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The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. Est. 1946.

Issue 74 Friday October 10 2014 @ForgePress /ForgePress

INSIDE

Interview

Crookes students’ housing hell 4Students living at Crookes Valley Church forced to spend some nights in hotel 4Housing management stopped responding to emergency calls

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett

Patrick O’Connell and Adela Whittingham Students have been displaced from their homes after fire inspectors shut down the flats at the refurbished Grade II listed former Church, the Heritage.

The 102-room development on Crookesmoor Road had been out of use since 2003 before Leeds based developer iForHomes began converting the building into flats in January 2013.

Crookes Valley Methodist Church, as it was formerly known, dates back to 1881 and after its closure the building had housed squatters and illegal raves.

The church was bought by Northern Eye Properties (NEP) in 2006, but delays ensued until April 2012 when the site controversially received planning permission to turn the building into student flats.

On their company website iForHomes describes the flats, which are on listed for

rent at £99 per week, as “our most stylish and highest specification to date”.

But on Tuesday September 23, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service served a Prohibition Notice on the premises, saying it could not allow residents to remain in a building which poses “an immediate threat to their safety and potentially their lives.”

Resident Holly Blyth said: “The prohibition order was lifted after two nights but some of us lived here before we knew it was unsafe.

Continued on page 2 >>

Students show support for Hong Kong protesters

page 5 >>

Features

What’s the deal with body shaming?

Comment

Hong Kong: will we ever see change?

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Sports officer discusses sports club antics

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Elsa Vulliamy

DEPUTY EDITOR Tom Schneider MANAGING EDITOR jon.may@forgetoday.com Jon May FUSE EDITORS fuse@forgetoday.com Phil Bayles Kate Lovatt HEAD OF ONLINE matthew.smith@forgetoday.com Matthew Smith NEWS news@forgetoday.com Patrick O’Connell Neelam Tailor Adela Whittingham Estel Farell Roig Will Morgan Keri Triggw COMMENT comment@forgetoday.com Lauren Archer Isaac Stovell LETTERS & COFFEE BREAK letters@forgetoday.com Lucy Copson FEATURES features@forgetoday.com Kemi Alemoru Will Ross Polly Winn LIFESTYLE & TRAVEL lifestyle@forgetoday.com Isabel Dobinson Nikita Kesharaju SPORT sport@forgetoday.com Joseph Bamford Edward McCosh Thomas Pyman MUSIC music@forgetoday.com Rachel Bell Rebecca Stubbs GAMES games@forgetoday.com Samantha Fielding Robin Wilde SCREEN screen@forgetoday.com Joe Brennan Sophie Maxwell ARTS arts@forgetoday.com Chloe Coleman Joscelin Woodend COPY EDITORS Lucy Barnes Elizabeth Cunningham Frederike Dannheim Declan Downey Helena Egan Claire Fowler Ellie Tutor Karen Wong M edi a H u b, U n io n o f Student s, We s t e r n Bank , S hef f ie ld, S10 2T G 0114 2 2286 46

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in brief...

SCIENCE

EVENT

André Rhoden-Paul

Sophie Clark

New scientific research could make hip replacements more durable.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a technique to prevent hip implants under friction releasing toxic metal particles into surrounding bone cells, causing them to wear down and loosen.

Scientists have identified a protein that, when targetted by a drug, prevents metal entering bone cells, reducing loosening.

Last year the NHS performed 66,000 hip operations in England and Wales as a result of osteoarthritis.

The University is set to mark world mental health day with a series of events across campus.

Today (Friday October 10) is dedicated to raising awareness and educating people across the world about the realities of mental health problems.

In Sheffield the Mental Health Matters Society (MHM) is organising a ‘Big White Wall’ of positivity on the white boards inside the Union and a comedy evening at Vodka Revolution raising money for the Mental Health Charity ‘Mind’.

TECHNOLOGY

PROPERTY

CONSTRUCTION

Joshua Hackett

Keri Trigg

Patrick O’Connell

Images taken with the world’s first 3D printed telescope, called PiKon, have been released by researchers in Sheffield.

The new DIY telescope costs £100 and is capable of discerning surface detail on the moon, as well as observing distant galaxies and planets.

The designs will be available for free download, allowing anyone with a 3D printer to recreate it.

Former world champion boxer Prince Naseem Hamed has lost almost £1 million on the sale of his Sheffield mansion.

His home in Dore sold for £2,350,000, nine years after Hamed paid £3,330,000.

The 1900s manor is set in 10 acres of land and is close to the scene where he caused a road accident in 2005, for which he served jail time and was stripped of his MBE.

A student accomodation block featuring a 21 storey tower has been proposed by Chinese developers.

The building would be the fifth tallest in Sheffield if approved by the city council.

The site is located near St Mary’s church, overlooking the ring road at Bramall Lane.

If given the green light, the building would contain 695 student rooms.

Construction could begin as early as 2015.

FOOD

PETITION

Devni Kitulagoda

Tom Schneider

Food lovers at Inox Dine will be given the opportunity to sample a selection of truffles followed by a surprise three course menu using truffles and the finest ingredients.

On Friday October 17, diners will be joined by one of the leading experts in the field of Plant Sciences, Dr. Paul Thomas.

Since obtaining his PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Sheffield, he has donated the truffle trees that are currently in use at Inox Dine and has appeared on television programmes such as Saturday Kitchen and Hairy Bikers’ Best of British.

Over 1500 students have signed a petition to try and secure the future of the University Arms pub.

The proposed demolition is part of the University’s long term ‘Masterplan’ which envisages pedestrianisation and development around the campus.

The petition to save the on-campus pub was lodged by local Liberal Democrats.

Harry Matthews, Lib Dem Candidate for Crookes said: “The University must now listen to students and guarantee the future of the University Arms.”

News from the Steel City

Some hip new research

World mental health day

3D telescope pics released Boxer loses £1m on home £100m tower plans lodged

A celebration of truffles

Uni Arms closure planned

University Arms

YOUR UNIVERSITY

Photo: Patrick O’Connell

YOUR CITY

iForHomes “mismanaged Sheffield project for fast return” flash floods Continued from front page

Patrick O’Connell and Adela Whittingham Residents have also complained that there has been no heating or WiFi, missing furniture and power cuts “all the time” due to “temporary supply”, according to Blyth.

Over 40 residents attended a meeting yesterday (Thursday October 9) at the University.

Students’ Union Welfare Officer Tom Harrison said: “The meeting is a chance for us to update on what we’ve been talking about with the building control officer and the developers” “This is a classic example of a mismanaged project that was just used to get a fast return.”

Will Watts, who attended the meeting, confirmed that not all of the furniture in his flat had been delivered, and

that he was “living out of a suitcase”.

Residents at the meeting complained that iForHomes were virtually uncontactable.

An undisclosed employee of iForHomes also offered his number to a flatmate in case of “emergencies” but eventually blocked her number.

A Union employee asked

Crookes Valley Church

residents at the meeting if iForHomes had come round to speak about rent and compensation for the inconvenience of their current situation but no resident said that they had spoken to iForHomes.

Forge Press contacted iForHomes but at the time of publication they were unable to respond.

Photo: Terry Robinson

Elsa Vulliamy Downpours in Sheffield left Nether Edge residents battling flash floods on the afternoon of Wednesday October 8.

Reports on Twitter also show that the Abbeydale road and Ecclesall road areas are also underwater.

Sudden rainfall and thunderstorms have left drains overflowing

Nether Edge flooding

in some areas of the city, leaving the roads underwater.

Motorists have been urged to take extra care on the roads.

Nether Edge safer neighbourhood team have tweeted “There is standing water EVERYWHERE in #netheredge. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE slow down and drive carefully and don’t soak pedestrians!”

Photo: Twitter

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Endcliffe Park sex attacker pleads guilty to rape charge Patrick O’Connell A Sheffield man who raped and sexually assaulted a teenage student in Endcliffe Park has pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court today.

Jamie Leigh Seaton, 24, of Burrowlee Road in Owlerton, admitted rape and two counts of assault by penetration at a hearing earlier today.

Seaton attacked the 18-year-old student in the early hours of Saturday May 10 as she walked home following a night out with friends in the city centre.

As she walked along Endcliffe Vale Road, Seaton attacked the woman and dragged her into Endcliffe Park where he raped her.

The offence was reported to police within an hour and an investigation was launched by detectives.

CCTV footage examined by South Yorkshire Police captured Seaton

following his victim from West Street.

He was arrested and charged with rape and two counts of assault by penetration on May 16.

Detective Constable Jessica Hawley said: “Incidents like this are rare but they have a profound and lasting impact on victims.

“This was a violent and terrifying attack and I would like to praise the victim for the tremendous courage and dignity she has shown throughout the investigation.

“The fact Seaton pleaded guilty to the offence and did not force the victim to relive her ordeal in court is some small consolation.

“South Yorkshire Police takes all reports of rape extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”

Seaton will be sentenced on Wednesday October 29.

Jamie Leigh Seaton

STUDENT LIVING

Photo: South Yorkshire Police

YOUR UNIVERSITY

Unis’ web Gaza scholarship student failure woe “will not make it on time” Neelam Tailor

Estel Farell Roig

Every university in Yorkshire and Humberside lost access to the internet for hours due to a major fault in the core education network Janet.

The network failure left thousands of students unable to connect to university intranets as well as the web, or login to university websites on Wednesday October 7.

Lauren Archer, Journalism student, said: “We couldn’t do any work, lectures were delayed, and all the card machines were down. It was a bit like a snow day at school” The Janet network provides a computer network to which all higher-education organisations in the UK are connected.

Engineers began to investigate the fault early on Tuesday October 7, but had to send engineers to individual universities to perform physical inspections of equipment.

Janet used twitter to update the thousands of students throughout the day and reported the problem as fixed by 4pm.

Later that day the warned that connections could still be ‘at risk’ but were largely stable.

The passport of the Gaza scholarship student is now being processed in the consulate but he may not be here by October 20.

Omarali Falyouna, 23, who is planning to study a Master’s Degree in Sanitation and Public Health (Contaminant of Hydrogeology) in the University of Sheffield, said: “I have managed to submit my passport application but the problem is about time now.

“The passport takes two days to process and delivering takes five - but it was Eid this week and I have not heard anything yet. I may not get my passport until the 13th”.

The University has extended Omar’s deadline from October 15 to 20 but he said: “I will not make it on time. I have to register the day before using the Rafah crossing and, as it is often full, I may have to wait a couple days”.

Education officer Malaka

Mohammed, who was awarded with the Gaza scholarship in 2013, said: “I am in constant contact with him – he is a little bit upset at the moment. He keeps me up to date and I am hoping he will get his Visa in the next three or four days.

“If he arrives a couple of days late, the University will not say anything. And, if there are any problems, we will fight back.

“My main contact is the University’s Pro Vice Chancellor Paul White, who is being really helpful. He is the one who contacted the department. Everyone is really excited and we are waiting for him”.

The civil engineering graduate from the Islamic University of Gaza said: “I am totally depressed. The department sent me an email saying: ‘you have to be aware that you will have just two weeks to study and prepare yourself for the first two modules’.

“I have downloaded my master’s programme from the website and tried to study here with some materials I had from my degree but I can not concentrate because of the frustration”.

“I would like to talk with a student from my course to borrow their notes”.

He is currently working as a teacher assistant in the Islamic University of Gaza: “I do not know what to do. Do I prepare myself for teaching or for travelling? I am between two lives”.

Omarali Falyouna

Rugby captain defends club’s shenanigans Bars from around Sheffield and Sports Officer, Jonny Block, have issued statements to Forge Press in relation to alleged incidents that occurred on Wednesday October 1.

In the last few years, the British University College Sport regulations and National Union of Students Alcohol Impact project have been enforcing new rules to try and clamp down on the damage that binge-drinking culture can have on students.

An incident is alleged to have occurred involving one society in Carver Street bar, Walkabout.

Matt de Leon, manager of Walkabout Sheffield said “In general, the behaviour of students in Walkabout has been excellent since the beginning of Freshers. We are however

aware of one situation last Wednesday while the upstairs bar was privately hired.

“A few people’s spirits were a little high, and at one point they had to be asked to calm down as they were offending a few customers.

While their behaviour was unruly, there was no suggestion of aggression.”

Matt Baldwin, Club and 1st XV Captain of the University of Sheffield’s Rugby Club confirmed that they privately hired the upstairs bar of Walkabout on the night in question. He said “the club enjoys socialising and having a drink however we are also committed to the high standards of behaviour set both by ourselves and the University.”

Baldwin was unaware of any specific incidents.

Asked about the goings on of last Wednesday in Tiger Works, a spokesman stated that “we

TECHNOLOGY

First baby born from womb transplant An anonymous woman born without a womb, due to MayerRokitansky-Kuester-Hauser syndrome, has become the first person to give birth after a uterus transplant and IVF treatment.

Professor Matts Brännström, who carries out the transplants, claims the procedure is still in early stages. To date, seven transplants have successfully been made, whilst two others involved complications. The drugs needed to maintain the uteri do have side effects however, so the wombs are to be removed once the women no longer want children.

Despite being born eight weeks premature, both mother and baby are said to be in good health.

Joey Relton New evidence shines light on Spinosaurus The Cretaceous predator Spinosaurus has been reimagined, thanks to palaeontologist Nizar Ibrahim and his team.

It was already known that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus lived around bodies of water and fed on ancient sharks but its skeletal structure has long been a mystery - despite the fearsome depictions engrained in popular culture.

New fossil discoveries, have led to the hypothesis that Spinosaurus’ hind legs were a lot shorter than previously thought, and that it may have even walked on all fours when on land.

Charlotte Perry

Spinosaurus

STUDENT LIVING

Tom Schneider

SCIENCE &

really didn’t have any problems at all”. Other West Street bars such as Varsity, Players and the Vault were approached by Forge but refused to comment.

Asked about an alleged incident on University premises, Block said “we make it very clear to all of the sports clubs that they must adhere to our sports code of conduct and behave appropriately at all times.

Anyone found breaching this code will have disciplinary action taken against them.

“We are immensely proud of our 55 sports clubs representing the University and Students’ Union and we won’t tolerate any individuals bringing Club Sport into disrepute”. Block was unaware of any specific incidents.

Photo: Wikimedia

Did cancer evolve for our benefit?

Physicist Paul Davis’ newly proposed model of cancer claims it evolved during a time when cell immortality was advantageous. In his paper he argued that cancer is found in many organisms not just humans, so must have evolved hundreds of millions of years ago when we shared a single celled common ancestor.

This dormant trait for uncontrolled growth is triggered by cell damage, and gives the cell more chance of survival.

Primitive genes in the tumour cells are expressed and evolutionarily newer genes are turned off.

Davis’ team are researching correlations between gene age and cancer, in order to support their theory.

Megan Jones

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UNINEWS Carver Street killer pleads guilty

CRIME

Interesting stories from other universities around the world

Rochester Professor unveils invisbility cloak

Physicists at the University of Rochester have been making magic happen with the unveiling of the world’s first “invisibility cloak”.

The ‘Rochester Cloak’, developed by Physics professor John Howell and graduate student Joseph Choi, uses a collection of lenses to bend light around a 3D object rendering it completely invisible.

The designers claim variants of the design could be used by surgeons, truck drivers, the military, interior designers and artists.

Keri Trigg Oxbridge’s compulsory consent classes

Freshers at some of the UK’s top universities will be attending the country’s first compulsory sexual consent classes.

Oxford and Cambridge have timetabled the obligatory courses for first year students at most of their colleges, as well as adding optional drop ins for other students, in an effort to reduce on-campus sexual violence.

The simple message “no means no” is being expanded to cover areas such as consenting while drunk, and withdrawing consent.

The courses come as the NUS launch their ‘I Heart Consent’ campaign to combat reported rises in sexual assaults and harassment towards students.

Keri Trigg

Western universities losing ground to Asian institutions

A drop in public funding for British and American universities is being blamed for Western institutions falling down the world rankings.

