Fargate to become ‘cultural hub’ as council look to convert Sheffield city centre
Up to 20,000 new homes are set to be built in an effort to convert Sheffield city centre into a residential neighbourhood and a 'cultural hub'.
The City Council announced in a meeting last week (14 February) Fargate and the traditional shopping areas will home schools, GP surgeries and outdoor spaces.
The work set out by the City Centre Strategic Vision is set to begin in January 2025. The hub would then open in early 2026, two years later than initially planned.
Councillor Ben Miskell, chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “We are creating liveable neighbourhoods where we can completely rejuvenate and bring back to life our city centre.
“Repopulation in our city centre is part of a wider strategy to get more people into the city centre to reduce anti-social behaviour and to open up more bars and more coffee shops, and to make it a better space for everyone in the city.”
The development of the 20-26 Fargate plan was delayed due to cost pressure and construction constraint, forcing the project to begin in 2025 at the earliest. The area which is set to be renovated is now being reviewed by the design team.
Cllr Miskell said: “There are always going to be delays in big regeneration projects across the city. As a city, we have to be comfortable with that. Sometimes things do take longer than we would hope, but it still is a sign that will be generating the city centre.”
The council also claimed designed work on High Street and Castle Square are currently under review due to cost pressures.
“Our previous prime minister crashed the economy," said Cllr Miskell. "As a City Council, we are experiencing the exact same cost pressures, projects that we want plans to cost and a certain amount of money have now increased.
“We are left to pick up the pieces just like homeowners, like people across our city are struggling to pay the bills as well."
Moor Market Traders left “disheartened” as service charges increase for the first time since 2013
Traders at Sheffield's Moor market have been hit by a 26.5% service charge hike.
The Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee members announced the decision to increase service charges by 26.5 per cent in 2024/2025 for the first time since 2013.
Sheffield City Council said that the increase is to cover inflation and higher energy tariffs.
Firas Al Bermawi, owner of Moor Perfume, said Moor Gate used to be a “cosy place” for Sheffield residents and students.
However, he believes =the number of people visiting the market is dwindling due to inflation.
“We noticed a big difference. There aren’t as many shoppers and they are worried about prices.
"They used to buy in bigger quantities, now they check everything and this is understandable,” he added.
Craig Goodridge, owner of Goodridge Travels echoed Mr Fermawi’s thoughts.
Mr Goodridge has only been trading in Moor Market since June and said he had observed falling sales over the past few months.
He said: “It’s a little disheartening. Prices are going up already and I’ve only been here for a short amount of time. I hope it doesn’t go up year on year. “
Last month, shop owners received a summary letter from the Sheffield City Council informing them of rising rents. Traders who were unable to stay afloat were forced to shut their businesses.
Mark Holmes, who is a small business owner himself, called the price hikes a “struggle.”
“Something's got to give and nine times out of 10, it's usually my wage that gives," he said.
"I think if I equated the hours that I put into the business, I'd be [earning] way below minimum wage.”
He said small businesses struggle particularly because they have to keep prices low to compete with supermarkets and bigger chains.
Although the markets have been busier than it was during the pandemic when compared to the costs of products, the sales are insufficient.
Calling the price hike a “double-edged sword”, he added while the rise in minimum wage is positive, the subsequent rise in cost offsets the positive effects.
Sheffield Sabrecats Cheerleaders have huge success at the UK University Nationals
From coming last in 2023, the University of Sheffield’s cheerleading team have "end[ed] a spell of bad luck" by placing highly at the nationals in Manchester yesterday.
This year, the Sheffield Sabrecats Stunt Cheerleading team has been able to turnaround their performance in only five months.
One of the members of the Gold Squad, Emily Haycock, 21, expressed how tense the competition was.
She said: "Despite the odds being against us with last minute injuries and changes, we went out there and did the best we could.
"Everyone has worked incredibly hard this year. After a not-so-good season last year, we were determined to end a spell of bad luck."
The UK University Nationals is the biggest cheerleading competition of the year with teams from across the UK taking part.
