Media Democracy Festival set to come to Sheffield
The Media Reform Coalition's annual Media Democracy Festival is set to come to Sheffield later this month with a series on in-person and online sessions.
The festival, will take place on March 16, and bring together academics, activists and decision-makers to understand what's happening in the media landscape.
Past speakers have included Owen Jones, Ash Sarkar, and Peter Jukes.
On their website, politician, Jeremy Corbyn said: "I can think of nothing more important in this day and age than dealing with the question of media, access to knowledge and how we get ideas across to people.
"The Media Democracy Festival is very much part of that process and I hope we’re all going to come out more determined to build a real alternative media system, not just in this country but all around the world.”
Speakers at the 2024 festival include Matt Kennard, from Declassified UK, and panels on 'How to solve a problem like GB News' and 'The media's war on Gaza'.
The event also features workshops, with themes such as media transformation, and the Independent media movement.
This year's event will take place in the Diamond at the University of Sheffield from 11am - 6:30 pm.
Pressure mounts on Tories after claims of deep-rooted Islamophobia
Ministers have faced continued calls to reveal whether they believe MP Lee Anderson’s claims the Mayor of London is controlled by Islamists were Islamophobic.
SNP MP Peter Grant said: “An extreme right wing Conservative MP was allowed to go on an extreme right wing Conservative-funding TV station and make a series of vile, Islamophobic remarks."
Communities minister Felicity Buchan reassured members of the House the comments made by Mr Anderson, according to the Government, were not appropriate and that any form of religious hatred is not acceptable in our society.
Ms Buchan assured MPs the Government planned to “appoint a new independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred", but SNP frontbencher Anum Qaisar continued to press the minister on Mr Anderson’s comments.
She asked: "Can the minister clarify what is the line between being wrong and being Islamophobic?”
Two years after Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians in the UK remain resilient in the wake of tragedy
When Nataliia Ruda fled Ukraine with her family, she thought they would be away from home for a couple of weeks until Putin’s ‘sick joke’ was over.
With just one bag of clothes and a toothbrush each, Nataliia and her sons travelled through Romania and Slovakia before arriving in Lincoln, as part of the Homes For Ukraine scheme. She initially struggled to adapt as she navigated the language barrier and the stress of being so far from her home, but this was balanced with gratitude for those who stepped in to help her. “English people are very kind,” Nataliia says.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 generated Europe’s largest humanitarian crisis since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, with 6.5 million people fleeing Ukraine. Another 3.7 million are internally displaced.
Two years later, some of those who fled are beginning to rebuild their lives. Despite leaving behind their homes, jobs, and in many cases their loved ones, they have found solace and a new form of normality.
Nataliia is one of 250,000 Ukrainians who have been granted visas to stay in the UK. They have had to battle not just the reality of their situations being far less temporary than first thought, but also PTSD, the loss of loved ones, and the media’s short attention span in the wake of the Gaza crisis.
For Tetyana Mykhaylyk, who moved to Sheffield from Ukraine over 20 years ago, combatting war fatigue is the most important thing. She has opened her house up to a number of refugees and in an effort to keep the conversation about Ukraine alive, she organises events to raise both money and awareness for those still in the country.
She says: “It’s really important to continue to talk about Ukraine. Nothing has changed. We have to keep doing things to give back.”
One of Tetyana’s friends volunteers as a chef in Lviv for 15 hours a day, preparing meals for the army. Another of her contacts recently sent her a photo of a cemetery in Kyiv which now dominates the landscape, hosting hundreds of war heroes who have sacrificed everything for their homeland. This does not crush the morale of those in the city, rather, it spurs them on.
Tetyana says: “It’s a sad picture, but the more lives lost, the more people will not accept losing the war. We have paid with the best lives. We really can’t see how we can lose because we will not live under Putin. There will be resistance from every last person.”
Some Ukranians who originally left their home have now taken the decision to return to the country, the strength of their yearning too much to resist. Nataliia Ruda’s younger sister, Yuliia, is one of them. After a few months in the UK, she and her partner returned to Kyiv despite the risks.
