The Sheffield Cat Shelter gets “exciting” new venue
Sick and abandoned cats are being cared for by The Sheffield Cat Shelter which has opened a new store in Broomhill to raise funds.
Store Manager Antonio Cruz, 32, said: “There was quite a queue at the opening, it was quite exciting. I’ve never seen that before in my 12 years of working in retail.
“We need to make the money through our retail stores because we need more space. If we can generate more money, we could have a bigger shelter or get more cats."
The Sheffield Cat Shelter takes between 80 and 100 cats and has a large waiting list. It looks after cats in need of care with hopes of rehoming them.
They are based in Broomhall and have two charity shops, one on Ecclesall Road and the other in Hillsborough.
“Most of the cats have been neglected and treated poorly, so it’s great when they get to a place of feeling normal again and feel like they can be loved," said Cruz.
Frankie Seaman, patron of The Sheffield Cat Shelter, said: “Our big goal now is to find a plot of land where we can build somewhere because it’s been 126 years that this charity has been around so we want to make sure that we can look after it for the future generations of cats that we can help.”
Becky Churcher, 49, has adopted cats from the Sheffield Cat Shelter.
She said: “We went to the Sheffield Cat Shelter and met Snowy. He had been abandoned along with his sister and had been brought into the shelter with cat flu. He had been in the shelter for quite some time.
“The Sheffield Cat Shelter get as much information as they can about the cats to make sure they are placed in the right homes. They treat the cats with love and care.”
The shelter is looking for volunteers in a range of roles such as socialising with the cats, cat cleaning, admin roles and retail staff.
Sheffield councillors accept the application for D’Ahni’s bar and grill.
An application to convert the premises of The Barrel Inn on London Road has been accepted by Sheffield councillors today.
The proposed renovation will turn the premises into D'Ahni's Bar and Grill, which will serve a Caribbean-English menu.
Councillors accepted the proposals, despite hearing objections from a local resident.
The establishment is expected to bring further business to London Road.
Serving Met officer charged with rape and stalking
A Metropolitan Police officer has appeared in court charged with rape and stalking.
PC Jake Cummings, from Hemel Hempstead, appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on Friday, police said.
The 23-year-old is accused of rape, two counts of stalking, two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, and possession of an offensive weapon, relating to one female victim in Hertfordshire.
The alleged offences took place while Cummings was off duty.
“Powerful” concert for Palestine gets standing ovation
Protesters from South Yorkshire sang in a Sheffield church during a "very powerful" fundraiser for Palestine on Saturday night.
The Tadhamon Singers, a group of 17 women who perform protest songs, sang to a packed crowd at Christ Church in Pitsmoor.
Silence fell in the church after a performance of ‘I Stand with You’. A standing ovation followed, where members of the choir and audience could be seen shedding tears.
Singer Carolyn Leary, 67, called the performance a mark of "respect for the people of Gaza".
She said: "Some of it, we struggled to sing because even we were in tears. I think we make a very powerful connection of solidarity."
The singers formed in 2018 and have performed across the country in protest against the conflict in Gaza. In 2021, they protested outside Israel-based defence contractor Elbit Systems.
Recently, the group sang in Waitrose on Ecclesall Road and temporarily closed down the city’s Barclays branch for two days.
Ms Leary said: “We're obviously utterly committed to nonviolent protest and singing ended up being an amazing way of making connections with people.
“We're kind of keen that we're not just a kind of fundraiser for a good cause. We're actually about motivating political change.”
Among the 12-song setlist was, ‘Coke Busters’, a boycott song of Coca Cola sung to the tune of Ray Parker Jr.'s ‘Ghostbusters’.
Many of its members are involved in other local choirs, such as the Sheffield Socialist Choir. They said they were drawn together as they all shared a common care for Palestine and drew inspiration from similar UK choirs.
Janet Wood, 72, the musical director of the group, said: “I think there is something about singing that just touches people’s hearts. You can march and you can wave the flags and you can talk, but there's something about singing that gets to them on a deeper level.”
Following MP Paul Blomfield’s visit to the West Bank the group arranged their own visit, but were delayed by two years due to the pandemic.
"We just saw levels of violence by the army that I had only ever seen on video. I'd never witnessed it," said Leary.
Following the performance, traditional Palestinian food was served while the group congregated with the audience to share stories.
The group said their support has increased since the conflict escalated on 7 October 2023.
Mrs Wood said: “It obviously touches people and brings them on side really. We'd have children coming running up to us singing bits from our songs. It was just lovely.”
