Forge issue 60

INSIDE: CRICKET/FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK/TRILO3Y/TRAMLINES/THE HISTORY BOYS/RISE OF UKIP

FREE

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

Issue 60 Friday May 17 2013 @ForgePress /ForgePress

Games ask:

Has EA gone to the dark side?

Fuse p.5

Lifestyle travel:

Arts talk:

Around Europe on a student budget, p.14

HEROES

The written and spoken word, Fuse p.6

REVEALED

4University of Sheffield medics football team save player’s life 4Teenager collapsed in incident similar to Fabrice Muamba Lauren Archer The University of Sheffield’s medics football team saved a teenage boy’s life when he had a heart attack during a match.

Medicine undergraduate Joe Okafor and graduates Tim Sandels, Oliver Hill and Chris Bennett-Britton were playing for Sheffield Medics FC when a player on the opposing team had a cardiac arrest and needed resuscitation.

Ryan Zon, 19, suffered from a heart attack and collapsed on the pitch, needing CPR from the team of junior doctors and undergraduates.

He only survived because the team of medics he was playing against kept oxygenated blood going round his body.

Players from Sheffield Medics FC spent 15 minutes performing CPR on the player until an ambulance arrived.

University of Sheffield graduates Tim Sandels and Oliver Hill were two of the players who revived Ryan.

Tim said: “Sheffield medics were playing against Swallownest Miners in the local league at Norton and towards the end of the game Ryan Zon, one of their players, collapsed on the floor.

“Myself, Chris and Ollie ran over to him and quickly assessed him. He looked a bit agitated, he was shaking a little bit and fell to the floor. Then he became very unwell quite quickly and stopped breathing.

“We assessed him, opened his airways, checked for breathing and for a pulse and then within Photo: Sheffield Medics FC

Continued on p.3

The results 91 per cent of us don’t care about Full story p.3

2

NEWS

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

@forgepress /forgepress news@forgetoday.com

Societies in the spotlight at Activities Awards

Editor

nicola.moors@forgetoday.com

Nicola Moors

DEPUTY EDITOR Jessica Pitocchi

Lauren Archer

Managing Editor Mikey Smith

Members of the Union’s hundreds of societies and committees were honoured at the Activities Awards last Tuesday.

Awards were given to those societies, committees and dedicated members who were have contributed greatly to the Union, University and local community.

Tom Dixon, Union activities officer, said: “The Activities Awards were a great success. It was great to see so many societies and committees so excited and proud about celebrating a great year of activities.”

fuse editors fuse@forgetoday.com Amelia Heathman Karen Scattergood Head of Visuals Adam Harley HEAD OF ONLINE matthew.smith@forgetoday.com matthew Smith News news@forgetoday.com Lauren Archer Chloe Lee Aidan Phillips Comment comment@forgetoday.com Tom Schneider Ben Scull LETTERS & COFFEE BREAK letters@forgetoday.com Lucy Copson Features features@forgetoday.com Eve Betts Ina Fischer Elsa Vulliamy Lifestyle & travel lifestyle@forgetoday.com Ellie McCaldin Hannah McCulloch

«Best Political, Campaigning, Volunteering or Fundraising Society Engineers without Borders

«Commitment to Ethical and Environmental Practice Stop the Traffik

«Best Special Interest, Media or Technology Society Real Ale Society

«Best Event Politics Society – American Election Week

«Best Performance, Music or Dance Society Singers’ Society «Best Departmental or Academic Society Medical «Best Faith Society NHSF Sheffield «Best Cultural or National Society Arab Society «Best New Society Birdwatching Society «Most Improved Society Samba Society «Most Improved Committee Volunteering «Commitment to Inclusion Film Unit «Think Global Award for Internationalisation East Asian Studies Society «Commitment to Collaboration Marrow «Best Webspace Forge Online «Most Creative Publicity Sheffield University Performing Arts Society

«Most Enterprising Society Sheffield University Performing Arts Society «Best Society Volunteering Initiative Sheffield University Maths Society «Outstanding Society Charitable Fundraising Platform «Community Development Committee of the Year Endcliffe CDC «Representative Committee of the Year Women’s Committee «Working Committee of the Year Forge Radio «Society of the Year Medical Society «Gold Outstanding Contribution to Societies Krina Patel Stephanie Madden Milan Delor «Silver Prashant Uttamchandani Jessica Cooke David Kam Amy Matthewson «Bronze Rael Sasiak-Rushby Ellen Jurczak Alex Marshall Adam Hawksbee Sophie Bonnel Mary Smith

«Gold Outstanding Contribution to Committees Oliver Turner Georgina Beardmore Emma Galley «Silver Siobhan O’Malley Melissa Chedd Matthew Lloyd Emily Chapman Amelia Bell-Bentley Adam Harley «Bronze Joe Bunce Joe Burton Eleanor Bond Peggy Lim Kieran Bhakta «Society President of the Year Alice Drinkwater – Samba

Sport sport@forgetoday.com Peter Grieve Philip Hammond Jack Taylor Music music@forgetoday.com Nicky Crane Rachel Smith Games games@forgetoday.com Joanne Butcher Reece Nunn Screen screen@forgetoday.com Kate Lovatt Will Ross Arts arts@forgetoday.com Lizzie Hyland Rhiannon Pickin

«Working or Representative Committee Chair of the Year James Kenny – Forge Radio «Treasurer of the Year Todd Burton – Bummit «Secretary of the Year Noni Bryson – Volunteering Committee «Inclusion Officer of the Year Siung Ghai – Volunteering Committee and MASSoc «Social Secretary of the Year Lawrence Walsh – English

Media Hub, Union of Students, Wes t ern Bank , Shef f ield, S10 2TG 0114 22286 46 // f or gepress@f or ge t oday.com

Forge Press is printed on 100% recycled paper

For ge Press is published by the Union of Students.

View s expressed are not necessarily those of the Univer sity, the Union or the edit orial t eam. In the f ir s t ins t ance all complaints should be addressed t o the Managing Edit or, although a f ormal pr ocedure exis ts.

FORGE PRESS Friday May 1 7 2 0 1 3

3

@forgepress /forgepress news@forgetoday.com

£150,000 for a green Uni medics save life stroke of genius Continued from p.1

Aidan Phillips Up to £150,000 could be available for the Students’ Union if someone can submit a sustainability project the NUS think is worth funding.

The NUS are offering between £50,000 and £150,000 to 20 student unions who put forward the best ideas for projects which make their university more sustainable.

Development officer Sara Moon said that the University of Sheffield can apply for any number of projects, but that “it’s best to work out one or two good ideas well and go with them, as the bidding process is quite detailed.”

She said: “Students’ Unions are where behaviours and attitudes are set up for life.

“It is crucial that we make the space for them to become hubs of environmental awareness and sustainability innovation, which

is what this funding hopes to do.

“We have one home, on this one planet and we have to find ways of ensuring we can live on it sustainably. If anyone can do that, I think its students.”

Activities officer Tom Dixon, who has been heavily involved in the consultation process with students at this University, said he wanted to make sure our applications are strong.

He said: “There’s a lot more consultation still to happen and we want three big ideas with a clear aim at the end. We need to make sure we have something that’s practical and sustainable.”

Each project needs to be built on a partnership between the SU and other organisations whilst engaging and inspiring students to get involved.

Out of all the ideas put forward, we’ve provided you below with what officers and staff involved feel are the three best innovations so far.

Local “Masterchef” annual event •“Sheffield on a plate”, a locally televised Masterchef-style event held every year •Students cook locally-sourced, nature-friendly meals for local VIPs Photo: Richard Gillin/ Wikimedia Commons

about 30 seconds we were starting CPR.” Oliver said: “I was on the phone to the ambulance when he first collapsed. It looked initially like he may have been having a seizure, but then it became apparent that he’d lost output.

“I had to make it clear to them that they should send somebody quickly and preferably with a defibrillator, because there wasn’t actually one at Norton.”

Tim, Oliver and their two teammates performed CPR on the Swallownest Miners player until an ambulance arrived.

Oliver said: “From when we first called the ambulance to when they arrived was about 13 minutes, so we were giving him CPR for that time.

“They attached the defibrillator and he was in cardiac arrest with a shockable rhythm so they gave him one shock on the pitch and he came round. They stabilised him on the pitch.

“The CPR we gave him kept him going, it kept oxygenated blood going round his body.

Without that you can only survive for about two or three minutes.

His heart was in a funny rhythm so it was the electric shock that made his heart work again.”

Ryan was taken to Northern General Hospital A&E and then transferred to an intensive care unit. There he was put into a forced coma and woken up two days later when, luckily, he was on the route to recovery.

Tim Sandels, who now works as an F2 doctor-in-training at Barnsley Hospital, went to visit Ryan when he woke up.

Prizes for green houses

“Boris Bikes” scheme for University

•A “Green Impact private houses” competition

Image: Michael Whitehead/ Flickr

Tim said: “I saw Ryan last week, he was doing well when he went down into the intensive care unit. He was put into a forced coma and woken up two days later.

Ryan, currently waiting on a bypass operation, told the Star: “I’ve been waiting to see him so I could thank him.”

Tests revealed Ryan suffers from a rare heart condition where one of the arteries to his heart is the wrong way round, meaning it closes up and stops the blood flow to the heart when he does strenuous activity.

Ryan is now recovering at the coronary care ward at the Northern General Hospital.

His mother is campaigning for all minor league football clubs to have defibrillators, an idea that Tim and Oliver support.

Oliver said: “The Football Association have had a scheme, especially since the Fabrice Muamba incident, where you can buy defibrillators for quite an affordable price, so there’s no reason why clubs shouldn’t have one.

“Unfortunately it’s one of those things that you only realise you need after the event.”

Tim and Oliver are still getting used to being local heroes.

Oliver said: “This is the first time we’ve been involved in a “is there a doctor here?” situation outside of a hospital.

“When people are in hospital you see them but you don’t realise they’ve got a life and a family. To see something like that happen in real life adds a bit more gravity to the situation.”

•A “Boris Bike” scheme throughout the University campuses and residences

•Prizes and incentives for students who live a green life, such as recycling, using sustainable transport and volunteering Photo: Stephen McKay/ Geograph

•Also “Get into the Peaks” taster cycling sessions and Top Gear-style races

Cheerleaders raise thousands for charity Aidan Phillips A group of Sabrecat cheerleaders have raised £3,470 so far for Breast Cancer Care after running the Sheffield half marathon on Sunday May 12 for charity.

The 16 women - all members of the University of Sheffield’s cheerleading squad - have been training since January for the 13.1 mile race, inspired to run for charity by their captain Ellie James who completed the London marathon last year.

PR and charity representative Lucy Gosling said: “At the start of the year we had to choose a charity to support through the RAG adopt a charity scheme.

“This was one everyone was keen to do, as being a group of girls we’re all aware of breast cancer and it was one that’s close to a lot of the girls’ hearts.

“We wanted to do something

bigger than most societies and raise as much as possible. We all put forward ideas and, as she ran the London Marathon last year, our captain Ellie James suggested the half marathon. To my horror everyone thought it was a good idea.

Speaking before the race, she said: “We are all very fit through the cheerleading which can be very demanding, but not many of us have done anything running related before. We’ve all been training together, but we’ll probably end up finishing in two groups.

“We’ve been training since January and building it up each month, we were even out when it was snowing. I’ve never done long distance before, but I thought if I could do it on the treadmill I can do it on the road.

“I’m not really hoping for a best time, just aiming to finish.

Realistically though I’m quite

competitive, so less than two hours 10 minutes would be good.”

The initial target was £1,600, based on £100 per person but, as Rachel O’Shea said, the fundraising just “spiralled out of control.”

Speaking afterwards, she said: “We were all aching the next day, b u t we all

managed to finish it and thankfully I didn’t get picked up by the sweeper bus.”

The SIG insulations Sheffield half marathon has raised over £1.2 million since starting up in 1982, with 7,500 runners competing last year.

NEWS

Forge in brief We spent 15 times more on Lovehoney sex toys than Hallam University of Sheffield students have bought over £1,000 worth of sex toys from online retailer Lovehoney in the first four months of this year, with the 13th highest spending amount of all universities worldwide.

A total of £1,115 was racked up by students from this University with 47 transactions overall, compared to only £74 spent by Sheffield Hallam students who only made three transactions and were ranked 82nd.

Lovehoney is a Britain’s biggest online sex toy retailer, accounting for more than a third of the online market.

A spokesperson for the company said it “has a big turn-over with students who shop more online than non students.”

Aidan Phillips

Professor’s vision to measure forests from space becomes a reality A University of Sheffield professor’s eight-year long vision to observe the world’s forests from space is to become a reality in 2020.

Eight years ago, Professor Shaun Quegan conceived an idea to measure global forest biomass from space so that scientists can better understand changes in forest structure and put a more accurate figure on the carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and land-use change.

On May 7 his proposal was approved by the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Programme Board, with the €400-million Earth Observation mission foreseen to launch in 2020.

Professor Shaun Quegan said: “Understanding how the amount of living material – or biomass – in our global forests changes over time is necessary for improving present and future assessments of the global carbon cycle, and therefore our climate.”

Nicola Moors

MOOCs now available at the University of Sheffield Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are now available from the University of Sheffield.

MOOCs are free online courses based over a number of weeks, with traditional online course materials such as videos, readings and problem sets.

Currently, the University of Sheffield is providing three courses in healthy sustainable diets, health inequalities and health technology assessment.

Each course lasts five weeks and anyone can take up as many as they wish.

The University is now making efforts to encourage more departments to join the MOOCs project.

Pro vice-chancellor Paul White said: “The digital world is the future.”

Huang Yanlin

4

NEWS

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

@forgepress /forgepress news@forgetoday.com

SCIENCE & Hit and run on Technology Ecclesall Road Nicola Moors

Flying solo The first ever pilot-free flight was successfully completed last month.

The flight, controlled by a pilot on the ground, took off from Warton, near Preston in Lancashire, and landed in Inverness.

The aircraft was able to relay air traffic control instructions to the remote operator and predict weather conditions.

The flight was part of the government’s autonomous systems technology related airborne evaluation and assessment programme which is largely interested in the development of autopilot engineering.

Further aims include improving the credibility of the sensors and the current on-board robotic systems to produce unmanned passenger aircraft.

A 21-year-old Sheffield Hallam student was rushed to hospital after being knocked over by a hitand-run driver last Wednesday on Ecclesall Road.