Miss Haycock said the team's adrenaline was running high, as most of their performances were in the evening.
This competition marks the first time since 2020 that the Sabrecats have done group stunts. Most members of the team did not have previous or very little experience of doing group stunts.
The rigorous training sessions in the lead up to the competition took place twice a week, with the group practising complex routines including stunts, tumbling, and dance. The team is made up of more than 100 male and female cheerleaders.
The Black Squad placed third, the Gold Squad placed fourth out of 11 teams, and the Silver Squad placed sixth out of 22 teams. All three Group Stunt teams hit zero after making no mistakes in their routines.
Maddie Homer, 21, who is a part of the Level Two Group Stunt team, had never competed in a cheerleading competition before yesterday, and highlighted the satisfaction in "seeing all the hard work pay off".
She said: “Honestly the best part was watching all the other teams perform and cheering them on.”
The Sheffield Sabrecats are now perfecting their routines to hopefully win big in the upcoming competitions in both Nottingham and Sheffield.
Sheffield Powerlifting Championship 2024 sees 51 world records smashed
The 2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships, organised by SBD, proves to be one of the sports strongest events with a staggering 51 world records being shattered from the 24 super athletes.
Held at Sheffield's City Hall on February 10, 2024, this distinguished event displayed a remarkable display of athleticism by both male and female competitors.
This annual powerlifting competition organised by SBD is regarded as one of the top powerlifting competitions in the world, primarily for its unconventional format, large prize purse and record-breaking lifts.
Diverging from conventional powerlifting meets, this competition featured 12 male and 12 female athletes from different weight categories facing off against one another. The format, intricately aligned with the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) world records, with the goal for each competitor to break the current standing records in their weight bracket.
The coveted top prize was awarded to the athlete who achieved the highest proportion of breaking the total world record in their class. Moreover, substantial £5,000 bonuses were allocated for breaking world records in squat, bench press, deadlift, or total.
The level of competition demonstrated exceptional lifting prowess. Among the 12 women contestants, 11 shattered world records in their respective weight classes, setting the stage for historic achievements.
The distinctive format of this contest translated into an unconventional prize distribution. While conventional competitions typically reward higher placements with more significant prize money, the addition of bonuses for record-breaking performances disrupted the norm.
In some instances, athletes lower in the rankings earned more in prize money than those standing on the podium. With all ranking able to be found here.
2024 Sheffield Women’s Results
On the women’s side, the format heavily favoured the three lifters in the 69-kilogram class, as the world record total was lower in this class than in the weight class below. This gave them an arguably easier target to hit; this became adamant when all three made the podium.
Sheffield 24 also saw the all-time women’s raw squat record broken; Sonita Muluh confidently took to the stage as she lifted an astonishing 300.5kg.
Karlina Tongotea has said that a key element of her training is keeping her mental strength in check.
She says: "competing in powerlifting can be full of highs and lows. The way I manage this is with mindfulness, the practice of acknowledging emotions and deciding what I want to let go and what might be useful to keep."
As well as powerlifting, Karlina works as a general practitioner. She hopes that through competing and gaining exposure that girls see that how rewarding strength training and powerlifting is.
Tongotea went into the tournament with the goal of breaking the world record deadlift for her weight bracket, however after missing her second attempt she realised this wasn't going to happen.
Afterwards she said: "I decided to let go of most of the anger and hold onto just enough to fuel me for my 3rd attempt. On that 3rd attempt I made the 252.5kg lift without any trouble."
Tongotea started powerlifting in 2018, at the age of 25-years-old and noticed there was only a handful of women competing at the high level.
Fast forward to now and she said: "I get the sense that the number of women competing is starting to match our counterparts. Even more exciting is that I see more and more teens and young women feeling confident and encouraged to start strength sports."
Sheffield 24 saw one of the biggest up-and-coming names in powerlifting prove to the world that the buzz around her is worthy.
This flawless performance scored Agata Sitko 109.29% of the total world record and overall victory in the competition, along with the lions share of the prize purse she also moved to the top of the IPF raw rankings, displacing Bavoil.
