?"
Matt, 32, shared concerns about potential legislation, believing it would be too controlling on individual's way of life. He was one of many residents who suggested alternate heating methods. "There are better ways to log burn ethically, if you're educated there's not much of a problem," he said.
"Burning timber is better than coal, if we can make timber readily available that's a better approach."
Matt said he was currently looking at buying a house, and due to rising energy costs, has decided to purchase a log burner. "I don't want to rely on the war in The Middle East for oil prices," he said.
Emma, 50, another resident also suggested alternate heating methods."We should move more towards a heat pump, it uses electricity generated from natural resources, it's less polluting to the atmosphere," she said.
"A cleaner air environment should be what we're aiming for, wood burners pollute the atmosphere, we should have some legislation."
"I do accept for some people it might be the cheapest option," she admitted.
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said they ignore the environmental impact of wood burners because of their convenience. It's so expensive to heat the home, the convivence of a wood burner means she doesn't think about long term impacts, she said.
The Iran war has completely obscured oil prices with the price per litre of oil having doubled since the start of the conflict, many people may see wood burning as a much cheaper alternative.
Our first anonymous source disagreed that cost was an issue. She described wood burners as a 'middle-class phenomenon'. She said: "The vast majority of people using wood burners can afford it." She described them as a 'decoration piece', not a way of saving money.
But risks of pollution remain. Dr Maria Val Martin, a researcher at the University of Sheffield has published multiple articles on greenspace and air pollution disparities in urban Northern-England. Her research shows ethnic minorities in Sheffield face higher NO2 (nitrous oxide) levels and lower greenspace density exposure, with wood burning concentrated in colder, more deprived regions.
Charities have published significant warnings on pollution levels in the city. Mums for Lungs state fireplace usage leads to a 70% higher risk for lung cancer with air pollution in the home causing 2,500 premature deaths. They state an open fire emits over 4,000 times more than a particulate matter pollutant (PM2.5) than a gas heater.
Another charity, Clean Air for Sheffield, has been campaigning against wood burners since 2017. They have previously run art exhibitions in the Moor, to highlight PM2.5s and clean air awareness.
This week, both charities have expressed their concerns about lobbyist threats to anti-wood burning campaigns.
The Stove Industry Association (SIA), has threatened at least eight councils with legal action over public information campaigns which claim wood burners are "careless not cosy", stating this is in breach of UK advertising laws.
Mums for Lungs said this is even more reason for people to respond to harmful wood burning.
They have expressed worries about what the Government consultation will achieve.
Labour are set to introduce health warning labels on new wood burning stoves , with a sticker providing information on energy levels of fuel made mandatory. The Government has said this will: “provide customers with the information they need to make informed choices, including information about the health impacts of domestic burning."
Mums for Lungs believe this is not enough. "This might sound promising but actually this won't reduce the current high levels of wood burning pollution at all," they said.
Our main anonymous source agreed that this was not sufficient. "There should be annual MOT's on them, like we do on cars," she said.
Journalist Sam Gregory, who has worked with Mums for Lungs, feels the issue is awareness, and believes people are unaware of the dangers of wood burning. Mr Gregory claims the proposed Government reform is not enough. He said the Government is worried about it becoming a bigger issue. Mr Gregory said wood burners should be banned within five years, with a complete ban on wood burners in homes with children necessary.
The Government's full scheme will be revealed this week, but for now Sheffield residents are left unsure whether any further action to provide a cleaner, safer environment will be taken.
Cathedral pilgrimage fundraiser for homelessness charities
Members of Sheffield Cathedral set out on a charity walk on Saturday, as part of fundraising effort to travel 100km (62.1 miles) on foot over the next week for two homelessness charities.
The mammoth journey of reflection and physical endeavour, starts from Vigo, where the group are tackling part of a section of the Camino de Santiago known as the Camino portugués, or Portuguese way.
The charities, The Archer Project and The Choir With No Name, who will benefit from the fundraising, work closely with the Cathedral, helping those affected by homelessness and marginalisation in Sheffield, and the UK.
The group said practicing for the walk with members from both charities brought "a reflection of the spirit of solidarity that runs through the challenge".
"It's about walking together as a Cathedral community, supporting each other, and raising awareness and funds for causes that matter," they said.
Sheffield Cathedral, The Archer Project, and The Choir With No Name have a close relationship; volunteers from the charities are walking the Camino with the ten members of the Cathedral community.