Sarah Cameron was hit after two cars ran a set of red lights while she was crossing the road to return home following her 21st birthday celebration.

She broke her right hand, left leg, pelvis and a vertebrae in her neck after being thrown 20 metres by the force.

Her mother Rachel, 48, who witnessed the scene told the Star: “There aren’t many bones in her body that aren’t broken.

It’s going to be a good six months before she’s back to normal.

“I saw the whole thing, I

Alys Rudling Eating insects saves the world Insects might be the best future food sources, a recent UN report suggests.

According to the report, the constant growth of the world’s population is causing food shortages around the globe.

To overcome this challenge, farming insects was suggested as an alternative to the traditional methods such as farming livestock which uses valuable natural resources and causes a great deal of pollution.

The UN encouraged people to add insects to their diet in order to help fight world hunger, introducing many species of edible and nutritious insects including grasshoppers which contain almost the same amount of calcium as milk.

Emily Berry

Bacteria produce biofuel Scientists at the University of Exeter have successfully produced an E.coli bacterium that is capable of converting sugars into diesel.

The bacteria were modified to contain genome sequences from other organisms, which enable them to convert sugar and yeast molecules into biofuels.

Dr John Love called the petroleum a “substitute fossil fuel” which could theoretically replace fossil fuels in the fuel production chain.

Even though sugar and yeast extract are too expensive for use as industrial substrates, scientists hope to modify the bacteria’s diet to include agricultural waste and sewage.

Victoria Stanway

Photo: Facebook

couldn’t believe somebody could survive. They must have been doing a minimum of 60mph. She jumped out of the way of the first car and into the path of the second. They were just two crazy boy racers.

“They’re a menace and they need to get off the road before they kill somebody.”

Sarah is currently recovering in the Northern General Hospital.

Due to the unexpected tragedy the third-year Law student at Sheffield Hallam University faces the prospect of not graduating this year since she is unable to sit her final exam later this month.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police said: “Officers would especially like to speak to the owner of a bulk tipping heavy goods vehicle that was one of the stationary vehicles at the red light as they may hold vital information that will help him locate the drivers of the vehicles involved.”

They would also like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or knows of a vehicle that has recently received damage that could have occurred as a result of collision.

Reports from local residents on Twitter said there were at least seven police cars at the scene.

Ecclesall Road was closed for several hours afterwards.

If you have any information, please contact the police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 1221 of May 8 2013.

One-third of incapacity benefit claimants “fit to work”

Photo: Knox O/ Flickr Sam Pierce The number of people in Sheffield on incapacity benefit has fallen by a third since 2010.

Of 7,320 claimants, 2,180 have since been declared fit to work in the past three years. This was exposed after a government review of 1.5 million claimants nationwide.

The benefit, which was recently withdrawn and brought back as part of the employment and support allowance, is paid to those below pension age who cannot work because of either illness or disability and have made national insurance contributions.

The minister for employment Mark Hoban announced the reduction.

He said: “The old system condemned far too many people to a life on sickness benefits.

“This was a huge waste but now people in Sheffield who can work will be given the long-term help they need to find a job which is right for them, while those who need support will get it.”

Concerns were raised by Union members at the nature of the tests, including Unison representative of Sheffield council Jon Mordecai.

He said: “There are questions about how Atos, the contractor conducting the new assessments, is carrying out the work.”

Disability Rights UK could not comment on Sheffield in particular, but described the assessments as “bogus psychometric tests.”

Fair Deal petition goes to Westminster Alisha Rouse The Fair Deal for Sheffield petition was taken to Downing Street on Tuesday May 14, after it emerged that Sheffield is facing cuts five times higher than in wealthier areas.

The petition, signed by around 10,000 Sheffielders, was handed in by a delegation of Sheffield’s civic, faith and community leaders, including Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield and leader of Sheffield city council Julie Dore.

Prior to the petition hand-in, Blomfield challenged treasury ministers in the House of Commons about the government’s current policies.

Blomfield says Sheffield is facing the deepest cuts in its history as the council prepares to make savings of £50 million to its 2013/14 budget.

Sheffield is set to lose £139 per person over a three year period, while areas like Richmond upon Thames are only losing £11.99.

Blomfield said: “I think it reflects the government’s policies across the board where if you’re wealthy you get a good deal and tax handouts.

“The poorest in our society get the worst government policies.

Many of the poorest live in our big cities, and frankly the government don’t care.”

The campaign shows that Sheffield city council has £5,925 to spend on education per child while Kensington and Chelsea

council has £8,920, a total of £2,995 more per child.

Blomfield said: “I think it is important that we raise our voices, that we create noise, that we draw as much attention to it as possible that this is simply not right and not fair. We need to open the political space in which governments operate and even,

reluctantly, force them to pay attention to it.”

The campaign’s petition is being taken to the government as the Sheffield community hope to save 182 frontline police officers and dozens of health and childcare services.

Cllr Julie Dore, who led the delegation, said: “Sheffield

has borne the brunt of this government’s unfair cuts and I think local people believe it is wrong that the council is receiving devastating cuts while some of the wealthiest areas of the country receive almost no cuts at all.

Photo: Fair Deal for Sheffield

5

FORGE PRESS Friday May 17 2 0 1 3

@forgepress /forgepress news@forgetoday.com

Mother writes book Record sales for World Snooker for lost son Championship 2013 at Crucible Rebecca Deeming The profile of missing Sheffield toddler Ben Needham has been publicised through the release of his mother’s new book, Ben. At 21-months-old, Ben disappeared on July 24 1991 on the Greek island of Kos where his grandparents resided. Ben’s mother Kerry Needham has refused to give up the search to find her son who has been missing for 22 years, despite no trace of him having ever been found.

Needham said: “We always have hope that never goes away.

“We’ve been trying to get a book published for the last 10 years. It has been hard to find new stories and angles, so we jumped at the chance when approached.

“Looking back at all the hurdles and obstacles we experienced, you think how did we get through all of that.”

She hopes that the release and details of suffering in Ben will help their investigation following a recent lack of publicity, as well as encourage people to step forward.

She said: “If there’s anyone who knows about Ben, maybe this book will give them a conscience to come forward. There’s the potential that Ben himself might read it.”

Photo: Anne-Marie Forker/ Wikimedia Commons Chloe Lee The World Snooker Championship 2013, held in Sheffield’s Crucible theatre every

year, has announced record breaking ticket sales for the 17 days of competition.

Taking place between April 20 and May 6, the event sold more

than 38,000 tickets, raising more than £1 million in revenue.

The final on Monday May 6 saw fans not only gather inside the arena but also in Tudor Square to watch the match on the big screen, with Ronnie O’Sullivan winning his fifth crown with an 18-12 win over Barry Hawkins.

He joins Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry as the only players ever to retain their titles successfully at the Crucible.

Cabinet minister for culture, sport and leisure Isobel Bowler said the event boosted Sheffield’s economy and public image.

She said: “The event attracted more than 10,000 people and is worth more than £2 million in economic terms to the city, while receiving extensive television coverage.

“Sheffield has just seen another world-class tournament take place and it’s always great to feel the buzz the World Snooker Championship and its visitors bring to the city.”

The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points.

Launched in 1927, it has been played solely at the Crucible Theatre since 1977 and is guaranteed to remain at the venue for at least the next two years.

Sheffield is one of the luckiest cities in the country Aidan Phillips The company that runs the National Lottery has revealed that Sheffield boasts the third highest number of big winners across the whole of the UK. Statistics show that the Sheffield ‘S’ postcode is one of the luckiest places to live, with the city being the third highest number of £50,000 or more winning tickets across the country.

Altogether 668 Sheffielders have won prizes of over £50,000 since the National Lottery began in November 1994 until February 2013.

Examples include Sheffield resident Barbara Clack who won £100,000 on Lotto in 2011 and Ray and Barbara Wragg who won £7.6 million on the Lotto in 2000.

Barbara Clack said: “It doesn’t surprise me that Sheffield is a lucky place to live. It certainly proved lucky for me.

“It’s a great place with wonderful people and I’ve no doubt that we’re going to continue to see even more winners.”

A National Lottery spokesperson said: “Congratulations to the people of Sheffield, it really is a lucky place to live.

“Around 30 major prizes are won nationally each week, and with more than 3,200 National Lottery millionaires across the UK, nearly everyone will

have a lucky winner in their neighbourhood.”

67 locals have even become instant millionaires.

The National Lottery has given away over £47 billion in prizes and created more than 3,200 millionaires or multi-millionaires since launching in 1994.

All winners data is derived from information held by Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd, the licensed operator of the National Lottery..

Oreo biscuits are coming to Sheffield Sam Pierce The first manufacturer of Oreo biscuits in the UK will be based in Sheffield.

Mondelez International, formerly known as Kraft Food, has invested £6,000,000 in its Sheffield factory to create a new production line of the well-known biscuits.

They have decided to create the new oven to satisfy rising demand in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

The new production line can create around 1,000,000 Oreos a day - that’s three tonnes of biscuits an hour.

It has been added to a factory that already produces foods for big name brands like Bassett’s and Maynards.

The production line will also be used to bake Belvita breakfast biscuits.

It is thought the investment will safeguard around 70 jobs, although 40 white-collar jobs at the factory will be cut.

Head of manufacturing at the factory Ian Dearn said: “The Mondelez International biscuit business in Europe is growing very

N I E D A M D L E I F F SHE

quickly.

“In particular in the UK we are seeing phenomenal growth on our biscuit lines, and in particular Oreo and Belvita, so from a business perspective it makes sense to bring biscuit making capability to the UK.” He also added the investment will “give us the opportunity to create new partnerships with local suppliers for the ingredients to create this iconic brand.”

MP for Sheffield Hallam Nick Clegg was present to open the new biscuit line.

He said: “Bringing the Oreo biscuit production line to the UK for the first time is great news for Sheffield and adds Oreos to the global brands we proudly tag ‘made in Sheffield’.”

MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough David Blunkett said: “It’s good to see this investment by Mondelez International in the local area.”

NEWS

National news Ken Barlow waxwork removed for “his own safety” A £150,000 Madame Tussauds waxwork of Coronation Street character Ken Barlow in Blackpool has been removed due to “inappropriate photos” and vandalism.

The incidents follow news that actor Bill Roache, who plays Barlow, has been charged with two allegations of rape against a 15-year-old girl in 1967.

The actor has played Ken Barlow since the programme’s first episode in 1960 and vows to clear his name.

A museum spokesperson said “The model has been used for what we regard as inappropriate pictures, it has been attacked and some people have said it should not be there.”

Hannah Boardman

Hindu worshippers praying to ‘divine’ aubergine Hindu worshippers are flocking to a small Leicestershire temple twice a day to pray to an aubergine that resembles the Hindu God Ganesh.

The vegetable’s striking similarity was discovered

by Praful Visram and his wife Rekha at their catering firm among a box from the wholesalers.

Mr Visram immediately decided to place it in the small temple he has at work and around 80 religious worshippers are believed to have visited the makeshift shrine so far.

“It is spreading good feeling throughout the community,” said Mr Visram.

However, he has admitted that the vegetable is deteriorating and plans to give it a Hindu funeral once it decomposes, to give it the respect it deserves.

Neeru Sharma

The horseless jockey The world’s most notorious equestrian cross country course was recently completed with a difference.

Freerunner Mat Armitage decided to take it on alone, without the aid of a horse after being challenged by girlfriend and event rider Amy Williams.

The 22-year-old, from the Wirral, Merseyside, trotted his way round the six kilometre course and jumped all 28 of the obstacle fences, with some reaching almost five foot in height.

His lap time was substantially over the 11 minute 13 second time limit though, taking him almost four hours to complete.

Jessica Pitocchi

6

NEWS

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

@forgepress /forgepress news@forgetoday.com

UniNEWS Very little Soundry and a lot of Confusion

Interesting stories from other universities around the country Physics technician makes cocaine in university lab A University of Bristol physics technician has been jailed after preparing £10,000 of cocaine in a University lab.

Technician Timothy Newbury and former solider Nicholas Avery used a hydraulic press in the University’s physics department to create blocks of cocaine.

Police found almost 750g of high quality cocaine valued at £200,000 at Avery’s house last December.

Avery pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply and was jailed for five years. Newbury admitted to one count and was jailed for 18 months.

The University of Bristol issued a statement saying: ‘We suspended the individual concerned as soon as we were made aware of the incident and fired him following our own investigation.’

Minesh Parekh

Calls for Carol Vorderman to host Street Countdown Students at the University of Leicester are calling for Carol Vorderman to host a charitable Street Countdown event at their University.

Daniel Tinkler produced the paper which also detailed their desire for the popular host to return to Countdown itself.

Daniel says the lexical and mathematical conundrums can help student viewers gain vital employability skills.

Street Countdown, devised and broadcast in Channel 4 sitcom the IT Crowd, is a satirical version of the programme seeing it run as an underground VIP network.

Jessica Pitocchi

Students vow to carry on deceased friend’s homelessness film Friends of a budding journalist who died making a documentary about homelessness are stepping in to finish his film.

Lee Halpin died on the streets of Newcastle in April while filming Stepping Outside, a documentary about his experiences with the homeless, as part of his application to Channel 4’s Dispatches intern programme.

Lee’s friend of 15 years Adam Leyland, as well as other friends, have decided to finish the film.

Adam said Lee “could have gone home” but chose to complete the project with the “fearlessness” he pledged on his YouTube channel the night before he started filming.

Aidan Phillips

Lauren Archer

Only nine per cent of students have voted in a poll to decide the names of the new Students’ Union venues.

However, the original names, Fusion and Foundry, won by a landslide of 95 per cent following outcry about the “awful” new names.

An online poll, which took place over 15 days and got a total of 2,288 student votes, has shown that students want to keep the original venue names of Foundry and Fusion, with the addition of the Studio.

2,160 students voted in favour of naming the venues Fusion and

Foundry, with the alternative choice of Soundroom and Den receiving just over 5 per cent of the overall vote.

Only 122 voters opted for the new names.

Tom Dixon activities officer said “The poll gave all University of Sheffield students’ the power to decide the new venue names.

With such a large number of votes in favour of Foundry, Studio, Fusion it’s clear that the venue names will have students’ views at their heart.”

The poll was launched after a petition calling on the Union to reconsider the new names reached over 1,000 signatures.

