Eczema sufferers call for increased awareness of the long-term side effects of steroid cream
Lora Krasteva has suffered from eczema since she was five-years-old, which often left her skin itchy, red and irritated.
From being a little girl she was prescribed various creams from her family doctor and has endured a lifetime of treatments.
“Using steroid creams and all kinds of ointments has been part of my routine for as far as I can remember,” says Lora. “It’s been constant throughout my life.”
It was only in November 2020, when Lora was 31 and she moved to Sheffield that she had a short period of respite from the condition.
“The water is really good in the city so it gave me a break. It allowed me to stop using the creams and everything was going really well.”
But her relief was short-lived and a month later Lora suffered an eczema flare-up. “In hindsight what happened was my skin got addicted to the steroids and I was in perpetual cycles,” she says.
Fed up constantly using steroid cream, Lora began researching other options. She discovered topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) - a severe reaction to the long-term use of topical corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone creams which are used to treat skin conditions including eczema psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, among others.
The very creams that were supposed to be helping sufferers, including Lora, were causing further skin issues. Four years ago Lora decided to stop using steroid creams altogether.
“It was a bit on a whim,” she says. “It got much worse and I thought ‘I’ll hold my nerve and see what happens’. I did it and it’s the best thing I have ever done. I was a prisoner of a thing I didn’t even know I was in a cycle with.”
Chief executive of National Eczema Society, Andrew Proctor, said: “As with other treatments, people can experience side-effects using topical steroids, including after they stop using these widely prescribed medicines.
“Topical steroid withdrawal is complex and research into the causes, symptoms and treatments is limited.”
Last year, the National Eczema Society successfully campaigned for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to introduce strength labelling on steroid creams and ointments. This is being rolled-out now and shows whether the medicine contains a mild, moderate, strong or very strong steroid.
Mr Proctor said: “This change will help the millions of people with eczema who rely on topical steroids to use these medicines safely and effectively.”
Although Lora says stopping using the creams was the best thing she has ever done, she admits initially it was difficult, describing the period as “three months of hell”.
“I stopped in a moment where my skin was looking really good, so I was like ‘this is great I don’t need them anymore’, but the rebound from that was awful,” Lora says.
"It was ten times worse. My eyes were puffy, I was disfigured. I couldn’t sleep, my skin was peeling, you shed everywhere, it’s embarrassing, you have to wear loose clothing.
“It helped that it was the pandemic because I was mainly at home. I was afraid to go and meet people as I was in a city where I hadn’t met people before and had to explain to them that this isn’t how I look.”
Lora received support from her partner as well as a peer learning group, Sheffield Pioneers. “That group of people met me at my worst,” she says. “Now we’re friends for life.”
“There are some little wins today that may feel a bit futile to some people like I’m using makeup again for the first time in six years and it feels like such a great thing to be able to do because before it was not possible.”
“It feels great not to be spending so much energy thinking about skin.”
Another eczema sufferer, Alicia Sewell, from Sheffield, experienced a flare up in her condition after she moved into a house plagued with mould. She needed a course of steroids to treat her skin.
“But no matter how strong the medication was, there was no improvement in my skin,” Alicia says. Her skin was so inflamed it was bright red and oozing, which also shed, became thin, caused nerve pain and swelling.
“I covered all of the mirrors in my house because I didn’t want to look at myself anymore,” says Alicia, who also suffered from intense itching, which she described as “a bone deep itch”.
“It was an itch that was so unbelievably painful. It was something that was impossible to ignore,” she says. “I’d never felt such an intense need to harm myself through scratching.”
However, one of the most prolific symptoms for Alicia was insomnia. She would go for days without sleep and then eventually “crash out” for up to ten hours.
Alicia started an Instagram account to try and find advice for her skin. “I had no idea what was happening to my body.”
It was then Alicia discovered the International Topical Steroid Awareness Network (ITSAN), which formed in 2012 to raise awareness on TSW.
Topical steroid withdrawal is widely discussed on social media under the hashtag ‘#TSW’, which has received over 1.1 billion views on TikTok.
Mr Proctor explained the symptoms of TSW 'can be extremely painful and distressing'.
“The eczema community wants to see more research and much more awareness among healthcare professionals," he said. "One of the challenges is the symptoms people can experience when stopping using topical steroids can appear similar to those of untreated or poorly controlled eczema.
“Without clear guidance on TSW from healthcare professionals, people are turning elsewhere for support and information.”
