Morning briefing: Stories to come throughout the day
Here are three stories to look out for on the Sheffield Wire today.
South Yorkshire has seen a 650% spike in antisemitism since Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel according to data obtained from the Community Security Trust.
Sheffielders are reacting to the council's plan to increase rent by 7.7% from April amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
An anti-abortion group holding a 40-day vigil outside the city's Royal Hallamshire Hospital has told the Sheffield Wire that it "won't go away".
More to come throughout the day.
Plans to reallocate HS2 funding is said to be “transformational”
Following the decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2, Rishi Sunak has announced that the £4.7 billion that has been earmarked for the north will now put into local transport schemes.
In an interview with BBC Radio York, Mr Sunak said: “We could have carried on with a project that was going to cost well over £100 billion, take decades and have a very specific set of benefits, whereas I made a different decision.
“I said ‘I’m going to take that money, and instead I’m going to give it to local areas to spend on their local transport priorities’.
“And that’s already started to happen. So local authorities have already got money at the end of last year for more road resurfacing and potholes. They’re going to get more of that this year. We’ve already capped bus fares at £2."
Mr Sunak said these plans are already benefiting people and will be "transformative" in his efforts to improve the connectivity of the North.
Sheffield United Community College Unveil New Degree
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.
It aims to teach students about marketing, managing people and projects, strategy and governance as well as developing their leadership and creative skills to prepare them for roles in the sports industry.
The college are promising a unique blended learning experience with opportunities for students to complete placements alongside their studies within both the football club and the community foundation itself.
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”.
Students will study from classroom suites in Bramall Lane, but will submit assignments to the University of South Wales and travel there twice a year to complete assessments.
The college already run a Football Coaching degree that has about 50 students enrolled, they are hoping this new course will have a cohort of 10 students.
Mr Collins said: “It’s a lot smaller scale than other universities, but it allows us to focus on quality and the level of support for each learner”.
Students can apply through UCAS and the University of South Wales and then will be invited to an interview stage before being offered a place on the course.
For more information about the course please visit the Sheffield United Community Foundation website.
‘We won’t go away’ says anti-abortion group holding 40-day vigil outside hospital
An anti-abortion group holding a 40-day ‘vigil’ outside of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield claim they are there 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.
Rachel Wood, who organises the Sheffield vigils, told Sheffield Wire that the group has been in the area for three years and aims to pray outside the hospital from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, which is when abortions are performed in the hospital.
Mrs Wood, who also assists in running two helplines that aim to end abortion, said: “We believe life is a gift. Abortion hurts women – they think it’s a right to choose, but it does hurt women.”
The group do not consider their actions to be a protest, with Mrs Wood stating that 40 Days For Life considers it a “peaceful prayer vigil.”
Another one of the vigil attendees, Andrew, declined to provide his last name due to fears surrounding his safety.
He said: “We’ve had vigils interrupted where we’ve just been praying, people have come along and smashed our signs up.
“An elderly gentleman had his sign ripped out of his hands and stood on and torn into small pieces – it was quite shocking, but it wouldn’t deter him from coming.”
Marie, who also declined to provide her surname, said: “People mention rape making it okay to abort, but it’s still a life.
“We speak up for the babies – they have no voice. We won’t go away.”
The group faces heavy criticism in Sheffield. Alexandra, 23, from Sheffield Solidarity Group, said: “We think that being harassed whilst undertaking one of the most difficult decisions a pregnant person can take is an awful thing and should not happen.”
Sarah, who declined to provide her last name, helped to set up the Facebook group ‘Sheffield Protecting the Right to Choose’ in September 2022, after reading about 40 Days For Life. The group aims to establish counter-protests and figure out how to support people in Sheffield.
Sarah believes there should be more buffer zones in place to protect people using the services.
“Everyone’s got a right to their beliefs, but I think there needs to be better securities and systems in place.
“It’s already such a stressful time, adding that stress and judgement on top – I can’t imagine what that feels like.”
Sarah also added that she doesn’t think there are a massive amount of people in Sheffield who aren’t pro-choice.
Vigil attendee Marie disagreed, saying she knows “plenty of people who are pro-life. Maybe they don’t see that.”