David Hodgson, who started the

petition, said before the poll: “The new names are awful. They seem to be the most unimaginative names possible for these new spaces.

“Granted a re-furb requires a new name in some cases but how could it have been changed to “the Soundroom” & “the Den” from what was a unique and free flowing title – “fusion and foundry”.

What’s on your mind?

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

DOT COM

Venue names: do you really care what they are?

Danielle Hewitt, second-year Psychology student

Joe Bunce, second-year Philosophy student

Alexandra Price, first-year Hispanic Studies student

“I just couldn’t say that I’m going to Soundroom and Den. Foundry and Fusion aren’t particularly good names but they were the ones when I came here and Soundroom and Den are stupid.”

“I’ve always thought Fusion sounded like the name of a crap takeaway but I like the idea that we’re keeping with the old Sheffield traditions. I can’t say I care too much, as long as it’s a great club.”

“I don’t care. It’s not so much the name, it’s the facilities. It doesn’t matter what it’s called because its name doesnt define its usage.”

Image: how many students voted in the poll as a percentage of all students

91% did not vote

9% voted

Vox-pop: Aidan Phillips

Cornel London students rise up against West speaks threats to Union at Uni Lauren Archer

Chloe Lee

Photo: Facebook American philosopher, academic, and activist Dr Cornel West gave a talk at a Students’ Union event on Wednesday May 8.

The event took place to commemorate the unveiling of a portrait in Coffee Revolution of Malcolm X, who came to Sheffield SU on December 4 1964 to give a speech which attracted more than 700 students.

After a brief opening speech by SU President Abdi Suleiman, Dr West and Abdi unveiled George Law’s portrait of Malcolm X. Dr West followed with a talk on the significance of Malcolm X and on a range of philosophical and political topics for over an hour, ending on a half hour long question and answers session.

Malcolm X was an AfricanAmerican religious leader and human rights activist.

Dr Cornel West currently teaches African-American Studies at Princeton University.

Students from universities across London are fighting back against controversial plans to shut the University of London Union (ULU).

On May 3 2013 the University of London voted to shut down its Students’ Union, dissolving the democratic side of the Union and allowing it to continue as a provider of sports, societies and entertainment.

The University of London Union serves over 120,000 students from 28 self-governing colleges and specialist research institutes including University College London, London School

of Economics and King’s College London. It will continue to function in its present form until at least July 31 2014.

Michael Chessum, president of ULU, said: “This decision is totally illegitimate and will have a majorly negative impact on student life and representation in London: no student sat on the review panel, no student got a vote on the decision, and student responses have been ignored or brushed aside throughout.”

Vice president Daniel Cooper added: “The decision by the University is extremely myopic and destructive. It is an attack on students’ union autonomy and independence, if it can happen

here, it can happen at any other students’ union in the country.

The decision is a disgrace - we will be fighting this decision tooth and nail. We will not allow the structures, history and expertise, that have been built up over many years, be thrown away in this vandalistic way.”

Over 4,500 people have signed an online petition calling on the University to keep ULU running.

The University’s Trustee Board is meeting on May 22 to decide the fate of the Union. Students from across the country will be meeting outside the University of London Union to protest the proposed closure.

Photo: Facebook

@forgecomment /forgecomment

Editorial Hello, again.

I hope that you enjoy the last issue of Forge Press of the academic year - however the fun doesn’t stop there, we will be continuing to provide you with news, entertainment, reviews and the like, over the summer at forgetoday.com. So if you’d like to fill your long summer holidays with some writing, there will be plenty of chances.

My summer will be spent earning monies, writing and editing - although I’m extremely tempted to follow Lifestyle’s advice and fly to Greece to look after the turtles. Oh, the little turtles are so cute.

For those of you who are graduating this summer, I hope that the big, wide world isn’t too scary (and that despite the current climate, you actually manage to find a job). As for the rest of you, see you in September.

As a final goodbye to the rest of Forge Media, it is the Forge Awards tonight - the highlyanticipated night of the year where we havoc mischief and accolade the best, and the worst, of press, TV and radio.

As for my first two issues, I feel that they’ve gone better than expected, although some may disagree.

Now that it’s over until next year, I can actually concentrate on my degree - you have no idea how much time and effort goes into this newspaper from myself and the rest of the editoral team- and finish the rest of my

deadlines. If my parents are reading this, you’ll be happy to know that I handed in my 3,000 word essay five hours early today, which is an accomplishment for any student.

On that note, I apologise for the quote of the fortnight: it was certainly not an intentional comment and was definitely taken out of context.

As an independant newspaper, it’s rewarding to be able to hold the powers-that-be to account.

However what is even more rewarding is to report on the actions on unassuming heroes - the University of Sheffield’s Sheffield Medics FC who saved the life of a teenager. It could be a case of in the right place at the right time, but we’re proud to say that they are part of our University. It helps that they are good-looking, too.

This issue’s cover story is a perfect example of why Forge Press needs to stand alone from the Union and the University - as students, we need to know that those who say they are working for us are actually doing as they say. It’s not enough to simply talk words, they need to follow through with actions to show the student body that we are actually cared about.

A quick message to next year’s Union officers; firstly, good luck, and secondly, please be scandalous!

By the way, if anyone asks; in the immortal words of Shaggy, it wasn’t me.

Nicola Moors - Forge Press editor nicola.moors@forgetoday.com

LETTERS

COMMENT

7

FORGE PRESS Friday May 17 2 0 1 3

comment@forgetoday.com

D.A.R.T.S. Forge Press takes its satirical aim

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN? Ben Scull, Comment Editor - Drunk - Last seen: Zurich - Claims to be Prince William - In need of bacon sandwich - Warning: prone to shirking his duties in order to perfect bilingual chat-up lines

Grammar of the fortnight

http://bbc.in/13Wf5DW As we write, the top rated news article on bbc News is a ‘Grammar Test’. Its shameful how people cant read to good or use, an, oxford, comma, correctly. but the fact that people are starting to care about the proper use of a semi collon; Is great stuff.

One problem which keeps reoccuring is the Difference between “that” and “which” witch can really trip people up.

P.S. let us know how much errors you can find in these sentence. The winner gets a Shout-Out on twitter.

Imagined Facebook page Silly MP of the fortnight We have decided that the award is of the fortnight shared by the party. Our esteemed Things editors don’t say PM is apparently ‘very happy’ with

Hey, you’ve probably not heard of this but there has been an endemic spread of side-achingly hilarious groups on Facebook called ‘Things [a ridiculously generalised social group] don’t say’.

They’re sooo megalols. Comment have attempted to jump on the bandwagon in the only way we know how: taking the piss out of ourselves. Here’s some comments we’ve never made: “Three hours cutting out Nigel Farage on Photoshop? I love this!” “‘Sexty not texty’ is a phrase our illustrious editor underuses and I never tire of hearing it.”

“Everyone was so keen to take an issue of Forge Press outside the IC today. It was a shame I couldn’t wrestle with a bundle of papers for longer!” ‘‘My friends care so much about my Forge Press-based tribulations!”

the debate on Europe within his party, the political equivalent of a drowning captain of the Titanic declaring himself satisfied with the iceberg related issues thus far, but he’s fooling no one.

His ‘leadership’ has descended into ‘followership’ as front bench ministers gleefully park their behinds on BBC sofas to publicly disagree with the government’s general position. At least everyone in Clegg’s party agrees with him: he’s still just so so sorry.

Sushi of the fortnight http://bit.ly/11g12Mc

Another issue in the absence of globetrotting, alleged Prince William-lookalike Comment Editor, Ben Scull. Tom’s passive aggressive diplomacy has hit a new zenith for this issue as he assures Ben that the extra workload is fine without revealing (until now) that he will probably be on a sunny Croatian island for the first issue next year. Seriously Ben, this is me telling you this is happening. Good luck, mate.

While procrastinating on Buzzfeed, we inevitably found cats dressed up as sushi. Don’t know about you but we’re definitely feline this.

Quote of the fortnight

‘Lovin’ the cock!’

- Nicola Moors, editor, Forge Press

Seal of the fortnight

What? That’s a brilliant topic.

Search ‘Daft Punk seal swim’ into YouTube and prepare for the perfect audio-visual feast probably the sealiest thing we’ve ever seen.

Goodbye of the fortnight

@forgepress /forgepress letters@forgetoday.com

Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to:

Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to:

The bird-feeding, ball-kicking rapist

No more Soundry and Confusion

Great piece. I have so much respect for the woman for taking this to court, and going through with what I am sure was an awful and harrowing trial (especially when Evans supporters openly broke the law by naming her on social media.)

It sets an important precedent and will hopefully lead to more convictions in this sort of case, where men think it’s perfectly ok to prey on a drunk girl, and because she ‘got herself into the situation’ it’s not rape. The culture needs to change, drastically.

Lizzie I am commenting here as the survivor of rape and repeated sexual assault for which the attacker has not been convicted. I am also commenting as a radical, third-wave feminist with many opinions. I do not disagree with the sentiment of your article, but I disagree with the way it is written.

This piece is both tasteless and tactless, and does a terrible job of explaining rape culture. It would be more correct to refer to the man in question as a “convicted rapist” rather than just a “rapist”, given that the evidence is disputed. I would also like to point out that he has a name, and that referring to him simply as “the rapist” all the way through the article is immature and does a poor job of making your point.

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of what rape culture means for women.

I wholeheartedly agree that I should be allowed to drink without men approaching me and expecting me to accept their advances gratefully. But the way you have presented these arguments will alienate most people, rather than get them on board.

Inserting your own experience in comment writing is fine – but the way you have done so takes the precedent away from the victim and places it on yourself. I understand that this was done to make a point, but I think the point could have been made better, and without turning this article in to a personal rant. Also, if you think that “being a feminist is a right ball-ache”, you are spending time with the wrong kind of people.

Anonymous In many crimes there are lots of issues over whether someone was in their right mind, whether they were provoking an individual etc. Rape is not one of these. Rape is about as black and white as you can get. Unless someone consciously and freely says yes, then it’s rape, and society really needs to learn that lesson.

Chris

I use social media to follow the Forge Media outlets, the University itself, the Union and other relevant news sources, and I had no idea we were taking a vote on this. No wonder only six per cent of students voted – the University needs to communicate a lot better if it wants to include more people on issues like this.

Lauren Peel I personally felt like I couldn’t get away from the coverage on the poll! There was a huge poster about it near Coffee Revs, @SheffieldSU and @nightsoutSU have both mentioned it several times and the Facebook page for the Union nights out has too.

Not to mention the many comment and news pieces Forge Press have done since the names were unveiled.

Just under 9,000 students voted in the officer elections this year and if you consider these students to be the ones who care enough about the union to vote in general, then one in four students did vote in the referendum. It seems more likely that the other three in four didn’t care enough or believed the poll would swing overwhelmingly in a certain direction, which it did.

Ellie Dougherty I agree with Lauren. I heard about this originally by word of mouth. I only saw one flyer about the poll, shoved on the bottom of a notice board in a lesser frequented part of the Union.

Sheldon

Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to:

Contact time: Are we getting a ‘raw deal’?

Whilst I agree with you that university isn’t just about contact time, I feel you’ve perhaps dismissed Petre’s argument because of his association with the Daily Mail, rather than any real issues. ‘Value for money’ education isn’t as ridiculous as it may seem, especially following the rise in fees. I have nine hours of contact time a week, and next year I will have four. It’s nice to know that the money I’m spending on university is allowing more office hours, but at the same time it would definitely be appreciated if we had more contact time.

Sam

8

COMMENT

Friday 17 May 2013 FORGE PRESS

@forgecomment /forgecomment comment@forgetoday.com

Does this scare you now?

Alex Chafey can see the signs, and they’re not too great for the Tories Photo: Jon Smith/Flickr

Alex Chafey Before Thursday May 2, it would be easy to assume Ukip, a party plagued by allegations of its candidates making racist, homophobic and sexist remarks, are about as far away from becoming a credible political force as Nigel Farage is from marrying Herman van Rompuy. But after their breakthrough, it’s easy to overestimate the Eurosceptic party’s chances.

“The media loves to sensationalise a political breakthrough” For starters, the electoral system counts against them. It’s notoriously hard for smaller parties to make a Westminster breakthrough and it’s a very real possibility that, come 2015, Ukip

could get more votes than Clegg’s lot did last time but get just one seat to show for it. But, for probably the only time, the Ukip heirarchy should look to the Green party for an example to follow.

At the 2010 election, the Green’s got their first seat with just 0.9 per cent of the national vote, less than a third of Ukip’s share.

They did this by picking their target constituency well and focusing all their attention on winning it. For Ukip to manage something similar they have to pick a seat ripe for the nicking and go all

out to make it theirs. If they are greedy, they will fail.

Also, local election results are no guarantee of parliamentary seats, particularly mid-way through the term of an unpopular government. In 2009, the Lib Dems beat Labour into third place in the local elections with 25 per cent of the vote, but when they got a similar share in 2010 this resulted in just one tenth of the seats in parliament.

Ukip’s success or failure also depends on how the Prime Minister responds to their popularity. Part of Cameron’s response to Ukip has been to offer a referendum on EU membership after the next election, but this is the wrong approach. Polling shows that the European Union is surprisingly far down the list of reasons why voters have switched from the Tories to Ukip. If Cameron wants to avoid a mass exodus to the his right wing rivals, he has to

convince the electorate that UKIP are a protest party unprepared for serious politics, and set out a clear alternative, not try to mimic their policies.

There are also on-going whispers of an electoral pact with the Conservatives. While this seems unlikely at the moment, the rumour that Ukip might not stand against Eurosceptic Tory candidates if they promised to support a referendum in exchange for the Conservatives standing aside in a handful of Ukip target seats has refused to die. This would be a big mistake for three reasons.

Firstly, by focusing on an EU referendum, Ukip risks enforcing its image as a single issue party, something that it has to avoid if it wants to win big. Secondly, working with the Tories could lose Ukip crucial protest votes by sacrificing their image as outsiders in a political system crying out for something new. But most importantly, they shouldn’t rule out taking on Labour in its heartlands.

Their second place finish in South

Shields, a constituency that has been held by Labour for 78 years showed that even in traditionally left wing areas, there are plenty of people who want a change and are willing to vote Ukip if they can present themselves as potential winners.

of auctioning off internships to the highest bidder, it is possible to see short term internships as a positive thing.