In 2024, Briana Banos, 36, from Edinburgh, ran the Sheffield half marathon with fellow ITSAN advocate Amy Aston to raise money for the network.
“It was a really wonderful experience to do my first half marathon in order to support and raise money for ITSAN,” she says.
Briana first started suffering from TSW at the age of 22 when she began working on a cruise ship. “It is honestly one of the most horrible things to go through and I would not wish it on an enemy.”
Briana, who last applied steroids in 2015, has produced two documentaries on TSW called ‘Preventable’ and ‘Still Preventable’.
“I knew what questions to ask and I have a balanced demeanour on the subject. I feel really privileged that I was in a place where I had put myself to gain trust in both the patient community and the doctor community.”
A joint statement with the British Association of Dermatologists and the National Eczema Society states: “We would encourage healthcare professionals to be supportive of patients living with symptoms of TSW. Trying to find common ground and agree on practical plans for treatment will help patients who have concerns about the use of topical steroids. It is important to offer alternatives to topical steroids for people who would otherwise stop using them.”
“The whole medical profession needs to be educated on what the signs and symptoms are”, says Alicia. “I think a large percentage of people who actually get to the point of needing a dermatologist are probably already going through TSW.”
“The skin is the biggest organ of the body and yet we don’t treat it with the same reverence as the brain or the heart", says Lora.
When it comes to TSW sufferers sharing their experiences, Briana says: “It comes from a very genuine place of just wanting to share our story and the grief and the loss that we feel that we hope never happens to anybody else.”
Sheffield dealers laugh as they receive combined 15 year sentence
Three individuals were sentenced today for supply of heroin and crack cocaine for a combined total of 15 years at Sheffield Crown Court.
Tommy Maughan, 21, of Badger Close, Sheffield and Kai Bean, 21 of Tithebarn Avenue Sheffield, alongside another 17 year old male who can’t be named due to his age were involved in a drug ring between July 2023-24.
Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Richardson KC called the sentencing decisions a “sacrifice on the altar of deterrence” as he handed out sentences to the smiling Mr Maughan, who laughed with the 17 year old male defendant as their sentences were given.
Maughan was sentenced to six years imprisonment for supplying heroin and cocaine from July of 2023-24, with two charges of dangerous driving, wounding with intent, assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage.
Bean was sentenced to six years in a young offenders institution for supplying cocaine and heroin from a similar time period, with the 17 year old male sentenced to three years imprisonment for his involvement in the drug ring.
The trio received reduced sentences due to their ages and guilty pleas, said Judge Richardson, but the abuse of addicted individuals, as well as previous convictions did aggravate the sentencing, in what he called a “pernicious example of drug trade”.
Judge Richardson continued, “this type of crime is often the foundation of other avenues of criminality and sabotages the lives of addicts. Peddlers of drugs will be punished appropriately.”
The unnamed 17 year old was also found not guilty on four charges of holding a person in slavery or servitude. Users' homes were used to store and supply the drugs, with 1.23Kg of crack cocaine and 1.4Kg of heroin being sold from July 2023-24, with a street value in excess of £250,000, the court heard.
Maughan was deemed to be the main perpetrator, being found guilty of wounding with intent upon one of his associates, beating the man with his own walking aid, alongside assaulting a police officer after an on foot chase. Maughan waved to the gallery as he was taken back down to the cells after his sentencing.
Sheffield Council to vote whether to abolish green parking permits after 20 years
The council will consider scrapping the Green Parking Permit scheme which allows Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) to park in Sheffield city centre for free.
If the plans are approved on Wednesday, no Green Parking permits will be issued or renewed from 31 July 2025.
According to a report, the scheme is no longer necessary to achieve the city's goal of becoming zero-carbon by 2030.
In a post made before the bid to scrap was announced, a Reddit user who drives an electric vehicle said: “This scheme is bonkers and out of date. Prime parking spaces are full of cars parked long-term. If someone goes on holiday they can park their EV up near the train station for days or weeks for free.”
Another user said: “This whole charging you to drive in a city sounds like it's a rich vs poor policy yet again. If you can afford an expensive EV then you are welcome, but if you can't afford an EV, you likely won't be able to afford the daily charge.”
The council said that while the measures were appropriate at the time, since low-emission vehicles have become much more common the focus has shifted towards the remaining barriers to adoption, such as the lack of accessible and reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The report read: “This change reflects the significant increase in the number of zero-emission vehicles now on Sheffield’s streets and aligns with the national introduction of Vehicle Excise Duty for electric, zero or low emission cars, vans, and motorcycles—ensuring all drivers make a fairer tax contribution. It also responds to the rapid uptake of ultra-low and zero emission vehicles, which is projected to continue in the years ahead.”
