One of the UK’s most controversial urban explorers, Lost Places & Forgotten Faces (aka ‘Matt’), has ruffled feathers once again, after promoting a public tour of abandoned places around the city, which kids “as young as 10” are invited to attend. An AI-generated poster for the tour includes the Old Town Hall — a building in a dangerous state of disrepair — as well as the former Salvation Army Citadel, which is owned by the council. Questions around what permissions Matt has for this endeavour are currently unanswered. That’s today’s story.
As well as that we have a classic album at the Showroom, some worrying news about a city sports facility, and a lovely home in Kelham Island.
A reminder that you can now send us messages on WhatsApp! Please send us anything you like: gossip, tips, advice, even recipes. Just click the button below to chat with us.
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
For our weekend read, Victoria waded into the robot wars that are gripping the suburb of Meersbrook. The Starship/Uber Eats delivery robots first appeared on the streets of the city on 19 March, but it’s only in Meersbrook where it seems they have become such a divisive issue; robot vandalism has ensued. The piece led to a huge row in our comments section, with people lined up on both sides of the debate. If you want to join in, you’ll need to become a member of The Tribune.
Victoria Munro
On Wednesday, Dan spoke to Sheffield photographer Matt Willoughby about his portraits of people he meets on the streets of Sheffield. Over the last six years, Matt has photographed hundreds of Sheffielders with his trademark unforgiving ultra close-up shots. “Instagram photos are altered so much that you almost don’t recognise the person any more,” he told The Tribune. “I like to see things as they are, warts and all. The majority of people quite like that.”
And on Friday, Dan investigated another company buying and selling freeholds in Sheffield. The company, Tixerbon (which bizarrely spells “No Brexit” backwards) is headquartered in Essex and run by two men, one from Russia and the other from Belarus, one of whom is a convicted counterfeiter who was found guilty of selling thousands of knock-off Sennheiser headphones he imported from China on Amazon for £20 under the RRP. The plot thickens.
Last week was typically varied on The Tribune, with investigations, cultural pieces and big talking points all covered. And we’ve got some more great stories planned for this week including another piece by our regular contributor David Bocking about the miniature dragons that live in your local pond, and a major piece about a big cultural institution you won’t want to miss. To make sure you get all of those pieces direct to your inbox, sign up to The Tribune today.
The big picture: Blowing bubbles 🫧
Saturday saw hundreds of cyclists descend on the city centre for Cycle Sheffield’s Big Ride, an annual event aimed at making the city a safe place for cycling. After gathering at Devonshire Green, the riders set off on a 5km circuit of the city accompanied by bubbles, tunes and an “upbeat party atmosphere”. This shot of the group getting ready for the off (complete with St Mars of the Desert brewery sticker on one rider’s helmet and SYMCA cycling tsar Ed Clancy) was captured by Ian Carey. For lots more from the day, click here.
The big story: Controversial urban explorer selling tour of abandoned buildings
Top line: A controversial urban explorer has organised a full-day tour of abandoned buildings in Sheffield next month and is seemingly offering to take children as young as 10 years old into derelict sites. It’s unclear whether Lost Places & Forgotten Faces, who sold the tickets for £42.30 per person, has permission from the council and other building owners to access the eight to 10 abandoned places he intends to show the public around.
This story is free to read. You just need to sign up to join The Tribune's mailling list. And why wouldn't you? You'll get our journalism in your inbox the second we publish, keeping up to date on this and all our stories. No card details required.
Join the ListAlready have an account? Sign In