There is a definite positive side to gaining experience with an employer, and it can be a stepping stone to future opportunities in employment. I am in no way trying to say we should stop short term, unpaid internships, nor paid ones.

They present benefits to both the intern and the employer, and some skills simply cannot be taught in a lecture theatre, they have to be learnt on the job.

But when does work experience become a job? Recently it was revealed that a number of football clubs often take on interns for a year without pay or expenses, being asked to attend all home

games and some away games. This is, in my mind at least, getting someone to do a full time job for no pay, which is not only illegal but morally deplorable.

to highly competitive professions, internships can often cater to those with the contacts and the money to gain the experience.

This can only be detrimental to the companies themselves, restricting their choices of potential interns.

I have no doubt that there are thousands of internships out there that offer a salary or expenses and can be a real boost to a graduates chances of landing a job in their chosen field. I’m sure there are some great unpaid internships out there as well. Yet sadly, I am also in no doubt that there will be many more employers exploiting graduates with a false promise of brightened career prospects at the end of their time with the company when all that really awaits them is yet another unpaid internship.

“Ukip-Conservative electoral pact would be a big mistake”

If they follow this advice, the future looks good for Ukip but the media loves to sensationalize political breakthroughs (aren’t we naughty?). Remember 2009’s “rise” of the BNP, when they got two MEPs? This year the party lost every council seat it was contesting, and recently encouraged its supporters to sell scrap metal and have more children to help resolve their on-going financial woes.

Perhaps the country isn’t quite ready for Farage’s smoking jacket in number 10.

Internships: paying £5k for false promises

Sam Pierce Imagine this scenario. Having paid at least £3000 a year to attend a university, and having put countless hours of work in to try and achieve the highest grade possible, you graduate with a respectable degree. With a feeling of pride, you begin to search for jobs in your chosen field, only for there to be none for those without experience. For all too many graduates, this is the reality they face when entering employment – there are simply too many graduates for the number of jobs available in this economic climate.

One route many choose to take, is to look for an invaluable internship

with a reputable company. They see this as a chance to gain the experience that will serve them well in any future job searches, enriching their CV, and making them stand out to employers. The price of this opportunity? In the majority of cases, you won’t be paid or you may have to fork out for the privilege.

Research recently conducted by the BBC has shown that some of the shorter internships can cost as much as £5000. This shows clear exploitation of one section of the workforce, and it would seem that HMRC has finally seen this, having begun an investigation into 100 companies offering unpaid internships.

If we put aside, for a brief moment, the despicable practice

“Employers are exploiting students with false promises of better career prospects”

This also creates speculation regarding the idea that internships offer experience to those who could not normally attain it – can anyone but the rich really afford to pay £5000 for the opportunity, or live in a city for a year without pay or expenses? Far from increasing the number of people with access

9

FORGE PRESS Friday 17 May 2 0 1 3

@forgecomment /forgecomment comment@forgetoday.com

COMMENT

Our Union’s great, except that glorified portaloo Mike Turner When I first wandered around the Students’ Union at an open day in 2010, two things were immediately apparent: firstly, it was larger and better equipped than any other union I had visited and secondly, it wasn’t quite done yet. Little did I know at the time, that this initial impression would persist throughout my time at the University of Sheffield.

“Despite an overhaul, Bar One doesn’t seeem to have changed”

Photo: Jessica Pitocchi

Why are they bothering?

Don’t worry - does getting a first even matter?

Mark Lomasney In a recent talk with secondary school students, Robert Winston said he deliberately doesn’t employ students with a first claiming “I would rather have young people around me who developed other interests at university and didn’t focus entirely on getting that first”.

Unsurprisingly, this has provoked a mixed response with the real world closing in on many of us as and the fear about jobs, or rather lack of jobs, setting in.

For those students who have slogged through the never-ending cycle of essays and exams at the expense of a social life and other interests, Winston’s comment must seem somewhat of a slap in the face for all their hard work.

But for those who dabble in extracurricular activities (be their nights spent at Corp or the Media Hub) then Winston’s point must seem uniquely refreshing.

In an education system where results are the be all and end all of success, it seems to me reassuring that someone out there does care about more than whether my last exam (which I’ve already forgot everything from) was a 75 or a 62. Nevertheless, universities Join the conversation: @ForgeComment on Twitter facebook.com/ForgeComment

are first and foremost academic institutions, so was Winston right to condemn those who put academic rigour over other interests?

Although I agree that a good candidate should be well rounded and have interests outside of their subject I find the suggestion that those with firsts did nothing but study presumptuous. Like most people, I know plenty of (irritating) friends who get the top marks despite playing sport, being involved with societies and having a social life. Similarly I know many people on lower grades whose extra-curricular activities extend to an excuse to sleep until the sun goes down and play on the Xbox when it does.

“For some students, Winston’s comment must seem like a slap in the face”

societies, experience different cultures, play a diverse range of sports and pursue other interests, all of which develop vital skills which are important for the real world and which can’t be learnt from any module this University offers.

Perhaps in a by gone era, when university was for the elite few (and free for that matter) then a degree was the golden ticket into any job you care to name. But students and universities have adapted to a new reality.

These days, universities offer so many opportunities that it seems almost impossible to focus entirely on striving for the best mark. As much as I would encourage anyone to take their subject seriously and achieve the best grade they can, I would also encourage them to take advantage of the other opportunities which are available and hey, if you don’t quite make it to that 70-based Mecca, maybe Winston will still offer you a job.

Personally, I think that there needs to be a happy medium.

Obviously everyone wants to get the best grades they can and achieving the illustrious first is a reflection of dedication, focus and hard work: all attributes which most employers look for. Having said this, the real world is about more than memorising a textbook or perfecting a theory.

Although academic success is obviously important, university is also about the chance to join

For exam tips from Comment editors past and present, head on to page 16. Fresher’s should be aware that worrying will not be tolerated by those who need more than 40 per cent.

On Thursday April 25, our University was declared by the Times to have the best students’ union in the UK. This can be viewed as either impressive or bizarre, given that a sizeable part of it isn’t even open. Sections of the building are boarded off, Bar One has only just reopened and the Union shop has relocated to a glorified portaloo in the Arts Tower car park.

Union president, Abdi Suleiman, said on winning the award: “Being ranked first for satisfaction when the Union is currently undergoing a major investment project is phenomenal”. I agree wholeheartedly, but looking back I struggle to remember a time when the Union wasn’t undergoing some form of “major investment project”.

Winning various awards has driven the University into an obsessive and seemingly neverending quest for perfection, to the extent that it now seems that refurbishments finish just in time to receive a new accolade before the next renovation begins. In 2010 the Union had a multimillion pound facelift, and the end product was undoubtedly excellent, but already the next phase of expansion is well underway.

The social hub of the Union, Bar One, has undergone two

Photo: Nicola Moors

major revamps in the last three years. The first was a refreshing improvement but the more recent overhaul, however, is remarkable only in that nothing seems to have changed. Despite a closure of several months, the only difference I’ve noticed is a decrease in the quality of the food – my most recent Bar One burger was a limp, soggy parody of former efforts.

Foundry and Fusion, the much hyped and much loved home of the Sheffield student night out, has been out of action for the entirety of the current academic year. This is dismaying enough in my final year, but what is endlessly more disappointing is the substitute offered – the Octagon.

Traditionally, the Octagon hosted Space, the Uni night named for the vast swathes of empty floor that are its most memorable feature.

“The University is on a seemingly never-ending quest for perfection”

The re-development of Foundry and Fusion has recently caused a stir amongst students over the decision to rename the venue, to the extent that an online petition to restore the original names was initiated just hours after the new names were announced. It’s not difficult to see why – calling a venue for nights out ‘Soundroom’ displays a lack of imagination akin to renaming Notre Dame ‘Big Church’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted to attend a university with such an exceptional students’ union. I just wish I could use it a bit more.

Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight?

Contact letters@forgetoday.com

10

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

Lifestyle & Travel

Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Travel Giving Back Sex & Relationships Technology

WHAT NOT TO MISS THIS FORTNIGHT

Lifestyle’s pick of what’s on in Sheffield The history boys

Tuesday May 21, 7pm, The Crucible Theatre The History Boys is running at the Crucible from Thursday May 16 – Saturday June 8.

However for one performance only, GIAG are offering tickets for £10, a brilliant discount compared to the £21 standard cost.

Alan Bennett’s award winning play focuses on a group of sixth formers in Yorkshire in the eighties.

Having shone in their A levels, the boys are preparing to sit the Oxbridge exams.

It’s got a great story line, with some cracking characters and one liners- “I’m a Jew. I’m small. I’m homosexual. And I live in Sheffield. I’m fucked”

The comedy network

Monday June 3, 7.30pm, Raynor Lounge, SU Needing a post-exam laugh? Still not finished but sick of the library?

Take a night off, go to The Comedy Network to watch Matt Forde, Hayley Ellis and the Comedy Revue.

Matt Forde is a former political adviser turned comedian, who writes for 8 Out of 10 Cats.

Mancunian comedian Hayley Ellis started stand-up in 2009 and this year will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Comedy Network is hosted by the Sheffield Comedy Revue who ran the 24 hour Comic Relief comedy marathon.

Tickets £4 advance or £6 on the door.

Upstairs @ The arms

SALSA IN THE SQUARE

Upstairs @ the Arms is an event the University Arms puts on every month, May’s performance coming from Tom Attah.

Tom is an acoustic artist who sings a mix of soul and folk. He is described as a “living bluesman”, who is “blacker than the White Stripes and bluer than the Black Keys”.

Yorkshire based Tom studied Music here in Sheffield but has been touring for the past few years, doing gigs all over Europe before returning to the UK for the summer festival season.

Price TBC.

Celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend with free music and dance lessons in Leopold Square.

Salsa in the Square is hosted by the restaurant Platillos but takes place in the courtyard.

There will be a mix of live bands and DJs playing Latin rhythms to dance the afternoon away.

Lessons are available for all abilities and there are also themed cocktails.

This event was previously held on May 5, and was a roaring success so come early as it’s sure to be busy, especially if it’s sunny.

Saturday May 25, 8.30pm, The University Arms

Student Life

By Hannah McCulloch

Saturday 26 May, 1pm, Leopold Square

Food

Weird and wonderful ways to revise Martin Bottomley Tom Schneider

&

Revision time: it’s worse than playing Silent Hill in the dark.

The comment team, past and present, at Forge Press have been hard at work trying to find the best possible revision tips that will make you succeed.

We may not be scientists but trust us, these will totally work.

1. Teach it to someone else You know that irritatingly highachieving person you always ask for help when you’re feeling thick?

Having them teach you actually helps them achieve because they remember the material better.

Think of it like method acting: to become a knowledgeable, articulate and confident student who doesn’t go to pieces in exams, you can practice being just that.

It’s a simple little trick that works well with forming study groups.

Just don’t be condescending, or you’ll find yourself teaching stuff to the wall in your room.

2. Make up a song You learned the ABC with a neat little song, so why not the various applications of polymerase chain reactions?

Chemists can learn the periodic table by memorising Tom Lehrer’s ‘The Elements’, while french students can always refer to the Cure’s ‘Killing An Arab’ should they forget what Camus’ The Stranger was all about.

If you don’t have a ready-made song for your subject matter handy, you can always make one up.

We can’t wait for the historiography of the American Revolution, set to the tune of ‘Call Me Maybe’, to start rolling in.

3. A Tip for Freshers: It’s 40 per cent.

Stop fretting, unlock your bedroom door and go forth and procrastinate.

Man vs. Burger

Team Lifestyle take on the hottest challenge in Sheffield Edward Cook & Rebecca Elvidge Ever since Lifestyle reviewed the new Harley burger menu we have been hanckering to get back for some more burgery goodness.

So when we found out that the third annual Man vs. Burger competition was approaching we knew it was our duty to get a Lifestyle team together.

Faithful contributors Edward Cook and Rebecca Elvidge report back on the harrowing experience.

Contestant name: Ted Cook Alter ego: TC Height: 6ft 2” Spice capabilities: Vindaloo ready

“I dare do all that may become a man, who dares more is none.”

MacBeth’s immortal words swirled around my head as I a readied myself to embark upon what was to become a positively grotesque display of feasting.

A heaping stack of four burger patties topped with a generous spoonful of chilli , a handful of jalapeño peppers a generous helping of jalapeño relish and a mound of ghost chilli chips.

Needless to say, I made sure there was sufficient toilet paper for later.

My plan of attack was to eat the top two patties of the burger, followed by the bottom.

I began shoving handfuls of Harley meat into my open gob as the tears inevitably began to run.

I was off to a solid start though and choked mouthful after mouthful down.

Each one felt like my mouth was laying an egg into my throat and had to turn to the water for suitable lubrication.

My eyes darted from side to side to my opponents who were all holding a similar pace to me. There was a momentary hiccup when the bald gentleman to my right began to choke and cough and splutter remnants of jalapeño relish all over the competition area causing me to laugh through the wad of food in my mouth and sneeze all over my basket of chips.

Nevertheless I pressed on. I choked down the bottom half of Harley meat but had fallen noticeably behind.

Once I began on the chips I thought I might have been able to catch up with my competitors. It was just a matter of spice and spice, I can deal with.

However, the first ghost chilli chip docked itself onto my tongue and it felt like my entire face had been subject to a healthy dose of a welding gun.

The tears began streaming down my face but I pressed onward, Macbeth in my mind and glory within reach.

I cleared the last of my basket but with a lump of food the size of a tennis ball left to chew, I had fallen too far behind for a comeback.

Struggling to breathe through the starch I watched in horror as my neighbour forced down his last bit of chip to take victory.

Ted “I can handle spice” Cook

Beaten and humiliated I begrudgingly spat what was left into my basket of defeat, keeping it as souvenir where it sits mockingly on my desk.

The Man vs. Burger challenge was a literal stomach churning experience which I intend to never to experience again- at least for the rest of the week.

Contestant name: Rebecca Elvidge Alter ego: Small but mighty Height: 5ft 4” Spice capabilities: Madras as a maximum

Upon entering the Harley to take on their legendary annual Man vs.

Burger challenge I didn’t really know what to expect.

I had hovered over the email requesting that someone take part a few nights before for a good 20 minutes before finally replying with

an enthusiastic ‘Yes’, still with that ominous thought in the back of my mind – how hard can it be?

Pretty damn hard, it turned out.

