Press conference Manchester United vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United held a conference this afternoon concerning the upcoming game on Wednesday.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says big decisions regarding selection are to be made ahead of his side’s clash with Manchester United on Wednesday.
United desperately need a win to stave off the inevitability of relegation to the Championship after a 4-1 home defeat to Burnley on Saturday left the club rooted to the bottom of the table 10 points from safety.
Our reporter Joe Green reports: https://sheffieldwire.co.uk/index.php/2024/04/22/manchester-utd-vs-sheffield-utd-wilder-realistic-about-sides-chances-as-relegation-looms/
“Someone shaved our cat” says perplexed owner after strange attacks
A Sheffield cat owner claims to be the most recent victim of a cat shaving spree that has spread across the UK.
Melisa Woodhouse took to Facebook last week in search of answers when her cat returned home with her hind legs shaved.
Similar attacks happened last year to her beloved pet, Sibel, which Melissa reported to the police and RSPCA but no one could help or find the culprit.
Melissa said: “It’s so distressing. She's not a cat who can be picked up so it would have taken more than 1 person to hold her down. In my eyes that’s animal cruelty.”
The attack happened in Gleadless Valley but when Melissa took to Facebook to share her concern she found people either blamed her for letting her cat out or made tasteless jokes.
The cat owner said: “She’s eight years old and has used a cat flap her whole life, if I kept her in I wouldn’t have a house left.
“Some of the other comments online are disgusting, it’s ridiculous. I'm scared it's all going to end with me putting a missing cat sign up."
Non-profit organisation Animals Lost and Found in Kent has mapped 117 different attacks spreading from Somerset to Scotland.
Natasha McPhee Director of the organisation said: "Unfortunately, we have no idea why anyone would do this.
"There was an elderly lady shaving cats that would come in to her garden but she was cautioned and stopped. I doubt she's travelling the UK shaving cats."
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We haven’t received any reports of these unusual and upsetting incidents in Sheffield but we hope the cats have recovered with their owners.
“Unfortunately, cats can be vulnerable because they go outside and explore.
“We would advise any owners whose cats have been affected to book an appointment with their vet. A veterinary examination will determine if that cat has experienced any physical injuries, such as cuts and abrasions from the shaving or other injuries as a result of being held down. Cat owners could also seek the advice of a behaviourist if they feel their cat is displaying signs of distress.
“There is never any excuse for harming any animal and we’d encourage people to show kindness, care and compassion to all animals and to report any concerns about animal cruelty.”
League One Barnsley sack head coach Neill Collins ahead of final game of the season
Barnsley have sacked head coach Neill Collins despite the side having only one league game remaining this season.
The shock decision comes after the Tykes have won just two of their last 11 games, putting their place in the League One play-offs in jeopardy.
Assistant Coach Martin Devaney will take charge in the interim period, with Barnsley currently in 5th and only one point away from dropping out of the play-offs.
Mladen Sormaz, Director of Football, said: "Neill has been extremely professional throughout the period with which I have worked with him. However, with a crucial season conclusion ahead of us, we feel that now is the right time to make a change."
Collins was appointed by Barnsley in July 2023 on a two-year deal with a view to getting the side automatically promoted to the Championship, but the poor run of form from the side has seen his time at Oakwell curtailed.
Barnsley's final league game of the season is at home to Northampton Town at 12.30pm on Saturday.
Number of Sheffield Council employees earning over £100k almost doubles
How would you feel about a £53,000 pay rise?
The number of Sheffield council employees earning more than £100,000 per year has increased from 7 to 13 between 2021-22 and 2022-3, with one employee getting an increase of £53,000.
Elliot Keck, Head of Campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “I’d have real questions as to whether or not the performance of that individual really justified a pay increase of about £53,000."
Read the full story here.
Women’s Aid marks 50 years of battling Domestic Abuse
This year marks 50 years since Women’s Aid was founded but 2.4 million people in the UK still experience domestic abuse every year.
The latest data from the National Centre for Domestic Abuse revealed three women take their own lives every week and a further 30 women attempt suicide every day as a direct result of what they have endued.
As part of Women’s Aid’s golden anniversary the charity has launched their Come Together to End Domestic Abuse campaign which aims to dispel myths, challenge sexism and misogyny, as well as encourage those impacted to seek support and encourage those who witness abuse to speak out.
