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Latest news from the Sheffield Live! teams

TV channel hits launch funding target

Sheffield Live TV, the local television channel for Sheffield, has achieved its launch fundraising target – with over 100 supporters applying to become “community shareholders”.

Sheffield Community Media Ltd, a new community benefit society which owns Sheffield Live TV, has raised £160,000 through community shares and social investment commitments: nearly £10,000 more than its target.

The crowdfunding initiative to put Sheffield’s local TV channel into community ownership is the first of its kind in the UK media sector enabling Sheffield people, businesses and voluntary organisations to participate as investors in a society to support local community media.

In the last 7 days of fundraising, nearly £20,000 was generated, taking the campaign over the target it needed to achieve by 14 August. Over 100 individuals, businesses and voluntary organisations have each applied for between £100 and £20,000 worth of community shares. The cash will be used to purchase equipment and complete studio facilities for public access and independent production. Sheffield Community Media intends to pay its community shareholders a modest rate of interest.

The new TV channel will broadcast on Freeview Channel 8, Virgin Cable, and the internet. Once on air, from 23 September, it will benefit from revenue via a contract to supply news to the BBC – as well as local and national advertising and sponsorship. The channel will collaborate with existing community radio station, Sheffield Live!, which has been broadcasting via FM for nearly seven years.

Sheffield Live TV will broadcast news about Sheffield alongside programmes covering Sheffield music, sport, culture and much more. It promises unique, high quality content, “Made in Sheffield, Made by you.” A flagship daily news programme will cover Sheffield news in depth while other programmes will cover Sheffield’s “rich, varied, and diverse”  music, events, culture, arts, and sports.

Steve Buckley, the Chair of the new TV channel and a director of Sheffield Community Media, said:

“We are delighted that so many Sheffield people and organisations have shown their support for Sheffield Live TV and community-owned media by applying for community shares. We’d like to thank them for their support and we look forward to their involvement in the channel.  We are in the final phase of our planning to launch Sheffield Live TV which will be locally owned and run for community benefit.  We aim to develop a multimedia news service and to deliver original, locally-made programming, reflecting the interests and talent of Sheffield people and communities.”

Sheffield Community Media Ltd has raised £90,000 in community share applications and pledges from 114 individuals and businesses and a further £70,000 in social investment loans from the Key Fund, a community development finance institution. Sheffield Community Media Ltd is a society for the benefit of the community incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. Registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No: 31727R. Registered address: 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

Sheffield to host Special Olympics 2017

Sheffield has won its bid to host Special Olympics GB, the UK’s biggest disability sports event to be held in 2017.

Special Olympics 2017 will be the tenth Special Olympics GB, for children and adults with learning disabilities, and the second time the event has been held in Sheffield. It will take place from 7 August to 11 August 2017 in sports venues around Sheffield including Sheffield Hallam University City Athletics Stadium, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and Hillsborough Leisure Centre

Councillor Julie Dore, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Sheffield has been selected to host the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in three years’ time.

“This is another opportunity for our communities to get involved in a wonderful celebration of all things sporting. We estimate the economic benefit hosting the games in Sheffield will be in the region of £1.5m.”

Karen Wallin, Special Olympics GB’s CEO, said: “We are thrilled to be heading back to Sheffield”.

Megan Hattersley who is hoping to compete in the swimming events in three years time said: “It’s a great sport and anybody can take part in it no matter what their background or where they come from”.

Sheffielders becoming media owners!

A Sheffield campaign inviting anyone who lives, works, or has interests in Sheffield to own their very own television channel has reached over 90% of its fundraising target with one week left to the closing date.

Sheffield Community Media has now raised £136,050* through its Pioneer and Community Share Offer and in investment commitments.

And excitement is building about the plans, as the launch date for Sheffield Live Television was revealed today.

Sheffield Community Media is in the final leg of fundraising to purchase equipment and finish the studio facilities for public access and independent production.

Once on air, it will benefit from revenue via a contract to supply some news to the BBC – as well as local and national advertising. But it needs to reach its £150,000 target in the next 7 days and is offering Sheffielders a chance to invest and to be involved – and it aspires to pay investors a modest return.

Scores of Sheffield individuals have already become “community share” owners. People like Jodie Marsh, who said:

“I would really like to take shares in this project as I believe it’s a great opportunity for Sheffield, and as someone working on the frontline in Sheffield within the arts and working with young people and educating them in this area, I believe it could be a great opportunity for Sheffield to put even more onto the creative map of the UK.”

And Peter Johnson, who said: “I’m buying shares in Sheffield Community Media because I’ve always been a huge fan of Sheffield Live radio and if the television channel is going to be anything like the output of the radio, it’ll be a great service for Sheffield.”

Plenty of businesses, social enterprises and organisations are involved. Organisations such as MK PR, The Sheffield Window Centre, Heason Events, Wosskow Brown Solicitors, Thornbridge Brewery / The Greystones, Mercury Taxis, The Sheffield College, The Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and many more have invested, pledged support, and/or booked advertising.

