Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White was in Sheffield last Sunday to help raise money for a local snooker charity.
White and several other celebrities played frames of snooker and signed autographs at the event at the city’s Crystal nightclub hosted by the Stephen Harrison Academy (SHA).
The SHA is a non profit organisation which teaches snooker to people with learning difficulties.
“They come to our service and learn to play snooker at their own pace,” said Stephen Harrison, the academy’s founder.
“During the summer we put them on an accredited award system which is the UK snooker award and this carries six GCSE credits to help further their education.”
White played ten frames of snooker against celebrities and members of the academy. Also in attendance were World Amateur Champion Alfie Burden, Sheffield Wednesday footballers Tommy Miller and Nicky Weaver and local boxers Ross ‘The Boss’ Burkinshaw and Ryan Rhodes.
Signed memorabilia was also auctioned off including one of Pele’s boots and a Robbie Williams song sheet.
Helen Garnett won her second Thai boxing World Title yesterday at the Showdown 9 tournament at the Sheffield Octagon Centre.
She fought her way to victory, injuring her opponent, Marya Belush of Belarus, into a forfeight during the thrid round.
Garnett won her first World title in Showdown 7 of 2009 after starting her Muay Thai Boxing career in 2005 at . She is now hoping to move in the wieght band.
Christian Di Paolo won the World Title in the mens fight which headlined over 21 other fights during the Showdown Tournament.
Taxi drivers will have to keep their cabs clean and their attitudes upbeat as Sheffield City Council plan to keep a closer eye on their services.
The licensing Committee will review the Taxi Licensing Section’s enforcement duties on 7th April.
The enforcement duties are carried out “to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the public,” and avoid illegal taxis operating undetected in Sheffield.
The report of the Acting Head of Licensing recommends that checks in Sheffield should be increased.
There are currently 88 checks carried out over 40 weeks of the year. Officers check vehicle standards day and night at the Council’s testing centre.
Officers are unable to report checks with cabs that pass the inspection under the current system.
Inspections carried out between 1st August 2010 to 31st January 2011 showed that out of 96 vehicles checked, 54 defected notices and a warning letter were issued.
Rudyard Road, City Road, Fulwood Road and Southbourne Road were noted as problem areas due to unregistered drivers and taxis parking illegally waiting for revellers from pubs and clubs.
People posing as taxi drivers can be fined and receive points on their driving licenses.
A BINGE-DRINKER who beat up a friend’s ex-girlfriend and wrecked her flat causing £300 of damage was given a six-month suspended sentence at Sheffield Crown Court today.
Jamie Grubb, 23, had drunk 12 cans of Strongbow and part of a bottle of vodka when he attacked Chloe Myers on 25 November last year.
He went to her flat with her former partner David Shaw, and threatened her by spinning a baseball bat in her face, said Susan Evans, prosecuting.
Grubb then kicked her front door repeatedly until it opened. Once inside, he flooded her bathroom by plugging the sinks and turning the taps on full. He then pulled out the u-bend of the kitchen sink and turned that tap on.
He smashed three windows, threw a glass at Ms Myers and slapped her in the mouth, said Miss Evans.
Pushing her to the floor, Grubb then hit her five times on the top of the head. When Mr Shaw attempted to pull him away he grabbed hold of Ms Myers’ hair.
Miss Evans said that while Ms Myers had received no visible injuries she said afterwards she was “in pain and sore”.
James Gould, for Grubb, said his client “clearly deserved” a custodial sentence but that he had sought help for his alcoholism after learning he was to become a father.
“Alcoholism has blighted his life for years and years now and that is the excuse for offending,” he said.
“But there appears to be a recognition that he must change, prompted by the news his partner is having a baby in September. He has stopped binge drinking, has been referred to a psychiatrist and is on medication for depression.
“He has now accepted his problems and sought help for them.”
Judge Jacqueline Davies said that despite Grubb’s history of offences including criminal damage, assault and attempted robbery, his guilty plea meant he would serve a suspended sentence, rather than be imprisoned.