The group have been out with members of the charities to build up their walking fitness ahead of the Camino challenge.
The Archer Project is a Sheffield-based charity which offers a pathway of support to those at all stages of homelessness across the region.
For over thirty years, the organisation, which started as tea and toast from congregation members, has provided education, mental wellbeing, and healthcare support for thousands of people experiencing homelessness.
Lucy Wilks, the Deputy Head of Fundraising at The Archer Project, said: "The money will help us cover the costs to keep our doors open.
"From meals in the kitchen, to activities, and heating and lighting, it will make sure our doors are open whenever someone needs."
The charity aims to support people away from homelessness, and "towards living more meaningful and fulfilling lives", not simply finding accommodation.
The Choir With No Name is an independent UK-wide charity which runs choirs for people who have experienced homelessness and marginalisation.
Sheffield's Choir With No Name
The joyful, supportive communities created by these choirs, who meet once a week for a cuppa, a sing, and a hot meal, have performed across the country, including at world-class venues such as the Brighton Dome.
Their Sheffield-based choir, which is the charity's newest addition, rehearses in the Cathedral, and works in partnership with The Archer Project.
Rachel Clare, Head of Development at The Choir With No Name, said the Cathedral offers a sanctuary space for rehearsals, where members feel welcome, and safe.
"It is life-changing for our members - liberating, uplifting and life-affirming- to have the choir as a chosen family.
"It can make the difference between someone returning to homelessness or not."
By coming together in this Camino fundraiser, the charities have been able to strengthen their relationship, which is already a strong partnership.
Ms Clare said: "Collaborating together is the name of the game, it means we can come together to deliver, for the most vulnerable people in the city."
The group walking, who are currently on the Camino fundraising trip, said: "The choir is a constant reminder of the power of singing to bring people together."
Just three days into the groups' spiritual adventure up the Galician coast, the Give as You Live page has raised £4,214, which equates to 70% of their total target of £6,000, and will be split evenly between the two charities.
A spokesperson for the Cathedral said: "Together, these charities provide both the essentials of daily life and the things that give life meaning — dignity, creativity, community, and belonging."
The pilgrim team is led by by The Very Reverend Abi Thompson, Dean of Sheffield Cathedral, Tom Dagget, Director of Music, and Richard Taylor trustee of The Archer Project and member of the Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee, who all walked a section of the Camino last year.
They are joined by people who represent elements of the wider Cathedral family, from music and schools, to chaplaincy, governance and congregation, as well as other walkers who want to support the charities, and experience the challenge.
At the end of their second day of walking, reports from the group, who had done between 30-40,000 steps on the first day alone, were of "kind and sunny weather" in Galicia.
What is the Camino de Santiago?
The Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St James, is a network of trails and paths that have been used by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela for over 1,000 years.
Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Camino has multiple start points and trails, which all end in the capital of Galicia at the site of the shrine of the apostle St. James.
The group will be travelling north on the Camino portugués from Vigo, to Santiago de Compostela. Credit: Google maps
The oldest route, the 322km (200-mile) Camino Primitivo, or Original Way, was first used in the ninth century, when King Alfonso II travelled to Santiago to verify the relics of St. James.
The Camino francés, or French Way, is the most popular, with the Camino portugués the second most popular among the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the world who travel these paths each year.
As pilgrims travel along the trails, they collect stamps to verify their journey, with walkers being required to travel 100km, and cyclists 200km, to a earn a certificate once they have arrived in Santiago,
This has developed as a custom from the early tradition of collecting a Galician scallop shell as proof of completing the journey, which is now the symbol of pilgrims.
As well as Christian pilgrims on a journey of prayer, the Camino attracts hikers who are drawn to the physical challenge of the trails, and those who wish to experience the famous camaraderie and community amongst pilgrims.
Travelling between basic albergues- simple, dormitory-style hostels- pilgrims often experience a spiritual and material retreat from modern life, no matter their religious beliefs.
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Mayor unveils major £1.5bn transformation for South Yorkshire transport
At a packed-out Sheffield City Hall today, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard launched a bold new transport plan.
Mayor Coppard took the stage to announce a "once in a generation opportunity," calling today the "end of failed privatisation" with a vision that he hopes will "bring together a myriad of plans and proposals under one brand."
The South Yorkshire People's Network (SYPN) will be a community-led organisation set to bring back "pride, purpose and prosperity".