Read about others here.

It’s easy to get involved, as a personal or organisational shareholder, with a minimum commitment of £100 which can be paid in 10 instalments if preferred.

If you love the idea of locally owned media bringing you great local news and programming, then please become a shareholder in Sheffield Community Media Ltd.

Act quickly – the deadline is 14th August.

The “Pioneer and Community Share Offer” prospectus is available at www.sheffieldlive.org/shares

Questions about the Pioneer and Community Share Issue: call 0114 281 4082 or email shares@sheffieldlive.org

*Sheffield Community Media Ltd has to date (7 August) raised £66,050 in community share applications received from Sheffield individuals and businesses and £70,000 in offers of loan finance from social investors. It is a society for the benefit of the community incorporated under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. Registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Registration No: 31727R. Registered address: 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX

Launch date for Sheffield’s new local television channel announced

The countdown has begun for Sheffield’s local television channel as Sheffield Live Television’s launch date has been revealed.

Sheffield Live! Television will begin broadcasting, via Freeview channel 8, Virgin Cable and the internet, on Tuesday 23rd September.

The television channel will broadcast news about Sheffield alongside programmes covering Sheffield music, sport, culture and much more.

It promises unique, high quality content, “Made in Sheffield, Made by you.” A flagship daily news programme will cover Sheffield news in depth. Other programmes will cover Sheffield’s “rich, varied, and diverse”  music, events, culture, arts, and sports.

The channel will collaborate with existing community radio station, Sheffield Live!, which has been broadcasting via FM for nearly seven years; and will benefit from a contract to supply some content to the BBC.

The license for the channel was secured in November 2012 after Ofcom – the Government’s media regulator – advertised licenses in Sheffield and 20 locations.  Sheffield Local Television Ltd, wholly owned by Sheffield Community Media Ltd, was the winning applicant for the Sheffield local TV service.

Since then, SLTV has appointed a launch team, supported programme development, and worked with the other local television channels and with Ofcom as the national and local infrastructure needed to deliver local television was progressed.

Steve Buckley, chair of SLTV Ltd., said “Sheffield Live Television will reflect the interests of Sheffield people and communities – and provide a platform for local talent and opportunities for local businesses. It will be an open, diverse and inclusive channel, locally owned and run for community benefit. We are thrilled to be able to announce our launch date and look forward to providing Sheffield with the local news and types of programming they’ve asked for from a new local TV channel.”

A preview showreel, showcasing some of the programming in development for the new channel, is available to view

Sheffield Live! TV is locally owned and run for community benefit. People and businesses from Sheffield can still become “community shareholders” through the Sheffield Community Media Ltd Pioneer and Community Share Offer, which is open until 14 August.

What next?

Eid Mubarak

Sheffield Live! Joined thousands of people in Millhouses Park for the EID Festival in the Park.

The cross cultural event celebrates the end of the month long festival of Ramadan, when millions of Muslims around the world go on a month long fast in which they do not eat or drink during daylight hours. MC Nige compared the main stage, with other entertainment including fun fair rides and stalls.

Sheffield Live! had its own stall with presenter Jawwad Janjua headlining both days, providing entertainment for those at the event and interviewing people who were attending the festival, including the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Peter Rippon and Local MP Paul Bloomfield. Jawwad was joined by fellow Sheffield Live! presenters Jawaid Qazi, Shafaqat Mohammed and Wajdi Raweh.

Sheffield Live! TV first screening

1 Comment

Television programmes in production for Sheffield Live! TV were enthusiastically applauded by a public audience including shareholders and supporters at a Showroom Cinema screening last week.

The first Sheffield Live! TV showreel has now been published online to view and comment. Sheffield Live! TV, the digital local TV channel for Sheffield, will launch in autumn on Freeview, Virgin cable and the internet. The showreel provides a taster of the range of content planned for the new channel including music, film, outdoors, sport, comedy and experimental work.

 

Sheffield Live! TV is locally owned and run for community benefit. Sheffielders have been invited to invest in the project to help get it off to a flying start and to join a growing band of community shareholders. The Sheffield Community Media Ltd Pioneer and Community Share Offer is open until 14 August, with full details available online at: www.sheffieldlive.org/shares

Rolo Tomassi at Tramlines – review

Returning to Sheffield for their first live performance of 2014, Rolo Tomassi tore up Corporation for the Tramlines festival.

The show follows a period of creative hiatus for the band as they have locked themselves away writing their fourth album, four years since their first, Hysteric (2008).

Eve Spence and the band did not disappoint, playing with true exertion and energy to a crowd of dedicated and surviving festival goers on the third and final day of Tramlines.

Rolo Tomassi played their half-hour midday set like they were headlining the bigger rock festivals such as Download and after thanking fans for their continued support they indulged the audience by playing a few new unreleased tracks during the set, unfortunately due to the sheer energy of the crowd (not at all a complaint) I was unable to hear the titles.

