Sheffield United footballers Billy Sharp and Jake Eastwood joined Special Olympics Team GB footballers at Meadowhall in the build-up to the games. The Blades stars took penalties, posed for selfies and played head tennis with fans and Special Olympic athletes. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Councillor Jack Scott, cabinet member for transport and sustainability, said the plan to ban diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040 is “woefully inadequate”. Responding to the recent policy announcement, Scott accused the government of being “in the pocket of the car industry”. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield College engineering student Murtaza Nadeem, 17, has qualified to compete in this year’s Reebok CrossFit Games to be held in Madison, Wisconsin from 3 to 6 August. Nadeem, from Rotherham, is the first British competitor in the 16 to 17 category to compete in the games. CrossFit incorporates elements of gymnastics, cycling, running and swimming to test stamina, strength, endurance, coordination and balance. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Kyle Tomlinson, is the latest star to be added to the line up for the Special Olympics 2017 opening ceremony which will take place at Bramall Lane on 8 August. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the event at the Sheffield United ground. Sheffield-born Tomlinson will be singing the national anthem and performing alongside Tony Hadley, James Toseland and others personalities. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
The Sheffield-based Children’s Food Trust charity, which promotes healthy eating for children, is set to close by the end of September after failing to secure new funding. The organisation, launched ten years ago, employs 47 people including 31 from Sheffield, all expected to lose their jobs. The charity created the Let’s Get Cooking network and has supported schools in England to get ready for universal free school meals. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
National sports charity Tennis For Free is to invest in a year-long programme of free family-oriented tennis coaching sessions at Hillsborough Park. In a post-Wimbledon push, the charity has created its first Tennis For Free site in Yorkshire in partnership with Sheffield City Council, Parks Tennis CIC and the Lawn Tennis Association. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake donned his tennis whites and took to the courts.
The City of Sheffield RNLI lifeboat has been welcomed home in an unveiling at the National Emergency Services Museum, West Bar, where it is to remain following decommissioning. Named on 28 July 1989 at Whitby Lifeboat Station by the Duchess of Kent, the City of Sheffield lifeboat later served for fifteen years in Poole where she launched 557 times and saved 650 lives. The 26 ton vessel was funded mainly by Sheffield residents who contributed £435,000 towards the £560,000 costs as part of the Sheffield Lifeboat Appeal. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Tramlines Festival returned to Sheffield for the ninth year this weekend with top-billed artists including Toots and the Maytals, All Saints and The Libertines. The city-wide urban music festival featured top artists across five main stages including at Ponderosa Park and Devonshire Green, with a host of fringe events in Sheffield’s pubs and clubs. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Kyle Walker’s journey from Sheffield council estate to top flight football is recalled by Simon Hyacinth, Football Unites Racism Divides (FURD) community football coach. Hyacinth runs FURD community football coaching at the U Mix centre where a young Kyle Walker first showed the glimpses of his incredible football talent. Walker, a former Sheffield United academy star, has just become the most expensive defender in the world with his move to Manchester City for over £50 million. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield Theatres invited dog owners of South Yorkshire to bring their pooches to Meadowhall to pawdition for the role of Rugus in the forthcoming Legally Blonde theatre production. After a tense and fiercely contested showing, the overall winner was Ned, a gentle red and white bulldog, who will tread the boards later this year in his stage debut. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!