I had gathered with a small crowd to watch the first round before my turn. There was an already apprehensive atmosphere as the participants were told just exactly what the We Be Burnin’ burger was made up of.

My arrogance soon began to falter as I watched the first load of participants trying to demolish their burgers in as little time as possible.

One poor guy was actually crying but in true eating competition style, continued to power through bite by bite.

Then it came to my round. Armed with nothing but a very hungry stomach and a glass of water (no milk allowed) I sat down along with my five opponents as we awaited our fate.

The burger didn’t initially appear too challenging, but after a few bites the pesky ghost chillies began to kick in.

Officially the hottest chilli in the word and 400 times spicier than Tabasco sauce the ghost chilli is definitely not a pepper to mess with.

Unfortunately for me both my burger and fries were absolutely laced with the stuff, not to mention the wasabi which appeared to have very kindly infused itself into both the meat and the bread.

Needless to say the entire thing was a very uncomfortable experience, but true to form the Harley did warn that the challenge “was not for the faint hearted”.

With regards to spice, it seems my heart is fainter than I first thought.

After downing half a pint of milk promptly after my round was won (not by me, surprisingly) the spice

Defeated but well fed

sensation began to wear off and I began to see the funny side again.

Eating contests really are a great form of entertainment, especially if a big group of mates are involved, however uncomfortable it may have been for the participant.

Did I enjoy it? No. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Photos: Hannah McCulloch Artwork: Tom J. Newell

11

FORGE PRESS Friday May 1 7 2 0 1 3

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Review Ellie McCaldin Nestled away on Tippet Lane is the Cuban tapas bar Cubana.

With its bright yellow exterior walls Cubana is anything but conspicuous, yet away from the bustle of West Street you wouldn’t know it was there.

The décor, consisted of heavy wooden tables and bright paint with quotes painted on the walls: “If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!” Mark Twain.

You can actually buy cigars there (I’m not partial to a Romeo but hey, whatever floats your boat) The cocktail menu is extensive and fairly priced; a caipirinha was £5.95, an elderflower collins was £5.50 and both were delicious.

We went for a mixture of cold and hot tapas, but there is also a set menu (£18.50) for those that want an easy life six to eight of the tapas

Student Life

Cubana portions would be enough to share between two people.

Having nine between us, we had to have another table to accommodate our feast.

Out of the recommended dishes that we tried, the chorizo was amazing (£4.95) but the albondigas (meatballs priced at £4.95) and the risotto were a little underwhelming.

Both Hannah and I loved the roasted sweet potatoes and peppers (£4.95) and the oven baked aubergine (£4.95) was absolutely incredible. Although Hannah was very impressed with the merluza salsa sambuca hake, the aniseedyfish combo was a bit too advanced for my palate.

Although we were absolutely stuffed by the end of our meal, the high standard of the food in our main course left me wishing that I had been a bit more tactical and made room for one of the very tempting looking deserts that were being placed onto a neighbouring table.

There is a happy tapas hour from 5pm until 6.30pm Monday to Friday and from midday to 6.30pm on Saturdays. Where you can have tapas for £6.95 or receive £5 off the set menu.

Aside from the food the most impressive thing about Cubana was the way the atmosphere transformed as the night went on.

The large windows opening out onto the street outside made it a perfect location for dinner on a warm summer’s evening but equally the dimmed lighting and candles which were swiftly dotted

Student Life

Lifestyle’s cheap eat

Roasted tomato and rosemary chicken

by Julia Anduiza

around the feasting groups as night fell created an intimate atmosphere which I would have been happy drinking in all night.

Another treat came in the form of Feelix. The acoustic duo played a set of chilled out covers, including the likes of John Mayer and Herbie Hancock’s ‘Stitched Up’ and Ed Sheeran’s ‘Lego House’.

The band was yet another example of how the team at Cubana constantly strive to make your dining experience as relaxed and enjoyable as possible.

Perhaps a little expensive for students but if you’re prepared to share (or lucky enough to have visiting parents wanting to spoil you) then Cubana is the perfect way to experience wonderfully made Cuban food without straying out of Sheffield.

Can’t say having charming owner Adrian Bagnoli looking after us hurt at all either.

Photos: Ellie McCaldin

Ingredients 2 x chicken thighs 1 can of chopped tomatoes 1 onion 1 x large clove of garlic ½ courgette ½ tsp rosemary ½ chilli flakes 200g couscous Olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste To serve: 2 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

1. Set the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and rub the olive oil and half of the rosemary onto the skin.

3. Mince the onion and garlic then slice the courgette.

4. Place the chicken thighs and the vegetables in an ovenproof dish and add the tomatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the rosemary and the chilli flakes on top.

5. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through.

6. When the chicken is nearly done, prepare the couscous according to packet instructions. Use chicken stock for added flavour.

7. Serve the chicken on a bed of couscous and enjoy.

Lifestyle learns...guerilla knitting

Katherine Hockley steps into the bizarre world of the rebellious wool wielders Katherine Hockley You may have noticed the pom-pom tree outside Western Bank this week, and at Lifestyle we couldn’t help but wonder what this meant.

It turns out there is an underground group of guerrilla knitters who have taken on Sheffield in an illegal activity called yarnstorming.

It is street art with knitted objects, making it less permanent than your average spray-paint drawing and somewhat friendlier than other forms of graffiti.

The trend has been around since 2004 but received a lot of attention in 2009 when “Knit the City” was established; a small group of knitters who undertake big projects in storming the city of London, producing things such as a giant squid and a whole knitted cover for a telephone box.

It seems we now have a similar group forming in Sheffield, causing many questions to come to mindwhy this particular type of graffiti and who is responsible?

Luckily I had the opportunity to catch up with the chief knitting rebel to get some answers to these questions.

The art of knit-storming is actually illegal, so we can’t use our informant’s real name. For their

own safety and to preserve their all important anonymity we will have to refer to her as ‘A. Knitter’.

What we can mention however that the goings-on were in fact down to Sheffield’s own knitting society, the Sheffield Stitchers.

Sheffield Stichers is a relatively new group who stand to “change misconceptions about knitting and demonstrate that it is so much more than ugly knitted jumpers at Christmas”.

According to A. Knitter it seems that the most effective way of doing

this is through guerrilla knitting, and I can’t say I disagree.

It has definitely got people talking and here it is receiving attention in the form of an article.

The whole thing took 62 pompoms, three weeks and 15 people.

With most street art, there is an underlying message, and I wondered if there was one with this specific knit bombing other than changing the knitting community’s image.

A. Knitter agrees with the notion of art for art’s sake, but also thinks it is an example of small things making a big difference.

Students all want to change the world but feel they can’t do much yet because they are still students.

The guerrilla knitting serves as a reminder that we all have unlocked potential and is in itself an example of what people are capable of.

I also found out that the group are considering to make a barrage of pink pom-poms that people pay a pound to purchase in order to increase awareness and raise money for breast cancer.

If you are interested the group can be found on Facebook under the aforementioned “Sheffield Stitchers”.

A. Knitter has been pleased to hear positive reactions, but I ask what her reaction would be to

someone who argues that because it is not permanent or can be stolen, what is the point in choosing this medium of street art?

She says that the fleetingness adds to the excitement, nothing good lasts forever anyway and they will always have the photographs.

A. Knitter also adds that knitting is “a way of life”, something that is incredibly important to her lifestyle and that she is glad she can involve in her university life.

It is important that we don’t just view knitting as something that grannies do, as a lot of the clothes we wear are knitted, and she hopes that the guerrilla knitting will change people’s view on the activity as a whole.

I take my hat off to the knitting community and think that the colourful pom-poms are a welcome and charming addition to the dreary grey landscape of our University buildings.

For yarnstorming

outside of Sheffield check out Sarah Rudder’s R2D2 woollen creation.

Sarah’s epic street art work was created for International Yarn Bombing Day in 2012.

As for the future of guerrilla knitting here at the University of Sheffield, I’m told that the world is their oyster and students should keep a close eye on the I.C.

Photo: Sarah Rudder

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

12

Lifestyle & Travel Summer on a shoestring

Lifestyle picks eight unmissable European experiences...

Experience La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain

by Dan Holder

For one day every year, the town of 8,000 is visited by close to 40,000 locals who proceed to hurl over 40 metric tons of tomatoes at each other.

We assembled in Buñol’s main square with our fellow combatants around 10am where we watched local youths attempt to reach a ham suspended at the top of a greased pole.

Relief from the August sun was willingly provided by Buñol residents who drenched us with hoses from their windows overlooking the square.

When the ham was finally claimed a cannon rang out to signal the start of the festival. The rules: only tomatoes were to be thrown and battle was to end after the second cannon shot, one hour later.

Anything goes in this raging melee, as I found out when I had my head repeatedly dunked under the knee-high tomato slop by a very obese and very topless Spaniard. La Tomatina veterans turn up in snorkeling masks, swimming trunks and little else. They know that they will be washed clean by the hose of a waiting fire truck after hostilities have ended, before enjoying several jugs of sangria sold by lean-to bars set up by entrepreneurial locals.

Photo: Ecotourist

Watch football in Hamburg, Germany

by Lydia Rollinson

With its famously anti-homophobic, anti-sexist, anti-racist attitude and a manager who has been known to cross dress on occasion, this team confronts issues that have plagued football for decades.

From entry into the city you are assaulted with St. Pauli memorabilia, their logo of a skull and cross-bones being inescapable. It soon becomes clear that St. Pauli are more than a team to the people of Hamburg; they are a way of life.

On the evening of the match the atmosphere is electric with bars full to the brim excited voices and chants of “alle, alle, alle Sankt Pauli!”

As the team enter the pitch to ACDC’s ‘Hells Bells’ the adoring fans wave rainbow coloured balloons in support of gay pride with banners flying declaring ‘it’s ok to be gay’.

This is a group like no other, one that leaves enormous football sceptics like myself gagging for a return trip to the Millentor Stadium ready to wear my skull and cross-bones with pride.

Swim in Lake Bled, Slovenia

by Hannah McCulloch

Getting off at the picturesque station of Bled Jezero I didn’t know what to expect.

Following a dodgy Google map, we didn’t have a proper view of the lake until we haphazardly stumbled upon it.

It’s possibly the most beautiful lake I’ve ever been to and is surrounded by mountains and forests.

In the middle there is a small island adorned with a church, and the whole lake is overlooked by a medieval castle on a cliff top.

The water is so clear that it reflects perfectly a mirror image of the cloudy skies.

Cyclists lazily bike around the edge of the lake, whilst small wooden rowing boats float on its surface. It looks like a Disney film.

I have about 100 photos from those two days camping at the lake; most of them are practically the same. But deleting them feels like a crime.

Have a bath in Budapest, Hungary

by David Ewing

Photo: Hannah McCulloch

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, get yourselves down to Budapest.

Not only is it a beautiful city on the rise with some of the best bars and nightlife Europe has to offer, Budapest is also home to the Széchenyi thermal bath: the largest medicinal bath in Europe.

Named after Hungarian hero Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék the baths are easily accessible by public transport and are an absolute must do.

A full day pass will set you back 4300 Hungarian forint, which equals about £13, and that gets you a full days access to one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever had the good fortune to visit.

The first part of the spa has 12 different miniature pools, eight of them with 2838°C water temperature and the other four at 30-36°C. Your £13 not only gives you access to the saunas and steam rooms but the best part of the whole spa complex; the huge outdoors area with three more pools.

Warnings around the pool recommend staying in there no longer than 15 minutes but I didn’t leave until the cartilage in my knees had melted.

The atmosphere in the complex is friendly and relaxed and I personally guarantee any problems you had when you entered the building will be gone by the time you leave.

13

F O R G E PRESS Friday May 17 2013

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Hike the Trolltunga in Norway

e

By Ellie McCaldin

Assured, somewhat mistakenly, that hiking the Trolltunga was not ‘overly strenuous’, I donned my leggings, vest top and hoodie and prepared to conquer the 3000ft ascent to the precipice which juts out gloriously above the beautiful fjords of Odda.

The hike can be completed in 10-12 hours but we decided that we would split the trek in half and took a tent up with us.

Almost immediately we realised that we may have bitten off more than we could chew, with the first hour consisting more of rock climbing than walking.

The challenges continued when we were unable to start a fire due to the high altitude and had to eat uncooked noodles.

I also managed to rip a hole in the bum of my leggings, much to the amusement of a french couple who expertly navigated around my flailing body whilst sniggering.

However, with the trail crossing epic waterfalls, running through gorgeous forests and eventually ending in the snow capped mountains, the hardship of the climb hardly matters.

Walking out onto the Trolltunga itself is an unmissable experience and the views across the fjords and into the canyon below are breathtaking.

Photo: Ellie McCaldin

Experience world history in Poland

by Lydia Rollinson

An hour outside Krakow lies the concentration camp of AushwitzBirkenau.

With many of the original buildings still standing, it is an eerie place and filled with remnants of the atrocities committed there.

The museum takes you on a journey through the experiences of many of the Jews that lived there showing you the confiscated personal belongings, as well as the torture chambers and, perhaps worst of all, Dr Mengeles’ experiment rooms.

With the gas chambers still standing, you can walk the path that so many took and it is impossible not to be moved by the experience.

Imagining what those pour souls went through standing in the place where they were imprisoned and murdered makes the scale of the deaths camps a lot more real and the enormity of it inescapable.

The trip to Auswitz could never be described as enjoyable but it is undoubtedly eye-opening, hugely moving and an essential part of any trip to Poland.

Save turtles in Greece

by Laura Norton

Art work: Dominic Ader

Go white water rafting in Switzerland

by Lauren Metalle

After scoffing my body weight in Swiss chocolate in all its glorious forms I decided to embark on the exciting and calorie burning exercise of white water rafting.

Off I went with four of my friends and a slightly insane instructor, paddles in hand, down the river rapids.

If you’re an adventurous individual travelling alone you can join larger groups, if you’re with friends you can hire one or a few rafts and have the most exciting experience in a beautiful setting for a reasonable price.

The scenery is breathtaking with mountains surrounding you and small beachy areas where locals barbeque in the summer on full display.

In fact we saw a couple in all their natural glory not confined by the constraints of clothing having a picnic on one of the smaller beaches.

Who knows, maybe you’ll see some locals in natural attire too.

Photo: Laura Norton

Want to spend a summer in beautiful location, making a difference, and not lose all your money? With ARCHELON, the sea turtle protection society of Greece, every nest you protect can make a massive change to the turtle population of Greece.