The decision will be made by the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee in a meeting which is set to take place at 10am on Wednesday 30 April.
Stocksbridge Park Steels playoff showdown – “My players can play without fear.”
Stocksbridge Park Steels secured their playoff place by finishing third in the final league standings, with an away win at Dunston.
The Park Steels manager, Ian Richards, was over the moon for the players and the fans that they were able to confirm their playoff place.
Richards told the Park Steels media team:
“Some teams have a bigger budget than us, our aim at the start of the season was never the playoffs, but now we are here our aim has now changed and now we want to win promotion.”
But against the odds Ian’s men have managed to finish the season third in the league and now can look forward to a quick turnaround in the playoffs against Belper Town at Bracken Moor where earlier in the season Stocksbridge comfortably beat Belper 3-0 on home soil.
“This is a one-off game, and the players can go into this without any fear. We can just play our game and see where it takes us, hopefully that will be in the division above.
“I will let the boys enjoy the weekend and come Monday I’ll sit down and sort out the best plan to try and takes us up. I couldn’t have wished for a better group of players to do what we have done is a great achievement and I couldn’t ask for anymore.” Ian explained.
Ian Richards becomes the first Park Steels manager to take Stocksbridge to back-to-back playoffs and now exceeding their expectations they can now look forward to a playoff campaign starting with a home tie against Belper Town, Tuesday April 29.
The club posted a rally cry for all fans to get behind the boys on Tuesday:
“We want Bracken Moor rocking. We need as many people in Bracken Moor as possible to help us get through this match, please share this thread everywhere you can - #FillBrackenMoor.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s latest protest against the current ownership as they fear the worst is yet to come from Thai owner
April 26, saw the latest in a long line of protests that have been held by various different supporters' groups against the current owner Dejphon Chansiri.
The ‘tuna tycoon’ has been accused of continually mismanaging the club after their failure to reach the promised land that is the Premier League back in 2016, losing to fellow Yorkshire side Hull City in the Championship playoff final.
Since their recent failures to reach the Premier League under the strict command of Mr Chansiri, the Owls have since been put through embargoes and a 12-point deduction which saw their Championship tenure end as they slipped into League One.
Sheffield Wednesday’s fortunes seemed to have changed after securing promotion back to the Championship after a two year wait and fans were hopeful that they now could look forward to the future.
But Chansiri has failed to address the fans concerns about the direction in which the club is taking and repeatedly accused the fans of trying to sabotage the club. The relationship between Chansiri and the fans have hit an all-time low and now they call for him to ‘sell up and go.’
A SWFC Trust board member, Mark Johnson feels that his time has come and its time to give someone else a go at taking the club forward,
“Mr Chansiri has been apart of the club for the past ten years and frankly the club is going nowhere under his leadership. He clearly doesn’t have the money to run the club, we don’t know why he’s here and we don’t want him here, 95 per cent of the fans want him gone.
“We want him to sell the club and give someone who wants to run the club a chance to take it forward.” Mark explained.
The protest began outside the Crucible Theatre, where the Adelphi Hotel once stood and where Wednesday was formed as a football club, they then marched along Penistone Road before turning up through central Hillsborough to the top end of the park which sits on the border of Hillsborough Stadium.
Around 1,000 fans turned up to march through the park chanting, “Get out of our club.” We want our Wednesday back.” And “Take your tuna and F**k off home.” The protest ended outside the South Stand but the protests continued inside the ground with fans holding up black and yellow leaflets and setting off yellow balloons ahead of kick off.
The football governance bill and what it means for English Football
The Football Governance Bill will have its second reading in the House of Commons this afternoon after being passed through the House of Lords on 26 March.
The Bill is set to change the way football clubs in England are run, aiming for greater financial stability, accountability, and fan involvement. Here’s what you need to know about this landmark piece of legislation that could transform the future of the sport.
What is the Football Governance Bill?
The Football Governance Bill is a new piece of legislation which was introduced by the government in March 2024 and reintroduced in October 2024. The Bill is focused on improving the governance of football clubs across England. It aims to create a fairer, more sustainable future for the sport by establishing an Independent Football Regulator (IFR).
The Bill marks a historic shift in how football is managed in England. The new legislation will hold clubs accountable to their fans, their communities, and the future of the sport.
