A Burngreave-based business owner has called on the local authority and Yorkshire Water to investigate the cause of a burst water main in Spital Hill which he says is affecting his business. Yousif Karda, owner of Sudan Tech on Spital Hill, told Sheffield Live! burst water pipes in the area were becoming frequent, with road closures affecting footfall for local businesses. Baillor Jalloh reports.
A Burngreave-based charity from Sheffield is among seven youth centres in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that are set to share more than £15m in government grants to renovate and build youth facilities. Endeavour, a woodland activity club based in Burngreave, has been granted £1.2m to refurbished its building and to develop new projects. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Edward Thatcher, chief executive of Endeavour.
A long-awaited Islamic centre and mosque in Burngreave has formally opened its doors to the public, having been under construction for over a decade. The Sheffield Grand Mosque, on Grimesthorpe Rd, is set to be a landmark of Islamic architecture and design. It boasts four halls that cater for community activities, Islamic study, sports such as gymnastics, football and karate training, as well as prayer halls for both men and women. Sheffield live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to volunteers and worshippers at the mosque.
The new £25m Astrea Academy Sheffield has reached a milestone with completion of the steel work structure for the all through academy school due to open in Burngreave in September. A signing off event at the site of the former Pye Bank Board School was attended by parents, pupils and teachers as well as Sheffield Council representatives. Sheffield Live reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Jackie Drayton, Sheffield Council cabinet member for children, young people and families and Kim Walton, Astrea Academy principal.
Burngreave community organisations, residents and businesses organised a festival to celebrate the diversity of the neighbourhood and what it has to offer. The “community unity” event came together in response to recent outbreaks of violent crime that have impacted on community life. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to local residents enjoying the celebrations at Ellesmere Green.
Arts charity Ignite Imaginations have launched a new initiative working with Age UK to seek out hidden creative talent in the older generations. Starting with a pilot project in Burngreave the charity hopes to roll out the concept to other parts of the city. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to project developer Helen Moyes.
Despite a dedicated team of five police officers posted in Burngreave to tackle crime and gang issues after two stabbings and a shooting, local businesses are still concerned. Yousouf Adams who owns Suda Tech on Spital Street, told Sheffield Live! that local businesses would like to see officers present in the evening as most trouble starts when the police are gone. The street violence has involved confrontation between rival gangs from the Kurdish and Somali communities. Police have been given new powers to stop and search suspects and to patrol the area to re-assure residents. Baillor Jalloh reports.
Burngreave Food Bank is one of a national network of foodbanks that rely on the time and generosity of thousands of volunteers to give emergency food and support for people in crisis. International Volunteer Day (IVD) is an occasion to celebrate the efforts and values of volunteers and to promote their work among communities. The Trussell Trust runs a network of over 400 foodbanks across the UK, including Burngreave Food Bank. In the last year they gave over one million three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, many among the 13 million people living below the poverty line. Sheffield Live! reporter Simon Thake spoke to volunteers and organisers at Burngreave Food Bank.
Conceived in 1998 by the Labour government, New Deal for Communities (NDC) was a scheme aiming to bring about community-led regeneration in the most deprived neighbourhoods of the UK. The Burngreave neighbourhood in Sheffield was identified as one of those areas and has been awarded £52 million, to be spent over a ten year period from 2001 to 2011. Burngreave NDC received extensive coverage in the local press when it announced that its coffers were close to running dry two years earlier than planned. A very controversial subject, the funding crisis overshadowed the work that had (or hadn’t) been done so far.
This seven part series, produced from May to September 2009 by *Eirini Apostolidou, aims to portray the change in Burngreave from the 90s onwards, and to trace the effect of NDC on the local community. As well as streaming the show from this page, you can also download the entire series using this zip file link.
Special thanks for their participation in the programme to:
Fran Belbane (management committee of Burngreave Messenger), Drew Dallen (local artist & social worker), councillor Jackie Drayton, Steve Gayle (BCAF), Rashida Hassanali (project Advancing Together), councillor Ibrar Hussain, Dr. Nelson Kaggwa (chair of BCAF), Ronnie Lewin (chair of BNDfC Partnership Board), Bronwyn McCarthy (project Advocacy Now), Gareth Roberts (organising committee of Abbeyfield Park Festival), councillor Colin Ross, Chris Sissons (member of BNDfC Partnership Board), Diana Totle (project Sage Greenfingers), John Vincent (member of BNDfC Partnership Board).
Part 1: Burngreave in the 90s and the Arrival of New Deal for Communities Part 1
Part 2: Projects Funded by New Deal for Communities Part 2
Part 3: The Riddle of the Finances Part 3
Part 4: Community Coherence Put to the Test Part 4
Part 5: The Relationship Between Burngreave Community Action Forum and New Deal for Communities Part 5
Part 6: BNDfC’s Performance Rated Part 6
Part 7: From Conception to Implementation: General Reflections on New Deal for Communities Part 7
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*Eirini Apostolidou graduated from Panteion University in Athens, Greece, with a B.A. in Political Science & History in 2005. After graduating she worked at newspapers as a journalist and sub-editor. Since November 2008 she volunteers for SheffieldLive! 93.2FM as both a producer and a presenter.