Should local venues be cancelled for hosting the far-right?

Dear readers — The news came as a surprise to say the least. Crookes Social Club, home of Drag King nights, Palestine fundraisers, and favourite haunt of one of Sheffield’s most left-leaning neighbourhoods, hosting a meeting of the right-wing Restore Britain? That can’t be true, can it? Actually, yes. On Thursday, as people were watching the eclipse, a few dozen members of the right-wing fringe party gathered in the club, while protesters from SCARF (Sheffield Communities Against Racism and Fascism) picketed outside. The booking has caused an almighty row online, with some saying they will never go to the club again. Club manager Maurice Champeau, however, has come out fighting, That’s today’s big story.

As well as that we have some sad news about Manor Fields Park, a talk about ancient Egyptian burials, and a unique home in Walkley.

In case you missed it

It was A-Level results day last week, but our weekend read delved into the thornier question of why some areas of Sheffield are poorly served by sixth form colleges. Of the 19 sixth form colleges in Sheffield, 10 are in the south west of the city, while none are in the south east. The piece provoked a huge amount of comments, with many blaming academisation and poor bus services for the problem. To join the debate, click here.

On Wednesday, our paying subscribers took a trip down to the seaside with Mollie’s dispatch from Sidmouth, where every year, the calming shoreline starts teeming with Sheffielders as the annual Sidmouth Folk Festival takes place. “How lovely,” wrote reader Liz Moor, “it also reminds me of regular climbing trips to Kálymnos in Spring or Autumn to find what felt like half of Sheffield’s climbers there.” 

And on Thursday, Lexi Reid donned her white gloves and sunglasses to delve into the world of free parties. The parties were ubiquitous 35 years ago, but the commercialisation of rave music meant superclubs like Gatecrasher took over. But now, as clubs close down, the free party scene is as vibrant as it has ever been. Lots of you really enjoyed the piece, including James Coleman, who said it was a “fascinating article that no one else would cover”.

The big picture: Bikes and beats 🚲

Thousands of cyclists joined Dom Whiting on Sunday for one of his regular “drum and bass bike rides”. The huge group set off from Devonshire Green before doing a circuit of the inner ring road. There are loads of great photos online, including this one from Rockingham Street by Tim Dennell.

The big story: Should local venues be cancelled hosting the far-right?

Top line: Crookes Social Club has faced online backlash after allowing Restore Britain to rent their space. Is refusing right-wing events the start of a dangerous slippery slope? Or has the social club ended up on the wrong side of history?

Boycott call: Last Thursday, campaign group Sheffield Communities Against Racism and Fascism (SCARF) picketed Crookes Social Club after it allowed members of Restore Britain to hire the venue for a branch meeting. An Instagram post the same day called for people to boycott the Mulehouse Road venue. “We’re big fans of traditional pubs and clubs,” the post read. “But if Crookes SC sticks to its policy of providing space for fascist organising, we’d recommend patronising one of Sheffield’s many more discerning venues.”

Who are Restore Britain? Led by MP Rupert Lowe, Restore Britain were set up in 2025 after the Great Yarmouth MP left Reform UK. The party has publicly called for “millions” of immigrants to be deported, and for net-negative immigration. However, many in the party go even further, arguing that only white people can be considered British, and for large-scale “remigration” (the forced removal of non-white people back to their “ancestral homelands”). One prominent local member is James Henry Holmes, who we covered last year. As we reported at the time, his Facebook page includes calls for all mosques in the UK to be closed.

‘Deeply disappointing’: It’s clear just from the comments on SCARF's post that even local residents opposed to Restore were divided on this issue. One commenter wrote that they’d previously considered the venue “a safe place” as they’d offered discounted rates for those hosting Palestine-related fundraisers. “Now no more, either they take a clear stance and promise us no more fascists in our streets and pubs, or they can be fascist-funded.” 

However others argued a boycott was a step too far. “Crookes Social Club is such an important space for so many people and I don't think they're rolling in money,” one person wrote. “Boycotting it is just shooting our community in the foot.”

‘An apolitical organisation’: That same day, the club’s general manager, Maurice Champeau, shared a lengthy post defending the decision saying they were an “apolitical organisation”. In a phone call with us — from his holiday in France, to the annoyance of his partner — Maurice said the row was “a massive storm in a tiny teacup”.

• “I stand firmly by the fact that, if people are in a legal political party, they have a right to have their views heard,” he said, adding that the club would still remain a safe space for minority groups and that “nobody is allowed to stay in the club if they’re doing anything to the detriment of other customers.”
• He added that he had received no cancellations as a result of the booking — “My diary is full until the middle of summer next year” — and that he had been getting many messages of support from existing members, including from people who are “so far on the left that they would never even entertain Restore.”

