Good afternoon readers — and welcome to this week’s Monday briefing.
After years with no hope of ever seeing their name stepped on by pedestrians, the best and brightest of this city can once again aspire to having their name added to the city’s Walk of Fame. Eight new luminaries have just been added for the scheme’s relaunch this year, although from now on the council will only be footing the bill for a single new star each year. That’s today’s story.
As well as that we have an important question about the permafog currently plaguing Sheffield, an African adaptation of Macbeth at the Crucible, and a doer-upper in Sharrow.
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In case you missed it
For our weekend read, Dan spoke to members of just a handful of Sheffield’s seemingly endless list of “Friends of” groups, who donate their time to maintain the Outdoor City’s green spaces out of the goodness of their heart. Our readers loved receiving some positivity in their inboxes. “Huge thanks to all the ‘friends of’ groups, especially the Commoners,” wrote Justine Gaubert. “It’s such a special place to walk each day.”
On Tuesday, we published the second part of our long read about the murder of Kevin Pokuta, a 19-year-old father of two who was gunned down in Page Hall in a case of mistaken identity. In the days after the shooting, Ethan Hallows fled to Dubai, but has now been sentenced to 33 years in jail for Kevin’s murder. “Brilliant two-parter Dan. Superb reporting,” wrote Tribune member James O’Hara.
And on Thursday, we met some of the street preachers who sermonise on The Moor. The preachers have been getting a lot of flak lately, including a petition set up to demand they keep the noise to a reasonable level. However, somewhat ironically, the voices of those most central to this argument have gone largely unheard. Victoria spent several weeks pacing from the Greggs on the Moor to the second Greggs on the Moor to set that right.
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The big picture: Long way down
The Aquatics GB Diving International took place in Sheffield over the weekend, bringing Britain's leading divers and a host of top talent from around the globe to Ponds Forge.
The big story: Sheffield welcomes new legends
Top line: Notice a subtle twinkling out of the corner of your eye? That’ll be from the new stars in Sheffield’s firmament, ones you’ll still be able to spot despite today’s overcast weather. After several years in which the city’s tall poppies went woefully unrecognised, the council has added eight new names to the “Walk of Fame” on the pavement outside the Town Hall.
Who made the cut? According to council leader Tom Hunt, the stars celebrate people whose achievements “have reached far beyond our borders” yet are still “shaped by the values that make our city extraordinary”. Judging from the number of athletes on the list — four of the eight names added last week, and 15 of the 29 stars in total — one of those integral values is an ability to do well on the bleep test. This is especially true of Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham, who has just been awarded a star for his boxing prowess, and previously told Notts TV he earned his nickname because he used to “bomb” down the road as a child. The three other sportsmen added last week are golfer Danny Willett, cricketer Joe Root and the late Uriah Rennie, who was the first black referee in Premier League football.
Despite Sheffield’s love of live music, as shown by the number of small venues still going strong (RIP Dorothy Pax), musicians are far less represented in the city’s pantheon. Paul Carrack has just earned a star for his “outstanding contributions to music as a singer, songwriter, and multi‑instrumentalist,” while the band Pulp now have a joint star between them. It’s a little surprising, to be honest, that it’s taken this long for Pulp, but we’re glad their eighth studio album from last year finally cut the mustard. At this rate, Arctic Monkeys only have two albums and 24 years left to go!
But, if you’re tone-deaf and asthmatic, don’t be too disheartened: you don’t need to be an athlete or a musician to earn a star. The late Dame Julie Kenny, one of the region’s most successful businesswomen, was honoured this year, as was John Burkhill — better known as 'The Man with the Pram' — for raising over £1 million for Macmillan Cancer Support. They join a list of local greats that includes the actor Sean Bean, the oncologist Barry Hancock and the astronaut Helen Sharman, who we interviewed two years ago.
Why now? In the council’s press release, they describe the bestowing of new stars as an annual tradition, glossing over the fact that no one has been added since 2019. (That year’s choice, Tony Foulds, has also become somewhat controversial since.) The council announced it was reopening the scheme — and called for nominations — last summer, although they’ve actually been planning to get it back up and running since at least 2022. A council report from December of that year notes that reopening the awards could incentivise people “to play an active role in their communities,” in the hopes of earning their spot, and might “put a positive spotlight on Sheffield as a great place to live, work, study and to explore as a visitor”.
The lack of awards for some years, the report states, was “partly because of cost, but partly because of the need for clearer processes”. Though eight people were added in one go last week, there will only be “sufficient budget available” for one new star each year from now on. “This will help to maintain the prestige of this honour,” the report insists.
