Friends band together to run the Sheffield Half Marathon in memory of an ‘inspirational’ racing driver
The death of an “inspirational” Rotherham racing driver by suicide has led a group of friends from Sheffield to raise money for mental health in his memory.
Jake Cook, a father of two, had competed in a variety of competitions, including the Formula Ford EuroCup and British Formula Renault Championship. His death led to 14 of his school friends coming together to honour his memory by raising money for the mental health charity, MIND.
His friend Jojo Quattrocchi, 32, said: “It’s been something so tragic but we’ve managed to try and spin that into something positive by running for Jake’s family, for MIND, and just sharing our solidarity for mental health and how we can maybe break these stigmas.”
Miss Parker detailed why they had chosen a marathon to raise money and pay tribute to their friend: “He had competed as a Formula racing driver for his whole life. He was an extremely sporty and inspirational person and I think we thought what more could we do in his honour than a sporting challenge?”
The group decided to start a fundraiser for the mental health charity, MIND, to help increase awareness of men’s mental health. Men make up 80% of suicides that happen in the UK each year.
Sheffield woman left traumatised after attempted break-in
An attempted break-in that felt like a “horror movie scene” left a Sheffield resident shaking, as the culprit hid from the police on her roof.
She said: “I heard a loud bang, and then another one. I thought it was my cats playing in the wardrobe.
“I opened the blind and saw a man and his hands on my window. It was like a horror movie scene. A man was at my window which is very difficult to get to.
“As a woman, this was terrifying.”
The resident called the police and asked a neighbour to come to her flat. Her and the neighbour assumed the intruder had climbed over the roof to the abandoned building next door, where the police searched for him.
It was then that the neighbour realised he could hear someone breathing, and spotted the intruder hiding on the roof near the window.
Tennis club saved from collapse by parish council funding
An Ecclesfield tennis club has beaten the odds to survive after “phenomenal” support from the public led to a burst of funding.
The £10,000 from Ecclesfield Parish Council was critical to meet the crowdfund target goal of £25,000 needed to ensure Thorncliffe Tennis Club would retain its £7,500 Sports England pledge.
The funding comes after the only club in Sheffield's north was on the brink of collapse, unable to raise enough money in time to urgently resurface its courts.
Without this funding, the three outdoor courts would have been unable to pass safety standards, and the club might have been forced to close.
Karen Lyon, fundraising manager for Thorncliffe Tennis Club, said: “When we started out with this I can tell you people really didn’t think it would succeed. It took us nine weeks but we did it.
“The public has been phenomenal. The support from local tennis clubs, the offers from companies helping us to resurface the courts, and of course the parish council have been incredible.”
The non-profit organisation, based in one of the poorest areas in Sheffield, raised £8,000 from crowdfunding thanks to the support of the Thorncliffe community.
Cheryl Lunn, 60, the club's secretary, said: "We were totally elated to discover we had been awarded the funds. It has made us realise that our local councillors recognise the value of our facilities to the local community and the negative impact it would have on people of all ages, genders and backgrounds if it was unable to survive as a result of the financial difficulties it faced."
The funding has meant that league matches are able to resume for the players at the High Green venue, with players ranging from four to 92 years-old.
The secretary said: "We have been totally overwhelmed by the support we have received via the crowdfunding platform, having received support both local and nationwide.
"We certainly did not expect this type of response for which we are eternally grateful and are astounded by 'the power of the media'."
Initially the bill for resurfacing was estimated at £54,000, but offers from local businesses to surface paint the courts and to produce a suitable tennis surface for free have knocked £20,000 off the bill.
An additional sum of over £1,000 was raised by local tennis clubs and members including Barnsley Pickleball Club, Rustlings Lawn, Hallam Grange Lawn, Grove, and Brentwood Tennis Club.
Since the crowdfunding campaign began the club has gained five new members, which has contributed to the affordability of these major repairs.
The reserves from the money saved by the non-profit organisation will go towards upgrading the club’s floodlights. The club have since extended their crowdfunding target to £35,000 to raise even more money to change the existing floodlights, which are currently unusable.
To donate to Thorncliffe Tennis Club see their crowdfunding page.
Santander UK launches new £185 offer to switch current accounts
Santander has launched a new offer of £185 to switch to an eligible current account, as banks’ battle to attract customers heats up.
The offer is open to new and existing Santander UK customers, using the Current Account Switch Service (Cass) to switch to either an Everyday Current Account, Santander Edge Current Account, Santander Edge Up Current Account, or Private Current Account (v2).
To qualify for the payment, customers must complete the switch in 60 days, pay in at least £1,500 within 60 days of requesting the switch and set up two direct debits within 60 days.
Money Saving Experts compares the top bank accounts that pay free cash for switching.
Cycle ride for cancer charity helps preserve legacy of Killamarsh murder victims
A cancer charity cycle ride in memory of the victims of the Killamarsh murders took place between Sheffield’s football clubs on Saturday.
Organised by the chairman of Sheffield City Football Club and friends and family of the victims, the event has so far raised over £1,300 for the Youth Cancer Trust.
The cyclists endured a 40-mile trip spanning Chesterfield, Dronfield, Stocksbridge and Sheffield, visiting eight football clubs en route.