According to BPAS, 1 in 3 women will have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old.
Next month, MPs are expected to get a free vote on decriminalising abortion in England and Wales after 24 weeks.
Rishi Sunak condemns MP Lee Anderson’s comments as “wrong”
Rishi Sunak has denied that the Conservative Party has Islamophobic tendencies after comments made by fellow MP Lee Anderson.
Mr Anderson was suspended after failing to apologise for his claims that "Islamists" had "got control" of Sadiq Khan and London.
Mr Sunak said: “Lee’s comments weren’t acceptable, they were wrong. And that’s why he had the whip suspended.
“Words matter, especially in the current environment where tensions are running high and I think it’s incumbent on all of us to choose them carefully.”
Barnsley close the gap on Derby with dramatic fightback at Oakwell
Barnsley clawed their way back from a goal down to secure a crucial 2-1 victory over promotion rivals Derby County at Oakwell, closing the gap to just three points in the race for automatic promotion.
Derby, the visitors, enjoyed a vibrant start and took the lead as early as the 10th minute. Captain Conor Hourihane whipped in a corner which found the unmarked Sonny Bradley, who rose highest to head the ball past a helpless Liam Roberts, sending the travelling Rams faithful into raptures.
However, Barnsley refused to buckle and responded with a moment of individual brilliance in the 25th minute.
Adam Phillips unleashed a thunderous half-volley from outside the box that dipped wickedly over the head of Derby goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith.
The second half continued in a similar vein, with both sides searching for the winner. The turning point arrived in the 66th minute when Phillips again got on the score sheet, nodding decisively past Wildsmith to spark joyous scenes inside Oakwell.
Derby threw everything forward in the remaining minutes, but Barnsley held firm under pressure. The visitors managed nine tense minutes of injury time, yet they failed to truly test Roberts in the Barnsley goal.
With this victory, Barnsley have sent a strong message to the top of the table. They remain in fourth place, but the gap to second-placed Derby has narrowed significantly, setting up a thrilling race for automatic promotion in the coming weeks.
Charity says spike in eating disorders is “extremely worrying”
Eating disorder charity, Beat, has seen an increase in people seeking help for ARFID, an avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
Andrew Radford, chief executive of Beat, said: “It’s extremely worrying that there has been such a dramatic increase in those seeking support for ARFID, particularly as specialist care isn’t always readily available.
“All too often we hear from people who have been unable to get treatment close to home, or have faced waits of months or even years to get the help they need."
Of the 2,000 calls the charity received last year, 10% of them were from people suffering from ARFID.
Protesters at University of Sheffield demand the immediate removal of a chaplain who served as a soldier in Gaza
After announcements that a chaplain who has served in Gaza would be coming to the University of Sheffield campus this week, a group of students and community activists staged a peaceful protest aimed at preventing him from doing so.
"We refuse to allow Deutsch to step onto campus," wrote the protest organisers in a widely circulated WhatsApp message announcing the action.
Last October, Israeli Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch was called up to serve as part of the reserve unit for the Israeli Defence Forces. In a video clip leaked to the Jewish Chronicle, Rabbi Deutsch said: “What Israel is trying to do is to destroy the evil which is the most moral thing possible. We are also trying to deal with the civilians in Gaza in the best way possible.”
One female student, who did not want to be named, said in a speech at the protest: “Whilst our fellow students find themselves stuck at Rafah, stuck in nylon tents, stuck between life and death, Zecharia Deutsch is able to come and go as he pleases."
Around a hundred activists arrived for a protest on campus with banners at midday on Wednesday, 14 February. Several guards were stationed around the University’s Belief, No Belief, and Religious Life Centre, where the university's chaplains are based.
“How can students watching their homes be bombed from afar think that they would feel safe going to the chaplaincy for support?” said Dr Lisa Stampnitzky, a Lecturer in Politics at the University, during the protest.
"This university has a government mandated duty under the Prevent legislation to prevent students from being drawn into violent religious extremism."
Rabbi Deutsch is primarily a chaplain at the University of Leeds but also serves as an associate chaplain at several Yorkshire universities, including the University of Sheffield. He is not employed by the University of Sheffield, but by the organisation University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC). After returning to the UK from fighting in Gaza and receiving threats, police advised him, along with his family, to go into hiding.
