June 2008 issue 76

At the BCAF quarterly meeting on Saturday 3rd of May, the Youth Council and young people in Burngreave came to express their distress about not being given the voice and power to contribute to changes taking place in Burngreave.

The 10th anniversary of the Abbeyfield Multicultural Festival, with fun for all the family, food from all over the world, music, and much more.

Burngreave Community radio is testing its tranmission and planning to be on air on 103.1FM by Saturday 31st May.

Updates on the trials of David and Ashley Cohen for the murder of Younis Khan; the trial of Danville Miller for the shooting of Dennis Small and the ongoing trial of Negus Nelson for the murder of Jonathan Matondo.

Including:

• A report on the recent BCAF meeting where, along side the Youth Council's protest about the lack of consultation with young people, residents raised the issues of road crossings, trees and community policing with members of the council and service providers.

Residents have expressed concern over new housing plans for Grimesthorpe Road.

Around 35 local people attended a meeting on 28th April 2008 to discuss the plans for the expansion of St Catherine’s School and the implications of it. The school is set to double in size and the Roe Lane community centre is to be demolished and rebuilt as part of the works.

Work has finally started on the new Tesco Express store at the site of the former Esso petrol station on Barnsley Road.

The investigation into Burngreave New Deal by Sheffield City Council around contracts awarded to Jack Davies and Bill Husband is now complete.

Street Pastoring is faith-based engagement with young people on the streets, often in the evening. It offers support, guidance and a listening ear for young people.

Shrouded in blue safety mesh and scaffolding, one of Burngreave’s most iconic buildings is undergoing a long awaited programme of renovation work.

The 5th annual march for peace organised by Burngreave’s religious institutions took place on the 13th April. We were set to go through Burngreave, Fir Vale and Firth Park as usual.

On the 16th April an interfaith discussion took place at the Vestry Hall, bringing together faith organisations from Sheffield and Bradford to share ideas and good practice.

To most Burngreave residents, Kamalbir is known for working in Ellesmere Road Post Office. However, he is also famous around the world as a performer and composer of classical Indian music.

On the hottest day of the year so far, music is booming from the PA in the Vestry Hall and dancers are hard at work at one of their twiceweekly rehearsals for ‘East Meets West’, a show designed to showcase music and dance from different cultures.

The St George’s Day Event at Pitsmoor Adventure Playground on 26th April was a success! There were lots of new faces and it was good to see girls playing on the newly opened aerial runway which was recently fixed by staff and members of the users Group.

On Wednesday 14th May, parents and children turned out in force to support the Family Fun Day. It was organised after parents at Byron Wood decided they wanted to set up a parents’ group.

Hope, optimism, unity and entertainment are the keywords for Burngreave resident Wajdi Raweh in his Sheffield Live radio show ‘Siteen Daqiqa be Alarabi’ meaning ‘Sixty Minutes in Arabic’.

After a break of eight years, it looks like Music in the Sun will be back this summer. NonStop Events Ltd aims to re-stage the multicultural music festival that was started at SADACCA in 1989.

Mediation Sheffield (MESH), a free mediation service helping people involved in neighbourhood disputes, is looking for volunteers, especially people from different ethnic backgrounds. Michelle Cook interviews MESH volunteer Lyn Brandon to find out what is involved.

Sheffield Homes have found themselves under fire after they refused an elderly man permission to keep his dog.

Parents are an important part of helping children to do well in school, but it’s not easy to get involved with your children’s education, when there are real life worries to deal with.

How can we support parents?

How do we avoid exclusions?

What do we need to do to keep our children and young people in school?

How do young people get an education even if they are excluded from school?

Sheffield Hilton Hotel Friday 11th July

Parkwood School supports children from a range of areas, including Pye Bank, in Burngreave, where there are families from a range of cultures including many Somali, Pakistani and Yemeni families as well as white British and Caribbean families. The school also supports families from Shirecliffe and Southey Green where there are mainly white British families.

