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Clegg reflects on politics and power

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has published a new book, ‘Politics: Between the Extremes’. It is a frank account of his experience in politics, power and the 2015 General Election defeat. The Sheffield Hallam MP argues that with the resurgence of nationalism and mainstream parties in turmoil, new divisions define the country that are no longer simply left and right. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Nick Clegg at the launch of this year’s Off the Shelf Festival of Words at Sheffield Hallam University.

Labour to oppose planned changes in boundary review proposals

Government proposals to reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies by 50 seats have been criticized by the Labour Party. The plans are part of reforms which would see the House of Commons reduce from 650 to 600 MPs. A public consultation is under way and final decisions will not be made until 2018. Labour MPs are among those hardest hit, potentially loosing 25 or more seats in the shake up if the proposals go ahead. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central.

New £16m sports centre opens in Sheffield

A new £16m sports and health centre has opened in Sheffield on the site of the old Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre in Norton. The refurbished facility renamed Graves Health and Sports Centre includes swimming pools, tennis courts and fitness studios. The centre, run by Places for People Leisure, also houses one of three hubs of the UK’s National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, with sports physiotherapists and doctors based in its consultation and treatment rooms. A gymnastics and trampolining centre at the site remains under construction. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Equality campaigners call for more action on gender pay gap

A recent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicates men still get paid significantly more than women, with the difference increasing for women with children. New rules requiring companies with over 250 employees to report gender pay differences will come into effect in 2017. Equality campaigners argue more needs to be done. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Carol Keen of the Women’s Equality Party.

Eclipse Theatre wins major funding award

Sheffield-based Eclipse Theatre have been awarded a grant of £125,000 by Arts Council England. The company, formed in 2010, aim to be at the forefront of delivering stories from the Black British experience in regional theatres. The grant funding, part of the Catalyst: Evolve programme, is intended to support development of the company. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Founder and Artistic Director, Dawn Walton.

Bryony Page returns to hero’s welcome

Olympic trampolining medalist Bryony Page was greeted by fans at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on her return from the Rio 2016 Olympics. Page made history with her silver medal, the first ever Olympic medal in trampolining for a British athlete. The Sheffield-based Olympic athlete, who trains at Hillsborough Leisure Centre, narrowly missed out on the gold medal after finishing 0.425 points behind Canada’s Rosannagh MacLennan. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!

Families enjoy bank holiday at the Sheffield Fayre

Hundreds of people, including children and families, enjoyed their August bank holiday at the Sheffield Fayre at Norfolk Heritage Park. The Fayre features a horticultural show as well as an arena for local dance and performing talent. There were also sideshows, fairground activities and street dancers performing to keep the crowd entertained. The Sheffield Fayre is in its fifteenth year and is organised by Sheffield City Council in partnership with the Friends of Norfolk Heritage Park, University of Sheffield and the National Fairground Archive. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Marge Allen, Chair of Sheffield Fayre and Co-ordinator of Friends of Norfolk Heritage Park.

Opera on Location’s ‘Tosca’ at Abbeydale Picture House

The Abbeydale Picture House on Abbeydale Road is the venue for the latest production from the Opera on Location team. Their production of Tosca, the heartbreaking operatic love story is set in the 1920s which is also the decade when the former Picture House cinema was opened. Opera on Location, created after the success of the production of Benjamin Britten’s opera version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in August 2013, is a new opera company based in Sheffield with the aim to perform exciting opera in real locations. Kathryn Gasic and Gareth Lloyd, the company founders, produced and self-funded the production, which took place in the Winter Gardens, as part of the A Boy Was Born festival hosted by The University of Sheffield. After receiving critical acclaim for their sell-out run of the Britten opera, they decided to create the company in order to repeat this successful approach to opera performance.

Cutlers Spice scoops English Curry Award

Sheffield’s Cutlers Spice has won the Yorkshire Team of the Year 2016 English Curry Award. The Indian restaurant based in Gleadless Townend was also nominated for the Chef of the Year Award. This is the second time the restaurant has won the English Curry Award. In 2014, it won the award for the best Chef in the Yorkshire region. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh caught up with Allam Shah Ullah, General Chef Manager at Cutlers Spice.