He announced large-scale transport reform, starting with the reveal of the SYPN and it's logo, a tracing of the route from Sheffield to Doncaster, and an orange and grey colour scheme, inspired by South Yorkshire's industrial heritage.
The event was hosted by Tanya Arnold and featured speeches from Simon Lightwood MP, transport minister and MP for Wakefield, former Olympian and Tour de France participant Chris Boardman OBE, and Barnsley student and MiCard holder Bailey Hargate.
Key stakeholders from around South Yorkshire were also in attendance, such as Living Streets, a charity that works to make roads safer for pedestrians.
Zack Viney, the charity's campaigns and public affairs coordinator, said: "It'll be great to see fully integrated transport, all while looking out for people's choice and freedom for them to walk and wheel around."
Following the announcement, Mayor Coppard said: "People are at the heart of the people's network, and it will deliver for its people."
During the event, he laid out the SYPN's timeline, coming as early as September 2027, with a new Magna train station at Rotherham, and a £350m investment in buses to make them "calmer and clearer".
He also wants to match Barnsley's MiCard scheme, announcing the SYPN's intention to make bus travel for U18s completely free by 2027.
From 2028 to 2030, the Mayor hopes to bring in a new e-bike subscription scheme with 900 e-bikes being introduced to Sheffield and the introduction of passenger flights from Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Following this, South Yorkshire will utilise a £500m government scheme to introduce improved trams that will cater to the needs of the people, able to carry dogs and bikes while extending the tramlines to Rotherham.
Additionally, after 2030, the SYPN hopes to have hourly trains from Sheffield to Leeds and Manchester, while also improving rural and urban transport links and making all railway stations step free.
From 2040 and beyond, Mayor Coppard wants the SYPN to be the "envy of the world, because people deserve confidence when we step outside."
Radio 1 DJ heads to South Yorkshire in charity bike ride
Greg James will embark on a journey through towns like Dinnington and Doncaster in an effort to raise money for Red Nose Day, as part of his 2026 Comic Relief Longest Ride challenge.
He is travelling thousands of kilometres from Weymouth to Edinburgh across eight gruelling days before arriving in time for the Comic Relief telethon on Friday evening. The breakfast presenter has already raised over £190,000 for the charity.
Speaking on BBC Radio 1, he said: "I'm 80km into day four and the donations gave me a huge boost.
"I'm just so determined now, even though my legs are screaming at me."
The streets of South Yorkshire will be out in their masses to support Greg tomorrow, who's challenge is the longest ever for a Comic Relief fundraiser.
Facebook groups have been quick to advertise the event, urging schools and others to get onto the streets and cheer for one of Britain's most loved DJs.
Greg's route on Tuesday 17 March begins in Worksop before ending in York, totalling around 60 miles.
After being joined by Birmingham's Joe Lycett for today's leg, will a famous South Yorkshire counterpart be in attendance tomorrow?
Sheffield United Women celebrates disability inclusivity in headlining game at Bramall Lane
A special night of football under the floodlights at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United Women and Newcastle United Women celebrated inclusivity for disabled fans with the charity Level Playing Field.
Unite for Access works in collaboration with the Women's Super League to celebrate good access and inclusion at sports venues. This year's campaign took place from 28 February to 15 March.
Sheffield United Women's players wore white T-shirts with Unite for Access and Level Playing Field written on the front and back during warmups.
Players from both sides also walked out to little mascots holding the Unite for Access flag.
The club said on its website: "Sheffield United is proud to be involved in 'Unite For Access' - a celebration of access and inclusion for disabled sports fans.
"Disability can be a complex subject matter, and that is why we invite both disabled and nondisabled fans to engage with us through this important campaign and to ensure access and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do."
The special night of tribute continued with the Sheffield United and Newcastle United players, staff and fans standing for a minute of silence to pay tribute to 15-year-old goalkeeper Amelia Aplin, who passed away playing for Oxford United academy.
The match itself ended in a 1-1 draw. Both goals came late in the first half, with the home side taking the lead thanks to Simone Sherwood before Emily Murphy equalised for the visitors just less than five minutes later.
Sheffield United Women's head coach, Stephen Healy, said he was pleased with the point against a playoff contender but felt like they could have got more with the missed chances at the end of the game.