No one, male or female, has ever achieved more in a single competition, this begs the question of what’s left to achieve for this 21-year-old.
When speaking to her, Sitko says that she is trying to avoid making any lifetime goals for now, as she finds that she achieves them much sooner than imagined.
She did say: " a 700 kilo total might be something I want to chase but that just sounds so ridiculous now that I am not too sure if that's possible... I just want to get the word title that's for sure."
2024 Sheffield Men’s Results
While on the men's side, the amount of total world records was less frequent, with only three total records being beaten, yet the competition showcased compelling battles nonetheless.
Particularly noteworthy was the clash in the 93-kilogram class, where four athletes fiercely contended for supremacy, culminating in Gustav Hedlund emerging victorious, narrowly defeating world champion Jonathan Cayco.
Despite securing the second-to-last position in the event, one of the tournament's highlights unfolded as Jesus Olivares shattered the all-time men's raw squat record.
Making a profound impact kilo by kilo, Jesus Olivares left a mark at the 2024 Sheffield Powerlifting Championships. Among the myriad of new powerlifting world records established, Olivares claimed the Men’s super-heavyweight IPF classic squat record.
In a remarkable final attempt, Olivares successfully squatted 478 kilograms (1,053.81 pounds), surpassing Ray Williams' longstanding 477.5-kilogram (1,052.7-pound) record since 2017.
Despite Olivares' valiant 429-kilogram final attempt in the deadlift segment, the defending champion from the 2023 Sheffield event relinquished his title.
Karlina Tongotea has praised Sheffield Championship for being a key driving force in the growth in popularity and equality in the sport.
She said: "a huge part of this growth is the level of exposure provided by events like Sheffield, where female Champions and elite female athletes have equal footing and are supported to shine just as bright as our counterparts. This is a rare quality in other sports."
William Islip, Commercial Director at SBD said: "The Sheffield Powerlifting Championships is one of the many examples where SBD is investing in strength sports, to support the overall promotion and growth of our sport. This year the Sheffield City Hall was fully sold out, and a further 310,000 people have watched the event on our livestream. This year’s event saw a large proportion of the audience attend from overseas, bringing significant investment into the Sheffield City Region and our surrounding communities."
The second edition of Sheffield proved to be a resounding success, characterised by exceptional production values and stellar athlete performances. Tickets for the 2025 event are already in high demand, urging enthusiasts to act swiftly to witness the action in person.
20mph speed limit schemes are the “right thing to do for the future” of Sheffield
Councillor Ben Miskell said: "There will always be some objections to these schemes but I think they're the right thing to do for the future of our city and also the safety of young people who live in these areas."
Britain’s Andrew Tate problem and how to deal with it
A recent study has found one in five young men in the UK look favourably on self-styled misogynist Andrew Tate, whose programme to masculinise boys raked in millions of followers.
Despite facing charges of human trafficking in Romania, the controversial figure has continued to expand his audience. Tate was readmitted to X in November 2022 after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform, and as of February 2024 he had 8.8 million followers.
Understandably, his exponential influence has become a problem for both schools and parents.
So who is Andrew Tate and why do people admire him?
Tate, dubbed ‘the King of toxic masculinity’, is an American-British former kickboxer turned social media personality. He moved to Luton from Chicago with his mother and siblings after his parents divorced in 1997. Tate appeared on the reality show Big Brother in 2016, and despite being kicked off the show after six days after producers discovered footage of him allegedly hitting a woman with a belt, his far-right, sexist, views still garnered him a dedicated online following.
Before a campaign to de-platform him Tate had 4.7 million followers on Instagram, while he was also banned from Facebook and TikTok, where on the latter videos using his the hashtag Tate have been viewed over 13 billion times. YouTube followed suit, suspending his channel which had 760,000 subscribers.
Explaining the reasons for his popularity is not simple. A recent study by the Financial Times found that social media algorithms are trapping users in echo chambers, recycling Tate and similar content to users, while restricting countering views. Post #MeToo feminism, economic downturn, and the deregulation of X have all been cited as reasons.