Cameron Barton, 15, who was best friends with the Killamarsh victims, participated in the ride and said: “Going up to Stocksbridge, I pulled my quad and I thought I couldn’t do it.
“I just kept thinking I’ve got to get through it for the cause and for them.”
John Paul Bennett, 13, Lacey Bennett, 11, and their friend Connie Gent, 11, were murdered in 2021 by John and Lacey’s stepdad.
Their pregnant mother, Terri Harris, 35, was also killed in the incident.
Shortly before the tragedy, the children had been selling sweets to raise money for the Youth Cancer Trust.
Cameron’s uncle, Jamie Barton, is chairman of Sheffield City FC and wanted to help preserve their legacy by continuing their fundraising efforts.
Mr Barton said: “There were a couple of times we were fatiguing and I just kept saying it’s what we’re doing it for to push us on.
“The support has been amazing from the club and the community.”
Six people participated in the cycle ride, including Mr Barton’s 12-year-old daughter.
They began outside Chesterfield Stadium at 7am, before tackling Sheffield’s gruelling hills up to Stockbridge.
The group then returned to the city, crossing the finishing line at the Olympic Legacy Park before Sheffield City’s final match of the season.
Reflecting on the route, Mr Barton joked: “Why in God’s name did we choose to do it in Sheffield? It felt like the training had done nothing!”
The club continued to fundraise during their match with a raffle and a crossbar challenge.
70% of all money raised will go towards the charity, with the rest being used to support the grassroots football club's growth.
The campaign has far exceeded its £1,000 target, but Mr Barton would like to see it reach double this figure.
If you would like to donate to the team, the GoFundMe is available here.
International book-hiding campaign celebrates seven year anniversary this March
Nearly 18,000 readers have hidden their favourite books in more than 100 countries as a worldwide book-hiding campaign celebrates its seventh anniversary.
The Book Fairies, launched in March 2017, is a volunteer-led international campaign which aims to share books with other people by hiding them in public for others to find and keep.
Cordelia Oxley, the founder of the project, said: "There are people who like to read, and to share the books they’ve read. And guess what – everyone loves a nice surprise."
Volunteers can purchase special stickers to mark the books with: "take this book, read it, and leave it for the next person to enjoy," and a ribbon.
Actor Emma Watson, and climate-activist Greta Thunberg, are some of the famous people who have taken part.
Bex Thorp, the official Sheffield representative, said: “I love to share the joy of books which is why being a book fairy is so amazing. We spread book joy around wherever we go.”
To celebrate this year's anniversary, Ms Thorp will be hiding books all around the city and encouraging everyone she knows to join in.
She said: “I have a bag of second hand books all stickered and ready to be hidden in lots of places.
“Sometimes the hiding place is picked because of the book, there might be a theme or a quote that matches a hiding spot.
"As a book fairy, you are always looking for a great hiding spot and whenever I spot a good site I make a note so I can use it in the future.”
Katie Price has been declared bankrupt for a second time over an unpaid tax bill worth more than £750,000.
The former glamour model, who was previously declared bankrupt in 2019, owes £761,994.05 to HM Revenue and Customs.
At a short hearing at London’s Rolls Building, Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Sebastian Prentis said Ms Price had not responded to HMRC over the debt and declared her bankrupt.
He said: “There has been no response from the debtor. The papers are in order.
“There is substantial debt due from Ms Price to HMRC and therefore I will make a bankruptcy order.”
Ms Price did not attend the hearing on Monday.
This follows a Daily Mirror article published earlier today in which reporter Katie Wilson writes "Tory MP James Wild has called for tougher punishments for repeat driving offenders like Katie Price, who has been banned six times and has convictions dating back 20 years."
Mother accused of murdering son says he was oxygen-starved during birth
A mother accused of murdering her three-year-old son has told a jury he was starved of oxygen during his birth.
Christina Robinson, 30, is on trial for murdering her son, Dwelaniyah, at the family home in Bracken Court, Ushaw Moor, Durham, in November 2022.
She denies losing her temper and violently shaking the boy on the day he collapsed, never to recover, as well as a series of child cruelty offences said to have happened in the weeks before he died.
The jury at Newcastle Crown Court has been told they can consider an alternative manslaughter charge, plus four child cruelty charges, all of which she denies.
The prosecution said she deliberately burned him by immersing him in hot water; that she used slaps, or the back of her hand, hit him with a bamboo cane, spoons and other implements; that she failed to get him medical treatment; and that she abandoned him by leaving him alone at home.
EasyJet opens first new UK base in 12 years
EasyJet has said its first new UK base in more than a decade will give passengers additional flight options and could reduce fares.
The airline’s new operation at Birmingham Airport will also create 140 direct jobs for pilots and crew, and support a further 1,200 indirect jobs, according to the carrier.
It is easyJet’s first new UK base since it launched at Southend Airport in 2012.
Four Para ice hockey players to represent team GB in World Championships after reaching fundraising goal
Para ice hockey players from the Sheffield Steelkings have raised enough money to represent team GB in the World Championships in Norway next month.
