COMMUNITY BACKLASH AT HIGHFIELD LIBRARY CLOSURES PAGE 2
FIRST EDITION
Nether Edge Echo
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 2009 netheredgeecho.co.uk
40p
FLASH’S £1M TACKLE Gordon Watson talks about the tackle that changed football p.5
TRAIN BARRIER PROTEST Community’s show anger at train bridge proposals p.3
FUTURE IN DOUBT: GOVERNMENT REVIEW INTO THE PERFORMANCE OF ABBEYDALE GRANGE BEGINS AS
CITY’S SMALLEST SCHOOL FACES CLOSURE THREAT Simon Peach
Education correspondant simonpeach@netheredgeecho.co.uk
POOR exam results and low pupil numbers have seen the future of the city’s smallest secondary school placed in doubt.
Abbeydale Grange School has only 550 students out of a possible 750. And school tables released yesterday show the school has the second worst GCSE results in Sheffield, with only 26% gaining five A*-C grades. Questions over the schools future were raised after it sought a place on the government’s multi-billion pound Building Schools for the Future programme. But Abbeydale Grange head teacher Catherine Bull refutes claims the school is failing and says she has “complete faith and belief” in her staff and students. “I certainly don’t think we are closing,” she said. “I wouldn’t come in every day if I thought we were. “Unless we’re like blind mice down a hole? “There are many options for the future of this school, closure is just one of them. “I am confident that this will not happen, and I am happy with the way the school is run.” Talks over Abbeydale Grange have begun and consultation groups will examine three specific issues – educational standards, provision for migrant pupils and low pupil numbers and preference rates. Depending on its findings the school faces the prospect of a merger, becoming a trust or city academy, or even closure. Councillor Andrew Sangar, the city council’s education spokesman, said the process will take a number of months and a decision will be made in early summer. He said: “The community has to be involved in the process of decision making about local schools, and we are still to make a decision on Abbeydale’s future. “Parents, residents and staff all have a key part to play in this review so that councillors and the council at large can get the best possible information about the school. “That is the only way we could make a fully formed judgement on the future of the school.”
TROUBLE: The future of Abbeydale Grange (above) is under threat but head teacher Catherine Bull (right) remains defiant
Councillor Sangar said statistics show that results at the school are declining but a consultation period is needed to get the “full story.” Questions over the future of Abbeydale Grange are nothing new. A review was carried out a decade ago by then education chief Jonathan Crossley-Holland decided that the school should remain open. But with just one in seven parents in the area choosing the school, its future is in the balance. Mrs Bull said: “No other school has the same ethnic mix that we have and white British parents unfortunately do not like such a cultural school. “I think that as the world changes Sheffield will become more cultural and more open minded to the kind of school we are. “We can be at the forefront of this
because our school is very forward thinking, both in integration and technology. “ Over 35 different languages are spoken by students at the school and seven out of ten are from ethnic minorities. It means it has become a specialist secondary with exceptional skills in teaching English as a second language. If Abbeydale was to close, Mrs Bull said the dispersal of such expertise could be a real problem for the city’s wider education system. “Parents are worried but they have no understanding of the process - even I’m puzzled by it,” she said. “This is an opportunity to be innovative and forward thinking. “We know the students well, we are flexible – I know a lot of the children myself. We’re suited to the individual.
“It would be devastating if Abbeydale shut down but I am confident this will not happen.” Despite doubts over the school’s future, plans are afoot to improve it, including extending the arts programme and making greater use of digital facilities. The school has also set a target of 30% of students achieving five GCSE A*-C’s. Abbeydale is one of ten city secondary schools which have been challenged to boost their GCSE scores by 2010 or face possible closure.
‘I certainly don’t think we are closing. I wouldn’t come in every day if I thought we were.’ Catherine Bull, headteacher of Abbeydale Grange School (left)
Echo ONLINE gFor more news and to have your say logon to www. netheredge. co.uk/news/ abbeydalegrange
netheredgeecho.co.uk All the latest news from Nether Edge, Sharrow, Brincliffe and Carter Knowle
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Nether Edge Echo Wednesday, January 28 2009
NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS
Echo News in Brief
Flat proposal for supermarket car park DEVELOPERS have applied for permission to build 62 flats on part of the Waitrose car park, a planning board heard yesterday. Sheffield-based DLP Planning wants to build new homes and a recycling facility on the Ecclesall Road site, despite opposition from the Sharrow Community Forum. The Forum say there is no “appetite” for more flats and building another block would upset the balance between existing buildings. The flats would have a green roof and would be made of traditional red-brick materials to reflect the character of the nearby Baptist church, planning officers said at City Centre, South and East planning board. Planning officers approved the scheme, which will deliver at least 12 affordable flats in the residential apartment block. DLP Planning will also donate £50,290 towards open space provision within a kilometre of the site.