On the social news site Reddit, one user, under the name u/No_Covid_Shot, spoke of their admiration for Tate: “The man came from nothing. A poor, skinny chess nerd from a broken family. From homeless shelters to government housing. He had to actually fight his way out of poverty. Training to become a kickboxer, while picking food out of the trash.”
Tate’s carefully cultivated image of being a self-made man is often the most appealing aspect for young men, this despite his father Emory being a successful International Chess Master.
Britain’s Tate Problem
Tate was the third-most Googled figure in 2023, and the UK came out top for searches relating to the media mogul. Searches for Tate spiked in March when he and his brother, Tristan, were released from police custody in Romania, and again in June when they were indicted on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.
Recently, a 26-year-old male university student who looked up to Tate and held misogynistic views planned to carry out a shooting at Leeds Trinity University.
His popularity in the UK has become a problem for schools, who are now increasingly issuing guidance for teachers and parents on how to deal with his influence.
A teacher at Woodside Junior School in Buckinghamshire, Dorota Milner, said on their website: “We know children are talking about Andrew Tate, and boys, in particular, are being influenced and groomed by his views, with concerns that his power and influence could lead to radicalisation and violence against women. Girls are also in danger of accepting that what he says about women is true.”
At The Hayfield School in Doncaster, their guidance advises: “It is important to note that children and young people are still growing in their emotional, physical, and mental maturity. If they are engaging with content that promotes harmful behaviours, such as misogyny, it does not mean they fully understand or agree with what is being said, even if they claim they do.”
How to talk to a Tate Fan
Much is out of the hands of teachers, and parents struggle to contend with the untameable reach of social media, but there are solutions available.
Chris Stein, a spokesperson for the charity Future Men, which focuses on supporting young men and helping them develop into more rounded adults, has some advice to share:
“Seeking to understand what it is that another person might find attractive in a proposition, takes effort and a non-judgemental approach. It is important to offer space for sharing and the opportunity for a person to hear themselves. Feeling heard is a universal need and bringing people in as opposed to pushing them out is not a bad philosophy to pursue.“
He says that displaying curiosity is key to understanding why a figure such as Tate can appeal to someone, and that denouncing someone’s beliefs is likely to strengthen their views.
Hope not Hate, an advocacy group that tackles far-right extremism, advises that addressing the issue as early as possible is crucial, otherwise these views will become normalised.
Their website says: “Often children are simply unaware of the impact that some of the language they use can have on people around them. This can be because either they have not thought through the consequences or they believe the phrase is considered mainstream and deemed acceptable to use. Getting young people to understand the full impact and empathise with those affected can prevent issues from reoccurring.”
Tate’s readmission to X was accompanied by the likes of Donald Trump and far-right conspiracist Alex Jones, which was followed by a rise in hate-speech on the platform, but parents and friends can take steps to limit their influence and provide sound guidance.
Some useful tools for parents include:
Community fights youth cancer in a 40-mile charity bike ride across South Yorkshire
Friends and family brought together by the 2021 Killamarsh tragedy are hoping to raise £2,000 for Youth Cancer Trust by cycling between eight major South Yorkshire football clubs.
After losing two of his best friends to the tragedy, Cameron is raising money for Youth Cancer trust in their memory.
How is Sheffield celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month?
Sheffield is home to a thriving and diverse community, this February the city is celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month.
Throughout this month, events are taking place across the city, but is it enough?
There are many people who want to see more done to help create a more supportive, inclusive, and celebratory environment.
Tom Juniper, 44, is a freelance writer and performer, and is passionate about elevating the voices of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I grew up under Section 28, (a law that basically prohibited any discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in schools from 1987 to its repeal in 2003) so I never had the chance to learn anything about people who shared that aspect of me or my community," they say.
Tom wrote a collection of poems celebrating Maurice Dobson which featured at the Barnsley Book Festival this month. Maurice Dobson was born in Darfield in 1912 and lived openly as a gay man with his partner Fred; despite the attitudes of the time, they were generally welcomed by the community.