Healy said: "I'm yearning for those three [points] ultimately. [Newcastle United is] competing for that playoff spot, and it's another point on the board for us. So in terms of the work that we're doing, I'm really pleased with the girls and the performance that they put in."
This was the first game back for The Blades after the international break and their first league game since 1 February against Charlton.
Midfielder Mollie Rouse was frustrated to see chances being wasted and Connie Scofield's effort hit the post but was generally pleased with the progress: "Considering the lack of games we've had recently, it's a good result and our performance was good enough, and I think it's something to build on.
"This is actually the first time we've had the full first team bench this whole season, which is exciting, as a player starting and seeing people come on, knowing that we can keep pushing on," Rouse reflected on the squad depth, "We're having a three-game week, we need that depth."
Sheffield United Women will travel to Sunderland and Birmingham on 18 March and 22 March before returning to Bramall Lane on 28 March to host bottom-placed Portsmouth.
Sheffield FC reign supreme at commemorative community game
IMAGE: Graham Hogg
In a bid to enliven community spirit, fans were welcomed to Sheffield's "home of football" for free last weekend.
Sheffield FC partnered with ticketing organisation TicketsForGood in an effort to bring in as much of the community as possible.
CEO of TicketsForGood, Steve Rimmer, said of the partnership: "We want more people to feel like football, and live events more broadly, are something they can be part of."
The community match saw Sheffield FC, which is widely considered the world's oldest football club, beating Bradford-based side Thackley 2-1 in the Northern Counties East League.
This comes after Sheffield FC welcomed Jon McClure, Reverend and the Makers singer, as club Chairman in early March.
"This is not Wrexham. I'm not Ryan Reynolds. Let's get it clear, I'm in an indie band. I know my place in this world," Mr McClure told the BBC last week.
Ahead of the game, a spokesperson for Tickets for Good said: "Jon has long been one of Sheffield’s most passionate champions, so it feels fitting that he’s now involved with the club that sits right at the beginning of football’s story."
"Top man. They’re in good hands," one fan on X, formerly Twitter, reacted to the news.
Since the announcement of Mr McClure as Chairman, Sheffield FC have had consecutive wins, including a 3-0 result away to Eccleshall United.
And it seems that the Reverend and the Makers frontman was also able to Shine a Light on the club on Saturday: fans were kept on their toes but the winning goal was finally scored by Luke Mangham in the 90th minute.
Sheffield FC are set to face Horbury Town on St Patrick's Day in what could be another consecutive win since Mr McClure's arrival.
Lost 18th century headstone discovered at Sheffield church, locals working to find out more
Volunteers at a Penistone church have uncovered the hidden gravestone of a local young woman who died over 300 years ago.
The headstone was found at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone, buried underneath another stone and completely obscured from view.
It belongs to 19-year-old Hannah Howe, who died in 1770.
Richard Galliford, 74, who is the chairman of Friends of Penistone Church, said he was happy to have played a part in returning Hannah's gravestone to its rightful position.
"Every gravestone has got a story, it's got a life to tell," he said.
Mr Galliford started volunteering with the group and maintaining the churchyard to stave off the boredom of retirement.
Members of the volunteer group were cutting the grass around the stones when they noticed another large stone underneath one of the graves.
Mr Galliford realised this was not just a supporting stone, as the team had initially thought, due to a decorative border around the edge.
After identifying an engraving, he realised this must be someone's headstone, and asked a friend at the local fire station if they could visit the church and lift it as a training exercise.
Firefighters lifting the stone. Image credits: Friends of Penistone Church.
Mr Galliford explained that Hannah's stone is likely to have been covered up for at least 150 years, as many gravestones were moved when the vestry was built in the early 1800s.
Engravings on the headstone revealed that Hannah had lived at Hordron Farm, a short walk from the church itself.
The volunteers walked over to what they believe is Hannah's old home, now a remote and derelict farmstead.
Mr Galliford believes the Howe family were sheep farmers, raising livestock for the Penistone "beast market", which opened in the early 1700s.
He said: "I was trying to visualise the life of a 19-year-old in this very remote and bleak area.
"I was trying to imagine what a lonely life Hannah must have had. There are other farms in the area, but they're so far apart, she couldn't have had many friends."
Hordron Farm today. Image credits: Friends of Penistone Church.
Hannah's isn't the only headstone that has been discovered at St John's recently.
The volunteer group has also uncovered the grave of Joanna Swift, daughter of the local historical figure Reverend Henry Swift.