Festive safety advice POLICE have produced a safety guide with advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of crime over the festive period. South Yorkshire Police’s have created a Christmas Take Away Menu, for the fourth consecutive year, providing tips on everything from personal safety to crime prevention at your home. Andy Foster, Deputy Force Crime Reduction Manager, said: “Leading up to Christmas people will be out buying presents for family and friends. “We’re reminding people to remain vigilant because thieves will be watching for opportunities to relieve people of our purchases.” The list is available from www. southyorks.police.uk.
Assault charge A NETHER Edge woman was convicted of assault at Sheffield Magistrates Court today. Marie Barraclough, 30, of Thornsett Road, Nether Edge, received a six-month community order and was ordered to pay £75 compensation. Accomplice Rebecca Wright, 23, of Flowey Street, Mexborough, was also convicted to four months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £150 compensation, £100 costs.
Drumming queen A ROCK chick drummed her way to a top prize at a music talent show at a Sheffield School. Lydia Bickley, 12, from Carter Knowle, impressed judges at Sheffield High School with her drum solo as part of a “Camp Rock” contest, run by Radio Hallam to tie in with the new Disney’s latest release. Lydia’s performance earned her a trip to see the Queen musical “We Will Rock You”, a photo shoot, and a recording session.
Speed camera location SPEED cameras will be in operation from next week at: the A61, on Chesterfield Road and Halifax Road; the A6102 though Hillsborough and Deepcar, as well as in Ecclesfield, Chapeltown, Burncoss and Shirecliffe. Cameras will also be up in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham as part of the partnership.
CONTROVERSY: LIB DEMS REDUCE LIBRARY HOURS BY 30 MINUTES A DAY TO SAVE £16K A YEAR
CLOSURES FOR CLEANERS Amish Patel
amishpatel@netheredgeecho.co.uk
BOOK lovers are infuriated by the Lib Dems move to cut library hours in order to free £16,000 a year for street cleaning. Opening hours at Hig-hfield library have been reduced by 30 minutes a day as part of cost cutting measures, in line with the party’s new Community Assemblies. The decision, made by councillors at the Broomhill, Central and Nether Edge panel meeting, means the library will open half an hour later on weekday mornings In personal emails, obtained by the Echo, Lib Dem Councillor Ali Qadar, who helped pushed through the plans, explains the savings will amount to approximately £8,000 every six months. Qadar said in the emails: “People who use the libraries will not get the benefits of this savings directly. “The money will be spent… on street cleaning and graffiti removal. “The council gave the area panels options to reallocate up to £50,000 between libraries, parks and street scenes, and that is how the majority of councillors decided in this area panel.” Councillor Qadar, who uses Highfield library, voted for the move alongside fellow Lib Dem councillors for Nether Edge - Shaffaq Mohammed, Pat White and Colin France – despite opposition from Green Party Central councillors. The move is part of the Lib Dems new Community Assemblies, which are intended to give local residents more choice over services by dividing £50,000 between parks, Streetforce and libraries. The new hours are on a trial period until the end of March, and £500 of the money saved will be spent on books for Highfield and Broomhill libraries, the other library affected by the decision. Rosemary Telfer, who worked
SSSH!: Lib Dems attempt to quieten local outcry after reducing Highfield libary opening hours in order to raise money for their Community Assembly scheme
WHAT DO THE PEOPLE OF NETHER EDGE THINK OF THE LIBRARY CUTS?
“Reducing the funding of one asset to fund another is not a solution - I want my library to be open and to have leaves picked up.” IT engineer Gregory Deryckère, 27
as a manager for Sheffield Libraries for 27 years and is an ex-City Councillor on the Finance Team, has questioned the reported costs brought by the reduction as well as the work of the council. “No-one has listened to the Library Service’s management team, the staff or the public who use Highfield,” she said. “This is a decision made by peo-
“The worrying thing is that these cuts are made without proper accountability, democratic or otherwise, and that a very useful service is endangered.”
