Woodseats Playground has been re-opened with a ribbon-cutting launch event as part of a £300k programme of improvements at Graves Park. Sheffield’s largest park, nearly a century old, is home to a large lake, sports pitches, a rose garden, play areas, an animal farm and even its own herd of Highland cattle. The programme has been part funded by the sale of Cobnar Cottage. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Cat lovers will soon be able to walk into a coffee shop and enjoy a cuppa in the company of their furry friends. Tabby Teas cat cafe is set to open on Cemetery Road, Sharrow and aims to give a home to cats from animal rescue charities such as the Mill House Animal Sanctuary. The cat cafe concept originates from China and Japan where it has been popular with cat lovers who live in properties where animals are not allowed. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Work has commenced on flood protection works in Falding Street, Chapeltown as part of a wider £83m project to renew and upgrade Sheffield flood defences. Several terraced homes in the area have been subjected to serious flooding in recent years, due to a large culvert watercourse beneath the railway which has been unable to cope with demand during after heavy rainfall. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Primary and secondary schools in Darnall came together for an annual sports day at the City Athletics Stadium on Woodburn Road. The community event, open to parents and children, aimed to promote children’s engagement in sport and exercise. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Nicola Hopkin, PE teacher at Sheffield Park Academy.
An innovative mobile phone app has being launched at an event in Rotherham as part of the national effort to combat child sexual exploitation. The Nimos Safeguarding app is aimed at trusted professionals working in health, education, social services and the voluntary sector. It operates on mobile phones, tablets and desktop devices. The app is designed to assist the collection of non-criminal information and suspicions that might otherwise be missed and which could contribute to the prevention of abuse and the protection of children. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield Council has submitted proposals to bring Channel 4 to the city in response to a government consultation on relocation of the public service television channel. Sheffield faces stiff competition from Cardiff, Liverpool, Bradford and Birmingham, as well as Manchester where the BBC’s Media City is situated. Government is seeking views on relocation of the broadcaster’s activities to an outside London location to help drive creative jobs in the regions. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to Councillor Mazher Iqbal.
Citizens Advice Sheffield has called on the government to fix the new Universal Credit welfare scheme before it is further rolled out in the city. Sheffield has a temporary Universal Credit ‘live service’ for people with straightforward claims but the charity has warned that implementation has been problematic, putting people at financial risk as they wait six weeks or more for their first payment. The numbers struggling to set up on the Universal Credit scheme could grow rapidly from July 2018, when ‘full service’ arrives, meaning anyone still in receipt of older benefits, such as tax credits or housing benefit, has to apply for Universal Credit. It is projected that 69,000 households across Sheffield will be moved to the Universal Credit scheme by 2022. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Fine weather brought huge crowds to the annual Stannington Carnival, a community-led celebration which has been a summer fixture for over 20 years. With music including Stannington Mixed Choir, Stannington Brass Band and the Old Friends Folk Bank, the traditional village carnival provided a diversity of family entertainment from the Scrufts Fun Dog Show to street dance performance, archery and face painting. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
The 2017 British Bouldering Championships, at Devonshire Green, was the showpiece of the Cliffhanger Festival, celebrating adventure sports and outdoor pursuits. Sheffield city centre was transformed into a giant playground with activities including mountain biking, skateboarding and orienteering. Hundreds of people came to watch the return to Sheffield of the British Bouldering Championships with the best climbers from around the UK competing to see who can scale the set piece walls. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Comedy Central has brought its FriendsFest tribute event to Sheffield’s Hillsborough Park where fans of the hit US sitcom can sit on Monica’s orange sofa and drink from Central Perk mugs. It is over thirteen years since Friends finished its hugely successful run on TV screens around the world but for Sheffield fans of Ross, Rachel, Chandler and the rest of the gang, FriendsFest offered a trip down memory lane. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!