Issue 111 • April 2014 • Free to everyone in Burngreave www.burngreavemessenger.org Voice of the Burngreave Community Celebrating International Women’s Day Adult students from Byron Wood School’s English class wrote about their experience of International Women’s Day. The celebration was organised by health “When we arrived there were lots of workers, Tahira Faiz, Somshun Nessa and activities like hairdressing, eye Shima Nazir and were assisted by Aislinn examinations, facials and things for sale. Story:Yiwen Zheng | Photos: Lisa Swift Adams and volunteers who run a We drank coffee and ate biscuits and Women in Burngreave joined in women’s project - Feeling Good - which fruit. We really enjoyed it there!’’ the celebrations for International started last September. It gives Ebtesam Obaid Women’s Day in March. Burngreave women a chance to socialise, exercise, knit, sew and get health advice. ‘‘The hall had a lot of people. Women International Women’s Day on 8th March did henna and massage. After that they celebrates the economic, political and Local resident Ursula Myrie gave an played music and some people danced. I social achievements of the past, present inspiring speech at the event. Ursula, who enjoyed it very much.’’ Dama Abdi and future. Its origins are rooted in the runs the Adira support group in Fir Vale, struggle for women’s rights for fair pay talked about her experience of domestic ‘‘I saw someone doing make up, a lady and working conditions, universal abuse and encouraged women who are with books from the library and someone suffrage and equal rights. It has been suffering to seek help. with flowers and plants. I ate some fruit celebrated worldwide since 1911. and bought a book for my daughter. It “I have two daughters and we moved to was a nice day, I loved it.’’ Dhua Shaif Nearly 200 women celebrated on March Sheffield to flee domestic violence. I feel 12th at Verdon Recreation Centre. There better in myself now and I want to give ‘‘It was great. We experienced hand were stalls, activities and workshops at something back. So I set up Adira to massages, great free food and henna as the event, including Somali dance, support single parents. You cannot live well. We also saw great hair products Zumba, henna, a live DJ, and laughing in fear forever. I say to others, ‘I found a and there was a nurse who checked yoga. The women enjoyed delicious food way out so can you.’” people’s blood pressure. Everything was and refreshments. free. It was very good.’’ Khadra Liban Burngreave women honour International Women’s Day: Supporting women’s enterprise in Fir Vale, looking after each others’ health at SADACCA, and inspiring the next generation at the Town Hall. See page 4 for full stories. Image courtesy of Sheffield Local Studies Library Registered Charity 1095725 Green City Action has a vacancy for the post of Toolbank Co-ordinator Salary: £10 per hour plus 5% pension contribution. This post is part-time at 7 hours per week and is funded until 31st March 2015. Purpose of job: To enable groups and individuals undertake gardening and DIY projects by giving help and advice, hiring out tools and equipment, tool maintenance and project publicity. Applicants must have experience of using and maintaining a wide range of gardening and DIY tools and equipment. Closing date: Monday 28th April 2014 at 5pm Interview date: Wednesday 7th May 2014 For an application pack please contact Green City Action on email at: [email protected] Or by phone on 0114 244 0353 www.GreenCityAction.org.uk www.facebook.com/GreenCityAction 2 BURNGREAVE MESSENGER Changes to concessionary travel passes Roof repaired Story and photos: Graham Jones Public transport is vital in Burngreave where over 50% of households have no access to a concessionary pass users boarding a train car, compared with 30% across on 31st March, the first day of the cuts, the whole city. Even car owners and refusing to pay the fare. take the bus to town or the Northern General Hospital because Members of Sheffield Royal Society for Now the scaffolding is down, Abbeyfield of prohibitive parking charges. the Blind (SRSB) held a protest and Park House is looking out over the park lobbied Sheffield City Council on 7th with its newly-repaired roof. Funding for transport – which comes March. Blind people are concerned at the This important work will preserve this from the four councils in South Yorkshire difficulties of handling change and historic building in the centre of – is being cut by £8.3 million this year. checking tickets. Burngreave and help security in the park. Part of the cuts will affect bus passes for The Friends of Abbeyfield Park are now disabled people and over 60s. Deaf people in Rotherham have condemned the changes too. looking for new trustees so we hope those who care about the future of the Passholders will no longer be able to park will come forward and be a part of A legal challenge against the changes has travel for free on buses or trams before it. Details are on page 23. 