SheffieldForum

Today’s The Tribune interviews a local star! Well, a spaceperson… Britain’s first astronaut Helen Sharman came from Sheffield and doesn’t give interviews to local press generally so this is quite a coup. Here’s a snippet: ““I was excited to go. The night before I didn’t sleep very much but there was a lovely conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter at the time, so I was watching that from my window.” The only thing that weighed on her at all was a sense of responsibility “to do a good job for Britain as a whole”. “She had been put through a number of psychological assessments, after all, to ensure she was someone who could still think logically and communicate with other crew members if something went wrong. And things were “going wrong all the time, in minor ways,” she recalls, only they were so quickly resolved that “they didn’t ever get to make the news”. A few hours after they reached the Mir space station, for example, they lost electrical power, plunging them into total darkness and switching off the fans. Technically, this could have been fatal if she hadn’t known what to do, because the lack of gravity in space means the air you breathe out — depleted of oxygen and full of carbon dioxide — doesn’t naturally move away from your face. “If you stay still, without fans circulating the air, you can suffocate.”” As always, you can read the full thing at The Tribune!

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust have another excellent online talk coming up on Thursday. Here's some details: Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust are delighted to host A Wild Night In with Mark Cocker, naturalist and widely acclaimed author, on Thursday 18th April, 7pm, on Zoom. With the imminent arrival of swifts, Mark will be talking about his book, One Midsummer’s Day: Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth. Swifts are among the most extraordinary of all birds. Their migrations span national borders and continents alike. While they may nest in our homes, their lives pass over our heads and no creature is more wreathed in mystery. One Midsummer’s Day is about much more than one bird. Swifts serve as a prism through which Mark Cocker examines and celebrates the deep interconnections that span the whole biosphere. From the deep-sea thermal vents where life was born, to the 15 million degrees at the core of our Sun, he shows that life is a singular and glorious continuum. The book has been shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Prize and was described by author Horatio Clare as a ‘beautiful, brilliant, mind-stretching and soul-flying book. Genius’. About the author Mark Cocker is a widely acclaimed author of creative non-fiction and naturalist who writes and broadcasts on wildlife in a variety of national media. His new book One Midsummer’s Day: Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth (Cape), is both a portrait of a favourite bird and a celebration of the interconnectedness of all life. He has contributed to the Guardian country diary for 35 years. His 12 other books include biography, history, literary criticism and memoir. A Claxton Diary: Further Field Notes from a Small Planet (2019) won the East Anglian Book of the Year Award and Crow Country was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, and won the New Angle Prize (2009). Tickets are £3 suggested donation and must be booked in advance, here. From Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust: "Thank you so much for your kind donations to attend this event. As a charity your support really does make a difference. From protecting wildlife, to helping people connect with nature and each other, every contribution helps."

Coppen Estates have been the subject of many threads and posts in the property section of this website. Now, The Tribune have done a quick story on them, following complaints by local MP Clive Betts Here’s a snippet: ”Who are Coppen Estates? Coppen Estates owns a significant number of freeholds, including on the Flockton Estate in Woodhouse, which is in Clive Betts MP’s Sheffield South East constituency. Up until 2022, leaseholders were expected to pay an annual charge of just £9 — but things have changed. Coppen bought the freeholds on the estate from bodies like the National Coal Board, without leaseholders’ knowledge, and have added a number of curious additional charges on top of the usual ground rent payment. Some of these charges are described as fees for administrative tasks, such as “checking insurance documents,” a job the company requests £45 for each time. In 2023, Coppen’s two directors received remuneration of £370,000. “No response: Coppen, whose address is on Hickmott Road in Sharrow Vale, has been involved in litigation from leaseholders elsewhere, most notably in Thurcroft near Rotherham. There, leaseholders accused the company of acting “like the Mafia” after their fees rose from £10 to £2,450 in just one year. North East Derbyshire MP Lee Rowley has also been acting for some of his constituents who have been hit with charges. Since the leaseholders’ case was taken up by Betts’ office, Coppen have completely refused to engage, not answering emails or recorded delivery letters. When The Tribune visited Coppen’s office on Monday, they claimed they have never received any correspondence from the MP.” Read the full thing at The Tribune. See previous threads on Coppen Estates here:

Video on YouTube here:

Sorted — thanks.