The UK has held onto 29 positions in the top 200, according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2014/15, second only to the USA, including Oxford in third, and Cambridge in fifth.

This is down from 31 last year, with many others slipping down the league table, while the California Institute for Technology retains the top spot for the fourth year running.

Western universities are increasingly losing ground to Asian institutions, due to increased funding, who now occupy 24 places, up from 20 in 2013/14. This includes two in the top 25.

Keri Trigg

Adela Whittingham A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of student Anowar Tagabo after a night out in Sheffield city centre in May. Nathan Tomlinson, 24, of Haslam Crescent, Lowedges, Sheffield, admitted the offence via videolink at Sheffield Crown Court this morning.

Mr Tagabo, 25, originally from Sudan, was studying Peace and Development Studies at the University of Bradford when he died. South Yorkshire Police had previously stated that there was nothing to indicate that the attack was a hate crime.

The Dafuri refugee was approached by three men on Carver Street near Viper Rooms in the early hours on Sunday 25 May and was punched once by Tomlinson.

He was rushed to hospital but died nine days later. The post-mortem examination concluded that he had died from a head injury.

Mr Tagabo had been visiting Sheffield to represent his family at a community

wedding and had decided to go for a night out with a friend but was separated from him during the night. Senior Investigating Officer Natalie Shaw said: “Mr Tagabo was a talented young man with his life ahead of him which was snatched from him in a moment of madness by Tomlinson.

“Sadly, this case highlights the dangers of losing your temper and punching somebody.

“A split second decision made in anger can have tragic consequences, ruining the lives of the people involved, their friends and families.

“The defendant’s guilty plea has spared Mr Tagabo’s family the ordeal of a trial which is some small consolation.”

Hundreds of people attended Mr Tagabo’s funeral in August.

Tomlinson will be sentenced on 13 November.

South Yorkshire police said three other men were also arrested in connection with Mr Tagabo’s death. Two have been released without charge and a 24-yearold man remains on police bail.

YOUR UNIVERSITY

Prestigous Kenyan scholar chooses Sheffield Lydia Silver The recipient of a highly sought after Kenyan scholarship has chosen the University of Sheffield to study at and to pursue her academic aspirations.

Wilkister Kiyumbu Ludenyi was awarded the 2014 Kenyan President’s Scholarship, a prestigious award which gives a Kenyan student the chance to study at a UK university.

The award, jointly funded by Brookhouse International School in Kenya and The Northern Consortium UK, consisting of 11 of the UK’s leading universities, fully funds one student each year who would not otherwise have the chance to study abroad.

Having only applied for the scholarship after being urged to do so by a friend, Wilkister came through a series of interviews and tests to secure her place.

She claims that achieving the award was a complete surprise, and said: “At the time it was overwhelming, but now it’s a step closer to my dreams”.

Wilkister is studying BA (hons) in Economics and Politics, with a view to becoming a politician in the future.

She hopes to take advantage of the many experiences that the University of Sheffield has to offer, with the aim of implementing the ideas she finds here, back in Kenya.

The University of Sheffield previously welcomed Stacey Achungo with the Kenyan President’s Scholarship in 2009.

Achungo has recently graduated from the University with an impressive first class honours degree in BEng Electrical Engineering.

Both Wilkister and Stacey have joined a community of over 6000 international students at the University of Sheffield.

This year Sheffield was voted as the number one university in the UK for student experience, and Wilkister mentioned that the high student satisfaction rate was one of her reasons for choosing to study here.

Nathan Tomlinson

Photo: South Yorkshire Police

STUDENT LIVING

Charity cycle covers length of Europe Jessica Davis Two Sheffield students undertook a 6500km cycle route from the most Northern point of Europe, Norway, to the most Southern point, Gibraltar, to raise money for the military charity Help for Heroes.

Engineering students Robert Adelmann and Andy Wiltshire, both 21, have raised over £3,600 from their two month challenge.

The pair, who plan to join the army after graduating, completed the route through 10 countries in 62 days, adding a military connection to the trip by visiting a war cemetery in each nation.

“We amazed ourselves,” Andy said was his first thought after crossing the finish line.

The 4,000 mile trip was physically challenging, however as their fitness improved, it became an equally challenging test of mentality, due to the repetition of routine.

However, they persevered, with the thought of achievement

in their minds, and are now encouraging others to take on similar challenges for charity.

Andy said: “People wait for opportunity, but in reality you just have to make it happen “I would 100 percent encourage others, once you get the ball rolling, you can do it.”

They also stressed the importance of cycling to people in Britain today.

“Britain is awful for cyclists,” they joked.

Andy added: “We need to encourage a cycling culture, to keep the community fit and healthy.” Although the idea of the challenge was first born over a friendly pint in the local pub, they feel they have developed as individuals and see life in a different light by realising that real life experiences are more important than material goods.

He said: “It was huge sense of achievement, something we will never forget.”w If you want to support Robert and Andy go to justgiving.com/ nscyclechallenge.

STUDENT LIVING

Campaigning results in 5p wage rise Tom Schneider Business Secretary Vince Cable has joined the President of the National Union of Students, Toni Pearce, in calling for a significant pay rise for apprentices above the current rate of £2.73.

The current rate took effect on October 1 and was an increase of just five pence from the previous rate of £2.68.

Pearce said: “it’s great that politicians have committed to creating more apprenticeships but it’s really important that these will be fairly rewarded.

The minimum wage for

apprentices is shockingly low and our own research has shown that the current pay could be a major deterrent for those who would otherwise consider apprenticeships. A measly five pence rise on poverty pay isn’t going to do anything to get more study leavers to take one up.”

Vince Cable also used the Liberal Democrat conference to argue for a pay rise of more than £1 per hour.

The policy will be officially proposed to the Low Pay Commission.

Cable said “apprenticeships are helping to

create a stronger economy and opportunities for young people.

I want the minimum pay for apprentices boosted by £1 an hour”.

The proposal would see wages rise from £2.73 to £3.79 an hour on current rates.

The announcement comes as something of a turnaround for the party as on 12 March Cable stated that the initial 5p, 2 per cent rise was sufficient to mark “a welcome new phase in minimum wage policy”.

The government’s pay survey also revealed that an average of

29 per cent of apprentices are paid less than this figure with those in hairdressing (69 per cent), child care (43 per cent) and construction (42 per cent) being particularly badly underpaid.

Pearce said “It’s outrageous that many employers are still flouting the law and paying apprentices less than the paltry minimum wage. We need a clampdown on those who are choosing to exploit hardworking young people with more focus on ending exploitative practices within the industry and rooting out abuse where it exists.

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NEWS

Sheffield nightlife favourites join Good Night Out Neelam Tailor A nationwide anti-harassment campaign has taken off in Sheffield with 20 pubs and bars around the city signing up to the zero tolerance pledge of ‘Good Night Out’.

The campaign, originally launched by Hollaback London, reaches out to pubs and clubs to tackle the common, low-level harassment which has become increasingly normalised.

Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, said: “Bars, clubs, venues, and pubs have a key role to play in preventing and tackling unacceptable behaviour.

“I hope more venues sign up soon and pledge not to let harassment go unchallenged” Steph Ratcliffe, ‘Good Night Out’ Coordinator, was part of Hollaback Sheffield (which works to end the harassment of women and LGBTQ people in public places) before working with the national team to bring

‘Good Night Out’ to Sheffield.

She said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support received by the pubs and clubs of Sheffield and their desire to stamp out the sort of harassment that has become routine on a night out.

“Good Night Out will ensure that unwanted bum pinching, boob grabbing and inappropriate comments are dealt with consistently. It will remind everyone that this behaviour is not welcome in Sheffield.”

Participating venues are required to display ‘Good Night Out’ posters in male and female toilets displaying the pledge: “We want you to have a good night out. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, no matter how minor it seems, you can report it to any member of staff and they will work with you to make sure it doesn’t have to ruin your night” All staff will receive training from ‘Good Night Out’ on how to

support people through believing them, listening, never assuming, and by being aware of the dangers of victim blaming.

Flick Heidan from Plug said: “We think that it’s incredibly important to raise awareness of harassment in nightclubs and that it’s essential to respond to any reports of harassment in the correct way. Hopefully, if we all work together, we can begin to effect some real change on this issue.”

Plug, Corporation, The Harley, The Leadmill, Soyo, DQ, Dempseys, Paris, and West Street Live are among the 20 venues that have signed up to the pledge.

Dave Healey, a member of the management team at The Harley, said: “We have always operated a policy at The Harley that everyone is welcome as long as they show respect to the other people in the building - we call it an attitude code. ‘Good Night Out’ offers publicity and training

YOUR CITY

to help us improve further in an area that we feel passionately about. That everyone should feel comfortable and at home in our venue.”

Mark Hobson, manager of Corporation, said: “It is obvious why we would sign up “We always try to stay on top of harassment to customers by other customers, and this campaign goes quite a long way to do that.”

You can keep up to date with, and support the campaign through their twitter account @gnosheffield.

The ‘Good Night Out’ campaign was launched during Freshers’ Week 2014 in Sheffield, Edinburgh, Oxford, Bristol, Glasgow, N o t t i n g h a m , Brighton, Galway, and Limerick, with more cities signing up every day.

YOUR UNIVERSITY

Students’ Union goes down a storm supporting Hong Kong’s umbrella revolution Patrick O’Connell Students involved in the University’s Hong Kong society have been on campus raising awareness of the protests taking place on the Chinese-owned region.

Political protests broke out following an announcement that China would allow direct elections in Hong Kong in 2017, but voters would only be able to choose from a pre-approved list of candidates.

Hong Kong, alongside Macau, is a Special Administrative Region of China.

Hong Kong was under British rule until 1997, when its sovereignty was ceded to mainland China.

Demonstrations following the elections controversy were first initiated by three groups: The Hong Kong Federation of Students, Scholarism, and Occupy Central with Love and Peace.

On September 28 police fired tear gas into crowds in an attempt to disperse protesters. The last time tear gas was used in Hong Kong was nine years ago.

Umbrellas were used by protesters to

protect themselves from tear gas and pepper spray, causing the term ‘Umbrella Revolution’ to be coined.

In Sheffield students of the Hong Kong society erected a stall outside the University’s Students Union to publicise the protests and raise awareness.

Raman Au Yeung, President of Hong Kong society, said: “We want peace and safety in Hong Kong.

“It started from a bunch of students who went out on the street telling the government what they want. They went out peacefully but the police used tear gas and plastic bullets.

“We don’t know what the government is going to do; we don’t know what the next step is. What I do know is that Hong Kong people now are gathering together.

They’re on the streets no matter how tired they are.”

Two weeks into protests, crowds have dwindled, but the Hong Kong government and leaders of the demonstrations have agreed to enter negotions. Talks are scheduled to begin today (October 10).

Student demonstration outside the Students’ Union

Photo: Neelam Tailor

YOUR CITY

Sheffield’s dry September £700k spent on new bus lane Anthony Phillips Sheffield had its driest September in almost 30 years, according to Weston Park Museum’s weather station.

At the station, one of the longest continuously monitored weather stations in the UK, weather experts were able to calculate that only 13.5mm of rainfall had fallen in the steel city this month compared to the September average of 64mm, the lowest amount recorded in 28 years.

It was the lowest recorded figure in the city since 1986, when there was only 9.5mm of rainfall, but this year’s figure falls someway short of the driest September on record, which was 1952 with a paltry 0.6mm of rainfall.

This recent dry spell coincided with a slightly warmer month than usual with a mean average temperature of

14.5 centigrade, significantly higher than the average of 13.7, and higher than the temperatures recorded for the past two years.

Nonetheless, Alistair McLean, curator of natural sciences at Weston Park Museum, claims that due to Sheffield’s topography, rain can be very localised, with some areas seeing significantly more rainfall than others.

Because of this, it’s likely that other parts of Sheffield were significantly wetter than the figures recorded at the weather station.

Despite the dry September, the MET office has announced a very wet October, beginning with some flash floods (read more on page 2) in Sheffield this Wednesday.

Andre Rhoden-Paul Sheffield City Council has approved a £700,000 scheme to improve bus journey times and traffic into the city centre.

A report published by the council’s Highways Cabinet, chaired by Councillor Leigh Bramall, said: “It aimed to make bus journeys on this main route quicker and more reliable through infrastructure improvements.

“This scheme should improve journey time and reliability without any detriment.”

The plans will see the creation of a new bus lane from Mowbray St to Nursery St, removing buses from the Bridgehouses roundabout and helping to reduce traffic build up.

Buses will also be able to turn right from Nursery St into Pitsmoor Rd, making it a two-way road. Bridgehouses roundabout is a hotspot for traffic heading into the city centre, with 24 buses in each direction using the roundabout every hour on weekdays, meaning that long queues of buses and cars

are common.

Parking will also be removed from surrounding roads in a bid to increase traffic flow.

The Council also plans to make alterations to cycle lanes to encourage cyclists to ride on the road, rather than use the pavement to cross the junction.

CycleSheffield said of the plans: “Our judgement is that the scheme will be worse for cyclists than what is currently in place.”

The project, developed by Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Public Transport Executive (SYPTE), will cost £694,000.

A SYPTE spokesperson said: “Following consultation with the public, proposals have been put in place to improve traffic management and to reduce journey times, congestion, and improve bus reliability.”

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Sheffield student cracks J.K. Rowling’s mystery anagram Matthew Smith

A University of Sheffield student was the first of thousands of Harry Potter fans to solve an online riddle on Twitter from J.K. Rowling, earning her a treasured response from the author herself.

Emily Strong, a 23-year-old PhD student in the Faculty of Science, solved the author’s cryptic anagram – “Cry, foe! Run amok! Fa awry! My wand won’t tolerate this nonsense” – revealing the answer as “Newt Scamander only meant to stay in New York for a few hours” – a reference to the forthcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them novel and series of films, written by Rowling.

Rowling quickly responded to Emily’s tweet –

“YES! People, we have a winner” – confirming Emily’s Twitter bio, in which she claims to have a “love for all things Potter”, to be true.

In an interview with the AlwaysJKRowling.com fansite, Emily said: “I first tried the circular method of mixing up the letters, just removing ‘Newt Scamander’ only after J.K. tweeted that hint. I then rewrote the letters as a jumble above then also removed ‘New York’ and ‘to’, to see what was left.

“I tried out left and meant. Then for some reason the letters left just made sense as that sentence.

I tweeted it imagining it’d be wrong, as it was my first try. I like anagrams and just find if I write the letters out in a mix I can pull the words out more easily.”

Students come out to support music equality

YOUR CITY

Juliene Dolot The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) commitee of the University of Sheffield launched their ‘Splectrum’ campaign at West Street Live on Wednesday October 1.

The organisation represents and offers welfare for LGBT students in the Students’ Union. Splectrum is one of many campaigns that LGBT run throughout the year, launched with the aim of reducing discrimination towards LGBT students by supporting equality in music.

Splectrum is a free monthly music event featuring four local unsigned artists each night.

Ginger Tom, Danny Smart, Khaki Scouts and Ish-brother are the musicians who played on the opening night.

In addition to the showcase of up-and-coming artists, the committee also sold merchandise to fundraise for their chosen local charity, The Sheena Amos Youth Trust (SayIt), a sexual health charity working with young people.

Laura Yie, member of the LGBT commitee, said: “We wanted to create a campaign that is inclusive for everyone, whether an LGBT person or not. We wanted to run an event where we can try and promote no homophobia in the music scene in

Sheffield.”

The campaign also aimed to bring international issues to light. Throughout the night, various members of the public were holding signs that read ‘We support a #FreeAndEqual world’.

Laura Yie said: “We are extending our campaign by using the same signs for the International World Week at the University. We will try and draw the link to the fact that the music event is just a small drop in the ocean. We will try to build a bigger picture.”

When asked why the campaign is significant, Danny Smart, a musician on the night, said: “It is something that needs expressing to people and it needs to be supported more”.