Watching a tiny hatchling reach the sea is one of the most satisfying and special experiences you can have, especially when you know you are directly responsible.

A typical day involves morning survey (very early but great sunrises) which is the best time for hatchling spotting, followed by relaxing or a morning swim.

After a good dose of tanning, you may be cooking or making nest shading in camp.

You also get to explore the local Greek coast which will never disappoint.

ARCHELON prices are very fair with things like camp food kitties keeping costs down and flights are never crazily expensive.

They really do cherish every volunteer. Go save those turtles, I promise you won’t regret it.

14

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

The last chapter Gregory Pichorowycz asks if volunteer-run libraries have a viable future in Sheffield

W

alkley Library can be found in the crevices of Sheffield, nestled north of Crookesmoor where students, particularly first years, seldom tread. It is quite a library. Perched on the junction where three roads meet, it sits inconspicuously within the local scenery. Its flower beds are noticeable yet modest, and its entrance is guarded by several impressive, tasteful pillars.

On my first visit to the library, I found it closed. Sadly, the local community is not only faced with reduced opening hours but the prospect of the state leaving the responsibility of keeping them running in the hands of local volunteers. The Labourcontrolled council are scrambling to make £50 million worth of savings in the area.

But with several prominent voices among the community expressing frustration and discontent at the council’s decision, Walkley and other Sheffield libraries are doing all they can to find a solution that will keep their libraries open. The most notable idea put forward is volunteer-run libraries.

The chair of the Walkley Community

Forum, Grenville Wilkinson, has been keen to encourage volunteers to get involved to keep the library alive amidst the council cuts. Mr Wilkinson argues that the closure of Walkley library would “leave the South Road area decimated” and also warns that Labour run the risk of losing councillors if they allow this to happen.

To tackle the problem, the city council have turned to the community for help.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Sheffield’s city council cabinet member for communities and inclusion has said the response from the public for ideas to keep the city’s libraries open has been positive.

last into the future.”

The Liberal Democratic council opposition has also launched its own campaign to defend Sheffield’s libraries with a petition gaining hundreds of signatures. However, much of their criticism is directed towards the Labour dominated Sheffield council and their decision to renovate the city’s town hall rather than put money into running their much-loved libraries.

Cllr Iqbal said: “We are delighted with the very positive response to our call for help, as we have had 27 registrations of interest from a range of organisations, individuals and the community.

The petition describes the £600,000 refurbishment as a “swanky makeover”.

Given that the money will be used for work on the town hall’s roofing, wiring and lifts and is aimed at saving £30 million over 10 years, such a vitriolic description appears misleading. As part of the council’s offices and accommodation strategy, staff have also been moved to a smaller number of buildings to reduce the price of energy bills.

“The ideas and suggestions put forward have helped us to develop our understanding of what is possible, even though a lot more work is required to ensure we develop proposals that will

Broomhill Library, like its Walkley cousin,

“It shows a strong interest in wanting to help Sheffield continue to provide library services. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time and effort to contact us.

It is worth stressing that Sheffield Labour council are faced with the mammoth task of cutting £50 million from local public services. For libraries, £1.6 million less will be spent in the future from their current £6.4 million budget. In the context of this austerity, £600,000 does not seem quite so gargantuan.

is another library considering a change of hands. And like Walkley Library, it was also closed when I first visited. A sign on the door alerted me that the opening and closing times had changed as of October 2011, and although this one is open more often than its Walkley counterpart - which is now closed on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, as well as most of Saturday - its timetable is still somewhat barren.

“

Sheffield council are faced with the mammoth task of cutting £50 million from local public services

”

15

FORGE PRESS Friday May 17 2 0 1 3

I returned to Broomhill Library the next day, eager to hear what the librarians themselves, thus far omitted from the dialogue, had to say. However, there was very little point. When I asked a librarian for a five minute interview, she told me that she was not able to comment; as she worked for the council, all statements would have to go through the press regulation office. This is true for all of Sheffield’s publically owned libraries. If you have ever heard the distressed “sssh” from a frustrated librarian, you will appreciate the irony.

The idea of creating volunteer-run libraries is being pushed by the council, with a review due in late summer this year, but it has been met with little enthusiasm by some residents in Sheffield.

Local activist Annette Hobson, keen to keep the libraries as a strictly public service, disagrees that the solution to library closures is volunteers. Ms Hobson, of Walkley against Library Closures, whose petition has 211 signatories, considers both the volunteering and restaurant or bar suggestions as inadequate alternatives to council provision. While she notes the “wellmeaning” of volunteers, she stresses that they will dwindle as time goes on and that the solution is unsustainable in the long term.

Ms Hobson’s fear with businesses helping to aid struggling libraries is that the libraries themselves may cease to be owned by people with a ‘statute’ and responsibility to provide services for the local community.

Ms Hobson said: “As a community, we feel that local residents are not prepared to take on the running of Walkley Library. It will not be the same service as it would be under council control.

“Running a library is not easy; it needs professionals to provide a good service.

It’s so much more than just taking out books.

“Classes for children and coffee mornings for the elderly also take place in libraries.

As a community, it’s important we don’t lose that.”

One other solution that has been

proposed, with some successful history, is that libraries at risk of closure should open bars, restaurants or cafés in order to raise money. By opening a Starbucks in 2007, CLR James Library in Hackney managed to secure £30,000 a year to help it stay open.

The Hackney council did receive some criticism and spent some time insisting that CLR James was still a library and definitely not a Starbucks. But either way, the point is that it is still open. Could a similar programme work in Sheffield?

It’s easy to forget, as one delves further into the pages of Sheffield’s own library woes, that this kind of struggle is occurring on a national scale as well. In 2012, more than 200 UK libraries were closed, with Newcastle currently facing its own battle to keep its council from handing over to volunteers.

“

Running a library is not easy; it needs professionals to provide a good service Annette Hobson

”

One particular library user, Carol Handley from Staffordshire, has eloquently explained her love for libraries, claiming that they provide “the real social networking that permits individuals to grow within and as part of a community” as she explains how her own local library helped save her from increasing isolation.

There are a lot of similarities amongst these stories but that word “community” is the most ubiquitous.

Opposition is not just appearing from local residents. Famous authors are getting involved to try and protect and preserve library facilities across the UK. Campaign Speak Up for Libraries is led by authors Kate Mosse, Philip Ardagh and Alan Gibbons in the battle to keep libraries, and the importance of education through reading, alive.

Speaking in March this year at a Speak Up for Libraries rally at Central Hall in Westminster, Kate Mosse explained that it is by continuing to campaign together that the dismantling of a national service can be stopped.

She said: “You are the people that put reading and literacy and writing and education at the heart of our lives. The physical presence of libraries says that we as a nation value that.”

I have never considered myself to be particularly attached to libraries.

As a proud Kindle owner, I enjoy the convenience of having mountains of books contained in a very slim piece of plastic that fits neatly into my bag wherever I may choose to go.

I also try to be a pragmatic person, and I appreciate that, whether one uses the friendly phrase of “living within our means” or the more harsh term “austerity”, cuts are going to be made somewhere.

So I am surprised to find that I feel more strongly about the threat to libraries than I had at first anticipated. Despite having only a mere glimpse into the community of Walkley, it does feel like that to close the library would be to wrench something important out and watch it dissipate into the air.

Jorge Luis Borge once said: “I have always imagined paradise to be a kind of library.“ If we are to take this as gospel, the loss of our public libraries will be more than just an inconvenience.

Libraries are at the heart of our communities; whether it’s a place for

“

I have always imagined paradise to be a kind of library Jorge Luis Borges

”

coffee mornings and children’s activities or promoting education through the availability of books for youngsters, it’s a service we cannot afford to lose.

Kindle lover or book-worm, the escapism and education we enjoy through books is priceless. If volunteer-run facilities are our only viable option, we should grab the idea and run.

While cuts are inevitable, I am left wondering if there is something else that can be sliced from Sheffield’s council budget these next few years.

Speak up for libraries. Their defence is long overdue.

@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

16

Can a group of eight students set up an independent theatre company?

Photographs: Seven Hills Media

17

FORGE PRESS Friday May 17 2 0 1 3

As a prerequisite to their Edinburgh debut, Funny You Should Ask recently staged a production of Lord of the Flies, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, based on William Golding’s famous book which details a group of schoolboys marooned on an island and their descent into barbarism.

Their performances took place on May 8 and 9 in Sheffield’s Library Theatre. Featuring a cast of 15 and a team of over 25, Lord of the Flies became their largest production yet.

“

I never expected it to be as big as it has and it keeps growing Matt Woodhead Director

”

The performances staged by Funny You Should Ask raise funds in order to make possible their Fringe debut.

As Matt Woodhead noted, when the company was first confronted with the financial issues surrounding their ambition to attend the festival, it was decided that money should be raised “through doing what we love; making theatre.”

Patrick O’Connell talks to one of the directors of Funny You Should Ask, an independent theatre company set up by University of Sheffield students. The company are set to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.

T

here’s a new addition to Sheffield’s theatre scene, courtesy of a group of University of Sheffield students. Funny You Should Ask theatre company has quickly built itself a reputation over the past year. They’re now looking to cement their success this summer with their debut performance, a production of Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild, at the largest arts festival in the world, the iconic Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Laughing Wild, originally written

by Durang in 1987, revolves around

a man and a woman, and their self-examination of the hectic and troublesome lives they lead.

This interesting comedy, described by Funny You Should Ask as “increasingly frenetic and hilariously bizarre”, begins with a fight inside a supermarket in the midst of the shopping aisles involving a tin can of tuna on a collision course with one of the character’s head.

Starring Matt Malone as ‘the Man’ and Bethan Ratcliffe as ‘the Woman’, the play largely consists of two separate monologues addressing the problems they face in everyday life. However, their programme states: “the two monologues then blend together... as the situations

become all the more extreme, and the jokes all the more hilarious.”

The show is directed by Matt Woodhead, an English and History student, and Tom Lodge, an English and Theatre student. The pair hope their production will follow on from the well received performance of musical The Last Five Years, written by playwright Jason Robert Brown in 2001.

The group is looking forward to their production at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as Matt explained: “Laughing Wild is our Fringe debut. Neither Tom nor I have even been to the Fringe we’ve both directed before but never anywhere but Sheffield”.

The first production by Funny You Should Ask, a one night only performance in March of The Last Five Years, directed by Tom Lodge and Stevie Partington, proved successful and the show sold out.

The production, starring Emily Keston and Josh Taylor, took place at the University of Sheffield drama studio.

Since then, Funny You Should Ask “has totally spiralled”, according to Woodhead, who added that he “never expected it to be as big as it has and it keeps growing. We’re already planning future projects”.

The company, which was founded out of a mutual drive to promote theatre within the community, is already outlining their aims for next year.

Matt Woodhead and Tom Lodge are no strangers to theatre. Outside of Funny You Should Ask, Tom Lodge, co-director of Laughing Wild, has just finished directing Fame on behalf of Sheffield University Performing Arts Society (Supas), which ran from April 24-27.

Matt explains: “I am the external publicist for the committee and Tom directed the opening of their autumn season with Humble Boy”.

He does, however, note the upsides of working in a smaller theatre company such as Funny You Should Ask.

He said: “Naturally with a theatre company that big there are certain rules and constraints that you have to deal with in order for the company to function. With our own company, however, we don’t have a constitution or criteria set out by the Union to fulfil. This gives us the artistic freedom to do what we want”, adding that the relative freedom of their smaller company “is liberating and terrifying at the same time”.

Most members of the small team have broad experiences with the University of Sheffield’s other theatrical societies. Laura Elliott, who is producing the Fringe debut alongside Emily Keston, has previously worked as a costume designer for SuTCo and is currently their show publicist.

Having already successfully staged Lord of the Flies and with Laughing Wild ahead of them, Funny You Should Ask has made a strong impression within a very short space of time. This is largely down to the effort and creativity of its team.

Dreamt up as a company that, according to Woodhead, could “put on pieces of theatre that we wanted and on our own terms,” the company has managed to do just that and is building itself a positive reputation across Sheffield.

What started as a small studentrun project has already become a company capable of staging absorbing and entertaining pieces of theatre.

Regardless of whether their forthcoming performance in Edinburgh proves fruitful or not, this company has proved it still has much to offer and there are no plans to slow down yet. If their trip to Edinburgh does prove worthwhile, it may be something for the team to consider again for 2014, but they have much to look forward to either way.

Described as a “fantastically undiscovered theatrical experience for actors and audiences to share”, Laughing Wild is perhaps their most challenging project yet.

Funny You Should Ask’s performance of Laughing Wild will take place from August 19-24 at the Space on the Mile, Space 1 for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Additionally, Matt Woodhead last year directed Chekov’s The Bear for the Platform Performance Festival, the University of Sheffield’s annual performing arts festival.

Additionally, both Matt and Tom are involved with Sheffield University Theatre Company (SuTCo), as

@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

18

COFFEE BREAK Optical illusion of the fortnight

The lines in between the patterns are actually perfectly straight.

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

@ FPCoffeeBreak /ForgePressCoffeeBreak

Photograph of the fortnight: surrealist Mexico architecture

English eccentric Edward James (1907-1984) created Las Pozas (‘the pools’) in a subtropical rainforest in the mountains of Mexico.

It features over 80 acres of natural waterfalls and pools dotted with extraordinary surrealist sculptures and buildings.

An early supporter of surrealism, James was inspired by a visit to Los Angeles to create his own ‘Garden of Eden’. He discovered the Mexican village of Xilitla four years later and began to construct this extraordinary landscape. He would work on it for 35 years until his death.

Find the full story at: http://on.natgeo.com/10pi0Rf

Photo: Diane Cook and Len Jenshel/National Geographic

Do it like a Dane

CHINA’S MASSIVE COCK-UP China seems to take a strange delight in constructing interestingly-shaped official buildings.

With a stadium in the shape of a bird’s nest and a Beijing television headquarters that has been dubbed ‘the giant underpants’, it was a challenge to get much more creative than that. They managed it.

Coffee Break is not one to mince words. Although it’s still under construction, the new office building for national newspaper the People’s Daily already looks exactly like a gigantic phallus.

150 metres tall, to be precise. Oh China, you’re making us blush.