On Tuesday 20th May, national figure Professor Charles Desforges spoke to an audience of over 100 Burngreave parents. His message was from research that shows parents can have a bigger effect on their children’s progress than school, simply by talking to their children more. Parents from the Life Long Learning and Skills ESOL class reported on the event:

If you take a walk down Abbeyfield Road you’ll stumble across the small Edwardian square which preserves many of its original features.

With bowling season in full swing, the Abbeyfield Park green is looking in fine form.

One Saturday night in April, there was a fantastic party at the Vestry Hall organised by Sado Egal from Somali Women’s Disability Group.

Sunday 18th May 2008 was a great day for a local and friendly festival so the Burngreave Learning Festival at Verdon Street was perfectly placed and timed.

PC Alan Hancock has been working with young people at Burngreave After School Study Support, to help them understand the dangers of weapons and drugs. The young people explain what it was all about.

It’s fantastic to see Osgathorpe Park so well used after all the hard work that has been put in by the Friends of Osgathorpe Park (FOOP) working with the Parks & Countryside Service.

Season review 2007-08

Earl Marshall Under-12s have been promoted to Division C having finished fourth in Division D last season.

It was a disappointing season for Burngreave Saints Under 11s, but with a new home pitch at Parkwood Springs and a new club sponsor, Northern Counties Housing Association, the future looks brighter.

If you are running activities for young people this summer, make sure you get them in the ‘What’s going on?’ booklet 2008.

Burngreave New Deal’s Small grants team will be running a special grant panel for young people’s summer activities.

The Somali Mental Health Project aims to help people with mental illness, increase understanding of mental health issues and provide a bridge between services and the Somali community. Saeed Abdi, Team Leader, was interviewed for the Messenger.

Latest news from Green City Action, including:

• All things bright and beautiful

• Wildflowers galore

• GCA on the web

• Interested in

becoming a trustee?

News from Burngreave New Deal for Communities including:

• Life changing job for Burngreave resident

• More BNDfC Board members

• Reach High 2 – supporting young people

• Hope for the future

• Diary of events

Latest news from the Area Co-ordinator for the Burngreave Area Panel, including:

• Making public transport more reliable

• Councillors' Surgery Dates

• Details of the next Area Panel meeting

Do you enjoy knitting? Or wish to learn? And want to meet new people?

The Fund has been set up to help local domestic abuse projects provide safe accommodation and short term financial support to women fleeing domestic abuse who have ‘no recourse to public funds’ because of their immigration status.

Readers respond to the “Fir Vale area is a disgrace” letter from our April 2008 issue.

Jeevan provides opportunities for young Asian women with learning disabilities. It aims to empower and encourage young Asian women to speak up for themselves and integrate into society.

The Elders project’s aim is to attract elderly members (especially those who are socially excluded, isolated and vulnerable) of the Burngreave and Firvale area to take part in activities.

A local project to help residents of Burngreave with social welfare issues has now set up office in the heart of the community on Spital Hill.

Munchies Café is home to Burngreave's newest café thanks to the hard work of two local entrepreneurs Yaz Asaad, 24, and Wasim Khan, 25.

Join the Rangers team for a clear up of Little Roe Wood, concentrating on the area around the pond.

Local resident, Sylvia Pennington is inviting other residents to St Peter’s coffee morning on:

Want to get out on your bike either to get fit or get to work but bothered by traffic and don't know where to ride?

Help keep sheffield Homes one of the best performing housing organisations in the country.

Do you have a loved one in prison? Are you feeling isolated and unsupported?

You choose the training you want from a list below and Apprenticeships for All will deliver your individual training package in a local venue, for free!

Sorby House opne day, Friday 13th June, featuring Johnny “The Entertainer” Nelson.

Phoenix Music Club flies again with two new pilot events at the Companion's Club in Pitsmoor. Don't miss out on the fun, as we have two packed programmes for you. As people have often said about Phoenix, “something you love, something new, and something to dance to.”

Additional pages of photos.