The history of the Domestic Abuse Bill
The Domestic Abuse Act, which addresses coercive and controlled behaviour came into effect in 2021.
Teresa Parker, Head of Media Brand and Relationships at Women's Aid, says: “People started to thoroughly understand the truth of domestic abuse. You don't have to be physically hit. It's also about being with somebody where there's this ongoing pattern of control, and you are frightened of somebody and that underpins everything.”
The first domestic violence laws can be traced back to the Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act in 1976, which merely focussed on married women. It was extended to protect non-married couples from domestic abuse in the Family Law Act of 1996. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 initially introduced made it an offence if a member of a family caused or allowed the "death of a child or a vulnerable adult ”.
Under the new Domestic Abuse Act 2021, apart from the inclusion of non-physical as a form of domestic abuse, children who “see, hear or otherwise experience the effects of abuse” could be classified as victims, whereas previously they were only regarded as 'witnesses' to the abuse.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced on 5 December 2022 that children who have been affected by domestic abuse can be automatically seen as victims, regardless of whether they were present or not during the violent situation.
The lack of support for migrant women
Despite the improvements made in the latest legislation, the government has failed to provide equal protection for migrant women under the new law. Women’s Aid suggested they were “highly disappointed by the failure of this law”.
Ms Parker explains: “Migrant women being in that enhanced state of vulnerability in terms of their own status that they can be abused by somebody who's got control over their access.
“Not only can it be a barrier to get support or access government support, migration status can be used by the abuser as a way to further control women, especially where their status is dependent on their partner. It provides additional control over their lives, their well-being, and their autonomy.”
Ms Parker adds that it is “vitally important” for migrant women to feel safe to be able to disclose their experience which is “so difficult” to talk about.
The failure of using ‘refuge’
The Domestic Abuse Bill 2021 does not use the word ‘refuge’ at all but uses ‘accommodation based’ services in terms of providing a living place for victims and survivors.
Ms Parker suggests: “It's really important to know the difference between ‘specialist refuge accommodation’ and ‘general emergency accommodation’. If you just say ‘emergency accommodation’, and if you don't understand domestic abuse, you might think that it could be an B&B that could be shared accommodation with other vulnerable people and vulnerable groups."
However, ‘specialist refuge accommodation’ means victims and survivors can access accommodation with a confidential address, where they can stay in a place with other women and children with specialist domestic abuse workers.
Ms Parker explains: “This means that if you are running away from somebody who could be trying to kill you and your children, and that's the reality of what we are dealing with this. It's a matter of life and death”.
“If you are a survivor of domestic abuse, your understanding is a 'refuge' is somewhere that really understands the abuse suffered. Survivors feel they can go there and that staff will make every effort to make sure they and their children are looked after.”
Insufficient Funding
Despite having a statutory duty stated in the bill to fund support in accommodation, Ms Parker suggests: “It is crucial that the guidance and regulations underpinning this duty make it crystal clear that local authorities must fund specialist women’s refuges, which deliver expert support to survivors and their children.”
The government announced earlier this year that a new £2 million fund will be provided to domestic abuse victims to help them leave abusers. However, Nicole Jacobs, the first Domestic Abuse Commissioner warned that domestic abuse organisations are in a ‘state of crisis’.
Over one-quarter of specialist domestic abuse organisations have had to close some of their services because of a lack of funding in 2020-2021. Additionally, many domestic abuse services operate on a non-statutory basis, which means that councils are not legally obliged to fund them. Since 2021, six councils have declared bankruptcy, with four in ten councils at risk of going bust in the next five years.
Given the increasing financial strain on local authorities, it is highly likely that domestic abuse services may be cut or cut altogether.
Ms Parker said: “If you've got limited budgets right now, and when you look at what local authorities and councils are going through with their own budgets, going for the cheapest solution (for providing a refuge accommodation) might seem like the best solution if you're trying to balance the budget.
“If you don’t fund the service, domestic abuse doesn’t go away. Survivors and victims of domestic abuse are really vulnerable. If you are not providing safe accommodation, again, that could be a matter of life and death.
“Domestic investing is a long-term saving for society and it means that people can rebuild their lives. We create a world where domestic abuse isn’t tolerated”.
Since September 2014, Women's Aid have been calling on the government to Save Our Services (SOS) by committing to preserving the national network of specialist refuges. To support, please visit: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/.
