APRIL 2018 • ISSUE 134 Voice of the Burngreave Community Cup glory for Aden Steelers Photos by Anise Ahmed Congratulations to Aden Steelers who held their nerve to Hero of the day was Ameen Hadeedah who saved three win their cup final today, with a 4-3 victory on penalties spot kicks. over Sheffield United Girls RTC. See page 19 for the story of their run to the final. Comm2Unity: something for everyone Story by Fran Belbin Community members, businesses and services are coming A Burngreave is Working fair is also taking place in the together to organise a magnificent day celebrating Eid and Vestry Hall. As well as promoting jobs, training and showing off the range of businesses in the locality. There volunteering the fair will showcase local independent are over 90 businesses in the area, selling everything traders - makers, artists and service providers. With Active from groceries, to electrical items and fashion and beauty Burngreave providing activities for young people at All goods, as well as the wide variety of restaurants. Saints, Comm2Unity offers something for everyone. Ramadan Mubarak Pictures of the Al Emaan mosque by Nico Hall 2 www.burngreavemessenger.org Full house The Messenger would like to how to write articles and take welcome the latest addition to photographs for this newspaper. We our staff team, Kim Levick, who may also be able to help you gain As we go to print, national news has joined us as our Volunteer skills in use of social media and/or is full of how up to 50,000 of Support Worker. Kim is a long- e.g. making films on mobile phones the children of first generation standing Burngreave resident to promote your group. Commonwealth migrants are at and Messenger supporter, and risk of deportation and refusal she will be helping volunteers to Sessions can be tailored to your of services because government develop their skills and ability to interests and needs. failures mean they don’t have the participate and the production of right paperwork. the newspaper. We can work with: In the next edition of the • local groups or organisations Messenger we would like to This means that we are fully staffed • local residents or like-minded celebrate that generation and to for the first time in six months, people from a particular area support any Burngreave residents and so we can start to run courses or street suffering through the enforcement again. Our first courses, in Interview • a group of people who all speak of these unfair rules. If you have Skills and the popular Community the same language as long as been affected, please get in touch. Journalism course are already one or two people can interpret planned (see below), and anyone • women-only groups wishing to take part should get in Messenger info touch. Interested? Then please get in Next deadline: 9th May touch and we may be able to work Issue published: 16th June Free training for groups together. Burngreave Messenger Ltd. in Burngreave Abbeyfield Park House Contact Naomi Cohen at Abbeyfield Road, We can offer training on a variety [email protected] Sheffield S4 7AT of topics to improve your skills and Tel: (0114) 242 0564 confidence and help you take an You don’t have to be a formal group. active part in your local community. If you can guarantee attendance of [email protected] We are keen to work with groups at least eight people, then get in www.burngreavemessenger.org who would like to learn more about touch and we can discuss it further. Follow us @TheBMessenger www.facebook.com/ burngreavemessenger Use your right to vote Community journalism course Thursday 31st May, On Thursday 3 May you will be able 7th, 21st, and 28th June This issue’s team: Fran Belbin, to use your vote to elect both our 10 am - 1 pm Richard Belbin, Martin Currie, Nico local councillor and Sheffield City Hall, Carrie Hedderwick, Diana Region’s first-elected mayor. To find Interviewing skills Ionita, Jamie Marriott, Tim Neal and out where your local polling station Tuesday 10th July Kate Sheldrick. is, and more about the Sheffield 10 am - 4 pm local election, visit Burngreave Vestry Hall www.sheffield.gov.uk/elections2018 Free and open to all To find out more about the Sheffield Burngreave residents! City Region Mayoral Election visit https://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/ [email protected] about-us-governance-policy/about- Telephone: 0114 242 0564 the-mayoral-election/ www.burngreavemessenger.org The Burngreave Messenger is a community newspaper with editorial independence, funded by advertising and the Big Lottery. Registered Charity: 1130836. All content is copyright Burngreave Messenger Ltd or its voluntary contributors. April 2018 • Issue 134 3 Vestry Hall re-opens Story by John Mellor | Photo by Rita Walcock After a prolonged period of Hiring charges for the main hall unavailability, the situation with the