Hillsborough Disaster 35th Anniversary: Liverpool City Council to livestream minute’s silence
At 3:06pm, the exact minute of the Hillsborough Disaster 35 years ago, Liverpool City Council will livestream a minute's silence on Facebook.
Weather permitting, the minute's silence will be punctuated by a bell tolling 97 times to honour the 97 victims of the crowd crush.
The silence, led by Liverpool Lord Mayor Councillor Mary Rasmussen, at the Exchange Flags near Liverpool's Town Hall.
The livestream will be accessible from Liverpool City Council's Facebook page.
World mourns 35 years since the Hillsborough Disaster
Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of football’s greatest tragedies - the Hillsborough Disaster - when 97 people were unlawfully killed attending an FA Cup semi-final tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
The tragedy unfolded primarily due to overcrowding in the Leppings Lane stand, which led to a crush of fans in one of the standing terraces.
The situation was exacerbated by inadequate crowd control measures, poor stadium design, and the failure of police to properly manage the influx of fans.
As fans entered the stadium, many were directed towards the already congested central pens, rather than the less crowded side pens. This led to crushing as the central pens became overcrowded.
Despite pleas from fans, the match was not halted. The response from emergency services further contributed to the severity of the disaster.
Over the past 35 years, multiple investigations and inquiries unravelled a series of conspiracies and cover-ups.
This led to a second inquiry being ordered which concluded gross negligence by police and ambulance services resulted in 97 unlawful deaths.
The incident led to significant changes in stadium safety regulations in the UK, including the introduction of all-seater stadiums for top-flight football matches and improved crowd control measures.
Labour leader Keir Starmer took to X [formerly Twitter] to express his condolences to the victims and their families.
He said: "Today on the 35th anniversary of Hillsborough, I'll be thinking about those lost, their families, and their enduring courage and determination to pursue justice.
"Making the Hillsborough Law a reality would be a priority of my Labour government."
The Owls will host the annual memorial service to remember the 97 Liverpool supporters who lost their lives in 1989.
The service will commence at 2:55pm at the permanent memorial site adjacent to the South Stand bridge and run for approximately 20 minutes, during which time Parkside Road traffic will be suspended.
Hillsborough Stadium will be open to all visitors wishing to pay their respects throughout the day from 10am to 4pm.
Tramlines Festival announces variety of opportunities to improve local area
As part of their “ongoing mission to support the Sheffield community”, the 2024 Tramlines Trust is providing grants for local organisations and people who are supporting the arts, community, and environment, Amy Britton reports.
Alongside the return of the Little Hillsborough initiative, which offers cheap stalls for local independent businesses, Tramlines hopes the grants will help people in the area improve their opportunities.
Tramlines Operations Director, Timm Cleasby, said: “I know first-hand that there are hundreds of local people with ideas that have the power to change their communities for the better.
“We’re very pleased that Tramlines can help in any way to realise these dreams and create meaningful impact in people’s lives.”
The festival is also bringing back its residents ticket service, which gives away a number of free tickets to local people with 1,600 weekend passes offered up in 2023.
Liz Truss reveals Queen Elizabeth II’s final words to her before monarch’s death
David Lynch, PA Political Staff
Liz Truss has revealed the late Queen’s final words to her in their first and only official meeting.
Queen Elizabeth II is said to have told the then-prime minister: “I’ll see you next week” as they met at Balmoral on September 6 2022, just two days before the monarch’s death.
Some 15 prime ministers led the country during Elizabeth II’s reign, with Ms Truss being the last of them.
The late Queen’s meeting with Ms Truss was her final official engagement, after the South West Norfolk MP was made leader of the Conservative party.
The short-lived prime minister oversaw the period of national mourning which followed the monarch’s death, before she resigned after seven weeks in the job amid the economic fallout of her mini budget.
Massive downed tree in Endcliffe Park nearly hits people
Park goers were left shaken as a tree fell coming dangerously close to people relaxing on a bench in Endcliffe Park yesterday afternoon, reports David Hall.
The tree fell onto a main path in the afternoon on Saturday.
Joanne Crighton, who watched the a tree fall, said: "It appeared to have minimal roots and had an odd smell, so I thought it may be diseased."
Tramlines Festival announces variety of opportunities to improve local area
As part of their “ongoing mission to support the Sheffield community”, the 2024 Tramlines Trust is providing grants for local organisations and people who are supporting the arts, community, and environment.