Read about Claire Throssell, a domestic abuse survivor and her story.
Read the new campaign launched by Women's Aid.
Cost of disability charity trip to Bakewell soared from £12 to £290 due to “inaccessible” public transport
A charity in Sheffield that organises trips for disabled people may have to pay huge additional costs for a private coach after facing “unexpected barriers” with bus service to Bakewell.
The Burton Street Foundation called on South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard to make public transport more accessible for disabled people.
The trip is set to take place in two weeks time as part of the charity’s ‘Word on the Street’ group, where clients get together and go on different outings.
They wanted to arrange the itinerary in advance, so that those who needed to be back home for a specific time, or any neurodivergent clients, could know exactly when they would depart and return home, and to prevent clients in wheelchairs from being stranded in the countryside.
When they got in touch with TM Travel, who provide the 218 bus service, they were told they could not provide an accurate timetable in advance, and would have to call them on the day.
The 218 bus only has one wheelchair accessible seat, which would not be enough for the entire group.
Lexy Webster, Marketing Coordinator at Burton Street, said this was “not acceptable” and “unfair”.
“It's a bus that runs once every hour, if it runs properly, and as it gets later in the day it’s even less frequent. If that bus doesn't come, how are they going to get home?
“The highest groups that use public transport are the disabled and the elderly. The fact that they do not serve two of the highest groups shows that it's not fit the way it is.”
The charity contacted Sheffield Community Transport to arrange a minibus, but were told that it would not travel outside the Sheffield boundary.
When requested for comment, Sheffield Community Transport said: "In the past we owned several vehicles which were used to provide trips for local groups and we were occasionally able to provide trips beyond the city boundaries.
"Sadly though, since the pandemic, we have had to curtail these trips because, unfortunately, we no longer have the resources available for these group trips. Our main focus is on providing trips within Sheffield for people who are unable to use mainstream public transport.
"We are hopeful that, in time, we may have more capacity to provide a service which would meet the needs of groups wishing to travel outside the city as we fully appreciate that this would be welcomed by local groups."
The only option was to book a minibus from Rotherham Community Transport, costing £130. They also needed a MiDAS trained driver for the trip, who would also drive the bus from Rotherham to Sheffield and back, costing an extra £160.
What should have been a straightforward bus journey to Bakewell, which would have cost a total of £12, became a private coach journey costing the charity £290.
Lexy Webster said: “Why should they have to pay more because they're disabled? It shouldn't cost them more to exist, and to do things that we think are super normal.
“We wouldn't think twice if we decided we wanted to go for a walk in Bakewell. Why should they?”
“There's absolutely no way that we are going to let our clients think that inaccessibility means they can't do things. What lesson does that teach them, that they're just going to have to live with it? That's not equality.”
One of Burton Streets' clients, Joseph, said: "I'm looking forward to going to Bakewell, to look around and take photos. I'm gutted about the 218 bus being unreliable because we put all that research into going. It's somewhere I've not been before and I would have felt shattered if we couldn't have gone on the minibus."
In a letter sent to Oliver Coppard on 27 March, clients said: “The enjoyment and excitement in the group has been shattered and everyone is disappointed.
“We wanted to go to the countryside and to go into another county somewhere where most of us don’t have an opportunity to go and lack of reliable transport excludes us even more.”
Oliver Coppard responded publicly on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday 18 April to say that he would be interested in visiting and speaking to the group about improving accessibility in public transport.
He told the group that he will respond to their request once the outcome of the Mayoral election on 2 May becomes clear.
TM Travel were contacted for comment.
“I want to go knowing that I have left a legacy for Jack and Paul”: Domestic abuse survivor’s fight to make family courts safer
Claire Throssell whose two sons were killed by their own father is backing a Women's Aid campaign to keep children safe from domestic abuse.
Jack, 12 and Paul, nine, were murdered by their father after he trapped them in the attic of the family home, in Penistone, Sheffield, and set it on fire.
Darren Sykes, who also died in the house fire, was awarded unsupervised access access to his children by a family court.
“Judges have to stop this presumption that it's in the child’s best interest to see both parents. Strangers are making decisions that affect the rest of their lives," says Claire, 51, an ambassador for Women's Aid.
After the death of her sons, Claire began working with the domestic abuse charity to implement changes to the family courts and keep “children at the heart of every decision”.
