Sheffield indoor market opens its doors for the first time in big boost for local business
A new independent indoor market in Sheffield welcomed its first customers today with the promise of hosting almost 100 local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Red Brick Market Sheffield opened at 10am today on Clough Road opposite Bramall Lane. It aims to provide a diverse experience for Sheffield's shoppers with up to 95 stalls selling a wide variety of goods.
Christopher Day, the founder of Red Brick Market, said: "This market gives the baby businesses an easier chance to grow without all the worries and hassles of a mega-long lease and stupid business rates.
"I think it's going be a good offering in terms of independence because there doesn't seem to be many options in Sheffield for small businesses."
Lower rates for retail units are being offered to stall owners to make the market affordable for local enterprises, with the company pledging to promote alternative products to what is offered on the high street.
The marketplace is the third of its kind in the UK after successful launches in Liverpool in 2018 and Birmingham in 2022.
Steve, whose business, The Binley People, has been operating in Sheffield for the last 15 years, said: "This is brilliant for the community, there's nowhere else in town you can do this. It's nice to actually have shops where people can buy things that they can put their hands on, rather than getting a load of crap through the internet."
The venue's unprecedented size also makes the market a unique opportunity for sellers as well as buyers, having previously been a trampoline park.
Steven, the owner of the Retro Sheffield stall, said: "This is a bit of a departure from the norm for me, I usually just work in flea markets but when I heard about this I thought I'd give it a try.
"Independent retailers need space like this to sell their stuff without the enormous overheads of fixed shop rents."
Red Brick Market Sheffield is open from 10am-6pm from Monday to Saturday, and 10am-4pm on Sundays.
Sparks fly as robots square off in Sheffield
Roboteers from across the UK descended on Kommune in Sheffield on Saturday for a day of Robot Wars-style combat.
Competing robots were equipped with a variety of different weapons, such as flippers, hammers, and spinning blades, with the aim of either incapacitating the other robots or causing the opposing team to ‘tap out’, and concede the fight.
Unlike the televised competition, in which the robots could weigh well over 100kg and be expensive and time-consuming to build, Saturday’s event was restricted to a maximum weight of 1.5kg, making the competition more accessible to roboteers from all walks of life.
Father and son named by police investigating double deaths
A father and son whose deaths led to a woman being arrested on suspicion of murder have been named by police.
Both named Peter Cooke, aged 68 and 36, the men were found at a property on Eaglesfield Road, Hartlepool, on Friday.
Their family has asked for privacy at this difficult time, Cleveland Police said, and they are being helped by specially-trained officers while an investigation continues.
A 39-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder remains on police bail while officers make inquiries, the force said.
Steelers poised for Elite League grand slam
The Sheffield Steelers look to lock up the best record in the league on Wednesday in an away fixture with the Cardiff Devils.
When asked about his outlook for the season moving forward, Head coach Aaron Fox said: “We’ve still got some work to do for sure. I think we put ourselves in a great spot though.
“Heading to Cardiff on Wednesday to play for a trophy and, with nine games remaining, I think we've definitely done a great job.”
The Devils currently hold the second best record in the league with 67 points, trailing only the Steelers, who lead with 79 points.
In four previous matchups this season, the Steelers and Devils have won two games each.
The Steelers will need to work their way past the Devils’ goaltender Ben Browns, arguably one of the best at his position this season. He is currently fourth in the league in save percentage, however the Steelers' Matthew Greenfield sits in first place.
After a 3-1 victory over the Guildford Flames in the Challenge Cup final on Wednesday, the Steelers have the rare opportunity to claim the Elite League grand slam by winning the league championship, Challenge Cup and playoff championship in a single season.
Last season, the Belfast Giants took the first Elite League grand slam since the Nottingham Panthers did in 2013.
Following a tense game on Saturday night, Coach Fox said he expected his team’s quality of play to be down after a massive cup final win on Wednesday night.
“There was a bit of a lull from our group tonight, for sure. It was something I expected,” said Coach Fox. “We talked about trying to make sure mentally we were switched on from puck drop. The come down from Wednesday was obviously going to be there.”
Nevertheless, Coach Fox was pleased with the result of the match and praised the play of Greenfield in the shootout.
The playoffs are set to begin in April and the Steelers are ready to make a deep run. Should the Steelers finish top of the league, which they are almost certain to do so, they would face the eighth placed team in a best of three series.
Should the Steelers claim the league championship this week, they must ensure not to get complacent in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Sadiq Khan launches re-election bid with 40,000 new council homes pledge
Sadiq Khan accused the Tories of an “abject failure” to tackle the housing crisis as he launched his mayoral campaign with a pledge to build 40,000 new council homes by the end of the decade.
In a speech on Monday alongside Sir Keir Starmer, he said London would go “much further, much faster” with Labour running both Downing Street and City Hall.
Mr Khan promised to unleash “the greatest council housebuilding drive in a generation” and to double his previous goal to start building 20,000 council homes, which he hit last year.
Barnsley man hid heroin under his false teeth during arrest
A Barnsley man who hid wraps of heroin under his false teeth has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Jamie Lloyd, 38, of Castle Street, Barnsley was found in possession of over 90 wraps of Class A drugs. While officers were transporting him to custody, he showed them the wraps of heroin stored under his false teeth. Lloyd proceeded to swallow the drugs and was taken to hospital.
After treatment, investigation confirmed that Lloyd was involved in dealing heroin and crack cocaine worth over £900 in the Barnsley town centre.
He was also in possession of £700 cash and two mobile phones.
