We hope you managed to enjoy the sun on Saturday. After weeks of permafog it was certainly needed. We reverted to the gloom again on Sunday, but today has been lovely and bright so far. Let’s hope it’s here to stay.
As we all know, Sheffield is a city rich in history and tradition, but could it also be globally significant? A nationwide search for ‘intangible cultural heritage’ has been launched, and heritage organisations in Sheffield want us to get involved. So, what should we nominate as the city’s cultural gift to the world? That’s today’s big story.
As well as that we have a moan about The Star, a talk about Sheffield gay rights pioneer Edward Carpenter, and a beautiful cottage in Green Moor.
New immersive exhibition launches at Site Gallery
Plantation, by British Pakistani artist Rehana Zaman is launching at Site Gallery this week. It's a multi-media exploration of land use, labour, and environmental collapse from the perspective of agricultural workers. Two short films Soft Fruit and Jo Kherray so Khaey take audiences to Angus Scotland and Punjab Pakistan, following workers through their day-to-day lives, as candid conversations reveal the economic structures shaping modern industrial farming. The installation brings this agrarian world to life through sculpture, as forms inspired by agricultural architecture transform the gallery into an immersive landscape of light and sound. To find out more, click below.
Send us a tip! Since we got our incredibly basic new smartphone with Whatsapp on it, the tips have been flying in. If you’ve got something to tell us, small or big, then get in touch.
The Tribune is now on Whatsapp! Get in touch with any tips or things you think we should be looking into. All messages treated in confidence.
In case you missed it
Readers were unanimous in their response to our weekend read about David Lipka, the man who has spent 15 years campaigning for a new bollard to keep cars out of a community space in Upperthorpe. “Respect to persistent David!” said Hat, while Bridget argued that his persistence deserves some kind of community award. We imagine that the only reward David would want for his efforts, however, is a nice shiny bollard. With the views of our readers clear (“Good grief. It’s really not a difficult decision to make. Install the bollard”) we are today launching an official campaign: Bring Back the Bollard. We will ask the council every month for progress on installing a collapsible bollard until it goes in. David, we’re in this together.
Earlier this week, David Bocking wrote about the public e-bike schemes coming to Sheffield this year — and why the last attempt from almost a decade ago spectacularly failed. You can read an excerpt of that piece below. Plus, Victoria shared an update on the investigation into historic sexual abuse at Mount St Mary’s College.
OFO’s offer was perhaps too good to refuse: they would bring their shiny scheme to Sheffield at zero cost to the council. Planners and politicians decided they could learn what could possibly go wrong (or right) before launching a better scheme in future. “There’s that old phrase isn’t there,” said one local transport official after that clunky yellow year. “If it’s too good to be true, it is too good to be true.”
This week’s briefing — which features Welsh love spoons, an AI council takeover and a gorgeous snap of Sheffield in the sun — is as varied as The Tribune itself. If you only occasionally visit our website then you’ll miss out on this kaleidoscope of intriguing coverage. Just pop your e-mail in below and you’ll never miss one of our free editions.
The big picture: Here comes the sun ☀️
For a few blissful hours on Saturday morning, all thoughts of permafog were banished and the sun shone for the first time in what felt like years.This beautiful shot of Sheffield from Parkwood Springs was captured by Instagram photographer Abdalla on Saturday morning.
A big announcement 🚨
We've got some exciting news: we're planning to launch a new sister title in Leeds! We'll be bringing our mix of investigations and human features to one of the UK's biggest cities. Think of it like The Tribune, but slightly more northern.
To launch it, we need 500 people pledging to support the new newspaper. We're sure we must have readers with links to Leeds — could you help us get it going? Click the link below, and please share it with anyone you know in West Yorkshire.
The big story: Carol singing, Hendo's, hills? What are Sheffield’s unique cultural traditions?
Top line: People in Sheffield are being asked to put our local traditions on the map in a new register of “living heritage”. What are the cultural practices that define the Steel City?
Intangible heritage: The idea of intangible cultural heritage has been around for a while, even since UNESCO passed the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003.
- UNESCO has long maintained the World Heritage List of natural and man-made landscapes. Intangible heritage is an attempt to collate culture that can’t be found on a map, including knowledge and skills passed down through generations.
- Traditions that have made it onto the list already include well-known practices like flamenco dancing in Spain and Yoga in India, but also swimming pool culture in Iceland and Up Helly Aa in Shetland, an annual fire festival held in January which celebrates the islands’ Norse heritage.
‘Rich tapestry’: The UK was late to get involved in intangible cultural heritage, only ratifying the convention in 2024, but the government finally launched their search for the UK’s cultural traditions last year. “From Highland Dancing to cheese rolling and the carving of Welsh love spoons these traditions form the rich tapestry of UK culture and identity,” said heritage minister Baroness Twycross as she launched the UK’s search in December.
Hendo's = heritage? So, what is Sheffield's equivalent of Flamenco, Up Helly Aa or Welsh love spoons? Sheffield Hallam University academic and friend of The Tribune David Clarke suggests they could include things like the Sheffield carols, sword dancing at Grenoside and Handsworth, Yorkshire fishcakes or Henderson’s relish. It could also include the city’s role in the creation of modern football and Loxley’s claim to be the birthplace of Robin Hood. Going a bit further afield we could also add the summer tradition of well-dressings, and referring to people as “duck”, although Derbyshire may have something to say about that.
Get involved: In the UK, the search is being led by Living Heritage in the UK. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 27 March. To be eligible the intangible cultural heritage must be currently practised and nominations must be proposed by the communities themselves.
- T|he SHPB is inviting submissions under seven categories: oral expressions including poetry and storytelling, performing arts, and social practices (including festivals and customs).