Ethno-nationalism: Carl Wark from SCARF told The Tribune that while he strongly supported the right to free speech, he thought it was important that Restore Britain’s views shouldn’t go unchallenged. He added they were not just “Reform UK mark two” but “significantly to the right” of Nigel Farage’s party. He continued:

“If Reform are civic nationalists, then Restore are ethno-nationalists. They’re trying to create a white nation in this country, with every bit of horror that would entail. We have no power to compel people not to go to Crookes Social Club, all we’re doing is giving people information so they can make their own choice. Community spaces set the tone by who they allow to book there and this decision has been rather tone-deaf for the people of Crookes. We’re exercising our freedom of speech and inviting people to consider who they associate with.”

Our take: As The Tribune found out a few years ago, Crookes Social Club has bucked the trend of working men’s clubs closing down by attracting a more diverse crowd to the venue. They host everything from fundraisers for Palestine to “Drag King” nights. This focus on inclusivity makes its decision to host Restore Britain even more difficult to understand. However, free speech is important, and there is a chance that banning Restore Britain will just increase their sense of grievance. Basically, what we're saying is it's a difficult one. Please let us know what you think in the comments.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🔥 The Green Estate company that manages Manor Fields Park has appealed for volunteers to help them recover after the award-winning park was destroyed by fire. The blaze took place on Thursday evening, and sent plumes of thick smoke drifting over much of Sheffield. It took firefighters five hours to get it under control. A drone-shot video shows the extent of the devastation. The Manor Fields Park fire was just one of dozens of fires that took place across the city last week, all of which are thought to have been deliberately set. The South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service say their control room handled around 4,400 calls and they attended around 770 incidents, a 63% increase compared with the same week last year. If you’d like to help Manor Fields Park get back on its feet, go along on Thursday, 20 August at 4.30pm. David Bocking's 2022 piece about the park is here.

🐀 The council says it is working with specialist contractors after “low level rodent activity” was discovered in the Winter Garden. Visitor Abid Fazal told The Star that seeing rodents scuttling at the attraction had left him feeling “queasy”. Sheffield council’s director of street scene and regulation Richard Eyre said the Winter Garden was a “large indoor ecosystem, with extensive planting and foliage, [that] can naturally provide shelter and habitat for wildlife, including mice”. However, he added that there was currently no risk to human health, that cleaning arrangements were paying particular attention to areas around benches and tables where food is consumed, and that they were working to seal gaps and other potential access points around the perimeter of the building.

⚽️ Sheffield FC have revealed their sponsors for the new season, including the surprising news that the women’s team will be sponsored by Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm. As we found out earlier this year, the club had just been relaunched under new management, with a new chairman, badge, and senior leadership team. Last week the men’s and women’s teams shirts were unveiled, with the men’s team being sponsored by Meadowhall and the women’s team by Mel C. She said Sheffield held a “special place in my heart" after playing her first solo show at The Leadmill and the Spice Girls' first stadium show at Don Valley.

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on our story from last week about Sheffield-by-the-sea, or as it's known locally, Sidmouth in Devon.

Home of the week 🏡

The word “unique” doesn't really do justice to this two bedroom ground floor apartment in Walkley. Originally part of the former St Joseph’s School on Howard Road, the flat has a stunning open plan living area with a huge curved window, plus two double bedrooms, a bathroom and ensuite shower, and allocated parking. It is on the market for £325,000.

Things to do 📆

Talk 💬 On Tuesday, join Sheffield Museums at Weston Park Museum for a talk about cultural interactions in Ancient Egyptian burials. Although 'Ancient Egypt' is often seen as a monolithic culture, it had close connections with its neighbours. Even some of the earliest known burials in Egypt included items from foreign places, these could be as signs of status but also demonstrate evidence of trade. The 45-minute talk is free and starts at 1pm.

Music 🎛️ On Wednesday, Violent Magic Orchestra come to Sidney and Matilda all the way from Japan, bringing their intense, high energy fusion of dark techno, trance, gabber and black metal to make it a night of raving and moshing you won't forget! Support on the night comes from Sheffield-based atmospheric post-hardcore band Mouths, and live-coded electronic black metal from Trve Yorkshire Kvlt Ensemble. Tickets are £14 and doors open at 7.30pm

Music 🎸 On Thursday, Louisiana-born and Arkansas-raised, Dylan Earl brings his warm take on country music to Alder bar in Neepsend. Come experience his road-worn songs, dry humour, backwoods charm, and the kind of storytelling that feels genuine. His latest record, Level-Headed Even Smile, digs into place, memory, and becoming yourself the long way round. To have a listen before you go, visit his Spotify page. Free entry. Special guests TBA.

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