Alongside the return of the Little Hillsborough initiative, which offers cheap stalls for local independent businesses, Tramlines hopes the grants will help people in the area improve their opportunities.
The Tramlines Operations Director, Timm Cleasby, said: “I know first-hand that there are hundreds of local people with ideas that have the power to change their communities for the better.
“We’re very pleased that Tramlines can help in any way to realise these dreams and create meaningful impact in people’s lives.”
Since its move to Hillsborough Park in 2018, the trust has raised £213,000 for a variety of local charities including Weston Park Cancer Care, The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation, and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.
In 2023 alone, Tramlines gave £27,800 to 27 different organisations they believe are making a significant contribution to Sheffield’s grassroots projects.
The Hillsborough Hornets Disability FC used their funds to get a larger pitch for their growing team and mental health charity Adira used the money to improve the holiday season for Sheffield’s disadvantaged children.
Supporting Hillsborough-based businesses, the Little Hillsborough initiative is also returning to Tramlines. Subsidised pitches will be given to businesses to give them a chance to showcase their products to Tramlines’ 40,000 attendees.
In the past, Sheffield artist Luke Horton ran a stall showing off his artwork, and homemade items from Annie Jude’s were featured in the project.
Mr Horton said: “Trading is an exceptional opportunity to boost revenue which enabled us to progress and offer improved service heading into Christmas.”
The festival is also bringing back its residents ticket service, which gives away a number of free tickets to local people with 1,600 weekend passes offered up in 2023.
For more details on the types of projects supported by the trust and the application process, head to the Tramlines website.
How is Sheffield celebrating Record Store Day?
This Saturday marks Record Store Day, an annual celebration of independent record shops across the UK.
It is an opportunity for record collectors to get their hands on exclusive vinyl pressings.
This year’s selection includes Sheffield’s very own Pulp and an exclusive recording of Def Leppard’s intimate hometown gig at the Leadmill in 2023.
The event is celebrated across 270 independent record shops in the UK, with 400 exclusive titles.
It began in 2007 and has since become the biggest new music event of the past decade, with musicians such as Taylor Swift releasing exclusive vinyl pressings which are only available in store on the day.
Which Sheffield Stores are participating in Record Store Day?
The three participating Sheffield retailers are:
- Bear Tree Records
- Unit 13-16, The Forum, 127 Devonshire Street, Sheffield, S3 7SB
- Record Collector
- 233 Fulwood Road, Sheffield, S10 3BA
- Spinning Discs
- 107 to 109 Chesterfield Road, Meersbrook, Sheffield S8 0RN
Martin Black, owner of Spinning Discs, said: “For us, record store day is one of the biggest days of the year from a business point of view. We get lots of people coming in, queuing up outside the shop.
"I think last year, the first person started queuing the previous evening at 11pm ahead of us opening at 8am.
“This year and last, we set up some decks and have local people DJing. They aren’t professional DJs, just normal people who want to play some of their favourite records. It just brings people together.
“By the time we open at eight o’clock, we usually have around 40 or 50 people waiting to be let in, and it grows throughout the morning."
Mark Elliott, manager of Record Collector said: “Record Store Day is a long-standing event which helps generate interest in the shop and music in general.”
The store has participated in every Record Store Day since they began, and they regularly attract long queues stretching down the road.
“There is a great vibe with a strong community aspect. You often see the same faces at the front of the queue each year.”
Increased popularity of vinyl records
Vinyl records have seen a significant surge in popularity over recent years and have been included in the basket of goods used to calculate annual inflation.
Spinning Discs’ Martin noted the seven inch Noah Kahan and Olivia Rodrigo Live Lounge vinyl has been highly anticipated thanks to Kahan’s booming TikTok popularity.
He said: “From a Sheffield point of view, Pulp’s album, Pulp Intro, is being released for the first time since it was originally pressed in 1993. This is a compilation of some of the Pulp singles, including ‘Sheffield Sex City’.
“Another one is the Def Leppard Leadmill recording. There was only a limited number of people who went to the gig and there are only around 1000 copies of this album being pressed, so that will probably be another one which is very popular for us this year.”
Martin added: “I’ve been in the queue in the past prior to starting the record shop, and I have found the queue is a great opportunity to chat and meet other collectors.
“This might just be a Sheffield thing, but living here all my life, I have found a real sense of community through events like this.”
Visit the Record Store Day website for a full list of this year’s exclusive releases and to find a participating store near you.