Previously, protesters sent a letter signed by over 11,000 students, staff, and community members asking the university to stop employing Zecharia Deutsch.
The University of Sheffield responded to a request for comment: "The University of Sheffield’s Belief, No Belief and Religious Life Centre includes a diverse team of chaplains from different faiths and perspectives. For Jewish students, we have a link to the UJC, a local Orthodox Rabbi and a Reform Judaism adviser, and it is important that we maintain an extensive provision for current and future Jewish students."
Barnsley Book Festival: Making the arts more accessible in South Yorkshire
Barnsley is breaking boundaries by hosting its first ever Book Festival to showcase the variety of creative talent across the South Yorkshire town.
A range of events are taking place through February and March to champion local literature, art, and culture.
To some, Barnsley may not seem like an obvious choice for a literature festival, but for romance author Milly Johnson, who launched her new book The Happiest Ever After at the festival, it makes perfect sense.
“Barnsley having a lit fest? Why wouldn’t we? Per square foot I think in Barnsley, it has far more artists, sculptors, actors, far more creatives than many towns I can think of,” says Milly.
"Everybody else in the country has been ripping down libraries. Barnsley put one up"
She adds that Barnsley’s status as a former industrial town still influences how outsiders perceive the local people and their heritage.
“If you tell someone you’re from Barnsley, there’s this thing where they have to go ‘Oh Baahhhhhhhhhrnsley’. People who have never been here associate Barnsley with pits and mines, they associate us with Kes, with muckstacks, with whippets, with flat caps. I’m almost on a mission to show people that the Barnsley of today is not the Barnsley of yesterday. Everybody else in the country has been ripping down libraries. Barnsley put one up.”
The festival was made possible by funding from Arts Council England, as part of the National Portfolio Organisation for Barnsley. It includes talks from authors, art workshops, poetry sessions, and drop-ins for families, welcoming visitors of all ages.
Jemma Conway, one of the organisers of the festival and programme manager at Barnsley Libraries, says: “We really wanted an opportunity for local people to see what local people have achieved. People like Milly Johnson, Andrew and Ian McMillan are really big household names, and they're also massive champions of literature in Barnsley.”
Milly recalls the challenges she faced when trying to break into the industry as a northern writer. She had no choice but to spend around £20 to send a manuscript to London.
“That was a big thing,” she says. “It was a lot of money to have to send it down. It’s expensive before you’ve even started.”
Born and raised in Barnsley, Milly dreamt of becoming a writer but was unsure whether she could make it in the industry. After studying Drama and Education at the University of Exeter, she became an accountant at a building society, and started ghost-writing on the side, but her first publishing deal didn’t come until she was 40. She is now one of the UK’s Top 10 Female Fiction Authors.
"It was only when I embraced my northernness that I managed to break into the publishing industry"
Historically, the London-centric nature of the publishing industry permeated the kind of romance literature that was popular. The 90s and early 2000s saw the heyday of ‘chick lit’ – think Bridget Jones’ Diary or Confessions of a Shopaholic – which centred around the disastrous love lives of women in their twenties living in London and working in PR, journalism or publishing. The genre has fallen out of fashion in recent years, partly because many of them reinforced tired sexist tropes, but also because their lives were not relatable for most women, particularly for working-class, northern women.
“I loved them, we all loved them, but they didn’t relate to my life,” says Milly.
The need for ordinary, northern, female voices to be brought to the forefront in fiction helped Milly carve out her own niche within the genre. “Ironically I didn’t think anyone would be interested in the north. But it was only when I embraced my northernness that I managed to break into the publishing industry.
“I think probably at the time [the publishers] saw [that] my books could relate to all women of all ages. I’m very very lucky to have a great spectrum of readership, and I just appealed to ordinary women. I know that living and breathing in the north I can write authentically about it. The world of literature has opened up to appeal to everybody, as it should. In a way I was representing a minority class. Working-class working people were not represented in books, and there was a need for it.”
Michelle Rawlins, who is also due to talk at the festival this Saturday (February 24), is the author of Women of Steel and the Steel Girls series, which are based on the lives of real women who worked in Sheffield’s steel works during WWII. She says: “I think it’s very important that every part of the country is represented in literature and it's another form of memorialization.”