Laura Yie said: “There is still a lot of stigma around LGBT people. Our society is a minority, therefore we need people from the majority to speak out about it.”

Splectrum has not only raised awareness, but has also introduced people, especially first year students, to Sheffield’s music scene. The next Splectrum night will take place on Saturday November 13 at West Street Live.

YOUR CITY

Inside Out Festival to celebrate vibrant city centre Georgia Elander The new Inside Out festival, to take place for the first time on October 25, will bring together a variety of local groups and organisations in a bid to foster community spirit within Sheffield City Centre.

According to the Sheffield Rotary Club, the City Centre is the fastest growing area of Sheffield, with around 17,000 inhabitants, and it’s a vibrant and busy part of the city.

The Inside Out festival will celebrate this, as well as seeking to educate its inhabitants about different aspects of city living. These include volunteering, redevelopment, health and recycling, and this information will be provided by organisations attending the festival, such as Sheffield Is My Planet and Health Watch Sheffield.

Paul Blomfield, MP for Sheffield Central, will be one of a variety of speakers at the event, and there will be performances from local choirs in Millenium square and buskers in Tudor Square.

Blomfield said: “Increasingly families and older people are living in the city centre, alongside about 10,000 students, and it’s great that the Inside Out festival will celebrate this diversity. I’m keen to listen to residents and businesses and discuss how we can continue to improve the city centre and ensure it’s an attractive place to live for everyone”.

The clear theme of the festival is a remarkable attempt to get residents of

sheffield from all walks of life involved and participating in a City Centre community.

Those attending will get the chance to view plans for redevelopment in the City Centre, for example the City Centre Master Plan, artists’ impressions of The Moor development, and University of Sheffield campus proposals.

The festival will also seek to build stronger links between the City Centre community and the student community; both Sheffield Hallam University Community Involvement and University of Sheffield Community External Relations will have a presence.

According to the organisers, “this will be an event of interest to all Sheffielders, so they can enjoy the activities of the City Centre community and at the same time see what is planned to develop a centre for the 21st century.”

Paul Blomfield

Musicians at Splectrum

Photo: Juliene Dolot

YOUR UNIVERSITY

Uni of Sheffield research used at UN climate change summit Will Morgan The world’s Prime Ministers and Presidents, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, last week gathered in New York to discuss solutions to climate change.

One of the major issues that arose during the summit was China’s refusal to make the same pledges that wealthier nations were, due to its less developed economy. This is an issue that continuing research from the Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID) is hoping to correct.

The SIID suggests that there are economically viable low carbon options for developing economies but there are a variety of social and political barriers to them being implemented.

Dr Jojo Nem Singh, of the Institute and lecturer in international development at the University of Sheffield, cites Brazil as a key example of an economy switching to a low-carbon option.

He said: “Brazil’s ethanol programme was developed initially through state investments, but with subsequent d e v e l o p m e n t through private sector participation.

Today, Brazilian cars are run by a mixture of ethanol and crude oil”.

However the SIID also acknowledges that this might not be economically or politically viable in other countries with Dr Singh adding that “renewable energy needs to have an economic rationale” and stating the SIID’s project goal as “beginning to explore these economic and political conditions necessary for climate compatible energy strategies.”

Statistics from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest that global temperature has risen 0.85ºC in the last 100 years, with the general consensus being that an increase of 2 degrees would lead to global catastrophe.

We are already beginning to see the effects of climate change in the world around us. California is currently suffering from one of the most severe droughts on record which is mirrored in Africa where the ever decreasing rainfall is making food shortages even worse.

This year Britain saw some of the worst flooding in living memory which crippled local economies as properties and local businesses were ruined.

The SIID research makes it clear that the world needs to change how it approaches climate change and make real commitments to save the planet.

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NATIONAL Love Square set for urban makeover NEWS YOUR CITY

Adela Whittingham Love Square in Sheffield is being developed into a ‘smart’ urban park by a project coordinated by the University of Sheffield.

The site is located at West Bar on the site of a former bus and tram interchange.Following the closure of the interchange, the site has become derelict.

There has been a resurgence of new businesses and residential communities in the area but the site remains neglected.

The project is being led by Professor Nigel Dunnett of the University’s Department of Landscape.

Sheffield City Council and a range of local community groups will also work alongside the

University of Sheffield..

The site will feature a community cafe, made from a chipping container, wildflower meadows, lawns, a mini wetland and a woodland edge designed to attract birds.

The project is hoping to receive £120,000 of transformation funding from the national Grow Wild campaign.

Grow Wild, Supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led

by Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, is a four-year programme encouraging people to sow UK native wild flowers.

The funding is offered based on the results of a public vote. Voting opens between 7 October and 4 November.

The Gimp Man of Essex

An Essex man has come up with a new way to fundraise – by touring the county in a gimp suit.

Known as ‘The Gimp Man of Essex’, he appears in various locations across the region, and donates £1 to mental health charity Colchester Mind every time someone posts a photo with him on Facebook.

His Facebook page, which has over 3,300 likes, claims: “I am just out and about to make people smile and hopefully brighten a few days up.”

He also has a Just Giving Page which has raised almost £900.

Keri Trigg Nearly one in three Britons has taken illegal drugs

The vision

More than 15 million British adults have taken an illegal substance, according to the British drugs survey 2014 carried out by the Observer.

The survey found that, although 7500,000 Britons take drugs every day, the majority of drug Photo: University of Sheffield users (55 per cent) take them less than once a month.

93 per cent of drug users YOUR CITY have taken marijuana, making it the most popular illegal drug. Speed (34 per cent) is the second most widely used drug, followed by cocaine (29 per cent) and ecstasy (25 per cent). The average drug user has tried 2.5 illegal drugs.

Both sexes are equally likely this, the staff are committed to to have taken drugs, but male maintaining the good behaviour drug users are twice as likely as of their clients. women to develop a problem at Smith said: “We’re very good some stage (18 per cent). neighbours. We police our area and we look after our clients. We Estel Farell Roig don’t want them to impact on the area we work in.”

The centre is currently supported

by Sheffield City Council and has received donations from various sources, including the University of Sheffield’s Geogsoc through the Rough It campaign in May.

Street drinkers’ sanctuary on Eyre Street remains closed Clodagh Brennan Sheffield’s day centre for street drinkers has been left without premises for over two weeks as it tries to secure a new home.

Ben’s Centre has operated as a day service for homeless street drinkers of Sheffield city for 19 years.

The centre was forced to relocate after their premises near West Street began its conversion into student flats.

A replacement location was

found on Eyre Street in the City centre, but the tenancy was retracted at short notice.

The charity has been unable to find alternative premises so far, meaning that they cannot open their drop-in for intoxicated clients.

Sue Smith, the project manager of Ben’s Centre said: “What we are doing now is going out and finding these clients, but we can’t offer food of any substantial kind.”

The centre is unable to offer its usual support, which included

food, showers, health services and social activities.

Without the centre, many people who relied on Ben’s for their basic amenities have no access to other support. This is of particular concern coming up to winter.

Sue Smith said: “Our clients will die of the winter if they have got nowhere to go.”

Ben’s Centre runs a ‘damp’ service which allows their clients to be intoxicated but not drink on the premises. Despite

YOUR CITY

A rival for Sheffield’s Showroom cinema?

Sophie Cockett A new art house cinema is set to opened in one of Sheffield’s many grade two listed buildings.

The former home of the Sheffield Banking Company, based on George Street, has been bought by Curzon Cinemas.

It will boast three screens, each of between 40 and 60 seats, an impressive rooftop garden terrace and a private auditorium. It will be an exciting new cultural prospect for the city.

Sheffield is already home to one of the largest art house cinemas in Europe, Showroom, which was opened in 1989.

This cinema presents its audiences with films from around the world from contemporary film to classic cinema, something slightly different to the indie vibe that newcomers, Curzon, are trying to achieve.

According to Showroom’s Marketing

Development Manager, Melanie Crawley, there will be no rivalry between the two attractions, as they each offer audiences contrasting experiences.

Crawley said: “It’s an exciting time for film fans in Sheffield with the prospect of a new cultural cinema opening in the city centre, and we hope to cultivate a good relationship with the Curzon, but we see the role of The Showroom as being very distinct from this cinema operator “The Showroom will remain the city’s only truly independent cinema – the film programme is created in-house specifically for our local audience, giving people in Sheffield access to films from around the world, but also to films made locally about issues that reflect the city… We hope to welcome Curzon to the network once they open.”

The new cinema is set to open in December this year.

Sex is not funny in Yorkshire

All regions but Yorkshire find sexual jokes acceptable, the first national survey of Britain’s comedic tastes has discovered.

By contrast, audiences in the South West love jokes about sex the most in the country. London and Wales are the next biggest market for this kind of humour.

According to ‘State of Play: Comedy UK’, an analysis compiled by Ticketmaster from audience data, while Londoners love political humour, people from Yorkshire prefer jokes about education.

Scottish audiences welcome comedy about national quirks but they are the least likely to enjoy toilet or scatological humour.

Showroom Cinema

Photo:Graham Hogg

Estel Farell Roig

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Cameron’s corrosive cuts will stifle Britain’s youth

Chris Saltmarsh The past week has seen a flurry of policy announcements from the Conservative Party both before and during their annual conference.

One of the conference’s main focuses was trying to convince us that they aren't actually destroying the NHS (a note to Jeremy Hunt: describing privatisation without using the word “privatisation” doesn’t make it something else). Another was that they believe people know best how to spend their own money – even if they don't think you should actually have very much, as evidenced by George Osborne's proposal for an inadequate £7 minimum wage.

David Cameron's pre-conference announcement set out the Tories' ambition to scrap housing benefits and job seekers' allowance for under 21s who have gone six months without finding work or training.

They would only be able to continue receiving their benefits if they did some community projects like cleaning public spaces.

Attempting to defend the policy, Osborne said “It

is not acceptable for young people under the age of 21 to go straight from school on to benefits and into a home paid for through housing benefit – benefit funded by other people who are working.” Cameron added that the policy aimed to “eliminate youth unemployment” and that after leaving school under 21s should either be “earning or learning”.

It’s important to point out the only reason the Tories haven’t yet implemented this policy is because Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg blocked it. Anybody with a good memory of the coalition government’s actions will understand that there must be something seriously wrong with a policy if even Clegg's Lib Dems have put their foot down over it.

This policy is an immigrantbashing short of being the perfect appeal to the stereotypical centre-right; the Daily Mail reading UKIPleaning faction of traditional T o r y supporters.

By attacking both the young and benefits

recipients, it targets two of the three demographics most deplored by populist Middle England.

“This policy is the perfect appeal to the stereotypical centre-right” What this policy actually does is reinforce the absurd idea that the existence of a welfare state significantly reduces the supply of people willing to work. That’s because apparently having grown up in relative poverty, those on the wrong end of Britain's corrosive inequality are perfectly content to lazily live the rest of their life on inadequate benefit payments. That, in short, social mobility is undesirable.

The policy is a practical reiteration of Osborne's dangerously divisive rhetoric around ‘strivers versus skivers’. It contributes to the perpetual demonisation of the poor and unemployed, deflecting blame for Britain's deep rooted socioeconomic problems towards society's most vulnerable, and away from the political-corporate elites who have hijacked economic growth so as to only serve the interests of

the wealthy and powerful.

There is hypocrisy abounding too: the Tories' paradoxical goal is that they want more young people in higher education and apprenticeships, despite being the same party who tripled tuition fees, scrapped EMA and hollowed education into Michael Gove's uninspiring conception of academic rigour.

Youth unemployment is just one symptom of an underlying socioeconomic disease.

Cameron's plan to eradicate it will do nothing to heal British society's deeper wounds, and may even w o r s e n them.

Photo: wisegeek.com

Did you know George Clooney’s wedding involved him marrying another person?

The popular media feeds us the details of every single aspect of celebrity weddings.

Why do we know almost nothing about the people underneath?

Lydia Silver Poor Brad and Angelina. Mere weeks after their fancy yet family-oriented wedding in the south of France, George Clooney upstages them. In what the Independent called ‘the celebrity nuptials of the year’, Brangelina’s crown has been swept away.

Clooney dazzled the watching world, his Venice wedding festooned with boatloads of paparazzi, a seven star hotel, and cases of his own brand of tequila. Oh, and (almost forgot!) a wife, British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

The headlines continue this lopsided narrative: ‘Film star George Clooney marries in Venice’ (BBC), ‘George Clooney leads a star studded parade of boats to Venice wedding’ (the Telegraph), and even ‘George Clooney Wedding - the past loves of Mr Clooney’ (the Metro). Lots on the man, lots on the event, little on the lady.

In sardonic contrast, one headline from the Business Woman Media ran; ‘Internationally acclaimed barrister Amal Alamuddin marries an actor’. Unlike most other wedding coverage, it mentioned her achievements (including her work

representing Julian Assange of Wikileaks), her fluency in three languages, parts of her actual background as a person. Apart from some dodgy coverage in the Daily Mail, where it was claimed that Alamuddin was part of a religious sect, it is the only headline I’ve seen that focuses on the new Mrs Clooney. Other than that small article, I know nothing about her.

Not to imply that I want to know every little detail about George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin. I don’t care what their favourite TV programmes are or what they had for tea last night. All I ask is that, if the media is going to shower me with photographs of someone’s wedding dress, they also tell me what that person does.

The problem is that we aren’t interested in people. We’re interested in the glitz, the glamour. And so this is what papers give us.

So, from a quick glance at the newspapers, I can find out all sorts about the Clooney wedding. Apparently guests had to hand in their phones, so that all the juicy details couldn’t get out (it doesn’t seem to have worked). I know that the breakfast menu comprised of lobster, lemon risotto, and fried polenta with mushrooms. I know that Oscar de la Renta designed the hand-

stitched wedding dress. I can also guess who has the ‘exclusive’ rights to the wedding pictures, thanks to the presence of a certain Anna Wintour. I don’t know anything personal about the couple.

I’m not decrying celebrity culture – I like it. A little tacky though it may be, I and many others get a vicarious thrill from the glimpses of their luxuriant lifestyles. But on someone’s wedding day, a celebration of two people’s relationship, surely their life stories should be more important than their clothes.

So come on papers, give us more. If we’re cultivating public obsessions with celebrities, let us at least know who it is we’re meant to be idolising. Amal Alamuddin is a shining example of a highly successful, and now famous, woman who is known for her achievements rather than her superficialities.

Tell us more about people like her.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons & usmagazine.com

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Weathering the storm: HK’s umbrella movement Teddy Fung Demanding change in our lives is always hard. In Hong Kong, there is a mass of citizens fighting for change and choice. Democracy has been a long time coming, and now the Chinese Central Government has dictated the 2017 election of their Chief Executive. It was this incident that sparked the recent widespread protest movements that have taken place in Hong Kong.

The very beginning of the movement was a mere class boycott, led by students near the government headquarters.

However, the situation soon worsened, as the government gave no proper response and the police force started breaking up the protest violently, arresting one of the student leaders. In view of those actions, the general public has been angered too. More citizens came out in support of the students and enlarged the mass of the unrest.

The growing group of activists began Occupy Central, the major movement of civil disobedience.

In attempts to bring the

demonstrations and occupations under control, the Hong Kong police force have progressively deployed more violent and aggressive tools – pepper spray and tear gas. These measures still did not disperse the protesters, rather than discouraging the citizens’ cause it only pushed more people to get involved. Protestors holding umbrellas (to prevent attack by pepper spray and tear gas) became the symbol of the movement.

“Between the protesters and government has arisen an uncomfortable dilemma”

What is giving the protest its powerful momentum? I think it’s due to no single group being in charge of the protests’ goals.

When citizens act on their own will, they rely on news from others to make decisions - largely biased on their individual circles and social network feeds. The news on our timelines comes from a variety of backgrounds standing in solidarity, all involved for a shared goal among different views. Such a grassroots-organised movement has an unfamiliar dynamic and the police force has found it difficult to

control.

