Marathon man Ray Matthews, 75, completed his epic challenge of 75 marathons in 75 days to raise money for Newman School, Rotherham. The South Yorkshire special school provides a learning community for children, young people, families, carers and staff of many different backgrounds. Ray Matthews was so impressed, he vowed to raise much needed funds to support their work. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Robert MacNeil Wilson, author of a fictional account of the miners strike, has backed calls for an enquiry into the Battle of Orgreave. Wilson’s novel, The Enemy Within, is based on the author’s first hand experience of the miners’ strike of 1984 to 1985. Orgreave justice campaigners met recently with Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Government is expected to make an announcement on the matter in October. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to Robert MacNeil Wilson.
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.
A new charity project, Nightstop South Yorkshire, has been launched for young people facing homelessness in Sheffield. The project set up by charity Depaul UK will provide emergency accommodation for those who face sleeping on the streets or other unsafe places. It will operate through a network of volunteer hosts prepared to offer young homeless people a safe place for the night. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield and Labour MP Clive Betts were among others attending the launch. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
A selection of locally-made stop-motion animation films films received prizes at a VIP Silver Screen event organised by local social enterprise, Flycheese Studio. The work created and produced by students at the studio, many of whom face life challenges, was selected to showcase students’ creative imagination in bringing animation to life. The Lord Mayor attended to hand out prizes. Shamaan Freeman-Powell reports for Sheffield Live!
More than a thousand people from across Sheffield joined a public prayer for the Muslim festival of Eid Aladha in the Tesco car park on Saville Street, Pitsmoor. They joined more than a billion Muslims worldwide in marking the Eid celebrations, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, which commemorate the prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God and which all marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Members of the public joined Sheffield Live! presenter Calvin Payne for a guided ‘drainspotting’ tour of the pavement features of Sheffield. Participants walked from Walkley Library to Broomhill via Crookesmoor to see examples of Sheffield’s historic pavement features, tramway remnants, Victorian company names and dates, 19th century anti-Cholera measures, early telephone and electricity installations, among other interesting and unique pieces of local history. The event was organised as part of the national ‘Heritage Open Days’ held every September with some 40,000 volunteers across England organising 5,000 events to celebrate history, architecture and culture.
A historic set of bells at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery were rung as part of a heritage open day event to celebrate Sheffield history. The bells date back to the 1860s and are an example of many made by Naylor-Vickers. They were popular due to their low cost in comparison to bronze bells, but now very few exist. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Frances Punnett of Museums Sheffield.
A new plaque has been unveiled in Rotherham town centre by communities secretary Sajid Javid to mark a top national award for Rotherham High Street. Rotherham was crowned Britain’s Best Town Centre in the 2015 Great British High Streets awards. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
A new facility to support victims of rape and sexual assault in South Yorkshire has opened as part of the regional Sexual Assault Referral Centre. South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings and Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Denise Fox were present for the opening of the centre which offers a safe haven for victims and a range of services including medical examinations. According to the Crown Prosecution Service domestic abuse, rape and other sexual assault offences against women and girls increased by almost 10 per cent in England in 2015. Shamman Freeman-Powell reports for Sheffield Live!