0930 or after 2300 on weekdays. They been presented by Sheffield Law Centre will also lose free rail travel in South due to alleged breaches of the Equality The Burngreave Messenger office is now Yorkshire. Act. The Law Centre has asked the South downstairs at Abbeyfield Park House, Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority please use the side door when you visit. The FreeBee bus will be withdrawn on to reconsider and postpone the changes. Sunday 27 April 2014. Next copy deadline: 14th May ... but even more bad news Issue published: 31st May A 50p fare increase will be put in place on Burngreave Messenger Ltd, all community transport services from First Buses will increase bus fares by up Abbeyfield Park House, Monday 31 March 2014. This includes the to 13% from Sunday 30th March. Ben Abbeyfield Road, Sheffield S4 7AT. Door 2 Door, Dial-a-Ride and Shopper Gilligan, Managing Director for First, Tel: (0114) 242 0564 said: Bus services. It will be the first fare [email protected] increase in four years. “We have worked hard to keep any www.burngreavemessenger.org increases to a minimum. We appreciate Messenger Info Child fares will remain unchanged at 70p nobody likes any increase to fares but it a trip. has been necessary to review some of our prices to meet the ongoing challenge of Some fightbacks rising costs to our business. However we have frozen a number of our fares, At the budget meeting on 7 March 2014, including all of our South Yorkshire-wide Sheffield councillors promised £12,000 to The Burngreave Messenger is a tickets and all our month and annual help disabled children travelling to school community newspaper with editorial tickets.” in Sheffield. independence, funded by the Big Lottery, Foyle Foundation, Trusthouse Charitable First plans to invest £10m in new buses The announcement is a big success for all Foundation, the Garfield Weston in 2014, following last year's investment Foundation, the Scurrah Wainwright the parents who campaigned against the in 41 new buses. restrictions. They told councillors the cuts Charity, local residents and our were not just unfair, but a false economy advertisers. Registered Charity: 1130836 New prices from 30th March because they would make it harder for All content is copyright Burngreave young people with disabilities to become Messenger Ltd or its voluntary independent travellers. It would result in • NEW! Child Week Ticket introduced at £5 contributors, not to be reproduced increased demand for special needs without permission. We aim to increase • NEW! Child Day Ticket transport. and encourage communication in introduced at £2 Burngreave. Each edition is put together The parents also hope it will apply to • Sheffield £1.30 - £1.90 fares by an editorial team who write articles passes for carers to escort a disabled child increase by 10p not otherwise credited. or young person to school or college - but • Sheffield £1.50 - £2 fares this has yet to be confirmed. increase by 20p This issue’s team: Priya Blackham, Michelle Cook, Rohan Francis, Saleema • First Day Sheffield Imam, Douglas Johnson, Graham Jones, At the other end of the age spectrum, increases by 20p to £3.80 around two hundred protestors gathered Jamie Marriott, John Mellor, Lisa Swift, in Barnsley where councillors from across • First Week Sheffield Yiwen Zheng. South Yorkshire had voted to cut bus pass increases by 50p to £12 Proofing and editing: Fran Belbin, use. Plans for further protests include a • Student single fare Gaynor Carr, Robert Shaw, Julia Shergold, mass of elderly and disabled increases from 80p to £1 John Steers, Muneebah Waheed. ISSUE 111 • APRIL 2014 3 International Women’s Day Story & photos:Yiwen Zheng very popular. Customers could make Enterprising women appointments for the facial service in their own homes. International Women’s Day was celebrated in Burngreave in March Hanan plans to open a women’s hair showing women play a vital role in salon so she gave free haircuts to women modern society. at the event and talked to them to find out what would be reasonable prices in Usha Blackham, the organiser of the her future salon. celebration event in Firvale Centre, told us the event gave women the chance to Jameela runs a beauty salon and a leave their home and enjoy themselves. wedding party planning service. She It also helped them develop businesses brought some perfume, candles and hand and boost their income for their families decorated flower vases to the event to by having stalls at the event. find out what women like.