On a video call, Yuliia described a scene of anxiety, with rockets raining down on the city and planning ahead impossible. Appointments are frequently cancelled due to air raid sirens screaming through the streets for people to take shelter. Harrowingly, amputees have now become a growing demographic. Yuliia says: “People carry on because what can they do? We will continue to live.”
Nataliia misses Yuliia, but her experience of the UK has changed her outlook on the future. “I never thought I’d live in another country,” she says. “I love Ukraine. But now I love England as well. When the war finishes, I will visit my free country but I would like to stay here.”
After initially working in restaurants and a school, Nataliia now has a job she adores buying and selling seeds for one of the UK’s largest potato manufacturers. Through a huge grin, she says: “It fills me with ecstasy.”
Her two sons, Tim and Zhenia, are doing well in school, and the family are hoping the opportunity for them to remain in the UK will be offered. She says: “My life was hard in Ukraine. My husband left us and I worked in the casino on night shifts to look after my sons. Now, I feel more free. I am happy.”
Nataliia’s newfound happiness and Tetyana’s community work are testament to the indomitable Ukrainian spirit that refuses to concede to Putin. What began as a three-day ‘special military operation’ to annex the state has evolved into a protracted stalemate. So far, 31,000 Ukrainian forces have been killed, in addition to a UN estimate of 10,500 civilian deaths.
A counter-offensive last summer led to President Zelenskyy winning back a handful of villages, but the conflict has largely become a war of attrition across a brutal but fairly static frontline in the eastern oblasts. The hope of a rapid victory on both sides has transformed into an extended episode of history.
Yesterday (March 3), Zelenskyy renewed his pleas for more weapons, fearing the West’s waning focus is costing his countrys chances of success.
As the war enters its third year, there will be millions wishing it will be its final one. That hinges not just on the Ukrainian resilience, but on the West keeping its attention on the conflict too.
As Tetyana, who is determined her home country doesn’t disappear from the public consciousness, says: “It really makes a difference to people knowing they’re not forgotten.”
Round-up: What’s coming in the budget?
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce tax cuts in Wednesday's Budget, with suggestions that national insurance could be cut by 2p.
Downing Street has also denied implications that Mr Hunt is "timid and lacking imagination," and rejected the notion that the Prime Minister is a "backseat driver" to the budget.
Among other measure Hunt is alleged to be considering is the removal of non-dom tax status and proposals for a new duty on vaping.
Meanwhile, £67m will be used to build up to 1,300 new homes in Furnace Hill and Neepsend as part of Sheffield's Levelling Up fund.
However, the announcement has been met with a mixed reaction, as residents said they need other community essentials like parks, shops and pharmacies.
Covid-19: Sheffield day of remembrance reflects on “unprecedented loss” of pandemic
The sun was shining yesterday in Sheffield as residents held a “poignant” memorial event remembering those who died during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Held in the city’s Balm Green Gardens, the inaugural event was an opportunity “to remember those that we lost, the pain and the sadness, but also the moments of unity, strength and compassion” said council leader Tom Hunt.
“Covid and the pandemic held up a mirror to society and exposed where people were isolated and vulnerable," he said. "They exposed the cracks in our social and economic systems that allow some people to fall through, and it exposed the inequalities.”
Preceded by a minute’s silence, the event heard from civic and community leaders as well as the relatives and friends of those who died.
Craig Allsop, who lost his mother Susan to Covid in February 2021, spoke about “how life has never been quite the same” since her death.
“For many the suffering is not over,” he said. “They live with loss, ongoing illness and mental health issues. Take a moment to think of those people.”
Just over 2,000 people died from Covid-19 in Sheffield between January 2021 and December 2023.
Allsop had to say goodbye to his mother via video call after she was hospitalised in January 2021. He was instrumental in pushing for the Covid memorial willow tree sculpture, which now stands as a reminder of “what we have lost”.
“It should remind us of what is important: kindness, forgiveness and to be thankful for what we still have,” he added. “We know all too well that life is fragile and that anything can happen.”
Assistant Director of Public Health for Sheffield, Eleanor Rutter, who also gave a speech, spoke to The Sheffield Wire after the event.
She said: “It's really lovely seeing people come together to reflect. My experience of the pandemic was a massively privileged one. But of course, my perspective on the pandemic was one of enormous inequalities, and it was just awful.”