Claire's children died at the hands of their father after she had suffered years of abuse and finally left the family home. She took her sons and moved in with her mum. In the custody that followed Claire fought for residency orders through the family court. She says: “Their father had the right to see his children. But Jack and Paul didn’t have the right to say they didn’t want to see him.
“What people don’t realise is the time after leaving, which is called post-separation, the abuse ramps up. It’s the most dangerous time because your abuser no longer has control over you.
“Cafcass are supposed to be advocates for children in family court. They’re supposed to keep children at the heart of every decision made. Somewhere in this fight between the separation and the abuse, children in the middle, their voice gets lost. It’s Cafcass’ job to make sure those children are safe."
Claire believes the courts only perpetuate the power an abuser has over a survivor of domestic abuse. “You believe that a court is a safe place but it is one of the most humiliating and degrading places to be," she says. "You think you’ve fled the fear and oppression. When you walk into a family court, and the fear and oppression is right there, you go right back to being a piece of dirt underneath their shoes.”
Claire was forced to sit only four seats away from her abuser and had to listen to him hurl insults at her while the judge did nothing to stop him. She told the court and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) the boys would not be safe if their dad was given contact with them.
After a long battle with the judge and Cafcass, the court ruled that the boys would have five hours of unsupervised contact with their dad. "It took only 15 minutes for him to take away their futures," says Claire.
On their final visit, the boys’ dad took them to the attic and set fire to the house, in Penistone, Sheffield, trapping them inside. Paul passed away shortly afterwards, in his mum's arms, after being taken to Barnsley Hospital. Jack spent five days in Manchester Children's Hospital fighting for his life but during surgery, he went into cardiac arrest after developing sepsis and doctors were unable to save him.
A year later, Claire became an ambassador for Women’s Aid and together they launched a new campaign to protect children in the future. “I remember meeting Women's Aid for the first time. I walked into a café feeling very down, I’d just been told that I couldn’t challenge the serious case review for the boys, where my boys were referred to as Child A and Child B. Things were looking very bleak indeed.”
After walking into the cafe, two members of staff from Women's Aid ran over to Claire, held out their hands, and have never let go since. They talked about the recent research Women’s Aid had carried out, which revealed 19 children between 2000 and 2014 had died at the hands of a known perpetrator of domestic abuse. “They said, will you become the front of the Child First campaign? Will you help us go to Parliament and challenge the piece of legislation underneath the Children’s Act to stop the presumption of contact to make family courts safer,” says Claire.
That afternoon, the Child First campaign was born. The petition quickly gained 20,000 signatures in two months and was taken to parliament for the first time within just a year of being launched. “None of this would have been possible without Women’s Aid," says Claire. "They gave it a platform, they gave it a purpose.
“And that’s what Women’s Aid do, they make a difference. There’s people that watch documentaries or read newspaper articles about their work. If just one bit of it makes them think, oh, that’s happening to me, that’s happening to my child and they do something about it, then that’s a life saved that we don’t know about.
“There’s nothing more powerful than women empowering women. There’s nothing more powerful than a country empowering a country empowering a country because changes get made, differences are made.”
Now, alongside the Child First campaign, Women’s Aid and Claire are launching a new campaign to push for mandatory training for judges on how to handle domestic abuse cases. Claire believes this training should be essential for all judges who are making life-changing decisions in family courts and that judges need to be held accountable for their actions.
“The boys always used to say wherever I was, was home," says Claire. "But where they were was home for me. I haven’t got a home right now. One day, I will go home. But I want to go knowing that I have left a legacy for Jack and Paul.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Women's Aid. You can find the Child First petition here and the family courts petition here.
The number of Sheffield primary schools working towards a Food for Life School Award reaches 110
The program is funded by Sheffield City Council and works in Primary, Secondary and Special schools across the region to promote healthier eating in both the canteen and classroom.
Beck Primary School is the 110th school to enrol on the Food for Life Schools Award programme, delivered as part of the Eat Smart Sheffield programme, and part of a city wide strategy to improve nutrition and food education across the city.
Sheffield Programme Manager Lisa Aldwin said the campaign began in 2019 and was due to run for five years, but she hopes the council will renew the program in August so they can continue their work.
She said: "When we started we were targeting schools in more deprived areas of the city because that's where we felt the need was most for this but it soon became obvious that schools from across the city wanted to take part.