These new tracks followed the same winning Tomassi formula as their previous work, using a mixture of vocal registers with complimenting heavy instrumental thrashing and softer building up pieces.

The songs weren’t the only new things Rolo Tomassi had to offer either: mid-set the band introduced a new member, drummer Tom Pitts, to the group noting it was his first show with them. Something a casual listener might have overlooked as the band played with a united harmony as if they were still all the original members from when they formed in 2005.

Looking back at the previous Tramlines that Rolo Tomassi have been involved in one thing is always a guarantee for their shows and that is the energetic crowds. Whilst the scene might have been different in the dark Corporation main room from their sunlight shows in front of City Hall, the ‘pit’ emerged loyally again in front of the band.

Not many bands evoke audience participation in the way Rolo Tomassi does. There’s a sense of passive adrenaline that comes with the sight of all those bodies being thrown about to beat of their music. With the crowd being constantly combed over by an intense industrial light display, and the strobe lighting flashing in unison to the music, you can’t help but feel energised and pumped even if you daren’t enter the ‘pit’ yourself. During ‘the scales of balance’ the movement in the crowd was so electric there was a moment I almost forgot what I’d come to see, the band or the crowd.

Sadly there are currently no more confirmed shows for the rest of this year although Eve ended the set with a very promising and exciting “see you guys later in the year.” Personally I hope to see them again next year at Tramlines, as it’s become some sort of a ritual for me. Rolo Tomassi were followed onstage by London’s instrumental trio Three Trapped Tigers (Sunday’s Corporation Headliners), who brought their own unique captivating noise to round off the show – and round off Corporation’s live contribution to the festival.

The Jezabels at The Plug: review

I’d not heard of The Jezabels until relatively recently when I stumbled upon a huge poster in the city centre advertising their new album The Brink; later the same evening I decided to stick it on Spotify and have not looked back!

Quite often I need to hear an album in its entirety several times to be able to make what I believe would be an informed opinion but it became evident immediately that new release was completely saturated in magic.  Much to my delight I was notified that the group were soon to play the new release at one of Sheffield’s renowned live music venues – The Plug. With regret, on this occasion I was unable to attend in time to see the support act Shermer however, I keep my fingers crossed that I will catch them on another occasion.

The Jezabels were outstanding, and there were so many factors that contributed to it being such a wondrous evening. At this point I feel that I must confess (if it has not been evident already) that I am very fond of most music that involves a keyboard, so having Heather Shannon looking beautiful beside one gave them a slight advantage.

After reading that they had described themselves as “intensindie” I was curious to find out what this meant. I think those who see themselves as ‘serious’ music critics could  perhaps cast this off as just another pop group but to see them perform I think it’s evident they have a lot of depth.

Hayley Mary has such haunting vocals, she possesses a voice that seems to get inside your head as well as your ears, and there is a particular element of ‘moodiness’ that seems to hold genuine emotion.

I particularly enjoyed the aesthetics of the band, all in dark clothing which made them eerie in the best possible way, I was especially happy to see the women fully dressed and looking smart which for me helps me to take them more seriously. It’s clear they care more for the art of their music than taking the route a lot of female musicians do by wearing as little as possible to sell records.

It was plain to see that the band were serious about what they do and that showed with the pure emotion that came from all of the members, Hayley especially, who was dancing with genuine emotion along with the crowd. The band manifested a breath-taking atmosphere and I would happily see them over and over again.

Armed man arrested

By Alice Rose

Extra police patrols are working around Abbeydale Road today after a man was found carrying a firearm.

Members of the public alerted officers when they saw a man who was acting suspiciously in the area on Tuesday afternoon.  A 30-year-old was arrested after a police chase, in which he was knocked off his bike. Superintendent Colin McFarlane said “Neighbourhood policing officers are carrying out extra patrols in the area to offer reassurance to the community following this incident” he continued “We are also working with our partner agencies to support residents in the local area and I would urge anyone with concerns to contact us”

 

Doncaster makes shortlist

Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat MP for Sheffield Hallam, has offered support in a bid to secure a new college in South Yorkshire.

The College would offer apprenticeships to young people and give them skills to help build the planned HS2 high speed rail line. The line would connect London Euston station to the Midlands, North West England and Yorkshire, almost halving commute times from Sheffield to London. The bid, from Doncaster, has been short-listed by the government as one of four possible locations for the HS2 college alongside Derby, Birmingham and Manchester.

If Doncaster bid was successful, the college would be equipped with cutting-edge technology and state of the art facilities. It would also provide training courses for the specific requirements of the rail project, which is expected to generate more than 2,000 apprenticeships.

As a Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg has written to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to outline his support for the bid.  In his letter, Nick Clegg MP states that the region – in particular Doncaster – is the “spiritual home of British railways” with the Flying Scotsman, Sir Nigel Gresley and The Mallard all being built there in 1923, 1937 and 1938 respectively.

The high speed service would have trains running from London St Pancras twice a day with a commute time of 1 hour 09 minutes.