Nevertheless, despite their lack of leadership, the Hong Kong protestors can be proud of themselves: their civil consciousness in peaceful protest discipline have been noted by world media as unique and excellent.

Now between the protesters and government has arisen an uncomfortable dilemma. If the movement continues, it may never reach a win-win outcome.

Not all the citizens in Hong Kong support the demonstration, and their voices cannot be ignored, lest the movement be hypocritical.

Polarized views among citizens would open rifts, only leading to social disharmony. Economic concerns have already been raised on continued protests potentially damaging Hong Kong’s productivity and competitiveness.

Government negotiations with the protestors should be taken as soon as possible. It surely won’t be an easy process - as I said, there is no single representative or leading group. It would be a challenge for the government officials, especially the less popular ones: C.Y. Leung, the current Chief Executive, only gets 43.2 per cent in the latest support polls. I am

Photo: Wikimedia Commons afraid significant compromises may have to be made by both sides.

Meanwhile, China will inevitably be guiding the process in the near future.

Undeniably, there is still much uncertainty as to Hong Kong’s future in the pursuit of universal suffrage. The “umbrella movement” must nonetheless keep well focused on their aspirations – that is, full and true democracy. No matter what the final outcome of this current surge is, the movement has written itself into the city’s

Debating intervention: Britain’s role in the ISIS crisis Will Morgan Last week the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favour of British airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq, marking our inevitable return to the beleaguered nation we left in tatters just three years ago.

This decision came over a month and a half after the US began its own campaign in the Middle East, a time gap that would have been even longer if David Cameron hadn’t called parliament back from recess early. This delay in action is likely representative of the differences in approach between British and American interventions in the coming months.

For example, if the US were to “put boots on the ground” as Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner puts it, Britain would be unable to immediately follow suit. A bill would have to be passed through both the House of Commons and the Lords with a thorough debating in both; a stark contrast to Obama’s power (as Commander in Chief of the US armed forces) to strike immediately and even commit to an all-out war, with the only check on this power being Congress’ ability to recall the army after 60 days (a power that has never been used).

While many still stuck in the military-industrial complex of the Cold War might see our need to debate a bill as a disadvantage, I would argue this is a triumph for

British parliamentary democracy.

Rather than rush into an Iraq War 2.0 (or 3.0? It’s hard to keep track) we have a chance to discuss and question the minutiae of government strategy, ask how we can afford million dollar missiles at a time of austerity and thoroughly scrutinise action that could cost hundreds of British lives.

In fact our debate has prompted many US news channels and pundits to call for a similar debate in Congress to provide legitimacy to any further military action. However, once more the US system fails the American people, as Speaker Boehner is unlikely to table such a controversial debate so close the C ongressional mid-term elections.

In the words of outg o i n g Republican Jack Kingston “we can denounce it if it goes bad” and if it succeeds “ask what took him so long”, a further (and happy) mark of distinction between the two systems.

Ultimately the divergence in British policy from American in the coming years will

mark our international reputation.

Just as Tony Blair’s decisions marked us as America’s lapdog, Cameron’s response will be how our role in this conflict will be viewed; I just hope, for the Iraqi and Syrian people, our role won’t be a bloodthirsty one.

political history.

Last but not least, as a Hong Konger, I hope progressive negotiations can take place soon, and demonstrations could end peacefully, so that Hong Kong returns as a city to a harmonious and prosperous society.

More on this story:

Patrick O’Connell’s report on p.5 Chris Yates’s feature on p. 12

Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight?

Contact us: letters@forgetoday.com

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Lauren Archer 10 October Facebook has no right to enforce rigid gender identities Last week, Harris David received a message telling him that his Facebook profile was going to be deleted. On the profile in question, Harris goes by the name Lil Miss Hot Mess. As Ms Mess, Harris lip syncs, tells cruel jokes, does a brilliant Lady Gaga impression and makes a complete mockery of the gender binary.

He, and thousands of other drag performers like him, were told that unless they could prove that their Facebook identity was their ‘legal name’, they’d have their profiles deleted.

That makes things pretty difficult for drag queens, drag kings, and a whole host of other performers who play with gender identity as part of their act. But it also has a huge impact on countless other people.

Outside of drag, there are lots of people who don’t feel comfortable using their ‘legal names’ or assigned gender labels and pronouns. Identities are complex and ever changing. Gender isn’t concrete, it’s a social construct to be explored, interpreted and performed, even played with. Neither the Facebook administration nor anyone else has the right to tell someone what gender identity to assume or how to express themselves.

Lots of people don’t feel comfortable with the gender they were assigned at

birth, they may want to identify as being a different gender, or none at all. Some people are genderqueer, or agender, or gender non-conforminist.

Facebook has historically been supportive of people with complex gender identities, making headlines earlier this year by introducing 56 different gender options to their US users (UK users currently have a ‘custom’ box, which they can write their preferred identity in). The social media site also allows users to pick their pronouns, meaning notifications about them can be gender specific or gender neutral, whichever they’d rather.

Although these options aren’t yet available world-wide, and Facebook still fails to recognise the complexity of sexuality and relationships by limiting its users to three “interested in” options and monogamous, albeit optionally “complicated” relationships, Zuckerburg’s brainchild has a pretty good repuation for supporting self-identification.

Obviously there are very important safeguarding reasons for people to be honest about who they are online. Lying about your identity can be an escape for some people, but it can also cross the boundaries and betray the trust of others, and can open up online platforms to

dangerous and abusive people. But LGBT people are being honest. People’s gender identities and the way they’re expressed are hugely varied, and often they aren’t able to legally reflect that. After all, why should anyone have to have a piece of paper confirming what they already know about themselves?

There are also lots of other who might find solace in changing their online identity.

Survivors of harassment and abuse, sex workers, people who for whatever reason have been treated badly or ostracised.

The world can be really unforgiving to people who appear to be different, who divert from norms or experiment with their identities. Often, the online community can be somewhere comforting to meet likeminded people and find a more tolerant, accepting environment.

The online community needs to protect people, but a huge part of that is allowing everyone to express themselves. Facebook has since rescinded the threats and has changed its Terms of Service, now instructing people to “use the authentic name they use in real life”, rather than their legal identity. Rather than ‘cracking down’ on people who already face oppression in their daily lives, hopefully the next update to online regulations will be keeping

people safe, while encouraging them to be whoever they want to be.

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Editorial Come out and... read Forge?

It’s been a busy few weeks here at Forge Press.

Not only have we been trying to adjust our irreparably ruined sleep patterns to university life, we’ve also been recruiting new members for our (now full!) team.

We’re super excited to have some new people on board.

We’ve also had lots of new writers, and we plan to have many many more in issues to come.

We’re all so impressed with this year’s talent.

We’ve got a really great paper for you this fortnight. Features have got a Sheffield student writing about his year abroad in Hong Kong, speaking to students involved in the Occupy Central protests. Meanwhile, Comment are exploring whether democracy is a realistic goal for Hong Kong.

This issue also has the first of a series of special Q&A sessions that we’ll be having with MPs and other politicians from major parties in the lead up to the general election in May. The first one is an interview with Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.

Look out for more of these over the next few months.

In other news, this Saturday October 11 is National Coming Out Day. In several countries, this will be a day when LGBT people are encouraged to make an orderly exit of out the closet.

On the one hand, it’s a rather strange event: people should come out of the closet when it’s right for them. But on the other hand, it’s nice to have a day that recognises the struggles that LGBT people face living in a society that assumes you’re heterosexual and cisgender. If you aren’t going to come out of any closets any time soon, then spend the day being a really nice person. That’s always good.

Happy reading!

Elsa Vulliamy - Forge Press editor elsa.vulliamy@forgetoday.com

D.A.R.T.S.

Forge Press takes its satirical aim

Ebola’s mistake of the fortnight

The rampant pandemic has made its way into isolated cases in the USA and the EU, but what may seem like promising expansion has been a foolish move on the disease’s part. Powerful governments and their wellfunded health organisations will now treat ebola as a more immediate threat to human civilisation, and we can (cynically, at least) rest assured that a cure is likely to be on the way soon. Heaven forbid westerners die of such a grim virus, the effects of which, according to Jesse Pinkman of Breaking Bad, are “where all your intestines sort of just slip right out of your butt”.

Unfortunate Stockport shop front of the fortnight

Yep.

Quote of the fortnight

“Al Qaeda aren’t going to read Forge Press are they?”

Lauren Archer, concerned Comment editor

Twitter account of the fortnight Once again, we have cast our eye over the fountain of wellconsiderered insight that is Twitter, in search of this fortnight’s inspirational figure. There were quite a few contenders, but few could compete with the East End’s very own sweetheart, Danny Dyer. Dyer, of such classics as ‘Doghouse’, ‘Pimp’ and ‘Run For Your Wife’ uses his Twitter account to offer his own unique analysis of popular culture, avian behavioural patterns and the War on Terror. Thanks Danny.

Forge Press Friday October 10 2014

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Q&A: Natalie Bennett

Green Party Leader

What about the NHS? Why should students vote green?

Students are looking for hope for a better future and students by and large really get the fact that we have an unsustainable economy and an unsustainable treatment of the environment at the moment. The Green party is offering hope for the future, things like a minimum wage being a living wage, no zero hour contracts, zero tuition fees and a society that works for the common good, not for the few.

What would you say to worries that voting Green can split the left wing vote?

You should vote for what you believe in, a wasted vote is one where you vote for the party you dislike the second most to stop the one you really hate getting in. Decades of doing that have left us with the kind of politics we have now. We need a new kind of politics. The Scottish referendum showed just how fast politics can change. Your vote can be one of those votes that helps to really change and give us a new kind of politics.

What’s your plan for tuition fees?

We absolutely believe in zero tuition fees. Education is a public good, and so the cost should come out of general taxation not the individual students because we all benefit from a more educated society.

First of all, the profit motive has no place in healthcare . We believe in a publically owned and publically run NHS. We’ve got to opposed the proposed EU-US free trade agreement which could lock in the privatisation forever.

Also, the NHS has an enormous workload that comes from the fact that we have a very unhealthy society. We have huge problem with air pollution that has an impact on our health, we have a long working hours culture which means people are tired and stressed and the fact that so many people live in overcrowded and inadequate housing that stresses people and makes them ill. So as well as directly helping the NHS we’ve got to build a healthier society and that’s something that will cut NHS costs in the best possible way.

How do you plan to finance this?

We say that rich individuals and multinational companies have to pay their taxes. We’ve announced a plan for a wealth tax which means if you’re worth more than £3 million you’ll pay a levy of 1 or 2 per cent per year. That would raise enough to fund a quarter of the NHS. It’s a significant sum.

What we need to do also is get multinational companies paying their taxes, Amazon, for example last year paid 0.01 per cent of its turnover in tax. We need to make companies like this pay their tax. And if anyone asks me how I’ll say, very simply, Caroline Lucas the Green MP proposed a Tax and Finance Transparency Bill [to combat tax evasion] in 2011- implement that and we’ve got a very good start.

Tell us about plans for minimum wage and living wage.

We’re calling for a minimum wage of £10 an hour by 2020. That’s based on saying, as we have been saying for a long time, that we should make the minimum wage the living wage now- so the minimum wage should now be £7.65 an hour which is what’s calculated as enough to give a basically decent standard of living. That £10 an hour by 2020 comes from a three per cent per year rise which is a fair estimate of inflation, maybe with a bit of extra benefit so that people can feel like they are going forward and they’ve got hope for the future.

How can students get more involved with politics?

I think students can get involved at all kinds of levels. Politics isn’t just standing for election or even just voting, even though it’s very important that everyone registers to vote and votes.

But whatever you do, whether it’s organising a letter campaign or going to protest against the badger cull, whatever it is that you’re doing; all those things are politics. Whatever you enjoy doing, whatever you want to do, just go and do it.

Do you have a message for students and young people?

Politics should be something you do, not something that is done to you.

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Friday October 10 2014 Forge Press

Forge Press Friday October 10 2014

An Insight into the Hong Kong situation Sheffield student Chris Yates reports back from his year abroad in Hong Kong at the forefront of the Umbrella Revolution

@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

I

t is not very often people in Hong Kong get angry.

But when Occupy Central began on September 28th, there was a sense that people here had lost patience with the Chinese government in Beijing. That day culminated in the use of 87 rounds of tear gas on peaceful protesters, “armed” with no more than their umbrellas.

Some locals now feel as if they are suppressed by a foreign government; after all, Beijing is over 1200 miles north of Hong Kong. Students here have played an important role in what is being dubbed the “Umbrella Revolution”, and I have recorded some of their views here. Due to the uncertainty around how Beijing could respond, most have chosen to remain anonymous.

Local students can best be described as determined.

In the face of rumours that the police were planning to use rubber bullets to clear away protest camps, one classmate proudly told me how she joined the 50,000-strong crowd in Central that evening. Others at protest sites have defiantly shouted “shame on you” and a Cantonese phrase that is best translated as “down with the government,” often risking arrest for these simple acts.

When talking to local students, who make up the bulk of the protesters, what comes across most clearly is the level of emotion involved in the demonstrations.

Particularly when talking about the police crackdown on the 28th, many students are close to tears. But it is this emotion which is why the protest movement is so strong, and it will be a long time before the authorities are able to end this new spirit of civil disobedience.

Of course, students from mainland China have a very different perspective on events. Generally, mainland Chinese students I have spoken to are supportive of the protests, while remaining careful of what they say due to the potential consequences of their actions when they return home.

More interesting, however, is the attitude of young people currently in mainland China. While in Taiwan at the weekend, I met some students from Shenzhen, a city

which borders Hong Kong and is 20 miles away from the protest area. When asked about Occupy Central, they were unaware that it even existed. It was disturbing to see how effective the Chinese government’s information blockade has been, with Instagram being the most recent victim of the “Great Firewall of China” as some have christened it. Thankfully Hong Kong is not subjected to such restrictions.

Most overseas students in Hong Kong tread a very fine line around the protests. On the one hand many of us want to support the cause of true democratic development, but we have to take into account the fact that we are guests in another country. This particularly applies to exchange students who are in Hong Kong for just one or two semesters.

From personal experience, overseas students seem to be much more sceptical of the chances for Occupy Central to achieve any meaningful change. One student from another European country said they “don’t think the protests will achieve any great changes,” while another described them as “essentially pointless”. However, even those who think that the protests may not achieve much still generally support civil disobedience, due to the importance of democracy, with many treating it as a fundamental human right. Cities in politically apathetic countries, including the UK, could learn a thing or two from Hong Kong’s great attachment to democracy.

My own experience at three different protest sites in Hong Kong (Admiralty, Central and Mong Kok) has been an enlightening one. The first thing any newcomer to the occupied zones will notice is how calm and orderly the participants are.

Despite effectively being a leaderless movement, the pro-democracy sites are very well-run. There are firstaid stations dotted through even the busiest areas, some sited in abandoned public buses. Equally, supply stations are everywhere, offering food, water and equipment to defend against pepper spray and tear gas to passersby. All of these supplies have been donated by members of the public, on such a scale that at one point the

Admiralty camp had to refuse any more donations of bottles of water due to a lack of storage space. Sturdy and well-constructed barricades by now cover most road entrances to protest sites, but there is a procedure for allowing ambulances and fire engines through these in “humanitarian corridors”.

The demonstrators have for the most part been relatively quiet as well, except when anti-government chants are taking place. The Independent’s description of Occupy Central activists as the “world’s politest protesters” may well be true.

It is important to note that there are some people in Hong Kong who are unhappy with the protests. Besides violence on the part of the triads towards protesters (which some claim is orchestrated by the police), there are significant numbers of people opposed to the movement for personal reasons. These are usually based around disruption to their children’s education, or difficulty in getting to work in the morning. However, even factoring this in, a clear majority of people in Hong Kong seem to support the end, if not the means.

