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Councillor speaks out after tree protest charges droppped.

Charges against nine campaigners, including a Green Party councillor, arrested over a tree-felling protest have been dropped. Alison Teal, councillor for Nether-Edge and Sharrow, was with six others arrested on suspicion of preventing workmen from chopping down a tree on Chippinghouse Road on 6 February. The protestors were arrested under Section 241 of the Trade Union amd :Labour Relations Act 1982 and charged with preventing lawful work. The charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service who said there was “insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction”. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!

Oona the Elephant packs her trunk and pops down to Meadowhall

To celebrate World Book Day 2017, children from Concord Junior School came face-to-face with Oona the Elephant at Meadowhall shopping centre. Oona is the main character in Michael Morpurgo’s Running Wild which runs at the Lyceum Theatre later this month. It is the story of a boy who is saved from a tsunami by the elephant and who then has to survive in the jungle. The life sized elephant puppet is operated by four actors who took her on a stroll through the shopping centre before meeting the school children. The encounter is part of an ongoing partnership between Meadowhall and Sheffield Theatres to bring theatre and cultural education to children in the S9 neighbourhood. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Council to invest £1.5 million in Sheffield parks

Community parks and play facilities are set to benefit from £1.5m funding by Sheffield City Council over the next three years. A recent parliamentary inquiry highlighted a countrywide crisis in community parks, with declining facilities and under-investment. The majority of the funding will come from the city’s public health budget, with a focus on reducing gaps in health-related deprivation across the city. It is also expected to lead to the creation of new jobs. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to councillor Mary Lea, cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure.

Sheffield student shares tips on eating disorder

In support of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Sheffield Hallam University student Jessica Mell has spoken of her own personal struggle with food and how she addressed the problem. Jessica is studying Nutrition and Public Health at Sheffield Hallam University and is also President of the Mental Health Society at Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Cab drivers protest against cross-border licensing

Dozens of  taxi drivers joined a demonstration outside the Town Hall against rules which allow drivers licensed by other local authorities to ply their trade in Sheffield. A convoy of drivers joined the protest from Atterclife, sounding their car horns and driving slowly to raise awareness of the issue. The Deregulation Act 2015 allows cross-border licensing of private hire and hackney carriage operators enabling drivers for Uber and some local companies to by-pass Sheffield Council’s licensing arrangements. Union officials argue that deregulation is putting public safety at risk. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!

Tree campaigner speaks out after charges dropped

Calvin Payne, one of two protestors arrested in November for trying to prevent the felling of a 100-year-old tree, has spoken out after the Crown Prosecution Service decision to drop all charges. Simon Crump, a lecturer at Huddersfield University, and Calvin Payne, a local campaigner, were detained under trade union laws on suspicion of preventing tree surgeons from carrying out their work. The pair were due to face trial on 9 March, 2017, but were told on Friday that charges had been dropped “on the basis that it is not in the public’s interest to prosecute”. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Calvin Payne.

Anti-fracking protest in Eckington

Hundreds of residents took part in an anti-fracking march this weekend from Mosborough to the Butchers Arms on Marsh Lane, Eckington. The march was organised to demonstrate against plans by oil and chemicals company Ineos to start exploring shale gas reserves in North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Site Gallery announces ambitious expansion

Site Gallery has announced an ambitious expansion project with over £2.7m investment to create a new gallery and events space on Paternoster Row. Sheffield’s leading contemporary art space specialises in new media, moving image and performance and will treble the scale of its public offer including a new 262 square metre gallery and a flexible event space for education, creative activity and commercial hires. The plans also provide for a 40-seat café, a shop and business units. Work is planned to commence in April 2017, with the existing gallery to be temporarily closed while work takes place. A programme of pop-up events is planned in the interim. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!

Original Pride campaigners celebrate LGBT+ month

Original members of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, portrayed in the acclaimed film Pride, were in Sheffield to celebrate Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans+ History Month. The LGBT+ activists were at the Millennium Gallery as part of a weekend of events which also mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation in law of male homosexuality in England and Wales. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live

DIY publishers gather for Sheffield Zine Fest

The fifth annual Sheffield Zine Fest took place at the Hallam Hubs, celebrating everything to do with zines, self-made magazines and booklets often given away or sold for the cost of printing. The event included workshops, stalls and exhibitions with a focus not only content, but also designs, styles and print methods. Many zinesters hand print covers, sew bindings, or colour in pages individually. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!