Damien Barker set up the fundraiser in December, which has raised over £1,700 so far.
He said: “I’m immensely proud. I have always played sports at a relatively low level but when I found para ice hockey, I just took to it. I felt something different that I hadn't felt in other sports where I wanted to be the best I could be, and it's nice to see that work pay off.
“[The team] are all proud and focused on the task at hand. We know what is expected of us and we have confidence in each other as a team. It's like a second family, because although we only get together once a month, everybody gets on with everybody and the team morale is at an extreme high right now.”
After breaking his ankle in a running accident 10 years ago, Damien was told he would never play sports again.
He started playing for the Steelkings in 2021, after having a full ankle fusion to help ease the pain and stability issues. He decided to have his lower leg amputated last June.
Team GB will play in Pool B of the World Championships, after moving up from Pool C two years ago. They will face tough competition from Norway and Germany, who recently moved down from Pool A, the top division.
There are officially three other team members from the Steelkings who will join Damien, including Ben O'Brien, Paul Brown, and Bryan Hackworth, as well as three reserves.
Player Coach and Chairman of the Sheffield Steelkings, Jake Oakley, said: “Anybody who gets to wear the GB lion has done really well, and I’m very proud because it means they’re taking in what we’re teaching at the Steelkings, and are applying it to a level that means they get to represent us on the world stage.”
The group recently set up a youth division, with the hopes that more people will get involved in the sport at a younger age, and will go on to play at a world level.
Jake said: “Unfortunately at the moment para ice hockey doesn’t have a youth section. I want to change that because like any sport, kids are the future. Because our sport is adults only in this country, you normally find someone who’s in their mid to late twenties, thirties, or even forties and fifties. The younger we can find the kids, the better they will be, because they play instinctively.
“Despite the popularity in Sheffield, in this country ice hockey is a minority sport, and we are the minority playing within the minority sport, so we really do struggle to get exposure. But the more we bang the drum about the sport, the better chances we have of finding those superstars.”
Damien said he also wanted to pass down his knowledge and inspire the next generation.
“I grew up regularly getting injured in sports and felt there was nothing I could do whilst I was recovering. But there are so many disability sports out there that I could have done, I just didn't know of them at the time.
“My daughter has just had a disability awareness event at school and has been telling her friends and teachers that her dad plays for Great Britain in para ice hockey, which has been an incredibly proud moment for her and myself.”
Damien’s GoFundMe page can be found here.
With additional reporting from Chloe Boden.
GB News said it is “deeply concerned” by Ofcom’s ruling
Ofcom ruled against Tory MP presenters on their channel “acting as newsreaders” earlier today.
GB News will meet with the media watchdog to raise concerns.
The broadcaster added: “Ofcom is obliged by law to promote free speech and media plurality, and to ensure that alternative voices are heard.
“Its latest decisions, in some cases a year after the programme aired, contravene those duties.
“Extraordinarily, Ofcom has determined that a programme which it acknowledges was impartial and lacking in any expression of opinion, still somehow breaches its impartiality rules just because an imaginary viewer might think otherwise.”
GB news claimed that Ofcom has “arbitrarily changed the test” and this ruling was a “chilling development for all broadcasters, for freedom of speech, and for everyone in the United Kingdom”.
It said it “takes its obligations very seriously” and is committed to having politicians as presenters on the channel.
Snowdrop Project partners with Sheffield Half Marathon to raise £6,000 for modern slavery survivors
Modern slavery charity Snowdrop Project has partnered with Run for All Sheffield Half Marathon charity to raise £6,000 at next month's race.
Rosie Brent-Turner, Donor Relations and Communications Manager for the Snowdrop Project, said: “All money raised through the Sheffield Half Marathon will go towards supporting more survivors of modern slavery and exploitation on their journeys towards recovery.”
As there is a lack of support for modern slavery survivors through the NHS, the charity has seen a 263 percent increase in referrals to their counselling service in the last year. This increase has been aided by their ability to provide interpreting and childcare.
In 2023, the charity helped 274 adults and 119 children begin the road to recovery after being affected by exploitation.
The Snowdrop Project’s support for victims of modern slavery is free of charge and includes shiatsu, acupuncture, trauma-informed yoga and art therapy, counselling and community activities.
Activities such as sewing classes, dance sessions and jewellery making provide a place for survivors to meet new people and learn new skills in a safe and welcoming setting.
Ms Brent-Turner said: “We often see drastic improvements in the well-being and confidence of clients and their children after attending community activities. We try to remove as many barriers as possible for individuals to attend.”
The charity hopes to spread awareness of modern slavery and exploitation on the day of the Sheffield Half Marathon by having every runner wearing a branded Snowdrop Project logo. They will also have a stand at the race where they'll educate people on the work they do and the issue of modern slavery more generally.
Ms Brent-Turner said: “Last year, we supported more survivors than ever before, and this year we expect the demand for our services to increase again. Fundraisers such as the Sheffield Half are crucial ways of raising vital funds and awareness of the work we do.”
To read more about the Snowdrop Project's work visit: https://www.snowdropproject.co.uk/
And you can donate to Snowdrop Project's JustGiving page on: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/halfmarathon2024