Architect Zhou Qi claims that the structure currently being ‘erected’ is based on the traditional Chinese philosophy

of “round sky and square earth”, user commented: “It seems the designing the tower with a People’s Daily is going to ‘rise square base but a cylindrical up’: there’s hope for the Chinese top. Clearly the underlying dream.” symbolism was more important Let’s pray it keeps rising. than the fact that it resembles a giant penis.

Red-faced government censors have been working hard to take down pictures of the structure (do they think it’s going to look any different when finished?) but they haven’t been able to curb the many puns that are popping up Photo: Imaginechina/Rex Features online. As one

Coffee Break’s word of the fortnight: Cimmerian, adjective:

The graduate job hunt isn’t going well.

You’ve sent dozens of applications and check your phone every 10 minutes but nothing has come up. Your arm is getting tired from the amount of times you’ve practised your firm and reliable handshake. If this situation sounds familiar it may be time to take matters into your own hands, but not in the way you might imagine. Unless you’ve ever imagined sitting in a shop window in the hope that passing employers will offer you a job.

Proving they have both imagination and desperation, a group of unemployed Danish professionals did exactly this.

Ranging from lawyers to academics, the group sat at desks in an exhibit in a Copenhagen store and updated their CVs and social media profiles while passers-by looked on. A last resort? Perhaps, but surprisingly three of the participants were offered jobs within two days of being on display.

In a country with an estimated 41 per cent of people with master’s degrees looking for work a year after graduating, and with graduate employment rates in the UK looking fairly grim for the foreseeable future, pimping yourself out in a shop window suddenly isn’t sounding so bad after all.

Take a break from revision Coffee Break is feeling generous this week. Instead of giving you another story for your overloaded brains to process, here are some relaxing pictures of babies.

1. Very dark; gloomy.

2. (In classic mythology) Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of a Western people believed to dwell in perpetual darkness.

UGLIEST ANIMALS of the Week: The blobfish is an endearingly disgusting deep sea fish of the family Psychrolutidae.

Although it’s in danger of extinction, for some reason it’s unlikely to get as much attention as the much cuter and equally endangered panda bear.

Photo: kinskarije/Flickr Pity the blobfish.

Coffee Break does not have much to say about the star-nosed mole other than that this is where nightmares come from.

It may be furry and hamster-sized but it also has eleven horrifying tentacle-like appendages stuck to the end of its snout. One out of 10 on the cuteness scale.

Photo: gordonramsaysubmissions/Flickr

Photo: tamara blair/Youtube

Photo: Andrew Vargas/Flickr

Photo: Compilariz/Youtube

Photo: mandkyeo/Youtube

19

FORGE PRESS Friday May 1 7 2 0 1 3

@ FPCoffeeBreak /ForgePressCoffeeBreak

Puzzle Page: sudokus E

COFFEE BREAK

with Lucy Copson

H

M E

A

A

D I

S

R

U Y

D

M Across:

1. Capital of the Byzantine Empire (14) 8. Plants with stinging leaves (7) 9. Lover’s quarrel (4) 11. Graduates of a school or university (6) 12. Birthstone for the month of May (7) 15. A witch’s laugh (6) 19. Inscription on a tombstone (7) 22. Large body of saline water (5) 23. Troublesome and unruly person (7) 25. Shakespeare’s only son (6) 26. Decorations or insignia indicative of royalty (7) 29. Old-fashioned term for ‘earring’ (6) 31. To integrate (4) 32. Small silver coins used in Roman currency (7) 33. Relating to the physiology and pathology of the skin (14)

Quote of the fortnight

“

DINGBATS

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.

”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

An example is given below: the answer is Blue Peter.

Down: 1. The art of map-making (11) 2. To browse the Internet (4) 3. Extra-marital relationship (6) 4. Ballerinas’ attire (4) 5. All-knowing (10) 6. Deceased (4) 7. ‘As different as chalk and ______’ (6) 10. Worried, distressed (7) 13. A state of total apathy and boredom (5) 14. Mother of Persephone (7) 16. Abbreviation for ‘Christopher’ (3) 17. Green pigment responsible for photosynthesis (11) 18. Belief in a single god (10) 20. Short poem with a pastoral theme (5) 21. Top of the bell curve (7) 24. Referring to fugitives - ‘on the ___’ (3) 25. ‘______ as the day is long’ (6) 27. Melanin deficient (6) 28. Soft French cheese (4) 30. Generic term for a ballpoint pen (4) 31. Landlocked country in Africa, capital city Timbuktu

THIS WEEK’S PUZZLES: 1.

2.

20

FORGE PRESS Friday May 17 2013

ADVERTISEMENT

FORGE PRESS Friday May 1 7 2 0 1 3

21

@forgesport /forgesport sport@forgetoday.com

Matchdebating

SPORT

Debate: Following his decision to retire, can Alex Ferguson be considered the greatest manager of all-time?

Fergie will always be Clough and company the greatest in my eyes deserve some credit Michael Clegg

Sir Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season, and his thirteenth Premier League title will be his last. He exits the game as not merely one of the greatest managers ever, but the greatest.

Part of a manager’s greatness is reflected in the progress of the team he oversees. Where they were before him, and what condition they are left in after.

Ferguson took over an average Aberdeen team in 1978, and won the Scottish title three times and the European Cup Winners Cup once in 1983.

He then inherited a United side in 21st place, who had not won the league since 1967. He presided over their development into the most successful team in English domestic history and a European heavyweight.

He leaves his successor with a title-winning squad, an unparalleled youth system and a state-of-theart training facility.

The greatest managers are separated from the merely great by longevity and consistency.

The words on a banner of Manchester United’s, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ are applicable.

Ferguson adapted pragmatically to a number of circumstances where others would likely have failed.

Ferguson constructed three great teams during his reign, the double winning sides of ’94 and ’08 and the treble winning side of ’99.

Ferguson entertained and neutralised threats

to United’s dominance

by Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, always coming back to win the title again despite apparent shifts of power.

Following the Glazer family’s leveraged buyout of United in 2005, his financial muscle in the transfer market was relatively impaired.

“He has won forty-nine major trophies, including the fiercely contested Champions League twice” From 2005/06 to 2012/13 Ferguson had a net spend on transfers of £88,700,000.

During the same period major rivals Chelsea and City had net spends on transfers of £324,000,000 and £415,620,000, respectively.

In that period Ferguson won the Premiership five times. Whereas, City won it once and Chelsea twice.

The third aspect of a great manager is the one that matters most. Success.

Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager ever. He has won forty-nine major trophies, including the fiercely contested Champions League, twice, and the Premier League 13 times.

If Ferguson is not the greatest football manager ever, who is?

Brian Clough took an obscure Forest side to successive European Cup triumphs; however Clough, unlike Ferguson, took his

team back to the second tier, as opposed to leaving a title-winning side to his successor.

Bill Shankly rescued Liverpool when they had fallen on hard times, like Ferguson did United, but Shankly did not get near Ferguson’s trophy haul.

Bob Paisley won one more European Cup than Ferguson, but Ferguson won seven more English league titles.

Munoz won two European Cups and nine League titles with Real Madrid, but could not win trophies with lesser Spanish clubs, whereas Ferguson could with historically large clubs like United and small clubs like Aberdeen.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola may one day equal or surpass his trophy count, but they have not yet.

The greatest mangers in history, dead and alive, can compete with Ferguson in some aspects, but none can compete across the board.

Jack Taylor Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest winner but not the greatest manager.

By all likelihood you have now screwed up this paper in disgust at the decision to not salute the 13 time Premier League winner, but if there are any readers left hopefully I can convince you that although Fergie’s honors are incredible, he cannot be seen as the greatest manager of all time.

When pundits talk about Ferguson being the greatest they regularly talk about his longevity in the game.

27 years is a long time in management but one man who shatters that record is the great Fred Everiss.

“Fred Everiss, who is that!” I hear you cry. Well ladies and gentleman, Everiss was manager of

Photo: Andrea Sartorati

The greatest manager?

Forge Sport Awards

West Bromwich Albion for a record 46 years between 1902 and 1948.

He also wasn’t too bad at it, winning West Brom there only First Division league title in 1920 and the FA Cup in 1931.

Before Ferguson arrived at United they had gone 20 years without winning the first division but they were still a huge club.

In reality Ferguson was just carrying on a legacy first set out by Sir Matt Busby who between 1945 and 1971 oversaw the greatest turnaround in managerial history.

In fact it can easily be said that Busby’s achievements outstrip those of Ferguson.

In 1958 the Munich air disaster killed eight United players and three members of the backroom staff. This tore the heart out of a side who had won the league title in 1956 and 1957.

But, this didn’t stop Busby creating one of the greatest teams in football history.

Manchester United of the 1960’s led by the dynamic trio of Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best, managed to win 2 league titles, an FA cup and the European Cup. Busby had built a side from the ashes of a plane.

One name synonymous with achieving the impossible was the great Brian Clough.

Clough may be most famous for his failed 44 days at the helm of Leeds United, but this was one small blot on an incredible footballing landscape.

It was at Derby that Clough first shone winning the second division title in 1969 and then the first division title in 1972, the first time that Derby had won the top division.

Clough went onto even greater achievements at

Nottingham Forest guiding them to their only First Division title in 1978 and then winning the European Cup in both 1979 and 1980.

“There were people before him and there will be more after him who have achieved equally incredible things” Herbert Chapman’s Huddersfield side is another example of guiding a side from obscurity to greatness three consecutive first division titles in the 1920’s.

Due to circumstance Sir Alex never managed to test himself in England with a small club so it is impossible to say whether he would have been capable of achieving similar feats.

So by now you’ve almost certainly thrown the paper down in disgust, and don’t get me wrong, Sir Alex is and will always be one of the greatest managers this world has ever seen. His record goes before himself and his number of titles will never be surpassed.

However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that there were people before him, and there will be more after who achieved equally incredible things with much smaller budgets and from much smaller beginnings than Sir Alex.

Forge Sport editors chose their Heroes and Villains of the fortnight

üü Becks called time on

ü

David Beckham

Frank Lampard

his illustrious career this week after 20 years, having captained England and won 27 domestic trophies.

Lampard grabbed a brace against Aston Villa to break the clubs goalscoring record, one ahead of Bobby Tambling’s 43year old record of 202.

Sergio Garcia

û

Garcia dropped 6 shots on the last 2 holes of the Players Championship to allow Tiger Woods to take the title for the fourth time.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak

ûû

The Manchester City Chairman, sacked Roberto Manchini despite the Italian winning the Premier League and FA Cup.

22

SPORT

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

@forgesport /forgesport sport@forgetoday.com

Sports personality of the week Forge Sport’s Peter Grieve met men’s cricket 1st XI captain Chris Murrall for an exclusive interview Wanting to speak to him in his natural habitat, I went to meet the man known in the club as ‘Sleaze’ (though he doesn’t know why) in Bar One. This summer, you’re going to Barbados on tour. How necessary do you think tours are for the cricket club?

They’re very important as we get about 25 guys going away together. Last year we went to Prague with about 15 or so. It keeps everyone together over the summer and gives you something to talk about when you first come back next year.

Quite a lot happens on tour because you’re together for such a long period of time which wouldn’t otherwise happen. They’re not absolutely necessary but I think they’re a very good thing to have.

It brings the club together which is hugely beneficial and I think there are a lot more positive aspects than negative ones.

“At 1am, the last thing you want to be wearing is a banana onesie” Since joining the cricket club three years ago, you’ve been to St. Lucia, Somerset and Prague - the latter being more of a lads holiday with no actual cricket played. Three very different locations, what were the differences between them as tours?

In my first year, there were 20 of us that went to St. Lucia and we played six games of cricket whilst we were over there. That was probably a bit tighter group that

went as well. Whilst the cricket is important, and is ultimately the reason you pay so much money to go on tour, you also spend a lot of time going out and spending time hungover on the beach.

With Somerset, we were supposed to play cricket but it rained all week. It was much more focused on everyone being together, staying in one massive house in Bristol and going out.

Prague was more like a lads holiday, as you said. I think there were 15 of us in a hostel, obviously going out every night. As Euro 2012 was on everyone just did what they wanted really, there was less formal organisation as you never had to be somewhere for a particular time.

Do you have any special memories that stand out for you from any of the tours?

There was a bit of everything really. In St. Lucia the cricket was naturally an important factor and we got to play in the national stadium which was a pretty big deal really. In terms of nights out, I’d say that Prague was the top one for that.

The day we watched England play France on the big screen was pretty heavy and led to a big day and an even bigger night.

What facilities do the university provide you with?

None. We hire out Birkdale School which is what a large chunk of the membership fee goes towards. We use Norton from time to time for games in the summer.

As there is only one ground and there are three men’s teams and one women’s team, we usually have more than one home game.

This means we have to find another ground to play at that we have to pay for which the university doesn’t subsidise.

Andy Cox is very helpful but largely everything comes from our own funding. I think there should be better facilities but obviously the university only has so much money and can only help out to an extent.

I would absolutely love it if we had any sort of facilities but there’s only so much we can

do.

What were the best socials you’ve been on?

We make a big day out of Christmas ROAR. Meet at 9am at Bar One and then have club Christmas dinner later on. That’s always a really good day.

This year there was no specific Union christmas day so about 70 cricketers bar crawled around Sheffield. In terms of fancy dress socials we’ve had a Chilean miners social, cartoon characters, retro footballers and so on.

I once went as Bananas In Pyjamas which was a lot of hassle because at 1am, the last thing you want to be wearing is a banana onesie.

Club initiations are banned by the University. Do you agree with that decision?

I think initiations are a good way for a club to bond and for people to feel like they a part of something. As long as there is scope for people not being made to do things when they 100 per cent don’t want to do it then I don’t see a problem with it really. There’s definitely a fine line, but overall I think they’re a good thing.

This year, you captained the club to win the National Indoor Cricket championship.

However, at your time at university you’ve lost all three Varsity matches.

Would you trade your national champion medal for a Varsity win?

No, definitely not. When you lose, you’re gutted, it’s horrible. As much as winning a Varsity match would have been great there’s no way I would swap it for being the best in the country. That was a special day and the night out after it was one of the best I’ve had.

“If we play football in a warm-up then we play ‘pay school’ versus ‘free school’” Is there a difference in the club between people who went private schools and those that went to state schools?

There’s a very light-hearted form of banter between us. There’s a group of about eight of us who wear striped shirts on socials.