The Independent Football Regulator (IFR)
One of the key features of the Bill is the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). The IFR will oversee the operations of all football clubs, ensuring they are financially sound, well-managed, and have the proper leadership in place.
The regulatory board will do this by licensing the clubs in the top five tiers of men’s English football league who participate in competitions. These clubs must meet specific financial and governance standards to gain these licences.
The IFR will also assess the suitability of club owners and directors, conducting background checks and ensuring that those in charge have the right financial stability and integrity.
Fan Engagement
A key change in the latest version of the bill is the greater emphasis on fan involvement. Under the new bill, clubs will be required to consult fans on major decisions, including ticket pricing, team shirt designs and proposed stadium relocations.
This change aims to ensure that fans’ voices are heard and considered when it comes to significant decisions affecting their clubs. Previously, fan consultation was only a recommendation, but now it’s a legal requirement for clubs outside the Premier League.
Financial Fairness
The bill also includes provisions for more fair revenue distribution across the football leagues. The IFR will have the power to regulate how broadcasting revenue is shared between clubs in different divisions.
The bill extends the IFR’s powers to oversee parachute payments and financial assistance given to relegated clubs to ensure these funds are distributed in a way that promotes financial sustainability and fairness across the leagues.
As the bill moves through Parliament, all eyes will be on how it shapes the future of football in England, ensuring that the sport remains both fair and financially viable for years to come.
“Resilient” Sheffield women tell their recovery stories in new book
The addiction recovery journeys of five Sheffield women are told in a new book launching this Thursday.
Women in Recovery: Capital Pathways was edited by University of Derby criminology professor and recovery advocate David Patton and brings together the stories of 14 women, elevating their lived experiences alongside the research.
Helena "H" Lovell, a lived experience volunteer with Sheffield Recovery Community and contributor to the book, said: “For me this book, and the launch, and all the stuff that has built up to it, is really to reach into those women that are still struggling with dependency and to say ‘we get that, and there is another option, and we will support you in getting through.’”
The book was originally launched at a United Nations conference in Vienna on March 10 by Sheffield Women’s Individual Personal Experience Recovery Network founding member Rifhat Aziz.
Thursday’s launch will take place at the Sheffield Cathedral to highlight the five local contributors, with guest speakers including Patton, Aziz and the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Jayne Dunn.
Ms Lovell moved to Sheffield from the East Riding of Yorkshire in 2016 to receive treatment, and said the gender-based support she received from the local recovery community lead her to stay in the city.
Alison Thornhill, a Hospital Peer Mentor and SMART facilitator with Project 6 also contributed a chapter and described the additional barriers women face in accessing treatment, particularly when they fear their children being taken away.
She said: “It’s far more challenging for women because we’re known as the homemakers, keeping the family together. Then we become known as the home-breakers.”
According to Tracey Ford, Chair of Sheffield Recovery Community, the aim of the book is to raise awareness of the lessons that can be learned from women in recovery, and to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction.
She said: “It’s about raising awareness that people in recovery are pretty tough and have learned a lot, and they’re pretty resilient. There’s a lot to be learned from people at this stage in recovery.
“What we’re trying to do is empower women in recovery, but also empower communities.”
Alongside the book, the Sheffield Recovery Community have launched a pledge that anyone can sign to commit to helping Sheffield become an inclusive recovery city by limiting barriers to treatment, reducing stigma, and promoting understanding for those affected by addiction.
The Sheffield Inclusive Recovery Cities pledge can be signed here: https://sheffieldrecoverydirectory.co.uk/sheffield-inclusive-recovery-cities/
Sheffield school uniform charity flourishes as it helps out families in need
A uniform recycling charity set up by two Sheffield mums has continued to grow as they work towards their goal of opening a city centre shop.
Uni-Recycle was set up in Heeley during lockdown by friends Joanne (pictured right) and Louise, and offers recycled school uniforms at a low cost as well as free clothing to families in need.
The charity has a community shop at ECHO on City Road which is open for a few hours each Monday, and also has plans to move into MaTReC on Prince of Wales Road next month.
But Joanne said the ultimate goal would be to open a shop in the city centre, manned by volunteers every day of the week.
She said: “We’re hoping to just keep growing and growing.”
The charity holds around six sales a year at Heeley Parish Church where local people can donate and buy school uniforms for all ages at a cheap price. The most recent sale was on Saturday.
It then uses the profit it makes during the sales to offer a “discreet service” to families in need and provides them with uniforms free of charge.