“I have lots of concerns about the Community Assemblies, not least of all that their large coverage will diminish local democracy.”
ple who have not the faintest idea of the value of library services or how they are run. “No library service should be cut - they’re all there for a purpose and all valued by those who use them.” Mrs Telfer slammed the Community Assemblies for “abrogating responsibility for hard decisionmaking,” claiming the Lib Dems do not have “any commitment” to
library services. She said: “One service should not be funded to the detriment of another. “By devolving budgets down to unelected bodies, we are introducing a system of funding where those who shout loudest get the most money. “All services have to be paid for and the people who make the de-
Shop owner Heike Twigg-Flesner, 25
School teacher Mark Rufus, 42
cisions about this should be those who are elected by the people of Sheffield to do so. “Libraries are not comparable to parking attendants; neither are parking attendants comparable to Highways or road safety. “So setting one against the other for the purposes of determining funding is a complete nonsense and will lead to cuts in services, whichever they are.” Until last year, decisions on the annual budget for library services were made by an officer recommendation by the then ruling Labour party. The current budget decision lasts four months and in April the area panel can decide if they want to carry on with it. The Sheffield Star recently ran a vote that showed more than 70 per
CRITICISED: COUNCIL’S GREEN LIGHT FOR TESCO STORE ON ABBEYDALE RD
PUT SHOPS OUT OF BUSINESS COUNCILLORS’ decision to grant permission for another Tesco store has been met by hostility from local businesses.
Despite more than 40 written objections and 1,100 people petitioning against the new store on Abbeydale Road permission was granted by the Sheffield city council’s Centre, South and East Planning Board. The decision will make the new store the fifth Tesco within a mile and a half of the location. And many believe the supermarket chain is just putting one there to completely cut out competition. Local businesses have raised concerns over their futures as Tesco will sell specialist food that they stock at a cheaper price. “It’s wrong, they shouldn’t open it,” said Mr Rehman, the owner of
BM Rehman and Sons convenience store. “There is a mass of local shops around here and with a massive store so close. “There are a lot of community shops around here who will be affected. “What are they trying to do? Kill all the small businesses?” Despite opposition from the community, councillors voted by a margin of five to four to permit the building of the store at the former car showroom on the corner of Abbeydale Road and Bedale Road. Syadm Shah who has run Oriental Grocers on Abbeydale Road for 42 years doesn’t believe the new store will do any good for the area. He said: “I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs, so if they want to come and take it away from me, let them
come and try and take it.” “The council are money grabbing people. “They don’t care about the public; they don’t care about anybody except themselves. “Sheffield Council don’t care KILLING TRADE: The news Tesco will be the fifth within a mile & a half about small people. They are greedy and are down there in the when the community to Tesco as he’s a more specialised city centre getting fatter and fatter needs to put their mon- and continental grocers.” day by day and there not looking ey where their mouth As well as opposition from local after people’s concerns.” is. Those people who businesses fears were raised about Sue Barker, the council’s prinsigned the petitions are increased congestion on Abbeydale cipal planning officer, refuted presumably going to Road and Broadfield Road, and that Mr Shah’s claims. The aucontinue supporting the store will not fit in with local thority cares about the the local busi- architecture. future of small businesses. Despite opposition permisnesses because they “A shop sion was approved and the store, are “the heart of like Mr near the old Abbeydale cinema communities”, Shah’s of- and Heeley Baths, will open from Ms Barker fers some- 7am to 11pm daily. Nobody wrote s a i d . thing slight- in or registered their support for a “ T h a t ’s ly different Tesco. ANGER: Syadm Shah has slammed decision
Wednesday, January 28 2009 Nether Edge Echo
CITY NEWS
COMMUNITY UPROAR AT TRAIN BRIDGE PROPOSAL Aydan Al-Saad
aydanalsaad@netheredgeecho.co.uk
PROTESTERS were out in force at Sheffield railway station last night in opposition to controversial train barrier proposals. East Midlands Trains wants to stop fare dodgers by introducing ticket barriers that would prevent the station being used as a pedestrian short cut to the city centre. The plan has met strong opposition from the Park Hill community backed by councillors.. Pressure group Residents Against Station Closure (RASC) setup the protest during rush-hour to inform passengers as part of its campaign against the barrier installation. Labour Councillor Jan Wilson (Manor), who supports RASC, said the barriers would inconvenience many people. “They intend to install tickets barriers across both sides of Sheffield station,” she said. “But Sheffield’s a bit different to most stations because it’s got an entrance and an exit and a very high quality walkway over a bridge which is used by a lot of people. “We’re very opposed to the gates because we think that the station is part of the city. “It links the Hallam University at this side and the college at the other and it should be an open and free access.” Ms Wilson, former leader of Sheffield city council said East Midlands Trains is “coming up against a lot of opposition” from the council, MPs and residents. Residents have expressed their concerns to East Midlands Trains through in a letter that features more than 200 questions. Issues raised include how disabled people will get over the bridge - and over the safety of the alternative route, nicknamed locally as ‘Muggers Alley’. But residents have yet to receive a response. Paul Blomfield, prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for Sheffield Central, said he feared for the community beyond the train station. “It’s a link between important parts of the city where people live and important parts where people work,” he said while handing out pamphlets to commuters. “On both sides of the bridge there’s enormous investment that’s gone in and it’s important that we keep the link available.” East Midlands Trains response to the opposition is to issue a smart card system for local residents on application but Mr Blomfield said it was an unacceptable proposal. “Around this area there’s a fairly transient population, students for example, and we don’t know how that’s going to work with them,” Mr Blomfield said. “Sheffield Hallam University is backing the protest we’ve organised and … there’s huge community support for the position that we’ve adopted.” An on-line vote on the council website registered a 96% vote against the proposal.