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Wessex Archaeology are also publishing updates throughout the dig — here’s a snippet from the latest: Archaeologists Isobelle Sherriff and Aaron Friar record the furnace structures ©Wessex Archaeology ”As we got to work carefully removing the loose rubble infill surrounding the structures, a few bricks were left hung in the air, the remnants of a vaulted ceiling. After carefully recording these remains we dug deeper and were surprised to find that the cellar was that of a crucible furnace. Distinctive rows of brick bays were unearthed - the remains of ash or ‘rake out’ pits below the furnace. These furnaces would have been used to refine blister steel into higher quality crucible steel. Suspecting that there would be stairs somewhere we set out to dig in a likely spot and revealed four curving steps descending down to the cellar. The steps are shown on the 1850s Ordnance Survey map, but came as a surprise on the ground as the base of the steps had been bricked up. The furnace was previously unknown and does not appear on consulted maps.” 1850s OS Map showing steel works on site of Sheffield Castle ©National Library Scotland More to read, here: https://www.wessexarch.co.uk/news/excavations-sheffield-castle-heat-19th-century-steel-working-discoveries

Fascinating new article from The Tribune this weekend looking at the history of Sheffield’s castle site and the dig currently happening before the land becomes a new park. Here’s a snippet: “People have been trying to ascertain the exact location of Sheffield castle (or more accurately Sheffield’s castles) since the 18th century — after the second castle was destroyed after the Civil War it was covered over by subsequent developments. While historians knew broadly where it was as street names gave them clues (Castle Street, Castle Green, etc.), the exact dimensions of the castle remained a mystery. But it was only in the early 20th century that serious archaeological investigation began. The first major dig took place in the late 1920s before the construction of the Co-op, which was subsequently destroyed in the Blitz. In 2018, four years after the Castle Market was torn down, Wessex Archaeology led a dig which finally found William de Lovetot’s motte-and-bailey castle. “The leader of the current dig Ashley Tuck tells me this time they will be undertaking a much more comprehensive survey of the site, mindful it could well be their last chance to do so. In 2018 they dug 11 narrow trenches but this time, with the help of an army of volunteers, they will be able to look in much greater detail at the remains. “However, even during the first couple of weeks when they have just been monitoring the diggers, they have already turned up interesting finds. Principal among these is a previously unknown well which cuts through what they know is the motte. They don't yet know exactly when it dates from but are hopeful it could be medieval. Amazingly, the 12-metre deep well still has water in it, which they saw glinting at them through the darkness when they removed a cap which had been built over it in the 19th century. “It would have been quite dangerous for them,” says Tuck of the people who first dug the 40 foot deep well, which would have meant that the castle could still receive water even if it had been under siege. “It was a moving moment”.” Read more at The Tribune here (and subscribe for more excellent local long-read journalism).

Wyming Brook nature reserve has reopened to the public following months of closures to remove diseased trees. David Bocking went for a walk there last week to see what’s changed: “One of our early posts covered the changes to come at Wyming Brook. I was warned by land managers Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust that it might look drastic in the short term. So after a winter of tree work, with around 900 larch trees felled or ring-barked in the Wyming Brook Nature Reserve, does it? “Trackside larches are gone now, felled and taken away for timber to help towards the costs of an operation SRWT legally had to carry out, by order of a government Statutory Plant Health Notice (SPHN) due to an outbreak of Phytophthora ramorum, a fungus-like disease of larch trees that spreads easily via windblown rain and watercourses.” […] “Over the next years, scrub woodland will develop with thorns and more bushes like Bilberry and Holly appearing, and Paul hopes to see songbirds and flycatchers in the more open woodland. Conifers like Scots Pine and Western Hemlock remain, along with some of the broad leaf trees that have already taken root, like Rowan, Oak and Silver Birch. The gaps from fallen trees look messy, there’s no doubt. But as we pass we see and hear woodland birds like Song Thrushes, Wrens and Robins going about their spring business, and there seems no doubt that the new environment may well be full of more life than the dark larch woods of old. “The light will bring in more birds and allow the native Rowan and Oak trees that were struggling under the tall conifers to grow and get away. And as we climb we find woodland flowers like Wood Anemones and Forget-me-nots flourishing already. And below the trunks and branches of felled trees on the opposite bank, the light by the brook will develop waterside edge habitats that will bring in more insects and birds.” Read the full article at David Bocking’s Substack here: https://open.substack.com/pub/abitblackoverbillsmothers/p/sunday-at-bills-mothers-14th-april?r=jhgjc

I believe some members of the community have joined with Sheffield Litter Pickets to do litter picking in the area.

Come on folks — less of the personal bickering and name calling, please. Stick the the subject and not the people posting.

I think they might have been looking for recommendations too?

Killi’s Cleaners on Glossop Road is to close following the passing away of its owner Tibor Killi last Summer. The family have said: “A new chapter in the Killis' story has begun, and we regret to announce that the Glossop Road branch will be permanently closing on April 26. “We aim to pay tribute to Mr Killi's outstanding life and accomplishments and preserve the company he built by concentrating on our core business strengths. We have some thrilling expansion plans for Killis, which will celebrate and uphold his vision. “All operations will migrate to our branch in Handsworth, where we have full servicing, hire, a trade counter, and a showroom. From April 26, any outstanding work will automatically transfer to Handsworth. “This year also marks our 60th year of trading, and this summer we are planning a party with all our staff. Part of this is to recognise and celebrate Mr Killi's accomplishments and what the entire team has achieved over such a long time.” Seems like an institution on that street — I always remember the Henry Hoovers in the window 🤣

Yes, that’s the Yorkshire flag. We flag it at the Town Hall on Yorkshire Day each year. 👍