In terms of how these protests could end, opinion ranges from Beijing deploying the Chinese military to restore order, to the successful implementation of open nominations and universal suffrage in future elections for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive (this role is effectively equivalent to Prime Minister or President of Hong Kong).

The most likely outcome to me seems to be a lengthy period of protest, albeit on a smaller scale than that of the past week. At some point CY Leung, the current Chief Executive, will probably stand down. At the very least, as the man who tear-gassed his own people, he will not seek re-election. In the words of one person who went to the protests, he “may as well have punched a baby.”

To many Hong Kong people, his position has become untenable, so at the very least the protests will have achieved some short-term change. Whether these protests help or hinder Hong Kong in the future remains to be seen.

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Friday October 10 2014 Forge Press

IT’S A BATTLEFIELD OUT THERE In the grim darkness of the far future there is only wargaming.

By Will Ross

L

ogan Grimnar is unquestionably a formidable foe. Even to the most hardened soldier, his overbearing presence, steely gaze and impressive roster of battle gear are enough to stir the soul. With command over a faithful unit of bio-genetically engineered, super-human warriors, he has no contest on the battlefield. Logan Grimnar is 1.4 inches tall. He is a resinbased plastic model.

Chris Murdoch owns Outpost, which is an independent wargaming and modelling shop in Furnival Gate, at the heart of Sheffield’s City centre.

It’s a typical grey Sheffield afternoon, in which one would normally expect his cosy shop to be teeming with customers, friends and enthusiastic gamers. Inside, Chris adds the final lick of paled-out Russ Grey paint to his Space Wolf model, the light catches some leg shading from

@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

a dry-brush effect, giving the impression of realistic motion. Since it’s a relatively quiet afternoon, he has decided to take some time out to finish preparing a squad of Space Marines for Saturday’s competition.

Painting and battling with plastic-cast sci-fi models has been a popular hobby for thousands of people across the world, young and old, for decades. Warhammer Fantasy and 40K, Warmachine and Godslayer are just a few examples of factions and armies used for wargaming; a strategic, stylistic hobby of wit and skill.

In the past 10 years, retailers have seen the amount of gamers decline, with recruitment becoming harder and harder, on top of the ever-increasing prices due to the economic downturn. But Chris has his own views on the future and indeed present climate for

wargaming, and it’s not all doom and gloom.

“People started to retreat to their bedrooms, selling online with discounts. As a result of that, we started to see a massive decline in wargaming in general, from a recruitment side of things. And now, you’ve only got a handful of people that are known in the industry. When we came into it, we were at the top of a hobby that was about to crash.

“The biggest change that this has caused is that the average age of the gamer has gone up. When we started, the average age was about 13/14, then you had the Old Guard, which were about 20+.

Now the average age is 20+, and the Old Guard are 45.

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We were at the top of a hobby that was about to crash

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“So it’s changed a lot. It’s not focused as much on recruitment and getting younger generations into it, which is a massive shame; it means it’s got a finite lifespan,

and online sales a lead now the mar which is why we w stay open.”

Bored of sellin in his dressing gow the sofa, Chris de to take his hobby to try and build th up.

“I wanted to d with the public, games. In terms of that are availab massive change.

“10 years ago Horde were comin and outside of his 15mm models, th anything on the m with Games Work any substance, an will evolve soon, change. It’s a go industry. With thin and Crowdfundin way for ideas to But the tab gaming isn’t the w with untold numb available to sc customise to you there are hundre of pages of liter characters. Take for example - y shelves and she of fiction based

Forge Press Friday October 10 2014

ng painted armies wn, sat at home on ecided it was time y to the next level, he community back

do it face-to-face , to explain my f the actual games ble, that’s another

Warmachine and ng onto the market, storicals, 6mm and here wasn’t really market to compete kshop, nothing with nyway. I think that that will start to olden age for the ngs like Kickstarter ng, they’re a great be enacted.” ble-top strategy whole story. Along bers of model kits culpt, paint and ur heart’s desire, eds and hundreds rature behind the e Logan Grimnar, you’ll find elves d

upon characters like him, not to mention an enormous Wikia page, the Lexicanum, to get yourself into the mood.

“I’d say 95 per cent of people watch films, and a good chunk of people sort of student-age will enjoy sci-fi films, war films. Here are the Spartans from 300, we have the starship troopers from cult classics that people know. People are surprised that what they’re buying, what they’re playing with, isn’t just a dude with a gun… it’s a whole character.”

The gaming side of the story has been an important base for the whole community to thrive. Getting to know your customers, and being a safe place for advice, lessons and banter are things that Chris believes are central to independent stores like Outpost. In the store they have 12 large gaming tables, not to mention piles and piles of homemade scenery and reams of rulebooks and codices.

“If you have a cafe with a bunch of tables and chairs, people sit down and they’re gonna ask for something to eat and drink. If you don’t have the table and chairs, you have to have people with the purpose of buying their food and drink and then leaving again. The organised gaming promotes the competitive sides of the games, and those are the bits that

tend to drive people.

“We all want to win when we play a game, and if you can guarantee that you’re going to get four games in a day, and at the end of it you can get some prizes and prestige, and if people will respect you a bit more as a gamer, you’ll do it. And so by having the tournaments and by having organised play as well as open gaming, it generates the sale for toy soldiers.”

Wargaming isn’t just for your typical “geek,” “nerd” or “dweeb,” oh no. Without a basic understanding of maths and English, and an experienced player to help you grasp the basics, wargaming is a task to pick up. It’s an intelligent activity that incorporates realistic war strategies with imagination and initiative.

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It isn’t just a dude with a gun... it’s a whole character

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are still taking the rket’s settled down, want these shops to

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“I would say that at least half of our customer base are either in long-term relationships, or have wives or husbands and kids. Being a geek or nerd is not about sitting in your underwear playing computer games all day and night. I think it’s changed, it means you

have a passion and you don’t care what people think. That’s the way I look at it, I’d quite happily say to people that I’m a geek, and that’s been the knock-on effect of the gaming age changing, as people get older they realise that it doesn’t actually matter what other people think.”

All the staff at Outpost enjoy sharing their painting knowledge and expertise to even the freshest novice. From basic dry-brushing to advanced highlighting, Chris and his team will put you straight over a coffee and a packet of crisps.

Outpost’s extended team also include a number of professional commissioned painters, who will prepare your army for battle, if the artistic side of things isn’t for you.

Another issue facing the industry is the grim, dark future of wargaming as a whole. As plastic resin-based models become easier and cheaper to produce, the official sources will have to fight to keep up with singleunit commissioned models, or the craft putty known as Green Stuff.

Chris gives us his insight into the complacency of the hobby’s legacy: “It’s now a lot about things like 3D design using CAD and things like Z-brush, which are 3D sculpting tools that you use on your computer.

And you can leave

them there, come back to them and nothing changes because it’s all on a computer. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 15 years from now, everyone has a 3D printer at home. Models just come from saved designs, which you can then print off - it takes eight hours, after it’s done the model goes away and you have to pay for it again. Which is a scary thought, but really interesting at the same time.”

So what can we expect for one of the oldest games known to mankind?

It’s strategic war without the risk of personal harm, meeting interesting people and winning cool prizes, if you’re any good. Is wargaming at risk of a slow-burn into the history books?

“It’s not going to die, it’s going to change. I don’t think it’s got a time limit per se, but in its current incarnation, it does have a time limit. But as a hobby it will just evolve.”

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Friday October 10 2014 Forge Press

International Orientation Week: A blessing or a curse?

Sheena Sidhu explores the pros and cons of International Orientation Week, and whether there is a risk of alienation between international and home students

T

Such good friends in fact that he Law of Unintended Consequences was defined when Welcome Week, or “freshers” by sociologist Robert Merton rolled around, the majority of us as the “unanticipated or were content to stick with our very unforeseen consequences and first friends instead of mixing with the locals that had just outcomes that are not the outcomes moved in. intended by a purposeful It wasn’t at action.” Although this all a case of may come across as an not feeling excessively dramatic comfortable and overcomplicated with people way to describe It was virtually that hadn’t the issue at hand, impossible not to come from it is not difficult abroad, to draw parallels find a great group but rather a between this theory of friends case of the and a particular temptation phenomenon that to retreat to has manifested itself our alreadyover the past couple of formed friendships weeks. being too great.

Being an international Unintentionally, a boundary student, I, like many other students from all over the world, attended had been created.

Brilliant as International the University of Sheffield’s International Orientation week Orientation week was, it left many programme. It takes place a week of us subconsciously feeling as if we before Intro week officially begins had already made enough friends and was without a doubt one of the and there was little point in going most enjoyable experiences of my out to meet more people. It just life, one that I wouldn’t trade for so happened that all the students that had just arrived were home anything.

With daily activities designed students.

When it comes to starting life at to interest all kinds of people, you never had an excuse for staying in university, one of the golden rules your room and hiding. International is that everyone is supposed to be Orientation week forced you to put in the same boat: nobody knows yourself out there, and was virtually anyone. You’re supposed to be impossible to get through without able to approach and befriend absolutely anyone without fear of finding a great group of friends.

intruding into anyone else’s circle of friends. With International Orientation week, that rule had been breached somewhat. While cliques aren’t exactly possible in a university of this size, it’s true that it can be a tad bit intimidating to try and wriggle your way into a group of people that already appear to know each other. Many of the locals that attended our flat parties slowly edged their way out the door as we laughed over inside jokes and reminisced over silly moments that happened the week before.

Putting it down in writing makes the entire situation sound rather exaggerated. Surely, neither the internationals nor the home students are too bothered about the situation so long as they are making the most of their time at university.

This article isn’t intended to offend or point fingers, but rather to provide food for thought: Isn’t it bizarre how an Orientation week designed in an attempt to help internationals assimilate into British culture has actually played a role in alienating them from a huge source of it?

It isn’t altogether helpful either, that nearly all of the transfer students have been housed together in a particular block of flats. While it is not too difficult to understand the logic behind this (when the students leave in six months time, it will be far easier to carry out inventory in a single apartment block instead of

pinpointing individual rooms spread already made. It is human nature out over the student villages), to want to be accepted, and when it has taken away yet another faced with a new and strange opportunity for the home students environment, retreating to what feels even remotely familiar is often and internationals to mingle.

Convenient though it may be in the chosen solution.

The entire situation is somewhat terms of organisation, the housing situation has thrown up yet another of a paradox, and far be it from barrier for the international me to even suggest that I have students who transferred abroad to any idea how it could be resolved be exposed to a different culture effectively. All in all, I think that to actually, well, experience that the positives from International Orientation week far outweigh the culture.

Undeniably, this is a complicated negatives, as I doubt that many of situation. On one hand, I do think the internationals would have felt as that International Orientation week comfortable as we do now because helped all us foreign students find of that week-long head start.

In all likelihood, the split between our feet in a new environment, easing into our lives in a new foreign students and home students will slowly but surely begin country slowly, one toe at a to become less obvious. time, rather than being If there was one thing pushed head-first I would propose, it into the whirlpool would be that in that was freshers the future, the week.

The international additional Unintentionally, students weren’t seven days all allocated gave us a a boundary had to a single chance to been created apartment settle in without block, because finding it all too until and unless overwhelming. there is more But every opportunity for situation comes with the internationals and a catch, and in this locals to mix, the chances of particular scenario, that catch was that Freshers’ Week the foreign students actually being wasn’t so much about getting to exposed to proper British culture is know new people as it was about slim to none. sticking with the friends that we had

Forge Press Friday October10 2014

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What’s the deal with body shaming?

The media today can’t seem to get enough when it comes to talking about weight and body image. Many magazines and papers have now turned to a disgusting trend of body shaming. Katie Langwith explores this issue and the various campaigns and research studies that are trying to combat it. nequins are much more representative of the population and have received very positive feedback in stores.

Women are more likely to feel positive about buying clothes if they see them advertised by women who are a similar size, according to Dr Ben Barry who carried out a study that looked at the way fashion brands use models.

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Everyone’s body shape and type is different

Although this is a step in the right direction, it seems as though it is not enough to keep body shaming at bay, which new ideas have been introduced with the aim to include everybody of all shapes and sizes.

In 2013 Debenhams unveiled their summer collection using a diverse range of models to promote their clothes including, a 69 year-old and an amputee, and introduced size 16 mannequins to their stores. As size 16 is the average dress size for women in the UK, these man-

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Put your body in a bikini and be happy

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O

n e of the m o s t controversial yet consistent themes to appear in various glossy magazines and all over social media is the issue of weight and the preoccupation with body size and shape. From celebrities’ bikini shots on the beach to the latest fat-busting exercise regime, it seems impossible to escape this weightobsessed world that the media has created.

The emergence of the size zero phenomenon and the use of Photoshop for distorting and ‘perfecting’ images has made average sized healthy people feel ashamed of themselves which, in some cases, leads to dangerous dieting and can cause an increase in eating disorders.

Popular social media platforms Tumblr and Instagram are filled with pages and pages of ‘skinny inspiring’ posts, images and quotes. Some of these images and posts dangerously lean towards pro-anorexia ideas.

In April 2012 Instagram banned the ability to search for images with the hashtags #thinspiration, #thinspo, #proanorexia, #probulimia and #loseweight in the hope that this would discourage individuals from searching for accounts which post such images, particularly vulnerable users. Tumblr gives a warning message before displaying results for similar tags and searches, and provides anyone who searches them with the number for the US National Eating Disorders Association helpline.

“Girls and women are sceptical of the thin ideal, digital manipulation, tokenism of diversity and stereotypical messages about age, race and gender” he said.

“They trust advertising that depicts healthy body shapes, realistic signs of age and size, as well as authentic and positive representations of diversity.”

More positive changes have been taking place online too, as curvier women have begun to embrace their bodies and have started their own viral trend with the hashtag #fatkini. US plus size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg was the first to upload a photo of herself in a bikini with this hashtag and inspired many more women who are sick of being fat shamed to do the same. Gabi has collaborated with American brand Swimsuitsforall and has launched a swimwear collection for curvier women as she believed that there were not enough sexy and varied swimsuits on the market.

While body shaming can fuel positivity in situations like Gabi’s, it mostly causes a negative reaction. Last year, researchers at University College London (UCL) discovered that body shaming can result in people gaining weight rather than losing it. 3000 adults were studied over four years and results showed that those who reported weight discrimination in terms of being treated disrespectfully, receiving poor service in shops and being harassed put on an average of nearly 1kg in comparison to those who did not face discrimination and lost on average 0.7kg.

“There is no justification for discriminating against people because of their weight” said Dr Sarah Jackson, lead study author at UCL. “Previous studies have found that people who experience discrimination report comfort eating.”

From this study it seems as though body shaming, or weight discrimination, is actually part of the problem, not solution. “Everyone, including doctors, should stop blaming and shaming people for their weight and offer support, and where appropriate, treatment” said Professor Jane Wardle at UCL. However, what needs to be remembered is even if an individual does appear to be overweight, they are not necessarily unhealthy. Everyone’s body shape and type is different. It seems as though the media and society in general are quick to criticise without taking other factors such as bone structure, metabolism and medical issues into consideration first.

Someone who is not afraid of the limelight when it comes to body shaming others is Katie Hopkins. Her latest ‘stunt’ has involved her dramatically putting on weight by following a diet of 6500 calories a day and then losing it within a few months to show that it is

possible for anybody to lose weight and slim down to a certain size. Her experience is being filmed for a documentary due to be shown on TV early next year called Katie Hopkins: Journey To Fat And Back and while she has gained some supporters for this challenge, she has faced criticism in abundance.

One critic of hers is Steve Miller, weight loss expert and presenter of Sky 1’s Fat Families. “I used to be fat and I know exactly how hard it can be to force yourself to do something about it” he said.

“Proving you can lose weight in a short amount of time is pointless. Learning to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle is a lot more difficult than just shedding excess pounds.”