A PUPIL is suing examination board AQA for a blunder in the GCSE physics paper set last week.
The pupil at High Storrs school is suing the exam board for the mistake which affected all 272 pupils in the exam hall. The pupil is demanding a resit after students were left “distressed
Scout night success SPECTACULAR fireworks lit up the 72nd annual St Andrew’s scout bonfire last week. Residents came out in force to support the bonfire in Chelsea Park, which is the main fund raising event for St Andrew’s scout group. Dominic Watts, group scout leader said: “It’s always gratifying to see so many people come out and support us with the bonfire building, food preparation and the many other tasks needed. “As well as parents the other group that needs a special note of thanks is those people who live nearest to Chelsea Park who have continued to support this event year after year. “After several years of personal participation in this bonfire, I’m still impressed by the great sense of community everyone shares over the weekend.” The children served food and drink, while residents provided the wood for the fire that went on long into the night. The money raised will help provide equipment and resources for the only scouting group in Nether Edge.
NHS dentists across Sheffield are launching a campaign to highlight problems caused by the rising number of missed appointments. The campaign - ‘Keep it or cancel it, just don’t forget it’ – aims to reduce the 54,000 missed appointments at dental practices in the city each year, with the average practice having 600 missed appointments a year. It will involve reminder stickers for patients, posters in surgeries and a chart showing the appointments missed each month. There has been a steady rise of missed appointments since April 2006 when a contract was applied meaning that practices can’t charge patients for missed appointments.
Graffiti busters
ANGER: Councillor Janet Wilson shows her opposition to East Midlands Trains train gate proposals at Sheffield station yesterday evening
Individuals, groups and organiSations opposing THE ticket barrier INSTALLATION - Chamber of Commerce - Sheffield - Creative Sheffield - English Heritage - Friends of Cholera Monument Grounds & Claywood - Friends of Sheaf Valley Park - Manor Castle Green Party - Manor and Castle Development Trust
- Manor Castle and Woodthorpe Area Panel - Sheffield Campaign Against Climate Change - Sheffield City Council - Sheffield Green Party - Sheffield Labour Party - Sheffield Liberal Democrats - Sheffield Civic Trust
- Sheffield College- Castle Centre - Sheffield Hallam University - - - Sheffield Transport 4 All - Sheffield Wild Life Trust - Shopmobility - South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive - Urban Splash
Student to sue over exams blunder gurpreetvirk@netheredgeecho.co.uk
Echo News in Brief
NHS clamp down
NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS
Gurpreet Virk
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and confused”, according to her lawyer. High Storrs head teacher Mike Chapman said: “We will be applying for ‘special consideration’ for all the affected candidates. “I have no doubt that AQA will contact us soon, with their explanation of how this could have happened, and they will no doubt take it into consideration when marking the papers.” A printing error resulted in candidates being given a faulty grid
to write on for multiple choice answers, which did not align properly with the question paper. Problems were discovered when the papers were opened. But it proved impossible to contact AQA as schools across the country were reporting the same problem. Teachers at High Storrs stopped the exam when they realised but restarted when they could not get through to AQA. Pupils were told to ignore the question but once invigilators had
contacted officials they were told to go back to the question. Students were left worried by the confusion and, it is thought, invigilators at different schools were given different advice by AQA. AQA have apologised for the “error” and are reviewing their monitoring procedures. An AQA spokesman said: “Due to a printing error on the objective test question answer sheet, which candidates would normally use to show their answers, candidates
were unable to use the answer sheet to answer the questions. “The advice we issued to centres was that candidates should instead use their question booklet to answer questions. “However, if candidates have attempted to use the original answer sheet, or have used any other means of answering, we can reassure them that all their responses will be marked.” Solicitor Mr Mahy, representing the pupil, declined to comment.
THE ANTI-GRAFFITI campaign in Nether Edge has received a major boost. Two graffiti buster kits have been acquired by the Nether Edge Neighbourhood Group allowing them to remove any found on buildings in the community. If you know of any graffiti you would like to remove, contact committee chair Chris Venables on 01142 550805.
New Christian centre THE JESUS Army is opening a new centre in Broomhall at the end of 2009. The new Jesus Centre over the next 18 months and will be developed on Hanover Way, Broomhall. The centre will offer support groups, classes and a café. For more information contact Chris Smith at chris@mjasheffield.free-online.co.uk.
