Author Archive

Saturday 12 of December: two weeks before Christmas and the city centre is buzzing with activity, full of people out to buy presents for their loved ones. What’s the essence of Christmas? Even if nowadays it has become a little bit of everything, from taking a loan to getting drunk, even if you’re not a Christian yourself, you’ll probably agree that Christmas is also about caring for others as we care for ourselves (and you may go as far as admitting that it is actually in our own *interest* to care for others). That’s why we thought it totally ‘Christmassy’ to make a programme about things that matter to Sheffielders, both at home and away.

This programme will take you for a *political* stroll around the city centre. First we follow the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to the Moor: how do Sheffielders respond to the call for a boycott of Israeli goods? The discussion is there, sharp and live, ranging from a “yes I will” to “No, thank you, I’m shopping now” (why thank me?) and to outright cussing. At the Town Hall the Stop the War Coalition is gathering signatures for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. We ask them where we can find hope for the anti-war movement when the government ignored million-strong rallies; walking down Fargate and past the open-air market, we come upon the Body of Sound choir. They’re singing to raise funds for an asylum seekers support group.

Blah blah blah….Merry Christmas, have a listen, and tell us what you think!

A ‘Political’ Stroll Around the City Centre: PART 1

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A ‘Political’ Stroll Around the City Centre: PART 2

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Conceived in 1998 by the Labour government, New Deal for Communities (NDC) was a scheme aiming to bring about community-led regeneration in the most deprived neighbourhoods of the UK. The Burngreave neighbourhood in Sheffield was identified as one of those areas and has been awarded £52 million, to be spent over a ten year period from 2001 to 2011. Burngreave NDC received extensive coverage in the local press when it announced that its coffers were close to running dry two years earlier than planned. A very controversial subject, the funding crisis overshadowed the work that had (or hadn’t) been done so far.

This seven part series, produced from May to September 2009 by *Eirini Apostolidou, aims to portray the change in Burngreave from the 90s onwards, and to trace the effect of NDC on the local community. As well as streaming the show from this page, you can also download the entire series using this zip file link.

Special thanks for their participation in the programme to:

Fran Belbane (management committee of Burngreave Messenger), Drew Dallen (local artist & social worker), councillor Jackie Drayton, Steve Gayle (BCAF), Rashida Hassanali (project Advancing Together), councillor Ibrar Hussain, Dr. Nelson Kaggwa (chair of BCAF), Ronnie Lewin (chair of BNDfC Partnership Board), Bronwyn McCarthy (project Advocacy Now), Gareth Roberts (organising committee of Abbeyfield Park Festival), councillor Colin Ross, Chris Sissons (member of BNDfC Partnership Board),  Diana Totle (project Sage Greenfingers), John Vincent (member of BNDfC Partnership Board).

Part 1: Burngreave in the 90s and the Arrival of New Deal for Communities

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Part 2: Projects Funded by New Deal for Communities

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Part 3: The Riddle of the Finances

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Part 4: Community Coherence Put to the Test

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Part 5: The Relationship Between Burngreave Community Action Forum and New Deal for Communities

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Part 6: BNDfC’s Performance Rated

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Part 7: From Conception to Implementation: General Reflections on New Deal for Communities

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*Eirini Apostolidou graduated from Panteion University in Athens, Greece, with a B.A. in Political Science & History in 2005. After graduating she worked at newspapers as a journalist and sub-editor. Since November 2008 she volunteers for SheffieldLive! 93.2FM as both a producer and a presenter.

Legendary poet guitarists and soul rebels from the southern Sahara desert, Tinariwen were in Sheffield on 20th October for a show at the O2. Ahead of the gig, the band’s guitarist and vocalist Abdallah Ag Alhoussenyni popped into Sheffield Live! for a half-hour Tinariwen radio special. Joshua Nem and Ouattara Houadjotany asked Abdallah about Tinariwen’s philosophy, their new album ‘Imidiwan’ and their show at the O2 Academy Sheffield.

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Tinariwen : Official website

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Tommy Reilly was the  winner of Channel 4’s ‘Orange unsignedAct’ competition was in Sheffield on 19th October for his show at the O2. Emma Cleave caught up with Tommy ahead of the gig and asked him about his music, his new life and his UK tour.

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Tommy Reilly: Official website

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