Around 19% of Sheffield’s population are from black or minority ethnic groups. David Bussue, chief executive of community health and social care organisation SACMHA, said “we can't think of the COVID 19 pandemic without the murder of George Floyd springing to our minds”.
“As a person of colour I very well remember the slow dawning on my family and I that there are lots of people who look like us on the news who had lost their lives to Covid,” he said.
Attendees of the memorial were invited to write a message on a paper leaf, which will be added to the city’s archive “so that there’s a permanent memorial of the stories of the pandemic”, added Cllr Hunt.
Designed by architect George King, Sheffield’s stainless steel willow tree sculpture was added to the gardens in March 2023.
Inclusive Sheffield tennis club aces Yorkshire Tennis Awards
A Sheffield based tennis coaching programme has received recognition for their efforts towards promoting inclusivity in the sport.
Ability Tennis holds sessions for people with physical, learning and sensory disabilities, and was awarded the Tennis For All (Inclusion) and the Connecting Communities Awards at the LTA Yorkshire Tennis Awards last Thursday.
Founder Ben Howarth, who also received a personal commendation from Yorkshire Tennis President Geoff Newton, said: “It just felt very nice to be around positive people who have all done something in tennis.
“If you’ve done something and you enjoy it, just giving back and getting more people involved in doing something you love is just really important.”
The programme holds regular weekly sessions for all levels of ability across Sheffield, and prioritises teaching in a way that engages people with disabilities in the sport.
These include teaching in a wheelchair for the weekly wheelchair session, and using specialised sponge balls to act as audio cues to aid people with visual impairments.
At the centre of the programme’s success however, is the strong sense of community felt by its members.
At the programme’s wheelchair tennis session at Graves Leisure Centre, longtime participant Lottie Davis-Browne said: “It’s the friendship, it’s having structure in your week. We all sort of understand what each other are going through.”
For Mr Howarth, this positivity and understanding is also crucial to his work, he said: “The enjoyment that you see is far more rewarding than getting the award itself.
“The day-to-day is what keeps me going.”
For the coaches and players, encouraging others to attend and get involved is a huge part of their efforts, and they are determined that there should be no barriers to inclusion.
Mr Howarth said: “If anybody is interested, either volunteering or wanting to take part in sessions, people are welcome to come. They don’t have to take part straight away.
“They can bring down their carers and just have a cup of tea and watch what we do if they’re nervous.
“That first step’s the hardest thing to take sometimes, and everyone is welcome.”
The coaches can be contacted via: https://abilitytennis.co.uk/
Sheffield charity’s mission to help the city’s homeless
A homelessness charity has criticised the government's approach to tackling rough sleeping as the number of people living on the streets has increased in every region of England in the past year.
The government announced on Wednesday rough sleeping has risen by 27% in England between the autumns of 2022 and 2023.
Charlotte Talbott, Chief Executive of Emmaus UK, said: "More and more people are being forced out of their homes at a time when councils are cutting services due to severe funding deficits. The government must act to prevent more people being forced into homelessness."
The government have declared £107m is being offered to local councils nationwide to create an additional 800 homes for rough sleepers. Also £109m will be made available via Homelessness Prevention Grants for councils to prevent evictions and fund temporary accommodation.
Sheffield City Council will receive £3m of this funding after more than 4000 people or families applied to be registered as homeless in 2022, the highest figure ever recorded in the city. The funding will be used to support volunteer organisations Action Housing and Support, Target Housing and the Young Women's Housing Project, and is said to enable the creation of ten properties for those without a permanent home.
Green Party Councillor, Douglas Johnson, who is the Chair of the Housing Policy Committee for Sheffield City Council, said: "This new funding is not going to be enough and of course it will take some time to get this new accommodation into place but nevertheless it is a step in the right direction."
In 2019, the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson made the promise to eliminate homelessness and rough sleeping for good as part of a £260 million funding package. Fast forward to 2024, and the number of people sleeping rough is on the rise for the second consecutive year.
In the autumn of 2023, 3,898 people across England were registered as sleeping rough on a single night, a 120% increase since records began in 2010. These snapshots are calculated by estimating the number of people sleeping rough on a specific night, meaning the figures are likely to be an underestimate with many homeless people going unseen.