Comedy in town AMANDA Whittington’s comedy Ladies’ Day will be running at the Lantern Threatre from 8th to the 13th December. Based around the work, love and life of four women everything changes when they find tickets to Royal Ascot and their horses keep winning. Tickets for the Dilys Guite Players production are £6.50.
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Nether Edge Echo Wednesday, January 28 2009
IN THE FEATURE
BAG
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSWOMAN JULIA GASH HAS SWITCHED HER ATTENTION FROM BRAS TO BAGS, AND HER LATEST VENTURE IS CREATING A STIR IN BOTH THE FASHION WORLD & THE COMMUNITY John Rocke
Fashion Editor johnrocke@netheredgeecho.co.uk
Award winning fashion designer Julia Gash’s formula for success seems to be working once again. The name of the 45-year-old businesswoman was once notorious for the lingerie shop that carried her name. But now she has changed tact with aplomb.
Julia has left the bras and anal beads behind for a new venture creating eco-bags, setting up Bag It Don’t Bin It just over two years ago. The new project prints ecofriendly bags and has quickly grabbed the attention of consumers and companies alike. After first creating the ‘I love tea’ bag for a small delicatessen the company has moved on to work with some of the biggest names in fashion, as well as schools, governmental organisations and even the Jane Austen Museum. The biggest success to date is the ‘I love my city’ bags. The ‘I love
Sheffield’ bag has become an iconic image across the Steel City, and the brand can now be seen in villages, towns and cities, from Birmingham to Burngreave. Burngreave itself has been the home of Bag It since June, after the business outgrew its home in the back of the Gash shop on Devonshire Street. It is now based in a warehouse conversion nestled inbetween the UK’s biggest onion processing company and a microbrewery in the heart of the area’s metropolis of industrial units. The building is home to the stock storage facility and a chic office space, as well as the factory that includes the printing machinery which allows the entire production process to be completed under one roof “I’ve always loved print,” explains Julia. “It’s always been my passion and my skill area as well. “Because printed textiles is a very specialist area of knowledge and not many people have got knowledge to my degree in the country because it’s like a lost industry really. “So I thought actually I should
be putting my skills to good use.” Julia’s print career began 18 years ago with the launch of her own fashion brand. After experiencing early success she soon branched out into underwear printing, before making her mark on the lingerie industry. Julia still has an interest in Gash, as head franchisor, but now focuses her attention on her eco-bag venture. “People think, ‘weird move,’ but it’s actually very simple,” she says. “I’ve always been involved in textiles, my dad was a printer. “I did print at university and I did a post grad in print making at Central St. Martins. “Although I achieved what I wanted to achieve in Sheffield [with Gash] I wasn’t able to replicate that around the country. “I think I needed a hell of a lot of money, and a whole team behind me, but I didn’t have the resources to do it and I think I then ran out of steam. “Something else grabbed my attention and I think it was time to move on.” The move from Gash to Bag It
Don’t Bin is emblematic of Julia’s ambition. Driven by the ambition to change people lives her motivation for Gash was based on sexual health, knowledge and empowerment. The goal at Bag It delves further into society’s psyche. Julia, not one to shirk from a challenge, aims for it to reduce plastic bags and replace them with eco friendly bags while remaining fairly traded. And she isn’t merely a preacher. The Bag It office uses ecofriendly lights and recycles. She even went to India with her partner, John, to ensure the bags were ethically sourced. This eye for detail and her constant strive for perfection has not gone unnoticed. From fashion gurus Prada to food company Danone, the Bag It Don’t Bin It message has spread far and wide. The company is even in talks with fashion luminaries Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith. “It’s a great way for companies to show their credentials by having an eco friendly bag,” explains sales manager Sophie Welsh, as she showed me the printing process.
I LOVE GASH: Examples of Bag It Don’t Bin It’s ethically sourced bags (above) and Julia’s team with the Lord Mayor of Sheffield (right)
“It shows that they are taking being environmental friendly seriously and promote their companies. “You’re going to use a cotton or canvas bag over and over again. They are robust and last a long time.” The company has the added advantage of keeping their stock in the UK meaning it can turn around orders in ten days. The factory can makes roughly 1,000 hand-printed bags a day but sometimes the orders have taken a little longer. For example, the 180,000 bags ordered by fashion website ASOS. “You have to be prepared to give it everything you’ve got,” Julia says on the running of a fashion company. “It’s really, really tough but the rewards can be amazing and fantastic. “You have to be incredibly dedicated and patient which frustrating for me because I’m quite impatient. “You have to be prepared to just really slog and try and select something where the ball is rolling for you. “You need to think ‘where is
there going to be a market and where is there going to be business?’ “I’ve never found anything so easy than running this business in terms of the sell ability because there’s media interest in it and there’s consumer demand. “That doesn’t mean to say it’s always been easy.” The interest has helped the company sail the rough financial waters with relative ease and, in spite of the best efforts of the global credit crunch, is still going from strength to strength. With only four staff, Bag It Don’t Bin It, has worked with sales people to take the bags to other towns and cities, and it’s constantly striving to improve links with schools and businesses. The company has big plans for the future. It even hopes to provide kit bags for the Olympics in 2012. And you can be sure, under the leadership of Julia Gash, this is a lot more than a mere pipe dream.