"We were never going to turn them away. Any school that wants to engage with us can do, the more the merrier."
Although the scheme was initially aimed specifically at helping schools in deprived areas learn about nutrition and healthy eating, it is now running in around 70% of Sheffield primary schools working and the organisation is working with parents in the local community.
Miss Aldwin said: "They're the ones who are making the decisions around what the children are eating and what they're buying.
"The cost of living isn't helping either and we know that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy foods. I think everyone knows you should be eating your 5 fruit and veg a day but in reality not everybody can afford it."
The program also works with Food for Life, an organisation that works to deliver school awards for food education and culture.
Schools can submit evidence of their food provision, culture and education to the organisation to achieve a bronze, silver or gold award and over 30 schools across Sheffield have achieved their bronze awards so far with the rest continuing to work towards this.
Women’s Aid push for judges to have compulsory domestic abuse training
Spice Girl Mel B has joined forces with Women’s Aid in a campaign to keep children safe from domestic abuse.
Melanie Brown, who fled her own ten-year abusive relationship is pushing for judges to receive mandatory domestic abuse training.
“Judges need to wake up and learn about domestic abuse – the family courts can be as bad as the abusers,” said the pop star, from Leeds, West Yorkshire
Melanie, 48, is also calling on courts not to assume contact with children should be granted to an ex-partner if the relationship has been an abusive one.
She said: “I’m a Spice Girl and a TV presenter, but I am also a Women’s Aid patron and a survivor of an abusive marriage. I want to use my voice to make a change on behalf of the many whose voices are not listened to. I will shout from every platform I have until survivors of abuse are safe.”
The new petition is calling on the government to act on the recommendations of the 2020 Harm Panel Report, which called for significant changes in the way child victims domestic abuse are handled.
The report said victims believe there is a lack of understanding in the Family Court system which leads to minimisation of the abuse and re-traumatisation.
Despite being published nearly four years ago, some changes have not yet been implemented and are desperately needed.
Appearing in the Family Court can be an incredibly difficult challenge, with many domestic abuse survivors explaining they feel like they are the ones who are on trial and are scared to even sit in court.
Teresa Parker, Head of Media Brand & Relationships at Women’s Aid, said: “Survivors don’t feel safe within the system, don’t feel represented, and feel like this process is an extension of the abuse.”
“There’s a huge negative effect on a survivor's mental health when they tell you: ‘‘I’ve done, on paper, all the right things, yet I’m being blamed, I’ve been the victim but it’s all been spun around and I am exhausted’.”
Women’s Aid, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, believe the problem starts with judges and the training, or lack of, which they receive. This can stem from the background which they come from or simply naivety to what victims and survivors experience each day.
Ms Parker said the stigma about what domestic abuse is and what we think a victim looks like needs to change.
“Victims still say to us: ‘I know it’s not a good relationship, but he hasn’t hit me’,” said Ms Parker. “When some judges themselves don’t understand coercive control, it is so deeply unhealthy in terms of justice.”
Between March 2022 and March 2023, only 6.8% of all domestic abuse related crimes brought to court ended in a charge of summons, according to the Office for National Statistics. Women’s Aid explained this leads to many women believing there isn’t any point in taking their case to court.
Ms Parker added: “When you look at experiences in the family courts and at low conviction rates in criminal courts, survivors often think is it worth doing it?
“One thing that has been effective with our work with patrons and ambassadors, including Mel B; she is the opposite of what many people think a survivor of domestic abuse is. By showing different people, with very different personalities – including some of the most absolutely, amazingly, outwardly strong women – can experience abuse and you don’t experience abuse because you’re almost like a victim by nature. I think that by busting those myths, and the work we’re doing right now with Mel, with you openly says: ‘I’m Scary Spice. If this can happen to me, literally, it can happen to anybody.’ It cuts through that conversation.
“You think of “Little Mo” Mitchell from EastEnders, you think of somebody who’s meek, so that storytelling is so powerful.”
Women’s Aid has worked closely with Claire Throssell, a domestic abuse survivor, from Penistone, Sheffield. Her two sons, Jack, 12, and nine-year-old Paul, were killed by their father in 2014, in a deliberate house fire at the family home after a judge allowed her unsupervised contact visits in his home.
Following the tragic loss of her children, Claire became an ambassador for Women’s Aid and is backing the campaign for mandatory training for judges.
More information about the petition can be found here.