The report also noted that the council was keen to address the “lack of diversity in those honoured”. While those added this year have shifted the dial slightly, this is still clearly an issue. The late Dame Kenny is now only the fifth woman on a list of 29 luminaries, while Herol Graham and Uriah Rennie bring the total of non-white people up to just three.
Bottom line: If you’d like to see the Walk of Fame become slightly more representative of the city next year, then make sure to nominate someone you’d like to see join their ranks. You can find out more about how to do so on the council’s website here.
Who would you like to see on the Walk of Fame? Let us know in the comments.
Your Tribune briefing 🗞️
🚨 South Yorkshire Police have admitted there is a problem with organised crime in Upperthorpe and Netherthorpe, and have unveiled a new strategy to tackle it. The plan comes after the murder of 26-year-old Kassim Mohammed, who was shot on Watery Street last September, and two more shootings in the area in December. At a public meeting last Tuesday, a new “community partnership” named Upperthorpe and Netherthorpe Together was launched, which aims to “rid the area of violent crime” and “create a thriving, safe and welcoming neighbourhood for the people of Upperthorpe and Netherthorpe to live, work and grow up in”. The partnership includes the police, the council and local community groups.
🏡 Sheffield council’s new policy on council housing allocation has been condemned as “racist” by Green councillor Paul Turpin. The new policy states that applicants need to have been living in the city for three years, but fails to include an exemption clause for asylum seekers and refugees. Councillor Turpin said the new policy contradicts the council’s standing as the first UK City of Sanctuary and its declaration of being an anti-racist city following the 2022 Sheffield Race Equality Commission report. However, deputy council leader Fran Belbin disagreed, saying that the size of the waiting list meant that in practice asylum seekers and refugees are unlikely to be housed by the council, unless in exceptional circumstances.
🌱 Now Then report on the Sheffield charity Grow, which uses nature, coaching and paid work to help young people who have struggled to stay in education or find work. Based at the Green Estate Farm at Manor Top, Grow runs a four-week employability programme for around 18 young people, followed by ten weeks of paid work experience for up to eight participants. Alongside practical work, the programme includes therapeutic coaching, working on skills like communication, teamwork and problem solving. “A lot of the young people coming through our doors didn’t find that school worked for them,” says Grow's head of marketing and events Lesley Ellerby. “Some dropped out early. Some struggle with mental health. Some don’t have strong family support or social networks."
🌁 Can anyone save us from the never ending fog? When we coined the term “permafog” a couple of weeks back, we meant it as a joke. But it’s kind of not funny any more. In Sheffield’s higher reaches, the ever present grey mist is starting to create a semi-dystopian vibe. Does anyone know why we’re experiencing this? And will it go away? Armchair meteorologists, please join in the comments.
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The weekly Whitworth ✍️
Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on our story about the street preachers on The Moor.
Home of the week 🏡
Regular readers of home of the week will know The Tribune loves a doer-upper, and this five bedroom Sharrow terrace is definitely that. The house is just a shell at the moment, but with a little a lot of TLC, it could make a lovely family home or be split up into separate flats. The online auction begins this afternoon with a guide price of £90,000.
Things to do 📆
Art 🖼️ On now at the Millennium Gallery, ArtWorks Together is an international festival based in Sheffield offering adult artists who have a learning disability, are autistic, or both, the opportunity to showcase their talents. The free exhibition features works by 70 artists from 21 countries, highlighting the breadth and depth of artistic practice by learning disabled and autistic artists working internationally today, from South Yorkshire to South Asia.
Theatre 🎭 Starting tonight at the Crucible, Crown of Blood is a powerful retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth set during the civil wars of 19th-century Yorubaland. Fresh from saving the kingdom from invaders, General Aderemi is promoted to Field Marshall. When the oracle says he will become King, Aderemi and his wife Oyebisi go on a bloody mission to ensure he sits on the throne. Tickets are priced £15-£37 and the show runs until Saturday.
Music 🎻 The viol (pronounced like ‘mile’) is a a bowed, fretted string instrument popular from the late 15th to the 18th century, and for the last 40 years Fretwork have been the instrument’s leading ensemble. On Tuesday at the Crucible Playhouse, these acclaimed musicians will share a “playful and imaginative” evening of music featuring pieces by Bach, Debussy, Purcell — and Kate Bush. Tickets are priced £5-£23 and doors open at 7pm.
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