Echo ONLINE
For more visit www. netheredge.co.uk/fashion g
Wednesday, January 28 2009
Nether Edge Echo
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FEATURE
This was the £1 million tackle that changed football forever...
FLASH-BACK IMPACT: The moment Kevin Gray snapped Gordon Watson’s leg in two
Echo EXCLUSIVE Simon Peach
Sports Editor simonpeach@netheredgeecho.co.uk
He remembers vividly the moment it happened. Saturday 1 February 1997. At 3.04pm.
“My leg hit the ground then a few moments later my shin and toes landed,” Gordon Watson says. “Imagine banging your elbow down and your wrist following. That’s what the bottom part of my leg was like.” It had been shattered. But what caused a double fracture to Watson’s left leg was no accident. He was a professional footballer and the catastrophic injury had been the result of a tackle from an opponent. Watson was at the height of his career. The 25 year old striker had just become Bradford City’s record signing after completing a £550,000 move from Southampton. But one tackle would change his life forever. It was a cold but bright day at Valley Parade. Watson lined-up in just his third game in the Bantam’s claret and amber against West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town. But a ferocious tackle by Huddersfield’s Kevin Gray left his career and, most penitently, his leg in pieces. The man who had been an integral member of the Sheffield Wednesday squad that reached both the FA and League cup finals four years earlier was now facing a career outside the game he loved. “I was never going to give up but I certainly had my dark moments,” he says. “I suffered from depression for a while, but most sportsmen have that because the thing you do all the time has been taken away. “If you think about it the majority of footballers are like Peter Pan. They still want to do the same thing when they are 34 that they did as a four year old.” The tackle almost cost Watson his livelihood. But it cost his aggressor more. In fact, £959,143 more, to be precised. In a landmark court case, Watson successfully sued Gray for negligence. The High Court ruling in October 1998 compensated him for the loss of anticipated earnings. But that wasn’t the hardest battle. Next he had to get his career back. “It was hard getting back into playing football after so long out,” says Watson “But because I had a little ‘un I thought ‘I have got to try and get back’ otherwise, later in life, when my son is tested and has to dig deep I wouldn’t be able to give him advice if I just quit.” The horror tackle resulted in a double fracture, which required five operations and the insertion of a six-inch metal plate. But that couldn’t stop him. Despite Bradford’s support during his injury-ravaged spell at the club, he turned down the offer of a new contract following their promotion to the Premier-
ship claiming he was not “fit enough or good enough” to do himself justice. A short and unspectacular period at Bournemouth followed before Watson found himself at a crossroad. “I was looking for a club whilst training with Portsmouth,” he says. “I was there for just under a year and in my mind I was ready to play for Portsmouth. “The manager [Graham] Rix said he would like to offer me a contract but he just couldn’t as they had 40 odd players there already.” But just as one door seemingly closed, another opened. “My former teammate at Sheffield Wednesday Chris Turner had just taken over at Hartlepool United and asked if I could go up so he could have a look at me. “And the rest, as they say, is history.” In just 43 starts Watson answered his doubters in incredible fashion. His goal haul of 23 helped Hartlepool off the foot of Division Three [now known as League Two] and into the play-offs. Watson retired in 2003 after leaving Hartlepool but loved his time in the north-east. And the fans loved him too, with many describing him as their best ever striker. Despite playing in County Durham, he never moved from his Southampton home. Watson instead chose to make the 300 mile commute from his Southampton home to allow him to spend more time with his family. A commitment rarely, if ever, seen in modern day football. “I used to fly from Southampton to Newcastle on a Wednesday night,” he says. “I’d train on Thursday and Friday, play on the Saturday and then come home Sunday morning. “I used to train down here, first at Portsmouth before I then went to Southampton. Trained here on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.” Watson’s hard work and dedication was as evident on the field as it was off it. The effervescent centre forward nicknamed Flash, after the comic book character, won over the fans wherever he played. But he admits his most cherished times were at Sheffield Wednesday. After two years at his boyhood club Charlton Athletic, the headstrong Londoner made the brave move to uproot and move to South Yorkshire. “I went up for talks with them and never came home,” Watson explains. “I took my boots with me and the rest of my stuff was brought up for me by my girlfriend.” And what a wise move it proved to be. “It was brilliant, it was absolutely unbelievable. “We got to three cup finals, played in Europe, finished third in the Premier League and there were 15 international players at Sheffield Wednesday when I was there. “It was the best time in their history so I was very, very fortunate to be there.”