Tom acknowledges this was quite an unusual situation. They say: “I think because of censorship of LGBTQ+ plus issues in the media up until quite recently, a lot of people think of LGBTQ+ identities as something new.
"Trans identities are often depicted as something that only just started happening recently but if you look at our history, you soon discover that we've always been here!”
While younger people in Sheffield can find LGBTQ+ venues more easily, many of the venues which older generations used to visit have now closed, with many findings increasingly less spaces to connect with others.
Rachel Guildford works for Zest, a charity who run a session for LGBTQ+ people who are over 50 in Sheffield. “We were originally set up when it was recognised as a need for an individual who identifies as LGBTQ+. We recognised that a more diverse group was needed. We also started as a dementia and neurodivergent friendly group. We saw that there was a real gap in provision for over 50s, whose experience is different from young people.
“We do things including bird watching, meditation, we always have refreshments and talk. We focus on connections in life experience, we try to be a community for the creative minded, there’s no judgment.
"We provide a space where people can be themselves and be honest. People often share their stories of working out they were different.
“My favourite part of hosting the session is just feeling honoured to hear people’s stories, it may be that they haven’t felt heard in other spaces, and now they feel heard with us.”
Jake Hall, 30, is a freelance writer and author of The Art of Drag and Shoulder to Shoulder. Born and raised in Doncaster, Jake moved back to Sheffield in late 2020 and recognises the city as a great place to be – thanks to the likes of Gut Level, SADACCA, Cryptid Queers, Juno Books.
“To me this month is an opportunity to spotlight brilliant researchers, and to think about why these histories are still so important,” says Jake.
“There's this widespread idea that queerness is something new, but we're just learning new words to describe it; if you dig deeper, there have been same-sex couples and gender diverse people around for ages, and not all of them have met these really horrible fates.”
Jakes book, The Art of Drag, is an illustrated history of drag, which traces the origins of drag as an artform and highlights drag has always been political. Their new book, Shoulder to Shoulder, which comes out on May 23, is about how queer movements and coalitions have worked with other marginalised groups to fight for their broader liberation.
They say: “It's difficult, because I'd love to see LGBTQ+ histories uplifted and amplified more often, especially local and working-class histories. I do quite a lot of work with LGBTQ+ young people, and some of them are really surprised to learn that gender diversity has existed for centuries, especially in pre-colonial societies.”
Jake is passionate about documenting all elements of history which affects their community, from the joyful aspects to the resistance and struggle they are often faced with.
They say: “LGBTQ+ communities are creating and writing new histories as we speak. We're seeing this enormous wave of Palestinian solidarity; we're seeing LGBTQ+ people lead trade unions and boycott campaigns.
"On a more basic level, we're seeing rising awareness of T4T relationships (those between two transgender people) and rising awareness of the idea that we build communities of care for each other, often because nobody else will.”
You can attend the free Zest sessions by contacting 0114 270 2040.
They run from 1-3pm and we meet on the second Thursday of every month.
Community fights youth cancer in a 40-mile charity bike ride across South Yorkshire
Friends and family brought together by tragedy are hoping to raise £2,000 for Youth Cancer Trust by cycling between eight major South Yorkshire football clubs.
The fundraising is headed by Jamie Barton, chairman of Sheffield City FC, and his 15-year-old nephew, Cameron Barton.
Cameron lost two of his best friends to the Killamarsh tragedy in 2021, where Terri Harris, 35, her children, John Paul, 13, and Lacey Bennett, 11, and Connie Gent, 11, were killed.
The children were doing their best to raise money for Youth Cancer Trust by selling sweets on the street shortly before they died.
Sheffield City FC are continuing their legacy by accomplishing what they were never able to finish.
Mr Barton said: “Cameron has been strongly affected by it so he has chosen to fundraise in their memory ever since.”
The group of six people is made up of Sheffield City FC teammates and Jamie's 12-year-old daughter who has never cycled such a distance before.