Rev. Swift was a popular non-conformist vicar, who preached in the area in the 1600s and was repeatedly imprisoned for his refusal to convert to the Book of Common Prayer.
His legacy lives on, with locals at the time building Bullhouse Chapel, the oldest continuous non-conformist chapel in the country, near Millhouse Green in Penistone.
What happened to Rev. Swift's headstone remains a local mystery; however, Mr Galliford believes it may have been damaged and disposed of by workers laying drains around the vestry in the 1980s.
"There are some amazing people buried in the churchyard, which you don't really think about," he said.
The current Reverend, David Hopkins, also spoke about the wealth of historical figures buried at St John's, including ancestors of William Wordsworth and the founders of Sheffield Wednesday.
He said: "You don't know who you're going to discover next."
You can find out more about the church's historical significance and local history in the area on the Penistone Pictorial's website.
Sheffield’s Greenhill community come together for Great British Spring Cleaning Week
A Sheffield-based environmental group has hosted their annual spring clean-up in Greenhill this week, with members of the community coming together to litter pick for Great British Spring Cleaning Week.
Poppy Smith, 33, has been a member of Greener Greenhill for three years now. The organisation is dedicated to doing their bit, keeping Greenhill clean and sustainable.
With her trusty sidekick daughter, Eleanor, Mrs Smith stood outside the Greenhill library handing out equipment and assignments to fellow community members.
She said: “To take pride in your area, across Sheffield we all have to do our bit.
“It’s all about being visible, it helps build the community spirit.”
She found out about Greener Greenhill when she first moved to the area, seeing a stand similar to her own and sparking up a conversation with a member of the organisation.
The litter picks happen twice a year, with the first taking place in March when the flower beds show signs of life.
The group works closely with other stakeholders in Greenhill, most notably the local library which is run entirely by volunteers
Greener Greenhill holds other events in the area, such as running repair cafes at St Peter's church.
These events bring local craftspeople come together to help reduce waste by repairing tools, electronics and clothes free of charge to avoid them going to landfill.
Neil Hicklin, 63, has been involved with the group since it started working in the community three years ago.
He said: "We have helped create a sense of identity through our Greenhill branding, and have helped create a better sense of community."
Greener Greenhill also helped commission metal statues made by Huddersfield-based artist, Jason Heppenstall, that now stand outside of the library.
Mr Heppenstall said: “It was lovely to make the pieces for the library.
“I wanted to add an element of fun to make everyone smile, everything I make is 100% recycled, fitting with the green Greenhill ethos.”
Spring themed lantern show lights up the night at nature reserve
Handcrafted lanterns were made by local volunteers to educate visitors about the importance of conservation and wildlife.
As the sun set at RSPB Old Moor on Friday and Saturday, families were welcomed to explore the darkness to spot lanterns of animals who reside on the site at springtime.
Organiser, Julian Mayston, said: "When you look around everything you see is actually built by volunteers, that's huge.
"It's just a fantastic way to open up the doors to the nature reserve to a new audience, getting see the nature reserve in a different way."
From dragonfly, kingfisher and even a dinosaur, each animal takes months of hard work for it to be ready and waterproof for the event.
The main structure is made of willow, as it is both light and flexible, then it is covered with layers of wet strength tissue and PVA to make sure it can withstand any rain.
"After waterproofing you have to do all the mechanisms inside, some of that will be working to help attach wings, but for this one it's working out how the wheels move," said the volunteer who operated the hedgehog. "So this has oval wheels that make the hedgehog wobble from side to side when it walks.
"Usually it takes a few months to go from the design stage to complete and it is from volunteers that do the work, which is amazing, so we get to come along on Wednesday or Sunday do to some arts and crafts."
Along with the trail, visitors took part in workshops and crafts to learn about the animals on display, and the importance of looking after the environment.
Children were encouraged to make paper lanterns which they could bring round the trail and take home with them at the end of the night as a souvenir.
"Our granddaughter loved all the activities and as well as lanterns," said one of the visitors. "I'd recommend it to anyone."
The younger visitors were also invited to write a wish on a paper leaf or butterfly to hang on a tree.
Below are those wishes, ranging from 'world peace', 'for all to be happy', and 'a cheese burger':
The money raised from the event will go directly towards the upkeep of the reserve, supporting vital conservation work at RSPB Old Moor.