SCAR: Watson’s leg after five ops and the insertion of a six-inch metal
Although he never became a regular fixture in the starting line-up, Watson still counts scoring in the Steel City derby as his favourite moment in football. And if it wasn’t for his extracurricular activities he could have scored a lot more, on the field at least. “I loved Sheffield’s nightlife - the Leadmill was a particular favourite,” he said with an impish smile. “I spent many a night in there, maybe too many. “The fact my wife left me three times during that period probably should have given me the hint.” Luckily for Watson his wife stuck by him and he now lives with her and his children in Southampton, in the same house he lived in when he played for the club. Despite retiring six seasons ago, Watson is still involved in the beautiful game. He coaches his sons youth football side and, after working as a radio pundit on Southampton matches, has joined former Owls teammate Nigel Pearson as scout at Leicester City. But regardless of his past and future successes, Watson will always be remembered, and defined, by one mad and expensive moment. Saturday 1 February 1997. At 3.04pm.
GORDON WATSON BY NUMBERS
£959,143 the amount Watson was awarded for Kevin Gray’s leg breaking tackle in 1998
6
clubs during his career - Charlton, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Bradford City, Bournemouth and Hartlepool United
225
career appearances scoring goals
58
£2m
accumulated transfer fees
14
year career
1 in 2
goal ratio during his spell at Hartlepool United (2001-2003)
2 When Psycho met Flash...
Stuart Pearce and Gordon Watson fight for possession
cup finals reached - FA Cup and League Cup, both with Sheffield Wednesday
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Nether Edge Echo Wednesday, January 28 2009
Echo News in Brief
Prankster warned for council poster hoax A PRANKSTER who put up caution posters around Nether Edge has been warned by the council not to pull the stunt again. Prank signs popped up around Nether Edge last week on benches at the junction of Sheldon Road and Moncrieffe Road. The laminated posters featured the Sheffield Council logo with the warning: ‘Caution, benches may be wet following periods of rain’. The posters also had a small jester’s hat symbol on the bottom which caught the attention of genuine council officers. Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, cabinet member for environment, said: “People thought it was an official council notice until they started to see the jester sign on the poster. “They were clearly trying to be funny and we saw the humorous side. “But if it happens again we will take more serious action against it as it is technically fly posting, which is illegal.” The council has no idea who has posted them or why and said it appeared to be a prank at their expense.
Customer care queen A SHOP assistant in Sharrow was voted the Queen of Customer Care at an award ceremony last night. Nicky Ducker, 20, who works at Midgley’s fruit and vegetable shop on Ecclesall Road, was awarded at the Night of Honour community awards in Sheffield for her friendly approach and after-work deliveries to customers too ill to get to the shop. Nicky started work in the shop as a Saturday girl four years ago and now works for fulltime in what has become a family business after her mother Sandra married owner Stuart Midgley last year.
Fruity offerings VOLUNTEERS who collected over 10,000 pieces of fruit will ‘sell’ their jams, juices and chutneys this weekend. The goods are made from fruit collected by the Abundance project from trees and bushes on waste land and gardens across Sheffield. The project will be at the Encounters shop on Wostenholm Road in Sharrow, where you can ‘buy’ the goods in exchange for fruit related memories or swap. Also, this half term will see the official opening of the shop which will open every Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday until
Wild night in store November and over half term. THE NETHER Edge Wildlife Watch will be hosting their prefestive social on 8th December. Everyone is welcome to the evening, which will include a Wildflower picture quiz, at 7.30pm, at the King’s Centre, in the lower meeting room on Union Road. Admission is £1.00 and includes a glass of port and a mince
NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS
EDDIE HEADS TO THE BIG APPLE IN DAD’S HONOUR Anand Shah
anandshah@netheredgeecho.co.uk
A NETHER Edge sound engineer will honour his father’s memory by running the New York marathon next week. Eddie Pulford, 32, will run the 26-mile course in the Big Apple to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The Liverpudlian lost his father – also called Eddie - to cancer two years ago and wants to thank the charity that cared for him. Eddie who describes himself as “just like any other bloke” only started running at the start of the year as a way of looking after himself. He took part in the Sheffield half marathon to raise money for Marie Curie and, to his surprise, even enjoyed it. “I was going to do one half marathon then leave it,” he said. “But I was talking to a bloke I know who said he had done the New York marathon and I thought that would be a pretty amazing thing to do. “Then again in my head the thought of a marathon was an impossible thing, like only weirdo’s and nutcases do it.” But just two days and a few phone calls later he had signed up to take part in the marathon with lifelong friend Matty Harry, 34. “I lost my dad to cancer and he lost his mum to cancer in the same Marie Curie care home,” said the Nether Edge resident. “We were both friends anyway, we’d been friends for years, but we’ve both got that link, that bond as well. “The two of us thought it was about time to repay the nurses because they are very, very good at what they do.” The Liverpudlian hopes to finish the course in less than four and a half hours after putting
MARATHON MAN: Eddie collecting his Sheffield Half Marathon medal (left), and after training with running partner Matty Harry (on the left) himself through a tough training regime. But as well as training he has found the time to setup fundraising events in Sheffield and Liverpool. Eddie has setup five-a-side football tournaments and gigs to help continue Marie Curie’s work. So far Eddie has raised more than £3,500 for the charity, but wants to raise at least a total of £5,000. “I suppose it sounds like a lot of money,” he said, “and it is quite hard to raise that sort of money, but it really doesn’t go far.