are £36 per hour for the first hour, Vestry Hall has now changed for the £18 per hour thereafter. Over the better. Extensive repairs have been weekend, there is an extra charge made to the floor in the main hall for security of £30. Discounts are damaged by leakage of water from available for community groups. the roof. Hopefully, these new arrangements Individuals, families and community will allow for greater use of the organisations who wish to hold Vestry Hall, which was the reason events in the main hall can now make New Deal for Communities spent £4 bookings through the reception desk million refurbishing the building ten in Sorby House on 0114 203 9000. years ago. Hospital needs clean air Story by Graham Jones In February the Northern General Hospital website issued Their solution is always to build more (revenue friendly) car the good news that laser treatments are giving asthma parks. patients a new lease of life. The dedicated staff in all departments of our local hospitals certainly do some The time is well overdue to consider ways of reducing the amazing work. number of cars using the site. A major step forward would be for the hospital to negotiate with the bus companies to provide a regular bus service from the city centre and local However, the bad news is that those of us living in transport hubs (Firth Park, Meadowhall and Hillsborough Burngreave are suffering due to pollution, congested roads, for example) into the heart of the hospital complex. Other noise and parking problems on our streets excerbated hospitals have mini bus interchanges on their premises but by the daily heavy traffic. Proposals to move even more the Northern General seems extremely resistant to this medical facilities to the Northern General, will contribute idea. With the forthcoming introduction of electric vehicles to an increased flow of traffic through Burngreave. on some local routes, this might be an excellent time to open negotiations. The hospital’s continued failure to address this problem shows a disappointing disregard for their commitment to The Burngreave Clean Air campaign is awaiting a reply from the health authority’s statement “Healthy lives, living well the local NHS Commission about what they intend to do to and prevention will be at the heart of everything we do.” address this problem. George & Brian: Something smells fishy by Edgar Lowman George? What’s this? I said call a No George It’s the fish you piano tuner asked for! 4 www.burngreavemessenger.org Housing plight of the vulnerable Story by John Grayson and Violet Dickinson | Photos by John Grayson Women and young children are unacceptable for any length of time being placed routinely in shared for vulnerable women and children? hostels with vulnerable homeless single men. Women, forced to SYMAAG presented a petition to share bathrooms and kitchens with the full council meeting in February men they don’t know, have faced demanding that the Council intimidation and racist abuse. This is immediately review their use of happening locally in Burngreave. certain B&Bs in the city, including in Burngreave, to ensure that The following examples show the families are not subjected to mixed fear, the stress, the indignity that gender hostel accommodation, vulnerable women and children and to demonstrate that hostel have suffered at a local B&B in accommodation is totally unsuitable Burngreave: for families; and in many cases is actually dangerous. • Esther and her 6 year old A small kitchen space and one daughter shared a small cooker which has to be shared From purely a financial perspective, cramped room with bunk by up to 20 people. the costs of a B&B will be much beds and hardly any storage greater than paying for a council space. She stored food in the run temporary housing scheme. room as there were no locked • In another case, a father was The mayor of Liverpool has pledged cupboards in the kitchen which housed with his five children in to treat homeless people ‘with no was shared by up 20 people. one room. recourse to public funds’ just the Esther, a survivor of trafficking same as any other homeless person. from West Africa said that she Councils are obliged by law to avoid was frightened for her daughter placing pregnant women or families Councillor Drayton, Chair of the as the man, in the next room, with children in B&Bs except as a Children, Young People, and who she thought was a drug last resort, and then for no longer Families Committee has stated that user, used to bang on the wall at than six weeks. Campaigners at ‘Children’s Services do not support night. South Yorkshire Migrant & Asylum Action Group (SYMAAG) know bed & breakfast accommodation • Another woman with mental of women and children housed for families and work to prevent health problems was living in unlawfully in potentially dangerous this wherever possible.