According to DfE Data, the average cost of a full school uniform and PE kit currently stands at £442 for a child at secondary school, and £343 for a primary school pupil.
As a result, The Government have this morning announced plans to reduce the number of compulsory branded items in school uniforms.
Since it began in 2020, Uni-Recycle has quickly grown and now has partnerships with nine schools and three churches in the area, as well as companies and organisations such as Tesco and South Yorkshire Community Foundation.
The schools which work with the charity encourage families to drop uniforms off in bins which are in turn donated to Uni-Recycle. They can also refer families who are struggling.
Louise said: “We started with just two bags that someone donated and it’s become massive.”
The initiative began as a side project but last year was registered as a CIC as Joanne left her job as an estate agent and took on a job as church admin in order to focus on the project.
Joanne said: “We set it up as a recycling project, because everyone wants to recycle at the moment. We’ve probably had people today that are struggling unaware to us and have stood side by side with people who aren’t. There’s no shame or embarrassment about it.”
On top of typical uniforms, the charity helps to provide items such as coats and shoes to families in need, and has even helped out university students.
One parent who was helped out by the charity said: “My daughter is transgender and when she transitioned we were on universal credit. It helped us get a whole new girls uniform which would have been hard to afford otherwise. Uni-Recycle is absolutely brilliant.”
As the cost of living has risen, the charity has seen an increase in families who need help with uniforms, including among working parents.
Joanne said: “We are getting enough donations to be able to cope with the rise, but could do with more volunteers.”
There are a number of roles for volunteers, from helping out at the sales to washing and repairing donations.
One volunteer said: “I like volunteering here and getting to know local people. It gives you a bit of a lift when someone tells you how much you’ve helped them.
“And a lot of people come because they like to recycle, so it’s not only those who are struggling.”
The initiative hopes that their work will not only benefit the environment and families in need, but also contribute towards improving children’s education and wellbeing.
Joanne said: “Some children don’t want to go to school because they feel they don’t fit in with their clothes. We hope to help improve children's mental health by making sure they’re not going to school in rags or ripped clothes.
“There is less of a stigma around recycling and second-hand clothing than there used to be.”
The new government policy has brought further attention to the issue of school uniform pricing, and in recent years many similar initiatives have been set up across the country.
Ski village restoration campaign remembers anniversary of fire
On the 13th anniversary of the arson attack, campaigners and professional skiers have called on the council to take action to revive snow sports in Sheffield.
The Ski Village was set ablaze by vandals in 2012 and has never been restored.
No one has been prosecuted by South Yorkshire Police and the village is now a hotspot for fly-tipping and vandalism.
The council secured £19.5m in funding from the Levelling Up Fund, and have contracted a New Zealand private developer, Skyline Luge, in December 2024, but no formal plans have been made public.
Pete Shipston, 51, founded Revive Rewild, a company focused on advocating for the return of the Ski Village to Sheffield and promoting the creation of green spaces across the city.
The company launched their campaign 'Revive Sheffield Ski Village' one month ago, and has gained a large number of supporters, including professionals who used to train on the dry slope.
He said: “Sheffield is the outdoor city. There’s a wealth of talent that could easily be transferred from mountain biking, skating and gymnastics to Snowsports.
“We have some cracking sportspeople in this city, they’re out there and they’re waiting for this.”
The key campaigners have attended Sheffield City Council’s extraordinary, transport, regeneration, climate policy committee meetings and raised official questions.
The campaign currently has over 400 supporters and hopes to gain thousands more as the planning process moves forward to ensure a dry slope is included in the design.
The abandoned village has been repeatedly targeted by arsonists, the most recent incident occurred on 23 April, when South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue responded to multiple reports of a fire.
A spokesperson told the BBC they believed it was started deliberately.
The ski village was a training hub for England’s top skiers and snowboarders, who used its racing and freestyle facilities to train all year-round.
Sheffield-born skier, Paddy Graham, 37, emerged from the city's Ski Village to become Britain's leading freeskier.
Mr Graham was eager to show his competitors where he first learnt to ski, but it burned down just days before their trip.
He said: “Always for me growing up you would look up onto the hill and see the ski slope there. I was gutted.
“If they make a training facility for athletes with an airbag and a jump, that will give the UK scene an advantage again that it doesn’t have anymore.”
At the time, Sheffield's Ski Village was Europe's biggest artificial slope, with state-of-the-art facilities.