Mr Lloyd appeared before court last week, Friday 8 March, and was sentenced to four and half years in prison.
Rwanda Bill set for parliamentary showdown as Sunak eyes flights this spring
Rishi Sunak said he still hopes to get a flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda off the ground this spring as he braced for a parliamentary showdown over the scheme.
MPs are expected to reject changes made by the Lords to the Government’s Rwanda legislation, setting up a battle with peers which could delay the Bill’s passage until after Easter.
Sheffield kebab shop food hygiene rating drops to zero
The food hygiene rating at a Sheffield kebab shop has dropped from one to zero after mouse droppings and mould were found on the premises.
Adnan's Fried Chicken on West Street, which serves up kebabs, fried chicken, pizzas, burgers have been told "urgent improvements are necessary".
Despite the criticism from the Food Standards Agency violations, the takeaway remains a popular food outlet.
An inspection In November 2022, found high-risk foods including mayonnaise were stored at temperatures of over eight degrees, which can increase the growth of harmful bacteria.
In January 2024, Adnan’s food hygiene rating dropped to zero.
Google reviews over the years have described the establishment as "absolutely disgusting”, a "plague-infested hell hole” and “truly atrocious”.
Sheffield Wire investigated the reviews and reporters tried the kebab revealing our findings in a video podcast titled “Sheffield Taste Test Trials”.
Initially, we explored our food options from one of Adnan's three potential websites, but when we arrived, the menu and prices did not seem to match. We opted for popular choices such as a doner kebab, chicken nuggets with cheesy chips, a vegetarian pizza, and a cheeseburger with garlic mayonnaise. We were pleasantly greeted, although it was quiet as we seemed to be Adan’s first customers of the evening at around 5:30 pm.
The chicken nuggets with cheesy chips were generously portioned but it wasn't easy to differentiate between the mayonnaise and cheese. The chips were quite dry and clumped together, but it was not enough to put us off. Up next, the burger. It was not a favourite among us. It was flat, with a thin patty, old salad, and covered in a lot of mayonnaise.
In terms of likeness to the online reviews, we found that the doner kebab was the best fit. It was extremely dry and had a crunchy texture. It was unlike any kebab we had eaten before. It was hard to distinguish the meat from the naan due to the dryness. However, it did not prevent us from trying the last meal.
Finally, we tried the vegetarian pizza which contained mushrooms, onion, peppers, sweetcorn and olives. It was a bit doughy but it was the collective favourite.
Final scores from our reporters:
- James: 3/10
- Lizzie: 3/10
- Hattie: 4/10
- Sophie: 6/10
Sheffield Wire attempted to contact Adnan's Fried Chicken for comment but received no response.
Families to spend £3,000 entertaining children during school holidays in 2024
Families anticipate spending more than £3,000 on average entertaining children over the school holidays this year, according to a survey.
On average, parents expect to fork out £3,045 keeping youngsters occupied outside term time during 2024, American Express found.
The estimate is on a “per child” basis, so families with more than one child are likely to end up spending more.
The research was released as families prepare for getaways during the Easter holidays.
The £3,045 total comprises sports activities, clubs, toys, books, magazines, games consoles, tech devices, meals out, days out, TV subscriptions and films.
Crash leaves two teenagers dead and one in critical condition
Two teenage boys have died and another is in critical condition following a crash involving a car and a lorry near Stirling.
The driver of the lorry was arrested in connection with an alleged road traffic offence following the collision on the A91 on Sunday and was released pending further inquiries, police said.
The crash, involving a black Vauxhall Corsa and an HGV, happened between the Bannockburn interchange and Greencornhills roundabout at about 3.50pm on March 17.
Emergency services attended and the rear-seat passengers of the car, two boys aged 17 and 19, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Barnsley man hid heroin under his false teeth during arrest
A Barnsley man who hid wraps of heroin under his false teeth has been jailed for four and a half years.
Jamie Lloyd, 38, of Castle Street, Barnsley, swallowed the drugs as police officers drove him to custody suite.
The known drug offender was taken to hospital and was found in possession of over 90 wraps of Class A drugs, £700 in cash and two mobile phones.
An investigation found Lloyd was involved in dealing heroin and crack cocaine worth over £900 in Barnsley town centre.
Sgt Steve Newton said: “Drug dealing, and drug supply will not be tolerated in Barnsley.”
Lloyd was arrested on February 8 after officers patrolling Barnsley spotted a red Volkswagen Golf struggling to navigate the snowy conditions.
They followed the vehicle along Sheffield Road and officers witnessed Lloyd, who was known to police, leave the vehicle to get onto a bus, before arresting him. While in custody, they carried out a full-body search.
Sgt Newton said: “The consequences of drugs are horrendous, they ruin people’s lives and families’ lives and lead to the exploitation of vulnerable children and adults, as well as lead to serious and violent crime.
“Identifying those involved and carrying out stop searches enables us to disrupt the drug supply and bring those responsible before the courts.
“We are stronger with our community’s help, and anyone with concerns should report it to us.”
Lloyd was sentenced at Crown Court last week (Friday 8 March).
Kate spotted out and about in Windsor as her recovery continues
The Princess of Wales’ recovery from surgery appears to have passed a new milestone after she was reportedly spotted enjoying a day out with her children.
Kate and husband William spent Sunday morning watching Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis taking part in a sporting event, according to The Sun.
The sightings come after Kate’s absence from public life, following abdominal surgery on January 16, led to wild conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts and health status.
Details of the princess’s condition have not been revealed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.