- You can also nominate traditions focused on nature, land and spirituality (including folklore and environment), crafts, sports and games, and culinary practices, such as regional food and drink.
“This is a unique opportunity for the people of Sheffield to be heard,” said SHPB chair Professor Vanessa Toulmin. “The city and its region has many customs and traditions that are part of its unique local and regional identity. Whether you are a sword dancer, a choralist, a lover of our hills and rivers or someone who enjoys a splash of Hendo’s relish on your pie and peas, we need your help. We want to ensure the voices of the Sheffield region are heard nationally.”
Our take: It would be great if one day sword-dancing could sit alongside traditions like the Japanese tea ceremony and the Day of the Dead in Mexico on a global list of important cultural traditions. Get nominating.
What should Sheffield nominate as its cultural gift to the world? Let us know in the comments.
Your Tribune briefing 🗞️
🗞️ We didn’t want to write this, but sometimes you have to say something. Last week, The Star covered the Andrew Milne story for the first time, reporting the news that Milne had been convicted of stalking and giving an overview for their readers of his activities in Sheffield. Given the BBC, Private Eye and Channel 5 News have all picked up this story in recent months, it’s great to now have another local publication adding to the collective scrutiny. Unlike those other news organisations, however, The Star chose not to explain where this now national story originally came from. Nowhere was there any acknowledgement of The Tribune’s months of work exposing Milne, which involved taking on huge legal risks.
We asked the writer and The Star editor to update the article to include a reference to our work, but they didn’t even respond to our e-mail (had they made the change, we wouldn’t be publishing this). The same thing happened a few months ago when we broke the news about Sheffield College’s investigation into exam fraud — The Star’s article linked to a story in FE Week which referenced our work, instead of mentioning us. To be honest, it’s starting to feel deliberate. It’s especially strange given, as regular readers will know, we credit The Star and link to their reporting all the time. (We will, of course, continue to do so.)
👮 On the topic of Milne, Louise Haigh, the MP for Sheffield Heeley, has made the clearest call yet for the police to act faster. “I am frankly shocked that we are still waiting for the outcome of investigations by South Yorkshire Police and the Solicitors Regulation Authority,” she wrote. “The delay is unacceptable.”
🤖 This month, the government has named Barnsley the UK’s first “Tech Town,” meaning local schools, businesses and NHS facilities will receive government support to “unleash the opportunities of AI” — hopefully blazing a trail for the rest of the UK to follow. Champions of this scheme note the town is already an early adopter of many hi-tech solutions, while critics argue the time and money that will be poured into the AI revolution could be better spent. Simon Johnson, an MIT professor who is advising on the project, said he is personally keen to see the town foster technology that is “pro-human, pro-local community,” rather than blindly embracing the products Silicon Valley is keen to sell.
🇬🇧 Elsewhere in the region, Rotherham Council are in hot water for what some feel is a tone-deaf response to the flurry of English and British flags raised by right-wing agitators up and down the country last year. While some councils have ignored the flags and others have had them taken down, Rotherham plans to hand out £500 grants so people can erect more. The thinking is that, rather than “surrender [these flags] to extremist or far-right groups,” the town can reclaim them as a “symbol of unity”. However critics, such as 24-year-old Jawad Hussain from Stand Up To Racism Rotherham, argue the grants will merely “give the far right confidence,” adding: “The council has no idea what it’s doing.” Is he right? Let us know your views in the comments.
Local news is in a fragile state, but we’re fighting to defend it. We believe the answer is not cost-cutting and chasing ad revenue, but slowing down and taking the time to work out what’s really going on. We’ve already had 3,000 people taking the plunge, but we need many more if The Tribune is to grow into the newspaper we know it can be. Sign up below to support our work.
The weekly Whitworth ✍️
Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on Sheffield’s forthcoming fleet of e-bikes.
Home of the week 🏡
Live out your cottagecore dream in this delightful two-bedroom Victorian schoolhouse in the idyllic village of Green Moor. Internally, the property has been tastefully converted to create a welcoming and cosy home, while externally the house has off-road parking for two vehicles, a spacious front garden and views over the Don Valley. It is on the market for £220,000.
Things to do 📆
Talk 💬 On Wednesday, visit Sheffield Central Library for an evening of discussion and debate about Edward Carpenter and his legacy with academics Dr Alison Twells (Sheffield Hallam University) and Dr Seán Williams (University of Sheffield). The evening will explore Carpenter’s work in the UK and beyond, and his views on sexuality, gender non-conformity, history, class, and the environment. The one-hour talk is free and starts at 6pm.
Theatre 🎭 Starting on Wednesday at the Crucible Playhouse is Perfect Show for Rachel. The show is created by the O’Mahony sisters: Flo, an award-winning theatre director, and Rachel, an enigmatic, learning-disabled 35 year-old who loves Kylie and seeing people fall over. The pair decided to create a show for Rachel on her own terms: fast paced, funny, and different every night. Tickets are priced £12-£14 and the show runs until Saturday.
Music 🎻 On Thursday, join John Spiers and Jon Boden from folk legends Bellowhead at Firth Hall. Spiers & Boden first rocketed onto the music scene as a duo in 2001, before forming Bellowhead in 2004. During a seven-year hiatus from Bellowhead they returned as a duo in 2021, and have been taking their brand of high octane, no-nonsense acoustic folk music to packed UK venues ever since. Tickets are priced £18-£23 and doors open at 7.30pm.
If someone forwarded you this newsletter, click here to sign up to get quality local journalism in your inbox.
If you’d like to sponsor editions of The Tribune and reach over 30,000 readers, you can get in touch or visit our advertising page below for more information