If we play football in a warm up then we play ‘pay school’ versus ‘free school’ and we always win because we make the rules. It’s a new thing really and it’s a good way of winding people up so I quite enjoy it.

Do you think someone deserves to be our sports personality of the week?

Murrall holding the national trophy

Photo: Will Aitkenhead

Let us know at sports@forgetoday.com

Sheffield clubs fail to step up Jack Taylor Both Sheffield sides had disappointing seasons in their respective divisions this season.

We must start with Sheffield United who underachieved once again and failed to win promotion from League One. The Blades started the season in wonderful form, going unbeaten in their first 16 games with summer signing Nick Blackman in sparkling form.

Blackman scored 14 goals in 33 appearences up until January when he was sold to Premier League Reading for an undisclosed fee.

This turned out to be the start of the decline for United who topped the table for the majority of the season but some poor results after the turn of the year saw them slowly lose their grip on the league title.

The poor form resulted in the sacking of manager Danny Wilson

on 10th April, who was replaced at the helm by club legend, Chris Morgan on an interim basis.

Morgan guided United to a 2-0 win against Swindon in his first match in charge but the poor run continued as United scrapped into the play-offs.

Alas the play-offs were once again a huge disappointment as they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Yeovil Town.

A new manager is on the horizon, with MK Dons manager Karl Robinson hotly tipped to be Morgan’s successer but his job will be increasingly difficult with the relagations of Wolves and Bristol City adding to the big names already in League One. Sheffield Wednesday’s season was equally disappointing but following their promotion last season they will be happy to have consolidated their place in the Championship.

Wednesday were consistently in trouble all season and going into the last game of the season

there was still a slight possibility of relagation but Dave Jones managed to pull them through.

Wednesday’s most controversial moment of the season came against Leeds at Hillsborough, when a Leeds fan ran onto the pitch and punched Sheffield ‘keeper Chris Kirkland in the face during goal celebrations.

In December, the Owls had managed only 15 points from there 21 games and looked a certainty for relegation.

However a trio of January loan signings helped them recover to finish in 18th. Jeremy Helan, Danny Pugh and Leroy Lita all stamped their mark on proceedings with former Reading Striker Lita bagging six goals in 17 appearences.

Wednesday will be hoping to make a bigger impact next season and push up towards the play-off zone at the very least as they look to get back into the Premier League for the first time since 2000.

Chris Morgan consoles his players

Photo: Blade Sports Photography

23

FORGE PRESS Friday May 1 7 2 0 1 3

@forgesport /forgesport sport@forgetoday.com

SPORT

Lake District delight for High Peak Club Rob Ellis The University of Sheffield’s High Peak Club visited Cumbria over bank holiday weekend to sample some of the Lake District’s picturesque landscapes.

A weekend full of climbing, walks and biking started with the usual organised chaos. The van was packed, the drivers were

allocated and the sat nav was programmed to their campsite in Borrowdale. Friday night gave the team a chance to settle in and sample the rain that had unfortunately started to fall over the Lake District.

Saturday morning then brought a hazy start with the weather not ideal for climbing.

Many of the club headed out on

Photo: Rachel Elin Pearce

The crest of Little Chamonix

walks or scrambles.

The walkers headed up Scafell Pike. Standing at 3,209ft it’s certainly no Mount Everest, but it provided the setting for a fantastic 21 mile route. The bikers took on the Borrowdale Bash, a circular route with a descent into camp to round-off a great day of riding. A relaxed barbecue and a few drinks provided a perfect end to the day.

Sunday’s mix of rain and sun provided a dramatic backdrop for the climbers. Many of the club’s newer members took on classics such as Little Chamonix and Toutdale Pinnacle – challenging yet exhilarating routes.

Climber Jake Shaw made light work of the Crack. Never to be outdone, the bikers headed on a gruelling loop of Skiddaw, contesting with a bent frame and multiple punctures throughout the day. The walkers enjoyed a much more traditional English day out.

Unusually for a bank holiday, Monday provided perfect weather. Grades were topped – including an fantastic performance on Conclusion by Quentin Spottiswoode. Walking took part in an impromptu swim, and singletrack was smashed.

Photo: Rachel Elin Pearce

High peak club members The beauty of Borrowdale and its incredible mountaineering opportunities make this trip one of the highlights of the club’s year.

Sheffield has a long and illustrious history of climbing, hillwalking and mountaineering.

High Peak Club are the University of Sheffield’s mountaineering club and is really building upon its already strong membership to encourage high performance

climbing at The University of Sheffield.

Strong performances and wins at BUCS and Varsity by the climbing club are now a springboard for the High Peak Club’s new performance climbing programme.

The club will announce details on how you can get involved over the summer and will take its first members at the start of the 201314 academic year.

BUCS league winners 2013

Forge Sport’s Phil Hammond caught up with University of Sheffield sport captains for a season round-up Men’s Table Tennis 1s W: 10 D: 0 L: 0 Matthew Goold

“This season has been the best for our club in terms of performances and BUCS points accumulated.

Tristan Gretton has always been a consistent performer and this year was no different, but the club has unearthed a gem in Mike Fraser.

“Along with James Atkins, he will lead the club onto bigger and better things next season.

We just hope we can beat Leeds in the final play-off match to get promoted to the Premier Division.”

Season highlight: Winning the league after just 6 games due to a superior games difference.

Player(s) of the season: Tristan Gretton & Mike Fraser

Men’s Tennis 2s W: 8 D: 2 L: 0 Susan Howard

“After years of near promotion, the men’s 2s were determined to go the extra mile this year.

“The team have been incredible. Tom Schmider has guided them to a great undefeated league win.

“Simon Witts has been the league’s most formidable player with an unreturnable serve.”

Season highlight: Alex Stoia and Tom Schmider both comfortably beating a former Under-14 US national champion on their way to securing the title.

Player of the season: Simon Witts

Women’s Squash 1s W: 8 D: 0 L: 0 Lemmie Green

“Our girls were a force to be reckoned with this year. After losing key players last year, it was an astonishing feat to go the whole year undefeated and bring home the league and the cup.

“I’m very proud of them and hope they can enjoy similar success next year, where we hope to maintain the strength and success of the team.

“It has been a great year and we look forward to the challenges that the first division brings” Season highlight: Getting promoted to the first division and each receiving a medal after winning the trophy competition.

Player of the season: Melissa Darwent

Men’s Rugby League 1s W: 6 D: 3 L: 1 Matthew Tisi

Men’s Tennis 1s W: 9 D: 0 L: 1 David Charlton

“We struggled last year after club legend, Chris Harrison (a former Commonwealth Junior Games competitor) graduated the previous year.

“This year, however, the men’s 1s team swept the other teams in the league aside comfortably, winning an incredible nine matches on the trot.

“The turnaround has largely been down to Alex Grocott, a freshman who made his opponents look like amateurs.”

Season highlight: Greg Bacon hitting a passing shot winner through his legs to win a tight first set against Durham.

Player of the season: Alex Grocott

Men’s Football 1s W: 7 D: 2 L: 0 Jack Cripps

“This year we have shown massive improvements both on and off the pitch.

“We won the league for the first time in the history of this club and I’m proud of each and every member of this squad.”

“Sam Wilson is a back row forward with pace, skill and strength and he’s scored so many tries this season we’ve lost count.”

Season highlight: Beating TASC who were last year’s league winners and undefeated in two seasons.

“We only lost two games all season and our teamwork, togetherness, work rate, desire and winning mentality was as important as the team’s ability.

“Remarkably, striker Tam Kitgrave went from the 4s to the 1s in one season. He worked tirelessly and lead the line brilliantly all season.”

Season highlight: Winning the last three games of the league in just one week, scoring 12 goals and conceding none.

Player of the season: Sam Wilson

Player of the season: Tam Kitgrave

The undefeated women’s hockey 2nd XI

Women’s Volleyball 1s W: 6 D: 0 L: 2 Abigail Murray

“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved this year – winning Varsity and going from the bottom of the league to being promoted.

“Everyone has trained their socks off and the dedication shown by all the players and coaches this year has been phenomenal.

“Well done ladies, we did it.”

Season highlight: Fighting back from 15 points down to win the match against Newcastle and beating Hallam 3-0 in both league games.

Player of the season: Everyone

Men’s Volleyball 1s W: 9 D: 0 L: 1 Damien Imschoot

“Having won all but one of our league games this season, losing only to Leeds, our side really developed over the year, going from strength to strength.

“Without the leadership of men’s captain Andreas Pillakouris, the club would have fallen through this year, without a doubt.

Season highlight: Beating Hull in our ninth league game to secure promotion.

Members are still recovering lost items from the social that followed that win.

Player of the season: Andreas Pillakouris

Photo: Jess Braddock

Women’s Hockey 2s W: 8 D: 1 L: 0 Jess Braddock

“The 2s have had an incredible season, a huge improvement on last year, especially on the goal scoring side of things.

“Their commitment, dedication and performance has been second to none, their strong team mentality should be commended and they thoroughly deserved to be promoted.

Season highlight: Beating Hallam 1s in the quarter-final of the cup 2-0, despite being huge underdogs with Hallam being two leagues above us.

Player of the season: Kirsty Saunby

Friday May 17 2013 FORGE PRESS

24

SPORT

@forgesport /forgesport sport@forgetoday.com

Cycling club scoop club of the year award

Photo: Josh Rock

The moment Luke Macwilliam announced the club of the year Peter Grieve The prestigious Sports Awards reflected how the University of Sheffield has embraced the positive impact London 2012 had on the rest of the country.

The coveted Club of the Year award was given to the cycling club, who thanks to the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton have enjoyed a 50% membership increase from last year.

Aside from whitewashing Hallam for the second year in a row at Varsity, the University of Sheffield cycling club has raised over £4000 for charity through a Land’s End to John O’Groats and racing RAG’s Bummit 246miles to Brighton. On top of this, the club worked closely with local cycling bodies to develop new routes and trails surrounding Sheffield, allowing even more people to access the sport.

There were no surprised faces when the Men’s cricket club picked up the Team of the Year award. The club won the National Indoor Cricket Championship in

Headingley having beaten three of the six universities that act as academies for the English Cricket Board (Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Leeds/Bradford, Loughborough and Cardiff) along the way.

Put into perspective, the ECB has pumped £4.5 million into the six ECB Universities since 2005.

In 2009 they added a further £1.5 million and over £150,000 on ECB University tournaments, tours and training. The cricket club at the University of Sheffield can only afford to train once a week in Birkdale School’s hall, funded by membership fees.

Volleyball fought off strong competition from rugby league, trampolining and basketball to be named the most improved club. Both the men’s and women’s teams won promotion to the Northern 1A league, as well as teaching the sport to children at Broomhall Community Centre this year.

It wasn’t all bad news for the basketball club, however. Coach of the Year was awarded to Jonny Kelly and Rob Valentine

for their unquestioned exertion and commitment to bringing the basketball club back to winning ways.

Rob Nichol and Joe Battman from athletics and men’s hockey respectively were awarded with the Outstanding Contribution to Club Sport prize in a tough category that included rugby union’s Jonny France, lacrosse’s Georgie Matthews and muay thai’s Dimitri Doultsinos.

Nichol has been plagued by injury for the past four years, but remained an important behindthe-scenes figure for the club.

Battman on the other hand has been 1st XI captain, club captain, coach, sponsorship secretary and umpire since arriving at Sheffield.

Women’s rugby union club captain Maighread Ireland was named Club Sport Member of the Year. Ireland has been invaluable to the club, organising coaching courses and developing links with the Rugby Football Union from which the club has been given funding.

Sports Personality of the Year

was awarded to trampolining’s Bryony Page. Page has been a member of the Great Britain team for four years and has been the reigning English champion for the past three years, ready to jump on a plane to Rio De Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.

Basketball’s second award of the night went to Katie Duncan, the University of Sheffield’s freshman of the year. Next year’s club captain had an instant impact, constantly bringing new members to the club and became a social secretary after only a month with the club.

Heartbreak for darts George Francis Having emerged victorious from every match played so far in the North-East League, the University of Sheffield darts team felt quietly confident heading into the final matches of the league, with the added advantage of playing in their own venue, Stephenson Hall.

The competition would be undoubtedly tough, as both York and the Newcastle/Northumbria amalgamation had been successful so far this season, yet with Sheffield’s six best players all in action, there was a palpable confidence on display from the home side.

Yet having inflicted a shock defeat on York earlier in the afternoon, the Geordie players were also in high spirits, and squared off with the Sheffield boys with an admirable grit and determination.

The day started well for Sheffield, winning their first trebles match easily. However, facing the possibility of their first ever trophy victory, the team then began to feel the nerves.

A familiar pattern of anxious finishing and simple bad luck crept into the side, which coupled with Newcastle’s brilliance led to a pretty convincing hammering in the remaining doubles and singles.

Only superb displays from Tom Hogg and Dave Slattery could salvage some points for Sheffield. The final score was 8-3 to Newcastle/Northumbria, who were thoroughly deserved winners of the trophy.

Whilst both Sheffield and York could still technically win with a whitewash, with the teams so evenly matched the balanced early results soon made this a mathematic impossibility, and basic pride was now the only thing at stake.

However the day had now taken a more light-hearted turn, and as banter was exchanged Sheffield’s concentration began to slip, with the York boys emerging narrow winners at 7-4.

The elusive tournament victory will clearly be a target for next year’s team, who are looking to expand their members for a fourth consecutive year.

Sports Awards Winners:

Club of the year: Cycling Team of the year: Men’s cricket Most improved club: Volleyball Coach of the year: Jonny Kelley & Rob Valentine Outstanding contribution to sport: Rob Nichol & Joe Battman Club sport member of the year: Maighread Ireland Sports personality of the year: Byrony Page Freshman of the year: Katie Duncan

#SUSportsAwards

Dan Walker

@mrdanwalker

SheffieldURFC @SheffieldURFC

Robert Gardner @RobGardnerRJG

Speaking at the #SUSportsAwards at @sheffielduni tonight.

Vegetable terrine a poor 2/10 but great buzz in the Octagon :)

All four bottles of wine gone. Plenty of empty pints. Jug of water still remains on the table untouched. Any other silly questions? #susportsawards

Listening to a brilliant anti Hallam speech from @mrdanwalker #susportsawards #blackandgold #polybashing

7:20pm - 15 May 2013

7:47pm - 15 May 2013

9:34pm - 15 May 2013