Kimberley Kay, 52, is campaigning alongside Revive Rewild to make the sport accessible to people again.
Mrs Kay, a former ski racer, now works to break down barriers for women in snow sports and is the author and illustrator of Ski A to Z.
She believes that children will benefit the most from its reconstruction.
Mrs Kay said: “Every school-age child should have the opportunity to try snow sports and have those doors open to them.”
“People going from Sheffield ski village to having snow sports careers to include the Olympics is phenomenal and I think it’s really sad that that has been lost, so it should be restored.”
The council's regeneration committee are waiting to receive a planning application from Skyline Luge.
Body found near tracks at Woodhouse station
A body was discovered near Woodhouse railway station early this morning with police and paramedics attending the incident.
The individual was pronounced dead at the scene according to the British Transport Police, but an investigation is still ongoing. They have not released any details about the identity of the body.
A spokesperson from the force said: "We were called to Woodhouse station shortly before 6am this morning, following reports of a casualty on the tracks.
"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to their death."
During the incident all train services from Sheffield to Kiveton Park, Retford and Lincoln were cancelled with rail replacement buses scheduled to convey passengers along the disrupted route.
As of 10:39am all trains between Sheffield and Lincoln were running as normal again.
“We have never had equality”: Trans rights activists rally across the UK following court’s ruling
Hundreds of people gathered in over 20 UK cities, including Sheffield, this weekend, to show solidarity with the transgender community after the Supreme Court ruled the definition of a woman refers to biological sex.
Lexi S, 21, a transwoman, who attended the Bite Back 4 Trans Rights march on Saturday, expressed the trans community has never had equality and even more so now after the court’s judgement on 16 April.
The Supreme Court ruled under the Equality Act 2010 the definition of a woman refers only to biological sex and did not include transgender women, even those who hold a gender recognition certificate.
Lexi believes this ruling is dangerous, particularly for transwomen, who will now have to use bathrooms that do not align with their gender identity.
The ruling also means that trans people will be assigned to hospital wards and prisons that coincide with their biological sex and not their gender identity.
She said: “It means people will make our lives miserable, it means being told we are somehow lesser.”
This morning the leader of the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch, suggested transgender people should use disabled toilets following the court’s decision.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has backed the court’s ruling and even welcomed it despite in 2021 advocating his party was committed to updating the Gender Recognition Act so trans people would be able to self identify.
Organiser of the march and Sheffield student, Carys Mcloughlin,19, stated she was “disgusted” by Starmer’s response to the ruling considering he had championed the trans community prior to the judgement.
She said: “People who have voted have been deceived and it's not right. None of this right.”
CEO of a Sheffield and South Yorkshire LGBTQ+ charity, SAYiT, Nicola Fearnley- Hill, 44, expressed her disappointment for the ruling and uncertainty of the ramifications the judgement holds.
She said: “It is obviously going to massively impact mental health and people’s identity. I fear that hate crimes towards this minority group of people will rise.
“Our main focus is to continue to provide a safe space for our LGBTQ+ community, helping them to protect their mental health and to navigate this volatile and politically charged climate.”
Over 20 protests have taken place this weekend alone, with the BBC reporting activists in Birmingham were met with physical abuse and even being spat on.
Advocators for trans rights were also met with verbal abuse and attacks in Sheffield despite conducting a peaceful protest.
Lexi added: “The amount of protests across the UK means there is anger, it means people want a solution, it means people want to fight for their rights and hopefully it will bring real change.”
Teenage boy accused of killing school pupil pleads guilty to manslaughter
A 15-year-old boy accused of killing Harvey Willgoose with a hunting knife at a Sheffield school has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, Sheffield Crown Court heard today.
The teen, who cannot be named, also pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and not guilty to murder.
Judge Jeremy Richardson KC remanded the defendant, who stood in the dock with an intermediary and three members of security staff, into secure local authority care.
Judge Richardson said: “You have pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the other offence relating to a knife.
“A jury will decide whether you are guilty or not guilty of the more serious allegation of murder. That trial will start on June 30 at this court.”
Harvey, also 15, died after he was stabbed through the heart at All Saints Catholic High School on February 3.
Harvey’s parents, Caroline and Mark Willgoose, watched the proceedings from the public gallery, along with other members of their family.
The parents of the defendant were not seen in the courtroom.
Judge Richardson added a warning to those watching that the defendant is entitled to a fair trial and said: "I don't want him in a state because of what happened outside or in a state where he can't be trialled."