“One way of looking at it is the Marie Curie comes to your home to visit you, that’s £20 an hour and that’s brilliant. “Obviously £5,000 gets a lot of Marie Curie hours but to put somebody in a Marie Curie care home for a day costs £800 so in that way it’s not a lot of money at all so it all counts.” Lisa Gow, a member of the charity’s fundraising team, said: “The Marie Curie nurses provide practical, hands on nursing care for people who are terminally ill. “It gives them the choice to die at home
surrounded and supported by their friends and family in comfort. “We’ve got some fantastic nurses all across South Yorkshire. Every penny that is raised will go towards providing more nursing care.” Eddie will continue fundraising when he returns from New York and hopes to raise a further £4,000 from a gig in Liverpool at the end of January. To find out more information on Eddie’s latest fundraising events or to make a donation visit www.justgiving.com/eddiepulford.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: LOCAL WOMEN ADD TO CHARITY COLLECTION AS...
NATIVITY DISPLAY: Church’s unusual nativity
David Driver
NATIVITY scenes brighten churches across the globe this Christmas. But you won’t see many life-size models of a donkey made entirely out of chicken wire.
Bra campaign takes off Little Wire Donkey daviddriver@netheredgeecho.co.uk
MOTHERS, daughters and grandmothers from across the community have been donating their bras in the name of charity.
The ‘Bag It Up’ campaign has seen women descend on collection points across the county as part of a fundraising campaign for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA). The women of Nether Edge have helped by donating more than 300 bras as the charity raises money to keep the ambulance in the air. “We were more than happy to support such a great cause and do whatever we could,” said Sue Creaghan, owner of the Studio hairdressers, which was the community collection point. ”It just so happened that in this case it meant keeping hundreds of bras in the back.” The bra campaign was launched in autumn 2006 with the Yorkshire Federations of Women’s Institutes. Since its foundation it has attracted support from businesses, schools, community groups and social clubs across Yorkshire. “’The ‘Bag it Up’ Bra Campaign has been a fantastic success for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance,” said Paul Gowland, YAA’s director of fundraising. “The support we have received from the ladies around Yorkshire is phenomenal and so far we have received over 129,000 bras. “Our target is 200,000 and this in
You will at All Saints Church in Ecclesall. The unusual life-size models of Mary holding the baby Jesus, Joseph and even the donkey were the idea of Fenella Noble, who has been worshipping at the church for 26 years. “I first got the idea in Poland on holiday with my husband when I saw a nativity scene made out of straw in the market square,” she said. “It was so moving and beautiful and when I came back in January and the priest asked me to create a nativity scene it was perfect timing.” Fenella, responsible for design and creation, has displayed the
figures made entirely from chicken wire since Christmas Eve. “I started the project in August and worked on it a couple of hours at a time, it can be a bit hard on the hands,” she said. “The wire can be a bit spiky but luckily no one’s got hurt yet.” Fenella created the figures by working from photographs of her family in the positions of the characters. Apart from the donkey of course, which was created using photos from the internet - and has proved the most popular figure with children who “love to stroke the donkey.” Despite criticisms that the models are too untraditional they will be back next Christmas with some new figures, as well as “something special” that is lined up for Easter.
GREAT SUPPORT: The women of Nether Edge show their support outisde turn will generate at least £10,000 for the charity. “This would be a great contribution to the £7200 we need to raise each day to keep both helicopters in operation.” The campaign, supported by
Veolia Environmental Services, will sell the bras to traders in West Africa, where second-hand bras are in demand. For more information and more on how to donate, visit the campaign website www.bagitup.org.
WIRE DONKEY: Fenella Noble tends to one of her nativity models