A record high 109,000 households were also registered as being homeless in temporary housing in England between July and September 2023 - up 10% from last year - including 142,490 children being recorded as homeless during this period.
Ms Talbott, the Chief Executive of Emmaus UK, said: "We know that these figures are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true number of people experiencing homelessness."
In the face of this worsening issue, the South Yorkshire branch of Emmaus are striving to make a difference by restoring the identity and livelihoods of formerly homeless people.
Lesley Morgan, the Community Leader of Emmaus Sheffield, says: "We have definitely had an influx in referrals in the past twelve months. We always tell people they can stay for however long they want, and if someone's had a lifetime of abuse and failure and have found somewhere where they're comfortable, they don't want to move on. We have one resident who's been here for 14 years, it's good that he's comfortable but it blocks other people from using the service."
Located in a former cutlery factory on Cadman Street, Emmaus Sheffield pride themselves on giving those in need more than just a place to stay, but providing them with a purpose by giving them a job at their furniture store.
The centre opened in 2007 and has helped 300 people so far, with all residents who live in the Emmaus community referred to as companions.
The charity relies on donations of furniture and other items as well as the sale of handmade products created by companions to pay for formerly homeless people's home, food and weekly allowance.
Ms Morgan says: "We say to people you will have a home here but we need your help to run our charity. People receive lots of training and get qualifications, and when they are ready to live independently we help them find a job and carry on supporting them for the next six months.
"Many people who come here don't even have things like identification, so we help them find their identity and train them to work in our workshop to create things we can sell."
Emmaus Sheffield currently have the space to house 18 companions, but are looking to expand after an increase in requests for accommodation in line with the rising homelessness in the city.
As a result, the charity have applied for planning permission to build another four rooms on the Emmaus residence that will increase their capacity to 22. In order for charities like Emmaus to take on the financial burden of helping more people afflicted by homelessness, they rely on collaboration with local councils in the form of funding grants. The new government measures aim to alleviate these pressures for a select few organisations in their bid to help Sheffield's homeless.
Cllr Johnson said: "There are a number of people who sleep rough in the city centre despite accommodation being offered. This is because homelessness is a very complex issue with multiple causes, including an unsettled way of life, abuse, substance misuse and mental health problems."
The lack of government resources and the cost of living crisis has proved an obstacle to Emmaus in their ambition to get their companions living independently as soon as they are ready, with some residents being forced into returning by the increasingly steep private rent prices. However, Ms Morgan says that the door is always open for companions to come back and make use of the training that Emmaus Sheffield has to offer as a uniquely drug and alcohol free project.
"A lot of people when they are drug and alcohol free after a history of drug abuse want to help people in similar positions, so we offer health and social care courses and help train people to become youth workers.
"We have got a wonderful community here and some amazing individuals that work with us, and everyone respects one another."
Supporters group warns Sheffield Wednesday against signing alleged domestic abuser
A women's supporters group have issued a strong statement addressed to manager Danny Rohl amid speculation about the signing of Nico Schulz.
Schulz has recently been ordered to pay €150,000 to women’s charities after appearing in court concerning three counts of grievous bodily harm against a former partner.
The case was then dropped, and he was not convicted.
Sheffield Wednesday Women's Supporters Group warned: “Welcoming anyone accused of violence against a woman normalises and legitimises this behaviour.
“It crushes past, present and future victims of such violence and forces them into silence. Our pain, experiences and safety are disregarded. It tells women that we don't matter.”
The club have been linked with recruiting the 30-year-old defender after he was confirmed to be training with the club two weeks ago.
Schulz has been a free agent since he was released by Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund last year after he was charged with domestic abuse.
Sheffield Wednesday reporter, Joe Crann, admitted that a decision to bring him into the club could lead to a divide in the fanbase as the club looks to retain its Championship status.
He said: “I think that backlash is almost guaranteed, but I think on the flip side, you also have a lot of people backing the decision. And in response to the stories I've done on it, there’s very much a split opinion.
“I think with domestic abuse being as heinous as it is, it's a very emotive topic. And I can completely understand why people would be upset with the possibility of Wednesday signing someone who has been accused of the sort of thing that Nico Schulz has been accused of.”