Financier Lord Jacob Rothschild dies at 87
Lord Jacob Rothschild's family has announced that the Financier and member of the Rothschild banking family, has passed away at the age of 87.
New degree unveiled by Sheffield United Community College
Sheffield United Community College have announced they will be running a new Sports Business and Management course starting in September 2024.
This new course is ideal for students who have a passion for sport but do not want to go down the traditional coaching route and instead want to work behind the scenes.
The three-year course is being delivered in partnership with the University of South Wales as part of their contract with the English Football League.
Education Manager, Ryan Collins, said the course will teach students transferable business skills from a sports angle.
He said: “When you use examples from an area of something someone enjoys, they’re going to naturally be more committed to it, especially if they’re getting a placement in a football club.
“They’re going to be living and breathing their passion rather than working for a traditional business”.
Premises for D’Ahni’s bar and grill nearly completed
Owners say they have almost completed renovating the premises for D'Ahni's Bar and Grill, which had previously been the site of The Barrel Inn.
However, environmental concerns have been raised regarding the current premises and owner's will be expected to include environmental provisions.
This includes restricting customers to under 500 people within the premises.
Sheffield R&B singer Lavelle Daley talks about chart-topping success
A Sheffield R&B singer-songwriter and BGT star tops the iTunes charts for the second time with her song ‘Honest’.
Lavelle Daley’s second single soared to number one in the UK R&B charts upon its release on 26 January and was song of the week on BBC Radio 1xtra two weeks ago. Her previous single, ‘Baby Boy’, was in the top 20 of the iTunes UK R&B charts upon its release in August 2023.
Lavelle said: “I did not expect it. Whenever you release music you might hear it will be received well but at the end of the day it is never guaranteed.”
Objections currently being made to the proposed D’Ahni’s bar and grill establishment.
Objections are currently being made to the proposal of D'Ahni's Bar and Grill, on account of it bringing potential anti-social behaviour and noise complaints to London Road.
While restaurants and bars are currently featured along the street, one resident has expressed concerns over the new establishment leading to excessive noise and anti-social behaviour.
However, the proposed owners explained their attraction to the premises due to London Road being a "vibrant community."
Owners propose to serve a Caribbean-English menu through both a sit-in and take-away service.
The proposed establishment will be renovating The Barrel Inn, which closed in Nov 2022.
Sheffield R&B singer Lavelle Daley talks about the success of new single that topped the iTunes charts
A Sheffield R&B singer-songwriter and BGT star tops the iTunes charts for the second time with her song ‘Honest’.
Lavelle Daley’s second single soared to number one in the UK R&B charts upon its release on 26 January and was song of the week on BBC Radio 1xtra two weeks ago. Her previous single, ‘Baby Boy’, was in the top 20 of the iTunes UK R&B charts upon its release in August 2023.
Lavelle said: “I did not expect it. Whenever you release music you might hear it will be received well but at the end of the day it is never guaranteed.”
The music video for ‘Honest’ was filmed in Sheffield City Hall and features Lavelle’s team and friends. She said: “I feel really lucky I can look around my team and see my friends, people who have been supporting me throughout my journey.”
The singer opened up about what inspires her to keep moving forward: “My son is a massive battery in my bag. He is non-verbal and autistic and I understand his reality will be different to that of neurotypical children. I have to make sure that he is sorted above everything else.”
Lavelle, who just got booked for Tramlines, is currently working on a new project that she hopes to release next year.
The singer also performed at the MOBO Awards afterparty that took place in Sheffield earlier this month: “Everything since the MOBOs week has been high, high high, now we all got the MOBO blues. I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”
When asked about what she hopes to achieve in the future, Lavelle said: “I want a few number ones, a few top 10s, I want to build an autism awareness foundation and maybe write a song for Drake. Being a good mum is number one on the list.”
Sheffield anti-abortion group says they “won’t go away”
The anti-abortion group claims they are holding peaceful vigils for 40 days to raise awareness, rather than judge women.
40 Days For Life is an international Christian organisation that claims it is ‘helping to end the injustice of abortion’. Its first campaign took place in 2007, and has reached over 1000 cities in 63 countries.
Mrs Woods, who assists in running the organisations helplines, said: “We believe life is a gift. Abortion hurts women – they think it’s a right to choose, but it does hurt women.”
Sheffield pub set to reopen as a bar and grill
Sheffield councillors are currently considering an application to convert The Barrel Inn into a new food establishment.
The pub, which was famously popular with Sheffield United fans, is planned to be converted into D'Ahni's Bar and Grill.
The London Road establishment will apply for licenses to serve both food and alcohol.
It is currently proposed that this establishment will be open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.