Although Katie does appreciate there are some with specific medical problems, she believes that the majority of people are simply lazy: “I read an article that said if you have curtains in your bedroom that aren’t dark enough that could be why you’re obese and I thought, ‘That’s not good enough.’ We need someone to prove there are no excuses, although clearly in a small number of cases people have medical reasons.”

Everywhere you look, be it online or on the streets, there are campaigns, new ideas and new stories about the same issues surrounding fat shaming and weight loss. If someone is happy and healthy the way they are then why should they be criticised? If a celebrity, or anyone for that matter, is on the front page of a magazine then it should be for a positive reason, not to inform the world about how much weight they have or haven’t put on in the past week Some people waste so much time searching for the perfect diet or the best method for getting that perfect ‘bikini body’. The answer – put your body in a bikini and be happy. Simple. @forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

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Fri day O c to ber 10 2014 F O RG E P RESS

LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL Lifestyle loves

by Isabel Dobinson

Jazzy trainers

Fashion

Ever heard the saying, you can tell someone by his or her shoes? Personally, I think shoes are crucial to any outfit and are a great way to make a colourful fashion statement without trying too hard. I began my collection with the classic Nike blazers a few years ago.

Now my favourites include my purple and green Adidas trainers and my pair of bright Asics, which I religiously alternate depending on my outfit. Not only are trainers cool and go with almost anything, from dresses to jeans, they are practical, comfortable and not always as expensive as you might think, so watch out for sales in Office, Schuh and Urban Outfitters.

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Review: Taco Bell

Food

by Niki Kesharaju

As a lover of Mexican food, hearing that a fast-food outlet consisting of all things Mexican was amazing news to me. Taco Bell, one of America’s faovurite Mexican-inspired outlets is now on Ecclesall Road in Sheffield. As soon as I walked into Taco Bell, the atmosphere is vibrant with the deep purple walls, current chart music and quirky decor. It is apparent that this is going to be a new student staple for those living in the area. Taco Bell seems perfect for those after a cheap, quick and easy meal.

I could choose anything off their extensive menu of nachos, tacos, burritos, fajitas and much more, so I decided to try a little bit of everything to sample the flavours. I started off with the Volcano Burrito from Taco Bell. The burrito definitely lived up to its name. If you aren’t afraid of spice, that is the burrito for you. If you get a meal deal, the burrito comes with a drink of free refills and a side of fries, which are simply delicious. I have never tasted fries at a fast-food outlet that are so crispy and flavoured with a light spice, enough to add a bit of zing to the flavour, but not too overpowering. The burrito was accompanied with some Nachos Supreme, which consisted of delicious crispy nachos and sour cream, guacamole and fiery salsa dips with ample servings of melted cheese. I didn’t stop there though; I was insatiable at Taco Bell. I decided to try the tacos next. I was really pleased with just how many options you got at Taco Bell. I could have had the taco shells either cruncy or soft and with beef or Mexican chicken. Almost every item on the menu had options to go with it. Last stop for mains were the satisfyingly cheesy chicken quesadillas. I never usually go for quesadillas in a restaurant but now that I’ve tried Taco Bell’s version, I just might have to go for more. It’s lightly spiced, which I like, as it made a stark contrast to the deliciously fiery Volcano Burrito. It’s the perfect meal for someone that isn’t quite sure about Mexican spices and flavours.

You would imagine I would be fairly stuffed after half-eating all those meals but my bottomless pit of a stomach wanted to finish with dessert. As a dessert person, it would have been a crime to leave Taco Bell without sampling their crunchy churros. Accompanied by a chocolate sauce dip, the warm churros covered in icing sugar were so irresistible; I had four of them. After a bit of prompting from the very friendly staff behind the counter, I was easily convinced to try a Chocadilla, which is a bit like a sweet chocolate quesadilla.

Image: Isabel Dobinson

Food

Bubble Tea

I admit, I am a Bubble Tea convert, so you can imagine how happy I was to learn that the Taiwanese craze has hit the University of Sheffield. Now in between lectures you can pop down to Pearls, located on level one of the Union and order one of their many flavours, ranging from pineapple and mango to almond and honey milk. Made with authentic ingredients, Bubble Tea is either based on green or black tea, making it tasty and full of antioxidants.

As well as offering a range of flavours, Pearls serve a variety of fruity and chewy tapioca ‘pearls’ and jellies, leaving you with a refreshing explosive taste in your Image: Ciara Johnston mouth.

Stop The Traffik Charity

Human trafficking is a harsh reality, not only abroad but also in the UK. Stop the Traffik is a charity, which mainly works with women who have been trafficked and are now living in Sheffield. Projects include one-on-one activities such as cooking as well as arts and crafts with the women and helping decorate their new houses. They also campaign, with one example being last year’s project to ‘Make Fashion Traffic Free’. If you want to get involved in volunteering then this is an awarding and fun organisation to be a part of; after watching one of their documentaries last year, I made joining this amazing charity the top of my list this year.

Image: Stop The Traffik

After what I can only describe as a food-induced coma, I was happy to call it a day at Taco Bell. I was so impressed with the sheer amount of choice and the flavour of the food was impeccable. I also really liked that Taco Bell catered to the needs of those who weren’t quite so bold with Mexican flavours and vegetarians and vegans, offering replacements like refried beans or omitting cheese and dairy based sauces. The price was incredibly affordable as well, with items starting from as little as 99p and most items in the £2 to £5 range. Having heard so much about Taco Bell from my American friends, it definitely lived up to my expectations and their vivid descriptions of just how good it is. If you can get yourself to Ecclesall Road to sample some of Taco Bell’s offerings, please do, because Taco Bell outlets are hard to come by elsewhere in the UK. Images: Niki Kesharaju

Creative ways to decorate your new bedroom

Moving into your own room in halls or a new house is always a daunting experience. An empty room with nothing in it seems so bare. Decorating and adding personal touches to a room can make it that little bit more welcoming. It doesn’t have to be expensive to do this and almost anything can be turned into a decoration or addition to your new room.

Charity shops

Charity shops are a great place to start, offering cheap ornaments and interesting items that can be used to brighten up your personal space. Sheffield city centre and surrounding areas offer a wide range of charity shops.

University houseplant and poster sales

You may have missed the University houseplant and poster sales outside of the Union, but there are plenty of shops in the city centre where you can buy cheap indoor plants to make your room come to life. It is also good for impressing parents if you manage to keep it alive for long enough!

Shops such as B&M sell plenty of affordable posters, canvases and other wall decorations, which are a perfect way to jazz up your bedroom’s bare white walls. Don’t worry though, because the houseplant and poster sales will be back at the beginning of next year.

Fabrics

Other than posters, a great way to cover a large blank wall is with a wall hanging or fabric. Pieces of fabric can be bought from practically everywhere, try charity shops for this. Tie dye is another option if you buy a large sheet

Home

by Amy Richards

from somewhere such as Tesco and choose the colours you want to do it with. You can learn how to tie dye online or the university have even put on a Give It A Go tie dye session. Plain or patterned, textured or not, fabric or wall hangings are guaranteed to brighten up a room.

Lighting

Lighting really enhances a room and adds a new dimension to what could be a plain boring space.

Fairy lights, lava lamps, and kaleidoscope projectors, all add colour and brightness to your room. Choose a theme and stick with it or go crazy with colours and styles. Just be careful of the electricity bill, make sure you turn the lights off when you’re not in. Try places such as Wilko or B&M bargains in the city centre for interesting lighting features. If you’re looking online, Ebay and Amazon are great for low-cost steals.

Photographs

Photographs are one of the best ways to create a home from home.

Pictures of family or friends from home, or snaps with new flat or housemates. Pictures can be framed, collaged or pinned on pin boards. There are many programmes online to help with editing or changing pictures. A lot of online companies, like Snapfish, have offers running for students where you can print pictures for incredibly cheap prices. They help you to remember and connect with people from your life back at home while you enjoy settling down in your new home, the wonderful city of Sheffield.

Images: Amy Richards

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@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL AIESEC

Society Spotlight

by Alice Turton Lifestyle hosts AIESEC in their Society Spotlight which aims to give you details on who they are, what they do and why they are a great society to be a part of.

As well as being a student at the University of Sheffield, I am a member of AIESEC. AIESEC is the world’s largest youthrun organisation, so the Sheffield branch is just one tiny part of it. It’s kind of like a society though, in the sense that it’s just for students, you get to meet new people and you go on socials.

The only different part of AIESEC is that you gain work experience by joining it.

It is the world’s largest studentrun organisation Image: Andreea Sauvu and we are present in 125 countries. AIESEC exists purely to develop responsible, global leaders by providing a self- driven, practical learning experience for peace and fulfilment of humankind’s potential. So, in simple terms, we help students to develop skills, experience and leadership potential so that they can impact the world in a positive way.

Fashion

AIESEC creates these practical leadership experiences by allowing students to go on volunteering exchanges abroad or by allowing them to run the organisation, which is what I do.

Image: Ali ce Weathe rston We offer loads of volunteer projects and internships that students can do in one of our 125 countries.

This is great if you want new skills and some experience but also if you want to help a community in a different country while travelling. These types of projects are really rewarding and are truly life changing. We will be marketing these types of opportunities soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

If you help to run the organisation you can gain loads of different experience, ranging from marketing to sales to HR. So it’s great for anyone who wants to do something productive outside of their degree!

Joining AIESEC has been such an amazing thing to get involved with, as it has allowed me to develop enterprising skills and practical experience, something my degree can’t

always offer.

The public speaking involved with AIESEC was probably my biggest accomplishment though. A year ago, if you would have asked me to speak in front of an audience I would have literally died inside, my mouth would dry up and I’d be sweating from fear. Disgusting, I know (and it isn’t even an exaggeration!)

It’s safe to say public speaking was something I would avoid at all costs. But having to give presentations to students about the volunteering projects that AIESEC offer Neylon forced me to Image: Rachel go out of my comfort zone. That’s what AIESEC does. It pushes students to try new things, learn and develop.

I would recommend AIESEC to anyone – it is a fun way to meet like-minded people whilst gaining rewarding work experience that doesn’t look too shabby on your CV.

Concourse couture

by Kemi-Olivia Alemoru and Mared Gruffydd

Andre Rhoden-Paul MA Print Journalism Wearing: Jacket from Cow, t-shirt from KDMM, jeans and shoes from Topman

Saffie Freemantle First year, History Wearing: Jumper from H&M, skirt is vintage, shoes from Topshop

Andy Robertson Second year, Business Management Wearing: Coat from ASOS Marketplace, jeans from Topman, shoes from Footlocker

Zoe Zha First year, ITMB Wearing: Cardigan from Cow, trousers from Urban Outfitters, shoes from H&M, bag from Michael Kors

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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

EARTH HAS LOST HALF ITS WILDLIFE IN PAST 40 YEARS

On Tuesday September 30, the Guardian posted an eye opening article about the state of our global ecosystem. It quotes research carried out through the combined efforts of the WWF and the Zoological Society of London, stating that in the last 40 years, the earth has lost a staggering 50 per cent of its wildlife. Put simply, that means that in the last four decades, half of life on Earth has been extinguished. If that wasn’t bad enough, only seven per cent of this loss has been due to climate change, 37 per cent has been due to human exploitation of the land and a further 31 percent is due to habitat degradation and change. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the global ecosystem is in a dire situation, and we are responsible for (at least) 68 percent of that rapid decline. The article amplifies the reality of the situation, by aptly stating that the decline of species including the Hoolock gibbon, leatherback turtle and forest elephant is a direct “consequence of the way we choose to live”.

Lifestyle writer, Jay Harrison, takes you through five invaluable pieces of advice to save our planet: As someone who is a passionate lover of the environment and a firm believer that all living things have a right to exist, these statistics made me feel genuinely anguished. After the initial outrage, I seriously started to evaluate what it is possible for one person to do to help stop this before it gets any worse. Everyone has the power to make a difference and there are a number of changes you can make to your everyday life to help move towards a more sustainable future.

LIVE GREEN

RECYCLE

PALM OIL FARMING

This seems fairly obvious, but it is something I’m going to reiterate anyway. The first and easiest thing you can do is reduce your waste in all ways possible. If no one is in the room, turn the light off. If there is nobody in the house or you are all asleep, make sure the heating is off and all electrical appliances are turned off at the wall (including wi-fi). It is a simple thing you can do that will save you money in the short term and reduce your ecological footprint in the long term. Don’t throw away any food that you have cooked and not eaten. Put it in a tub and reheat it the next day. Leftover chicken can go into a soup as well as leftover vegetables and gravy. You’ll quickly find saving yourself money, and trips to empty bins. Use public transport instead of your own car, or better yet, walk or cycle.

Try using shopping bags as bin liners for personal bins and rinse and recycle any cardboard, plastic or glass packaging. These materials, including paper, crisp packets and drinks cans can all find new homes outside of a landfill, so take those extra two seconds to rinse it and put it in the recycling bin. The internet is full of cleveer tutorials to reuse things, for example hollowing used corks, filling them with soil and seeds and making it into a cute magnet. Another simple idea is to buy a plastic refillable water bottle instead of buying new bottles every day and reusing plastic bags when food shopping. Not only does this avoid wasting plastic but will save you money too.

Palm oil farming is one of the most environmentally damaging ingredients in food and cosmetics, due to huge parts of the rainforest being destroyed to make room for agriculture. What is worse is there are a number of other oils that can be obtained more sustainably with exactly the same uses. Palm oil can be found in everything from your soap, to your bread, oven chips and crisps. Check the label and buy something else. Lush Cosmetics have recently reformulated all of their soaps to be completely free of any palm oil traces, so why not pop into your local Lush store and ask, they’ll point you in the direction of sustainable beauty products. Palm oil farming is one of the lesser known environmental issues in the world, but it can be combatted.

GO VEGETARIAN

THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

Basically, shop local. Get your fruit and veg from green grocers and buy your meat from the local butchers.

This is usually much cheaper for a greater quantity and quality and it means your tomatoes haven’t come from biodomes in Spain. Pop into Beanies on Barber Road, Fruit a Peel in Broomhill or Simmonite down Division Street for great local produce. And if you’re really keen, go to the Farmer’s market in the town centre on the second Thursday of every month. In this way you are doing your bit for the economy and the environment by shopping locally.

Deforestation in Indonesia due to the Palm Oil industry, courtesy of the World Resources institute

The beef you buy comes from America, your pork is imported from Italy and the majority of Lamb is from New Zealand. Cutting meat from your diet may be drastic but it is worth it if you want to make a real difference as it hugely reduces your air mileage and therefore, your carbon footprint. You just have to google to find simple, tasty and cheap vegetarian recipes, which are usually healthier than a steak and chips anyway. If you find yourself feeling really passionate, why not try going vegan?

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay O c tob e r 10 2014

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@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL

On a shoestring : Utrecht For a mix of culture with class, Roisin Reidy picks Utrecht as her student travel hotspot, giving you the details on where to go and what to do in this beautiful Netherlands city.

The bustling, tourist city of Amsterdam has almost exclusively dominated the minds of raring to go travellers when it comes to the Netherlands; pushing to the background the true experience of how to discover this liberal and picturesque country, the Utrecht way.

Until it was overtaken by Amsterdam in the Dutch Golden age, Utrecht was the most important city in the Netherlands.

With fine food, architectural delights and traffic-free promenades, this is truly a city you can immerse yourself in.

The main culture shock for us lazy Brits is the waiving of the car for its humble two wheeled ancestor. There is no way you can travel around this spectacular city without having your new best friend ‘Alfie the bike’. The more vintage and ancient your bike, the better. What about helmets, I hear you say? Of course you don’t need helmets; safety is not the priority in Utrecht, but rather the style of your ride.

Safety is already a feature covered by the respect and admiration each individual has for their bike and others bikes, you would look after your bike like you would your gold claddagh ring, wounded with nostalgia and sentiment.