Manchester Utd vs Sheffield Utd: Wilder realistic about side’s chances as relegation looms
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says big decisions regarding selection are to be made ahead of his side's clash with Manchester United on Wednesday.
United desperately need a win to stave off the inevitability of relegation to the Championship after a 4-1 home defeat to Burnley on Saturday left the club rooted to the bottom of the table 10 points from safety.
Wilder, who was critical of his team's attitude after their latest loss, said: "The feeling among the squad was low as its been [after the Burnley game]. The goals we conceded on Saturday are just part of a catalogue of really poor goals we've conceded this season.
"Big selection decisions will be made ahead of the Man Utd game, and the disappointment we are feeling at the moment can only be rectified by our performance on Wednesday."
The Blades must realistically win all of their remaining five fixtures if they are to have a chance of survival, a likely impossible task with the side registering only three victories so far this season.
Wilder remained tight-lipped about whether goalkeeper Ivo Grbic would keep the No.1 shirt over Wes Foderingham, with the Croatian's performances coming under criticism since his January arrival from Atletico Madrid.
The manager said: "I know there was talk of subbing Ivo at half-time on Saturday. I obviously want all the players to do well, whether they arrived in January or have been here before I was, but we need to keep the standard high."
The pressures of managing a limited Premier League squad in a relegation battle is another issue hampering Wilder as he seeks to motivate his team to produce an unlikely result against 7th-placed Man Utd.
"It's difficult because we have players that are injured, players that are out of contract, loan players and young players just trying to find their feet, so there are a lots of moving parts that bringing together on matchday is a challenge."
Wilder confirmed that fan favourite Jack Robinson would remain sidelined for the trip to Old Trafford, with the centre-back having missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
The Blades will be hoping to capitalise on possible fatigue among their opponents after Man Utd endured a taxing FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City on Sunday, ultimately progressing to the final on penalties.
Wilder said: "People have been talking about Man Utd negatively but it's a huge football club with a fantastic group of players that play risk and reward football.
"We'll be looking for every advantage, it was tough afternoon emotionally for them on Sunday but they came through it."
With 88 goals conceded already this season, the Blades will be keen to avoid breaking the unwanted record of most Premier League goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season, with the record currently standing at 89 [Derby County in 2007/08].
On the side's defensive woes, Wilder said: "Defending is something we have to get so much better at, too often we've gone too quickly from one to two to three mistakes within games this season."
Manchester Utd vs Sheffield Utd takes place at Old Trafford at 8pm on Wednesday.
Theatre Deli Sheffield shuts amid rising costs
Theatre Deli Sheffield has announced plans to close its current venue on Arley Street, citing rising costs and the “economic reality” of running a small charity in 2024.
Though the London-based non-profit said that it will continue to operate a base in the north, its future in Sheffield remains uncertain, said CEO and Executive Director David Ralf.
He said: “We've gone from opening this space in March 2023 to looking at closing it at the end of May 2024 and that feels terrible. It’s awful for the team.
“The Deli as a whole is not shutting but this venue in Sheffield is."
Founded in 2008, Theatre Deli turns empty spaces in city centres into creative hubs for communities. Though it had envisioned its current home in Highfield as a “long-term home”, Ralf said that it was no longer economically viable.
“Because of the economic reality of a small charity we don’t have big reserves,” added Ralf. “If something’s not working we don’t have a year to find that out.”
Tributes poured in for the venue on Instagram following the news.
“Thanks for making an inclusive, vibrant space while you could,” wrote one user, while another called it “one of my favourite spaces in my new home town.”
Ralf said that while the venue’s “basic model has always been more precarious than resilient”, its closure is symptomatic of an industry-wide problem he explained.
“What happens with small venues is a bellwether,” he said. “We are seeing lots of organisations that are really struggling, that are not getting the funding that they would normally be able to rely on and that are finding traditional funders turning down a lot of applications that they previously would have funded.”
Theatre Deli has been active in Sheffield since 2014. During its tenure on Arley Street it has offered affordable spaces to 89 different companies, programmed 72 different productions and supported 46 different artists with free space and research and development time.
“The impact that we’ve managed to have even though we’re having to leave the space is something that we’re really really proud of,” said Ralf. “[The future of Theatre Deli in the north] could look like anything. We'll be letting people know as soon as we have an idea of what it will be.”
Interview by Q Cummins.