Sheffield Wednesday manager, Rohl, has been quick to avoid mention of the charges aimed at Schulz and has only referred to what he may bring to his side if signed.
The fan group’s letter was addressed to Rohl and was signed off by saying, “Please remember that football is about more than results. It is our community. Please think carefully about who you welcome into our club and into our city.”
Mr Crann discussed the probability of Sheffield Wednesday making the move for the 12-time German international.
He said: “I do think that there is a real chance of it happening and then we'll just have to wait and see how things play out in the next couple of weeks.”
BREAKING: Arrest made in Burngreave stabbing
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested following a stabbing of another 17-year-old boy in Burngreave this morning.
The victim was taken to hospital with “serious, but not life-threatening or life-altering injuries”, South Yorkshire Police said.
Parts of Shirecliffe Road, between Longley Avenue West and Musgrave Road, which were cordoned off after 6am this morning, have now been reopened.
Festival of the outdoors will see urban landscape used as cycle path
Cycling community aims to reimagine Sheffield's urban architecture at the Festival of the Outdoors on 23 March 2024.
Adam Simmonite, event manager at Urban CycloCross, said: “This is a great, fun event, and the view from the top is amazing across the city. It represents everything that the festival of the outdoors is about.”
Urban CX started in 2017 with a race around Kelham Island and the Park Hill flats. Mr Simmonite's vision to reimage spaces by turning urban architecture into cycle racing venues and bringing together the cycling community.
Everyone is welcome to take part, from experienced racers to commuters. According to Urban CX, it is an action packed event with races for all levels.
Mr Simmonite said: “It would be good to get groups engaged that do not usually get involved in the outdoors. We want people to say 'oh, I am going to have a go at that'. It is changing and adapting every year and it is good to be part of that journey and progression.”
This year, there will be categories for Adult Male, Adult Female, Bromptoneers and Junior Riders. There will also be The Cargo Bike Challenge as teams of four race against the clock.
The entry fees will be split between two Sheffield charities, the Roundabout and Work Ltd.
Have a go or volunteer as a marshall.
Entries are open: https://www.riderhq.com/events/p/tbyf9ksh/enter2
Bluebells could bloom early after warmest February on record in England & Wales
Bluebells usually flower from late March to early May, one of the last spring woodland flowers to bloom after snowdrops, primroses, celandine and wood anemones, but this year’s mild winter and spring means they may well be early.
Provisional figures the Met Office show both England and Wales saw their warmest February on record, and the winter as a whole was the fifth warmest ever recorded for the UK.
Forestry England has produced a list of some of the best places to see bluebells in its woods this spring, with top spots ranging from Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest in Kent and Westonbirt, the National Arboretum in Gloucestershire, to the ancient woodlands of West Woods, Wiltshire, and Robin Wood, Derbyshire.
“Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled”: Man to run Sheffield half for Scope
After being inspired by his sister’s struggle with cerebral palsy, a man has decided to fundraise for Scope by running the Sheffield Half Marathon in April.
The charity works to challenge disability inequality by providing practical and emotional support for disabled people.
Pierce Roberts, 21, from Horsham, said: “I know there’s a lot of people who just aren’t as fortunate as my family are. A lot of people do need that support.
“Honestly it will be such a surreal feeling knowing that I’ve contributed towards helping loads of people who need it.”
His sister, Holly Roberts, 26, was born 12 weeks premature and her brain was not fully developed, she is now non-verbal and wheelchair bound.
Their family have had to make sacrifices to care for her with mum Leola Roberts, 50, leaving her job to become a full time carer.
Mr Roberts said: “We all get on lovely as a family, it’s never been a bad thing.
“Holly’s just always been my sister, she hasn’t been anything else but my sister.”
Mr Roberts said they also had to build an accessible ramp outside their house, but knows that not everybody would be able to afford to do this so wants to raise money to help people living with disabilities.
He has currently raised £280 of his £500 goal on GoFundMe.
Noa Jorge, Public Fundraising Coordinator at disability equality charity Scope, said: “We’re immensely grateful to Pierce for giving up his time to raise money for disabled people and their families.
“Life costs a lot more when you're disabled, so in the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, our work supporting disabled people is more important than ever.”