Bikes aside, there is almost much pleasure to be found when you decide to alight your traveling companion. While living in Utrecht, I ventured across Italy, Hungary, France and Germany and not once did I experience a coffee as rich in taste and of such high quality as I did in Utrecht.

Coffee Company was an establishment of particular edge, offering up a traditional old school coffee bean beverage or if you’d rather, a ‘new school’ coffee bean, adding sweetness and fruity flavours to your daily wake-up latte. With music ranging from Shania Twain’s ‘You’re Still the One’ to Aphex Twin’s classical ‘Avril 14th’ to Semisonic’s ‘Secret Smile’, no wonder Coffee Company has enticed a new

Autumn Trends

By Anna Gillies

Autumn is well and truly starting to settle and it is time to update your wardrobe so you can dazzle your coursemates during lectures. Here are my favourite trends for the colder months, that should see you looking fashion fabulous.

Capes

Burberry’s luxurious capes have been at the centre of the trend ‘blanket dressing’. The perfect way to transition through the season, ponchos and wraps have risen to popularity and become an Autumn essential. I’m sure we’d all love a personalised monogrammed Burberry cape as seen on the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Olivia Palermo and Rosie Huntington-Whitely, but the student budget sadly makes this an unlikely prospect. But don’t fret, the high street has plenty of options to suit all price ranges. This monochrome cape from Topshop has a luxurious feel and is only £32, a total bargain considering it will last you for spring as well, as a bit of light layering. New Look has some cheaper options as well as a wider range including Aztec prints.

k

Pale Pin

Pale pink was a hit with the designers at Fashion Week.

That’s right, don’t be reaching for your winter darks just yet because pastels are still going strong. Team with monochrome to add a splash of colour as seen at Chanel or combine with other brights for a colour clash like Dior. Brighten up your Autumn knitwear with a jumper from H&M. The jumper pictured in the edit is £25 and a practical way to beat the chill while still looking stylish

Fairytale

Fairytale themes and romantic prints were major looks at Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana. Think nature, florals, embroidery and embellishments to perfect this trend. ASOS have a great selection of stand out dresses but also great one off pieces that can be teamed with basics for everyday. This flower clutch bag, £35, is a simple way to wear the trend. Missguided also has a great selection of romantic printed dresses for those of you who are feeling a bit bolder.

And one for the boys...

Not forgetting the men, Tartan has been a major feature in autumn dressing.

It’s really simple to style and packs a punch in an outfit. Wear as a shirt to add pattern, like this £22 ombre effect offering from River Island. Aternatively, if safe isn’t your kind thing, tartan suits are hitting the high street hard, especially in stores like Next.

Tartan

Images: Topshop, River Island, ASOS, H&M

Travel generation of fans with the versatility of coffee in a relaxed environment.

Life in the Netherlands also raises the question of whether you would like to visit a coffee shop or a ‘coffee shop’. Compared to Amsterdam, Utrecht is more subtle about their indulgences, with only 11 ‘coffee shop’ venues in the city.

Rather aptly, Utrecht’s ‘culture boats’ are one of these venders. These converted boats are floating coffee shops, situated on the Netherlands infamous canals. With dimly lit Moroccan lamps and appropriate plant-life, it’s a wonderfully serene environment for smoking, reading or even just to grab a filtered coffee.

want to emerge themselves in class, style and an out of the ordinary lifestyle. No chain coffee shops or bars, just a unique, independent city in a league of its own.

As I emerged myself back into Manchester life, greeted by John from Kebab Kind and the mobs running riot in Primark, I just wonder why every culture can’t take a leaf out of the Netherlands’ book.

If all this culture gives you the munchies, mercifully Utrecht has its own little secretTheehuis Rhijnauwen. This tearoom and pancake house is located in the middle of a country estate, a picturesque 15 minute bike ride from the city centre. Located on the border of Bunnick and Utrecht’s countryside, it’s a perfect setting to stretch your legs and enjoy a hearty meal. For those already tired of cycling everywhere, you can also rent a canoe in the city centre and paddle your way there. From my own personal point of view, this would be the first place to visit on my list to visit.

Utrecht is definitely a city for those who

Fashion

Images: Roisin Reidy

Lifestyle’s recipe corner Caramel Apple Cookies

by Roisin Reidy

Bring the autumn scents and flavours into your home with chopped apple, pecans and apple pie spice for a hearty, delicious cookie. The frosting and nuts add just the right touch of sweetness and crunch on top.

Ingredients: (bakes 36 cookies) 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon apple pie spice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1/2 cup apple juice or milk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour 1 large tart apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and coarsely shredded (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons apple juice 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Method: - Prep 45 mins -Bake 10 mins per batch -Stand 2 hrs 1. In a large mixing bowl beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1-1/4 cups brown sugar, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg until well combined.

Add 1/2 cup apple juice; beat on low speed until combined (mixture will look curdled). Beat in as much of the flours as you can with the mixer then stir in any remaining flour. Fold in apple.

2.Drop dough by slightly rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree F oven about ten minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Let the cookies stand for two minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

3.In a small saucepan heat and stir 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and three tablespoons apple juice over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Whisk in powdered sugar. Spread frosting on cooled cookies and immediately sprinkle with pecans. If frosting begins to harden, stir in a small amount of apple juice to make spreading consistency. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Images: Roisin Reidy

Fri day O c to ber 10 2014 F O RG E P RESS

COFFEE BREAK

@FPCoffeeBreak /forgepresscoffeebreak

Woman Marries Self In a unique s t a t e m e n t of self-love, photographer and filmmaker Grace Gelder decided to marry herself. Inspired by a Björk song “Isobel” and fuelled by six years single in which Gelder reports to have “built up this brilliant relationship” with herself, Gelder decided to take the plunge and popped the question (to herself) on a park bench in Parliament Hill.

Gelder, helped along by a trained celebrant and with the support of family and friends, paid homage to a time of self-discovery and self-commitment in a service in March.

The self-marriage took place in a farmhouse in Devon, was attended by nearly fifty of Gelder’s friends and had several essential elements of tradition persevered, with a few key differences. Gelder’s vows were centred around promises to herself, there was only one ring, and she sealed the deal by kissing a mirror. The service was a hit with her guests, one of whom stated it was one of the

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.. w o n k d you

Di

Vultures urinate on their legs and feet, which both helps cool them off and kills the bacteria and parasites they’ve picked up from standing in carcasses whilst feeding.

best weddings she’d ever been to.

Gelder admits that such an act is a bit narcissistic, but takes it in her stride stating that it’s “plainly an act of self-love, and I was under no illusion how selfindulgent that might appear.”

Comfortable in her motivations, other than a few pre-wedding jitters, Gelder was still surprised at the number of her friends who choose to attend her big day.

Despite her recent nuptials, Grace Gelder reports that “just because I married myself, it doesn’t mean that I’m not open to the idea of sharing a wedding with someone else one day.”

Vultures, alongside herons, gulls and terns, also engage in the practice of ‘defensive vomitting.’

When startled or threatened, a vulture induces vomit.

Apparantly, regurgitated rancid meat is enough to scare off most predators... except bald eagles, who willingly consume vulture vomit as part of their diet.

Your Fortnight according to... Mystic Mug Libra - As the sun convenes in house position 12, ask yourself, with urgency and vehemence, is Corp ever a good idea?

HAPPY DOG OF THE FORTNIGHT

Scorpio - as you fight the forces of predetermination with a renewed and fiery fervour, remember that internal conflict can leave the soul agitated and in need of dancing the night away at Plug,

image: getty

Soaking up the attention of the crowds gathered to see the Pope during his tour of Mexico in 2011, this dog certainly had his day.

Word of the fortnight Nascent, adjective: 1. That is about to be born or is in the act of being born or brought forth

Aires - the gloom of the approaching winter can make your life feel darker.

The light you’re seeking can be found through electricity, utility bills be damned.

Cancer - as dual forces try to influence you, be aware of the necessity of strength and sincere introspection.

You must seek truth and wisdom in your quest for answers. Ey Up or Leadmill?

Taurus - you must avoid choking on regret as you battle with past mistakes.

Avoid more quadvods in the coming weeks.

Leo - if you have been swept up in a hurricane of uncertainty, a respite can be found in the knowledge that Bar One is always a safe

bet.

Gemini - in trying to navigate the road to acceptance, you have compromised your sense of self. It is a with heightened awareness you must approach the upcoming revelations; maybe Tuesday Club is not your cup of tea.

Virgo - Drowning in metaphors, you must find clarity in the oceans of ambivalence.

Sail into the coming tides upon a ship of strength and surety. With your newfound boating skills, maybe you will find your place at Roar.

Sagittarius if your inner balance has been disturbed by suboptimal outward forces, refocus with a cocktail of deliberation, conviction and endurance. If these are not to your taste, try other cocktails at Vodka Revolution.

Capricorn as the seasons twist and blend into one another, hold steadfast the knowledge that balance is the key to jubilation; a night off might unlock your aptitude for positivity and productivity.

Acquarius - an upwards glance will reveal to you a favourable sky. The merriment you crave can be found in the depths of the Student Union, specifically at Pop Tarts.

Pisces - feel a deeply ingrained sense of tedium fuelled by repetition and reiteration? Seek a revival of energy by broadening your horizions. Try DQ.

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@FPCoffeeBreak

COFFEE BREAK

/forgepresscoffeebreak

PUZZLE PAGE: SUDOKU Medium

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QUOTES OF THE FORTNIGHT

“

I only go out to get me a fresh appetite for being alone

”

Lord Byron

“Man was made at the end of the week’s

work, when God was tired.

Mark Twain

”

DINGBATS

Dingbats are visual word puzzles from which you must identify a well-known phrase or saying.

1.

Across: 1. Tame (4) 4. Lead (in your pencil?) (8) 8. Paint (a house) (8) 9. Change (4) 10. Punctutaion mark (6) 11. Small rodent (6) 12. Public holiday - time to start resolutions (3,5,3) 15. Gain (6) 17. Slow Walker (6) 19. Earth (4) 20. Practice (8) 21. Family home (8) 22. Large jug (4)

Little Little

Down: 2.Foe (5) 3. Expertise (4-3) 4. Corn - seed (5) 5. Someone who retaliates (in a Marvel film?) (7) 6. Float (in the air) (5) 7. Scare (7) 12. Tell (a story) (7) 13. Radical (7) 14. Complete failure (7) 16. Soft sweet (5) 17. Awake (5) 18. Follow (5)

2.

3.

hijklmno Long Due

Late Late

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@forgesport

SPORT

/forgepress sport@forgetoday.com

Matchdebating Should London have an NFL team?

Popularity in the UK is Players might not want to leave America increasing Anthony Phillips The Sunday before last saw the ninth game of the NFL international series take place at Wembley Stadium in London between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders.

The fixture has been played at the home of English football since 2007 and has become a staple of the American NFL season.

This year however, three international series games will take place in the UK with the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars still to cross the pond.

The success of these fixtures - with every match filling out the 90,000 capacity at Wembley - has lead to calls for the United Kingdom to have its own NFL franchise.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed a deal to play at least one regular season home fixture in London for the next three years.

The Jaguars, who are routinely one of the worst NFL teams, struggle to fill out their home stadium in Florida, and thus must be ultimately considered as the most plausible team that would move to London.

Firstly, they are owned by Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan, who has links to the city of London and will attempt to revolutionise the franchise and increase windfall through merchandise sales.

Another reason is that the St Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

are also owned by businessmen with links to English sport.

Stan Kroenke of Arsenal and the Glazers family of Manchester United being owners means that potentially three different NFL teams could move to London due to that knowledge of the English sporting scene.

The London outfit would not only become

“Over the last five years, the NFL has become the sixth most watched sport in the country” the national team of the UK, but be a team many fans in Europe would connect to, thus growing the game’s popularity elsewhere.

Mark Waller, head of NFL International, believes London can have a team by 2022 at the latest, and it will only help to further enhance American football as an international game.

The league has been very clever in the way the international fixtures worked.

It was mostly East Coast teams that were initially sent out, but now West Coast teams are being incorporated, with San Francisco last year and Oakland this year highlighting that the logistics of placing a team in London could work.

So would a UK NFL franchise work?

Personally, I’d say yes.

Over the last five years, the NFL has become the

sixth most watched sport in the country, rising from 18th.

Not only that, but Sky Sports have just signed a new five-year deal with the NFL to show five full regular season games a week and every game in the post-season.

With the Super Bowl being one of the m o s t watched sporting events on the planet, the challenge is to turn oneoff viewers into regular fans.

This can be seen by events such as the NFL on Regent Street, in which 500,000 fans attended with chances to meet current players, legends and cheerleaders.

T h e popularity of American football can be deeply seen in British universities with a highly competitive BUCS league in which our own Sheffield Sabres are one of the best teams in the country, and the fact that two British players are currently signed to NFL teams.

to play one home game here for the next three years.

Of course it sounds like a very nice idea to have a NFL franchise in London, but logistically I feel it just could not work.

The team playing in London would be forced to travel regularly from the USA back to London, as they will have to play games all over the States.

Firstly, this would put the London franchise at a severe disadvantage, with

Rob Milne In the 1980s and early 90s, American football popularity levels were on the rise across Britain, with Channel 4’s coverage leading the way.

The popularity was shortlived, but over the past seven years it has resurged into British society, with multiple NFL teams making the trip across t h e pond to entertain fans in the UK at Wembley Stadium.

T e a m s like the Dolphins, Rams, Buccaneers, 49ers, Patriots and many more have graced the hallowed turf at Wembley.

With every year the number of games has increased, with now three games being hosted at Wembley per season, consistently selling out.

This has led to questions in the UK and America as to whether the city could accommodate a permanent NFL franchise.

T h e Jacksonville Jaguars would b e the most likely candidate to swap the USA for the UK, arguably already becoming ‘London’s team’ with a deal

Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos

“Players in high schools and colleges across America would not have dreamt of playing for the ‘London Jaguars’ when they were growing up”

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Forge Sport awards

Perhaps a new experience, yet that would just lead has-beens to join the London team.

The players in high schools and colleges across America would not have dreamt of playing for the ‘London Jaguars’ when they were growing up.

And then there is the question of the fanbase: would UK fans who hold a loyalty to a team be so easily willing to switch allegiances to a London team? I don’t think so.

Personally I would not stop following my team for this new shiny team in southern England.

The games in London are brilliant events two or three times a year, but you have to feel they would struggle to sell out every week.

So, Commissioner Roger Goodell, please think again before you bring a team to London.

There is much opposition to the idea and perhaps you should keep your game American, it’s good fun as a special occasion but the backlash from USA fans as well to lose a team to another country could be dangerous.

Look to cities such as Los Angeles that deserve a team more than London or any other city in Europe.

After all, we already have the BAFL with the London Blitz.

less time to train in the week and constant fatigue from the jet-lag.

The team’s preparation time would be weakened, and how can a consistently tired team even have a chance at reaching the play-offs?

The team would also struggle to attract the big names through free-agency.

Americans are a very patriotic group of people, many of whom would have no ambition to leave their nation.

You can see the passion they have for America during pre-game national anthems, they might not More articles get that in London.

Read more They arguably wouldn’t reports, want to join a team so fixtures and far away, with no legacy features or history, and the team online all wouldn’t have anything fortnight to offer to players.

online

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Forge Sport editor Ed McCosh chooses his heroes and villains of the week Europe Paul McGinley’s team retained the Ryder Cup in comprehensive fashion with a 16.511.5 win over USA at Gleneagles.

üü

Andy Murray

ü

The Scot (Brit?) recorded his first tournament win in 15 months with a stunning comeback victory over Tommy Robredo in the Shenzhen Open final.

Kevin Pietersen Either the former talisman of English cricket has lifted the lid on a corrupt dressing room with his new autobiography, or written the biggest piece of fiction “since Verne,” as Graeme Swann put it.

û

Roy Keane

ûû

“I wanted to hurt (AlfInge Haaland)...but I didn’t intend to injure him” Alright Roy.