The perception that careers in the arts are limited to well-off, well-connected individuals living in London is pervasive, but in recent years things have improved for northern writers. More publishing houses have moved up north, with Harper North (the northern branch of HarperCollins) being established in Manchester in 2020. Milly and fellow author, Trisha Ashley, set up an X (formerly known as Twitter) account called Northern Authors. It aims to create an online community for northern writers, illustrators and bookshops, making it easier for publishers and agents to find them.
The Barnsley Book Festival has been welcomed as an opportunity for northern literature to be championed, while showing off the beauty, heritage and culture of the town. Michelle says: “I'm always happy for the Steel Girls to be celebrated, but it feels more special that it's in Yorkshire, because that's where they belong.”
For Milly, headlining a book festival in the town where she was born and raised is a “pinch-me moment”. She says: “I love the fact that we have this festival here, and to show off. We’ve got a great town centre, it’s brilliant, it’s bringing people in. I hope that they carry on. I hope that this is the first of many.”
The organisers, authors and artists hope the festival will encourage more young people in South Yorkshire to pursue the arts. Jemma says: “It's great that we can show our young local young people that this is a career, [and] that we've been able to host [the authors] as part of the festival, and especially on peoples doorsteps. We've got an amazing art scene, we've got an amazing literature scene so why not celebrate that?
“You don't have to travel to London to see an amazing author. You can do that in Barnsley as well.”
The Barnsley Book Festival is taking place from Friday 2nd February to Saturday 23rd March 2024.
Stocksbridge Town Deal under backlash
A petition has been launched for the Stocksbridge Town Deal, accusing the Town Deal Board as a 'runaway Board'.
The petition is calling the Council to act quickly by using its powers to “instigate a thorough review of the decisions taken by this runaway board before it is too late.”
The Stocksbridge Town Deal is part of the wider Towns Fund, a funding scheme launched by the Government in September 2019 to help towns across the UK. Sheffield City Council is the accountable body for the fund, with officers in the City Council offering advice to the Board.
Councillor Ben Miskell, the chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee said: “We have a strict set of criteria about how we oversee the Stocksbridge Town Deal.
“That's something that we work with the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board on a monthly basis in order to make sure that we operate in a way that's in line with the guidance set by the central government.”
The Stocksbridge Town Deal was first announced in 2019 as one of the 101 UK towns invited to bid for a share of the £3.6 billion government fund. It had successfully secured £24.1 million by the Government in 2023.
Campaigners are asking people to sign the petition to “rescue Stocksbridge regeneration projects,” claiming that “apart from some improvements in Oxley Park and possibly a new Hopper bus route, all the rest of the programme is therefore unfunded and on indefinite hold.”
Amanda Holmes, the communication officer of the Stocksbridge Town Deal, said the Board agreed to deliver the projects in two phases to ensure certainty on the priority projects in the town centre.
“This was discussed as a sensible and prudent strategy given inflationary pressures and uncertainty over costs.
“I don’t think it is correct to say the petition is calling for 'rescuing Stocksbridge'.
“It is a petition from a group who are understandably disappointed that the Board has decided not to fund their particular project but rather to deliver the Trails Project in a more cost-effective way."
Yuri Matischen, Co-Chair of the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board suggested that all Board members agree that a regenerated Manchester Road should come first.
“We make no apology for putting regeneration, jobs creation and new opportunities for our town at the front and centre of our priorities for Stocksbridge,” Ms Matischen said.
Arbourthorne Youth Boxing Club under threat of closure by Inclusion Centre
An Arbourthorne boxing club helping youth stay out of crime is at risk of closure after the owner of the building demands property back.
The club, which has been running for 33 years, is at risk of closure after the Spring Lane Pupil Referral Unit, which houses the club, requested their facility back on the basis that many young people are being excluded.
Head Coach, Ronny Tucker, said the club was informed of this decision by the head teacher via email.
He said: "The sad part is she's not interested in our young people and she's not interested in the community, and that's quite evident from the way she's acted. She never sat us down and talked to us. It's all been by email."