They are preparing with lots of gruelling biking sessions in the gym, hoping to get their fitness up before the big day.
The ride will begin on the 16 March and hit the eight major football clubs in and around Sheffield.
It will start in Chesterfield and continue to Dronfield, Sheffield FC, Sheffield United, Hallam, Sheffield Wednesday, Stocksbridge, and finally finish at the Olympic Legacy Park.
The group will arrive just in time for kick-off of Sheffield City FC’s last game of the season and they hope to continue fundraising after the game too.
Mr Barton said: “We know times are really tough money-wise for people at the moment, but just a couple of quid means something.
“Any little bit of help, even if it's not for our charity, will make a world of difference for people who are struggling right now.”
They are currently at £730 of their £2,000 target and although Cameron says that this target is aspirational, he hopes people will pull together in support after seeing their commitment to the cause.
Mr Barton has described how appreciative Youth Cancer Trust has been for their fundraising, contacting Cameron frequently and sending t-shirts and words of encouragement on social media.
“It’s nice to feel that we haven’t got lost, they contacted us straight away.” Mr Barton said.
This takes place against the backdrop of Cancer Prevention Week, where charities are campaigning for people to take steps to make small, consistent changes to their lifestyles to avoid preventable cancers.
If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe for this campaign, follow this link: Fundraiser by Jamie Barton : Sheffield City Charity Ride (gofundme.com)
Image credit: Youthcancertrust.org
Heartbreak for Hallam as Wembley dreams dashed
Just three wins from a final at the legendary Wembley Stadium, Sheffield non-league side Hallam FC were knocked out of the FA Vase by Lincoln United on Saturday afternoon.
A season-high 1,287 people made their way to Sandygate, the oldest football stadium in the world, in Crosspool, for the tie.
“Football gathers people”: Doncaster friendly football club focuses on improving mental health
A local Doncaster man set up a football club to break down the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and build a community around the game.
The football matches are friendly games to promote fitness and provide an open space for the players to talk about their mental health.
New Sheffield research uncovers a surprising dance of survival and friendship between fungi, plants, and parasites
Plants are capable of making even smarter choices about how to treat their friends and foes than ever previously thought, new research from the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield has found.
A study published last month in Nature found plants can choose to starve out parasites trying to steal sugar from them even while they attempt, as much as possible, to feed the white threads of friendly mycorrhizal fungi who intertwine with their roots.
“The paper is really exciting. It really surprised me at the end of the day that the plants are able to do that,” said Dr Katie Field, Professor of Plant Soil Processes at the University of Sheffield and author on the study.
Plants are not just roots, shoots, and leaves. To grow and prosper, plants also form intimate partnerships with friendly fungi who provide the plant with hard-to-reach minerals from the soil in exchange for the sugars and fats that the plant makes from the sun.
“These relationships between plants and fungi have existed since the dawn of plants growing on land. We’re talking 500 million years,” said Dr Field.
The partnership is essential to our planet’s ecosystem and climate.
Dr Field said: “A lot of the air that we breathe, it is because of the actions of these fungi in the soil around us. And that contributes to climate and weather patterns.”
The experiment took place in glass houses on a roof at the University of Leeds. The fungi scientists took potato plants, split the roots in half, and planted half with mycorrhizal fungi, and the other half with tiny, squirming parasitic roundworms called nematodes. Then they let the potato plants grow.
When the scientists came back to the potato plants, they discovered the plants had cut off the supply of sugars to them both - but still kept pumping out the fats that fungi, but not nematodes, need as food. The fungi may not have gotten all the food they usually get, but they still got as much as the plant could provide without feeding the nematodes.
“Even in a situation where you have pests and diseases, fungi are going to provide huge benefits for the plant. What we did was show how,” said Dr. Field.
The new discovery could help farmers and food scientists develop new crops that maximise the benefits of friendly fungi - leading to healthier food and less need for pesticides.
“It’s good for soil, it’s good for carbon emissions, and it’s good for farmers pockets. There’s no downside to encouraging crops to form intimate relationships with fungi,” said Dr Field.