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Sports personality of the week Forge Sport’s Tom Pyman met women’s rugby player Francesca Solari for an interview

“Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing “It was sports in the the best UK” decision I have ever made!”

How long have you been playing rugby?

I have been playing rugby since 2007, which was when I joined the ladies’ rugby club here at Sheffield Uni. I, like most girls, had never played before coming to university, and it was by far the best decision I have ever made!

How much of a boost has the success of the England women’s tesm over the summer given the club?

The England women winning the World Cup this year has been incredible for us.

Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, and the extra coverage and awareness of how amazing our sport is has helped us to have a big influx of freshers this year.

The women being on all the front pages was fantastic, and the way they won really helped to promote our sport and the values we hold.

We had a group of our girls go and support England at the final, which was incredible!

Always up for a tour, we are...

What aspects of the sport do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the team work the most.

We go out there every Wednesday and put our bodies on the line for our teammates and our friends which is something you don’t get with other sports.

As a scrum half the physicality isn’t my favourite bit, but it really gives our club and team a unique attitude.

When we say we’re putting in blood, sweat and tears to the club, we really are!

What do you enjoy most about being part of a uni sports club?

The best bit about being in a uni sports club is the black and gold family.

I have been here for a really long time and seen “black and gold” go from being just that Sam Sparro song that was spammed around at Varsity to an all-encompassing university identity.

Black and gold is something so

very special, it gets thousands supporting our clubs on Wednesday afternoons and at Varsity every year, and it’s this community that is making our clubs strive for even bigger and better successes.

What responsibilities do you feel you hold as club captain?

As club captain I am the face of the club.

So along with the rest of my committee we promote ladies’ rugby in the University and the community.

I also act as the liaison between us and the RFU for official and boring bits...

More than anything I see my role as ensuring the smooth running of our club and empowering our members to achieve more both in and outside of the club.

How much interaction do you have with the men’s team?

We have quite a bit of interaction with the men’s club.

We both work together on our club development plans and in volunteering with the RFU. And obviously, we share the famous “rugby corner” in ROAR. We have also been coached full time by their members previously so we are a pretty tight bunch.

There have also been a few marriages that have arisen from our clubs’ relationship!

“There have been a few marriages that have arisen from our club’s relationship”

More articles online Read more reports, fixtures and features online all fortnight

What are the club’s aims for the season?

This year our aims are to maintain our excellent form that helped us to win Club of the Year at least year’s Sports Awards.

We want to maximise our membership numbers, win the league once again, reach the final of our cup and strive for promotion to the Northern Premiership.

We also have some girls going off to North of England trials, so it would be fantastic to have some of our members playing at such a high level.

Picture: Francesca Solari

Blunt Blades beaten

Wednesday held

Chesterfield Sheffield United

Leeds United Sheffield Wednesday

Football League One

3 2

Joe Bamford A customary Sheffield United comeback fell agonisingly short at local rivals Chesterfield on Saturday, as the Blades eventually lost 3-2.

Jimmy Ryan had fired the home side ahead with a fantastic 25-yard strike, before United captain Michael Higdon was sent off mid-way through the first half for a late lunge on the Spireites’

Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium

Daniel Jones Chesterfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee followed soon after, with Blades’ Ryan Flynn capitalising on Ian Evatt’s poor back-pass and being felled by home goalkeeper Lee, who was deemed to have prevented a goalscoring opportunity and given his marching orders.

Any hope Blades fans had of that letting them back in the game were short-lived however, as Gary Roberts then fired home to double Chesterfield’s lead – exacting the ultimate punishment for a Blades defensive error.

The game was seemingly done and dusted in the 73rd minute when Eoin Doyle put Chesterfield 3-0 up and in

dreamland.

However, Marc McNulty and Neill Collins scored late on for Sheffield United to ensure a tense last few minutes, but the Spireites held on for an impressive win and only Sheffield United’s second defeat in 10 games.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

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Football Championship

1 1

Tom Pyman Keiren Westwood turned in yet another man-of-the-match display as Sheffield Wednesday were held to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

The Irish goalkeeper has been a revelation since joining from Sunderland in the summer and made a string of sensational saves to ensure the Owls returned to Hillsborough with a point.

Leeds United’s Elland Road

Stuart Gray’s side had in fact taken the lead when Chris Maguire netted his second goal of the season seven minutes into the second half.

Westwood then had to face a barrage of shots, demonstrating the kind of form that has seen Wednesday boast the joint-best defensive record in the league, having conceded just eight goals all season.

The hosts did eventually find a breakthrough on 79 minutes, however, when Giuseppe Bellusci struck.

The result left the Owls in 9th with high-flyers Watford next up.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

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Sheffield runners show steel in Great Yorkshire Run Joe Bamford Sheffield enjoyed a day to remember on recently as the Great Yorkshire Run hit Steel City streets.

Spectators turned out in droves to watch the race, with hundreds more competing, either to raise money for charity or as an elite athlete.

Celebrities also took part, with Sky Sports’ Charlie Webster and Downton Abbey’s Allen Leech running as part of a team of ‘Blade Runners’ made up of Sheffield United staff.

Former Premier League, Champions League and World Cup Final referee Howard Webb also ran, along with TV stars Dean Andrews, Josh Bolt and Eden Taylor Draper.

Yorkshire was declared the fastest county on the day, with an average time of 54:49, 15 seconds faster than Lancashire.

Meanwhile in the elite race, Ross Millington won the men’s section with Emma Steel retaining her crown to win the women’s.

It was Steel’s fourth win in the

Photos: Joe Bamford

Women’s race in as many years, and Millington outpaced fellow competitors Ryan McLeod and Matty Hynes in a sprint finish along Arundel Gate.

Much focus on the day was on raising money and awareness for charities, including Roundabout – a homeless charity in Sheffield and the cause the Blade Runners were running for.

Webster was excited to start before the race, saying: “I’m really really looking forward to it.

It’s been great walking through Sheffield city centre - there’s a great atmosphere already.

“I’m feeling a little bit hoarse because I was doing the 125th anniversary for Sheffield United at Pond’s Forge last night so it’s hard doing a morning!

“But I’m really looking forward to it and I’m so proud to be doing it in my home city as well”, she said.

Her and Leech were proud (and worn out!) after the race.

“It was hot, I kept telling Allen Sheffield was sunny! The atmosphere was brilliant, the people here are fantastic, they were shouting for the charity the whole way round, and it’s a really nice part of Sheffield as well”, said Webster.

Leech added: “The support was fantastic the whole way round.

The people here have really done themselves proud, it was really fantastic.

“I’m really proud to be from here”, said Webster. “It’s the first time I’ve brought him (Leech) up here and it’s so nice to say that this is my city, this is where I’m from.”

Former referee Webb was equally proud to be running.

“The sense of togetherness when everybody sets off together with a similar aim to raise some money and highlight some good causes and when it gets difficult you get some great support from

Sheffield FC knocked out Football FA Cup Sheffield FC Warrington

1 3

Sean White Sheffield FC went down 3-1 at home to Warrington in their FA Cup replay last week.

After a 0-0 stalemate in the original fixture, Sheffield were confident of progressing against their Cheshire opponents.

However, after a 20 minute delay due to floodlight problems, Sheffield may as well have remained in the dressing room after a Sheffield defender Brandon Cardwell slipped, putting Warrington’s Scott Metcalfe through on goal.

He then squared for Steven Foster to tap in after six minutes.

Five minutes later Sheffield were inches away from equalising, good work on the left

by James Gregory giving Joel Purkiss space to fire his shot against the woodwork.

However, in the 15th minute things went from bad to worse for the home side.

Again Cardwell allowed the

troublesome Metcalfe in behind, this time bundling over the pacy winger and conceding a penalty.

Metcalfe slotted home the penalty himself to put the away side two up.

There was work to be done by Sheffield in the second half.

It began as the first had ended, with no real opportunities of note until the 64th minute when after pinball in the Warrington box, James Knowles managed to get a shot away which flew past the keeper to halve the deficit.

Sheffield began to build up a head of steam with Gregory threatening with his direct running.

And they were inches from a leveller when a Tim Whittaker piledriver hit the post.

As the home side began to run out of ideas, the Warrington forwards capitalised again with 10 minutes to go, Foster latching onto a long ball to coolly slot home his second and secure a 3-1 win that saw Sheffield dumped out of this season’s FA Cup.

the sidelines.

“The preparation’s been good.

I’ve been doing a lot of running – a different type of running to what I’m used to with refereeing.

“It’s great because you get so much support and you get a real boost when you’re getting towards the finishing line, seeing total strangers cheer you on.”

Other runners were equally happy with how the day went.

“It was really good. Perhaps a bit too hot but the walking band on the way round was brilliant, as was the shower!”

It certainly seemed as though the shower provided much-

Eagles sign Italian Rugby League Tom Pyman

Photo: Sheffield Eagles

needed relief on what was a searingly hot day to be running 10km.

One competitor was overwhelmed to have taken part, saying: “I broke my leg last year and it’s been a year since I last run - so it’s been good to get back into it.”

The atmosphere was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the day, with people lining the streets the entire way around the course cheering on those running.

Rugby league club Sheffield Eagles have announced the signing of Italian international Ben Musolino for the 2015 season.

The 21-year-old joins the Eagles from fellow Championship side Barrow Raiders and plays either in the Back Row or Centre.

Speaking about his move to Sheffield, Musolino - who learnt his trade in Australia - told the club’s official website: “I am really excited and looking forward to the next chapter of my rugby league career with the Sheffield Eagles.

“I have heard a lot of good and positive things about the Eagles and their organisation. I am also looking forward to experiencing what the city of Sheffield and its people and community have to offer.

“I know the Eagles have had a lot of success over the past few years and I am very keen to be a part of the winning ways of the club!

“I feel that I will bring to the team a hard working

attitude, competitiveness and professionalism towards training and playing.

“My goal coming over to Sheffield is to do everything I can to be a part of the 17 who play on Sundays and continue my career at the highest level possible in the UK.” Mark Aston, Sheffield Eagles Head Coach and Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that Ben has chosen to join us here at the Eagles.

“He is a wide running, attacking back rower who has come through a good system in Australia.

“He has a good attitude towards the game and I am very much looking forward to working with him.”

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Plans for Olympic Legacy Park announced

Hockey warm-up with wins Hockey Joe Bamford

Plans for the Olympic Legacy Park on the old Don Valley site Tom Pyman Plans have been announced to build a state-of-the-art facility on the site of the old Don Valley Stadium.

Former Sports Minister, Rt. Hon Richard Caborn and Sheffield City Council leader Julie Dore, revealed the plans for an Olympic Legacy Park at a press conference at the English Institute of Sport last week.

It will feature a new Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) which the council believe is a big step towards delivering the 2012 Olympic legacy on health.

The AWRC will be based in a multi-million state-of-theart facility and will allow the design, research, evaluation and implementation of products linking the medical, physical activity, leisure and sports sectors.

A multi-sport community stadium open to both the public and professional athletes will also be on the site, representing a new home for the city’s rugby league side, Sheffield Eagles, and its basketball team, Sheffield Sharks.

The stadium will feature, amongst other things, a highquality synthetic pitch, a main stand seating 2,500 people and a hotel. It will be available for the clubs to use from early 2016.

Mr Caborn said: “I think it’s about making Sheffield proud of what we’re doing and putting Sheffield on the national and international map, with a centre of excellence, a centre of quality and something we have been proud of, which is our sporting heritage.”

The Park has attracted nearly £40m of investment from the private sector, and Mrs Dore is confident that the move makes more financial sense than maintaining the previous Don Valley site.

“At the time [of the demolition], people were saying ‘we don’t want to lose this stadium.’”

“It was the people of Sheffield

that were saying ‘we want a new facility’ and we made it quite clear that the reason we took that decision was purely based on financial reasons, but we still wanted to provide a replacement for the people of Sheffield that was affordable, provided a home for some of the clubs that don’t currently have a home like rugby and basketball, but also to provide state-of-the-art facilities for Sheffield people as well,” she said.

“The idea to do work with the centre for sport, exercise and medicine is that we will be able to identify what type of exercise or activity works for people, because one day you pick up a newspaper and it tells you that you only need three minutes of really strong physical activity.

“The next day it’s 20 minutes, the next day you’ve got to go for long walks and that’s all it takes, so nobody actually really knows what type of activity you need at what age throughout your life to prevent long-term chronic illness.

“No one has ever done it, so

Photo: Bond Bryan Architects hopefully if we can pull that off in Sheffield then that benefits the whole nation and probably the world.”

Eagles Head Coach Mark Aston believes the plans for the new stadium is just the boost the club needs.

He said: “We’ve never had a home, we’ve been a bit nomadic.

“The nearest thing to home was Don Valley but it wasn’t really ours, but now we’ve got a facility and an investment to build a stand with a club shop, offices, gyms and everything we need for a professional sports club.

“It takes us onto another level as a club. There’s going to be a hotel there and a café and a bar for the fans and it’s going to feel like ours, and that’s something that we’ve always dreamed of and now the dreams are coming to reality.

“We’ve played at some great facilities: Hillsborough, Bramall Lane, Don Valley, but they’ve never actually been rugby stadiums and now we’re going to have a purpose-built rugby stadium that will cater for eight

or ten thousand people, which is the size that we would require to progress.”

With the English Institute of Sport, Ice Sheffield and the Motorpoint Arena barely a stone’s throw away, and the council leaving the door open for further developments and renovations in the future, the east end of Sheffield is becoming something of a hub for sporting activity.

Aston spoke about the possibility of playing Super League and Premiership rugby at the stadium, and attracting even further interest to the area.

He said: “If we’re going to be the city of sport, let’s have all the top sports here at the highest level,” whilst Mr Caborn said: “This is the next chapter.

“Don Valley was great for what it was at its time. We’ve got to move on.

“That was 1990, this is 2010, 2015, the world moves on, Sheffield is moving on with it, we’re again at the leading edge of technology.”

Sheffield Men’s Hockey Club enjoyed a great day over in Manchester on Wednesday, with all five teams playing in warm-up games for the new season.

The 5s and 2s got the ball rolling early on with two comprehensive wins, with the 5s triumphing 8-2 and the 2s 4-0.

Joe Bamford opened the scoring in the first minute for the 5s, with Josh Williamson adding four goals from midfield and Tim Howard netting a hat-trick.

Sheffield were four goals up before half-time, but had taken their foot off the gas midway through the half, allowing Manchester several forages into the D. The clean sheet remained intact, however, until midway through the second half when some individual skill from Manchester’s midfielder saw him beat several players before firing home.

This was sandwiched by more goals from Sheffield, with Williamson adding his third and fourth goals, the fourth an audacious reverse-stick strike into the top corner. Howard also completed his hat-trick, cue the acrobatic celebration.

As for the 2s, they eased past their Manchester counterparts 4-0 thanks to two goals from Sam Bromage and one each from Mark Watts and Jack Coulson. Rohan Koshal was their Man of the Match.

Meanwhile, the 3s were held 1-1 in their game, with Harvey Ferrari scoring their goal, and the men’s 4s lost 2-1 after being having a last-minute goal ruled out after it was alleged the ball had hit a Sheffield foot in the build-up.

The day’s final game was the 1s teams matching up – and this proved to be an exciting encounter, with Manchester taking the lead at the start of the second half. They were then two goals to the good soon after, but Sheffield pulled one back through Owen Davies.

Manchester then restored their two-goal lead, before Matthew Kettley again scored to haul Sheffield back into the game.

Josh Darlington was then Sheffield’s hero, equalising with a precise reverse-stick finish into the top corner of the Manchester net.

Sheffield pushed forward and were the better team in the final ten minutes, but a short corner on the final whistle failed to bring the winner that they perhaps deserved.

This week’s contributors Ed McCosh Joe Bamford Tom Pyman Anthony Phillips Rob Milne Sean White Plans for the Olympic Legacy Park on the old Don Valley site

Photo: Bond Bryan Architects