If you are attending Record Store Day in Sheffield this year, make sure to tag @Sheffield_Wire on X.
Former British champion boxer dies aged 45
Laura Paterson, PA Scotland
Former British and Commonwealth champion boxer Willie Limond has died at the age of 45, his boxing club has confirmed.
Limond fell ill last week amid preparations for a fight.
A statement from the Scot’s boxing club, the St Andrew’s Sporting Club, read: “Everyone at St Andrew’s Sporting Club are shocked and deeply saddened at the loss of our friend, Willie Limond.
“Willie was not only a legend of the sport, but an infectious character who will be greatly missed by us all.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jake, Drew, Macy and the rest of the Limond family at this time.”
Former opponent Curtis Woodhouse was among those to pay tribute to Limond who beat Woodhouse to retain his Commonwealth light-welterweight title at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena in 2014.
Huge tree falls in Endcliffe Park narrowly missing people
Park goers were left shaken as a tree fell dangerously close to people relaxing on a bench in Endcliffe Park yesterday afternoon.
Witnesses say the tree fell directly onto a pathway at around 4pm.
According to one post on Reddit, the tree crushed a pram when it fell, but there have been no reports of injuries.
David Thewles, 43, who was walking through the park when the tree fell, said: "I was under the tree and I heard cracking noises, a minute later the tree came down
"It fell next to a bench with people sitting on it. I called out to make sure they were okay, it only hit me later how close it was."
The tree has now been removed.
Joanne Crighton was shocked to see a huge tree fall onto a main footpath. Posting on Facebook, she said: "It appeared to have minimal roots and had an odd smell, so I thought it may be diseased."
Sheffield City Council have said that an investigation this morning determined the tree fell because of root system decay and internal decay of the lower stem. This was not picked up at the last inspection of the tree in July 2023 as the decay was not visible on the outside of the tree.
Sheffield City Council's Parks and Countryside Team will clear the remaining debris in the coming days.
BBC’s Nick Robinson responds to ‘controversy’ over his David Cameron interview
Naomi Clarke, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
BBC presenter Nick Robinson has said he “should have been clearer” when describing Israeli attacks in Gaza as “murders” that it was not his view or that of the corporation.
Robinson addressed the pushback he received on words he used when interviewing the Foreign Secretary on Monday’s BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
During the show, he questioned Lord David Cameron on Britain’s position after Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
TEDx arrives in Sheffield to discuss “boundaries”
TEDx, an initiative that involves organising TED-style talks across the world, came to the University of Sheffield yesterday.
The theme of the event was "boundaries", and involved three speakers from diverse fields covering their experiences with overcoming boundaries in family, nature and work.
Hailin Wei, the event's organiser, said they’ve prepared for this talk for a year.
She said: “What we want to convey is the importance of being aware of overthrowing and reinventing boundaries. People will always be the same with others if they don’t realise their own boundaries. It will be a process of reinvention.
"There are always boundaries in life. As an individual, forcing myself to face the pain and then find out that it was not as painful as I thought. This is a way of pushing the boundaries and personal growth."
Each TEDx event features speakers from different areas discussing a specific topic.
Toni Liu, career coach and a speaker at the event, said that she has seen a lot of her own clients unable to understand their boundaries, and this can cause them to struggle.
She said: "The whole point of the talk is just encouraging people to get to know themselves a little bit better and take little steps to step out of their comfort zone to know who they are, what they believe and what they are doing.
"When I did this talk, I just thought 'I like to break the rules.'"
Sheffield priest who led Nine O’Clock Service facing Crown Court today
A Sheffield priest who led an evangelical movement will appear in Crown Court today after being charged with 34 sexual abuse charges, Holly Phillips reports.
Christopher Brain, 66, was charged with one count of rape and 33 counts of indecent assault in relation to allegations made by 11 women.
He will face Sheffield Crown Court this afternoon for his plea and trial preparation.
The Reverend first appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday 18 March for a four-minute hearing where District Judge Marcus Waite granted him unconditional bail.
Brain, of Park Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, led the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995.
The service was held in Ponds Forge sport complex in Sheffield city centre after moving from St Thomas’ Church in Crookes, with the ‘rave-inspired’ church gaining a large following from young worshippers.
South Yorkshire Police investigated the church leader for over four years after a member of the Nine O’Clock Service came forward with claims about the Reverend’s behaviour.
The church’s authorities are carrying out their own investigation into the past leadership of the congregation. They have also been providing support to the group of claimants.