Aspire Boxing Club is situated on Spring Lane in Arbourthorne, which ranked as the fourth most deprived ward in Sheffield during the 2017 consensus.
They offer free lessons to disadvantaged youths in the Arbourthorne community and help young people stay out of a life of crime.
The club, which has been described as a “safe space” for young people, provides a free facility run by volunteers and care leavers so cost is not a barrier to young people getting involved in sports.
He said: "We're a great resource for people and if we close, what do young people do? There's no provision for them."
Aspire Boxing Club collaborates with local schools, conducting presentations and conferences tackling various issues like violence against women, knife crime, poverty, and community cohesion.
Mr Tucker said, “Without sport and without volunteers like us, I think the country would be in a worse place than it is now.”
Parents reported children who attended the club have improved at school, solved behavioural issues, and become more disciplined.
He said the club's closure could result in reformed young people returning to a life of crime, adding that he is "saddened" privileged people are making decisions for the underprivileged.
Councillor Ben Miskell has been active in fighting the club’s closure. He said: “Having visited it last week and having talked to many of the young people, I know that it would be a travesty if it was to close down."
He added he does not see another place in Arbourthorne where the club could move and the best solution would be for both parties to get together to discuss.
“Closing down the club would hurt the Arbourthorne community since many of the young people I talked to are at risk of being involved in organised crime and exploitation.”
A former care leaver said: “Aspire Boxing is more than just a gym, it’s a community for young people who don’t have the same privileges as everyone else.
"Taking the gym away would do more than just take away the space, I would take away opportunities from those who need them the most.”
Mr Tucker called for support and requested signatures for their petition.
He said: “Without this gym here, where would all these young people be? They'd be on the street causing more problems.”
A council meeting will be held on the 21st of February joined by Councillor Miskell, to discuss the closure of the gym.
To sign the petition and stop Aspire Boxing Gym from closure, visit https://www.change.org/p/save-aspire-boxing-club-from-closure-in-arbourthorne-sheffield
Community book club: A shining literary light for Woodhouse
The free Monday book club in the Woodhouse Community Hub has a warm and inviting atmosphere for children and parents of the area access books and to socialise.
The book club, formed in August by Holly Burkinshaw, 36, of Kirkdale Crescent, was established to provide the local children of Woodhouse with a comfortable space to develop their reading and social skills in a community centre close to home.
Holly Burkinshaw has a background in early years education and a degree in education and disability studies.
She admitted while there are other centres and libraries in Sheffield that offer services encouraging young children to read, the Woodhouse Community Hub, which has stood since 2014, did not.
Mrs Burkinshaw said: "When I had my own children, I noticed that most libraries did amazing jobs at engaging children. They had book clubs and activities that fostered a love of reading. Woodhouse is our local library and I was frustrated that it didn't offer the same services as some of the other libraries. Some parents were taking their kids all over the place.
"It just made sense to me. With my experience and knowledge, I had to start this book club for my local library."
She also highlighted that with the recession, the free model of the book club helps to invite further parents to the community centre without the pressure of a donation or subscription.
Kirsty Saunders, 38, of Stradbroke Road, and her daughter have been attending the book club since September.
Mrs Saunders pointed to the social benefits that the weekly club provides for herself and her daughter, as well as the encouragement to make children read and the accessibility to books.
She said: "Emma loves the library. It's nice because she's an only child and she's quite a shy kid, really. We live just over the road, She'd be here all day every day if she could.
"It's been really nice having more of a local community actually. That's really hard to do outside the areas of the city realistically like Nether Edge, Hillsborough Wood Seats. Those are the areas where the parents who pay for the groups like this", said Mrs Saunders.
The Woodhouse Community Club and the book club could not function without the volunteers at the centre and the Hub Activities Co-ordinator, Elizabeth Turton, 57.
Mrs Turton underlined how she thinks books and social interactions are necessary for young children's educational and social development.
"Picking up a physical book is so important. It's essential that kids don't just sit down and mess with an iPad or watch the television all the time," Mrs Turton said.
"Learning how to get on with other children, sharing, playing and even being told off a times are some of the most important things a child can learn."
The Woodhouse Community book clubs runs weekly on Mondays 12-1pm.