She said: “I suspect you struggle to remember the circumstances, which is very different from the person whose home you invaded.
“You kicked at her door, broke windows, flooded her bathroom, threw a glass at her, and though she suffered no visible injuries I am sure it was hugely distressing for her.”
She sentenced Grubb to two months for criminal damage and a further four months for assault, to be suspended for 12 months. He will wear an electronic tag, be subject to a curfew and was ordered to repay the £299 damage caused to the door and windows.
On this year’s Mother’s Day, Bishops’ House in Sheffield host a butter-making workshop to let people try how mums in Tudor Times made butter.
Built in around 1500, Bishops’ House is the best preserved timber–framed house in Sheffield.
QUEENS PARK RANGERS v. SHEFFIELD UNITED (Tonight 7.45 K.O)
Last five games: WWLWW (Last Game: Doncaster Rovers 0-1 QPR)
Manager: Neil Warnock
Previous Meeting: Sheffield United 0 – 3 Queens Park Rangers, 14th August 2010.
One to Watch: Adel Taarabt.
The newly crowned Football League Player of the Year has scored 15 times for the Championship leaders this season and will look to exploit any weaknesses in a United defence that has conceded 31 goals away from home. The 21-year-old Moroccan missed QPR’s last game against Doncaster Rovers due to a family bereavement, but is set to return to the side for tonight’s match.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v. TRANMERE ROVERS (Tues. 7.45 K.O.)
Last Five Games: LDWLL
Manager: Les Parry
Previous Meeting: Tranmere Rovers 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday, 15th February 2011
One To Watch: Dale Jennings
Still only 18, Jennings’ pace and creativity have marked him out as one of the most promising youngsters in League 1. Despite picking up a knock in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield, Jennings is expected to play on Tuesday night. Wednesday’s defence will have their work cut out to stop the surging runs that have already attracted the attention of several Championship clubs.
Manchester United roared back from a two-goal deficit at Upton Park to overturn West Ham 4-2 on Saturday, but the Hammers are looking into a more serious problem than dodgy defending: racist abuse aimed at the families of their players.
The club is investigating a report that the families of players Victor Obinna and Frederic Piquionne were racially abused during the game on Saturday.
David Sullivan, a chairman at West Ham, said the club are reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses, and said he would be “appalled” if the comments proved to be true.
“It is particularly sad that the families of our players were so treated,” he said.
A relative of Obinna reportedly confronted spectators about the abuse after he had been watching the game from an executive box.
“I believe all human beings are equal. We are all born with different physical attributes,” said Sullivan.
“We will be monitoring CCTV, interviewing stewards and taking strong action against offenders if these allegations are proved to be correct.”
Formula 1
Red Bull have denied rumours that they’re lining up a move for former World Champion Lewis Hamilton in the future.
Horner said: “If he wanted to drive for Red Bull, you couldn’t ignore a driver of his calibre.
“But I understand he has a multi-year contract with McLaren and I envisage that he’ll be there for a while yet”.
Hamilton’s future at Mclaren has been the subject of much speculation recently after his complaints about the team’s new car not keeping pace with the Red Bulls.
But Hamilton is contracted until 2012 and it would be a bold decision to leave the team who nurtured his talent from an early age.
Red Bull have Sunday’s race winner Sebastian Vettel on contract until 2014, but Mark Webber is only on a yearly rolling contract, and Red Bull have been hesitant to commit to his future.
Horner later added: “Lewis is a wonderfully gifted driver. He’s obviously happy at McLaren. We’re very happy with the driver line-up we have.
Tennis
Victoria Azarenka won the Sony Ericsson open in Miami for the second time, outdoing Maria Sharapova in a speedy battle.
She won the 1hour 46 minute match 6-1, 6-4 after winning Sharapova’s first six service games and holding off a late fight-back from the Russian former Wimbledon champion.
The Belarusian will see her ranking jump from eight to sixth as her latest win takes her tally of WTA titles to six.
Sharapova made 43 unforced errors during the match and has not won a title since last May,.
She rued the defeat, saying: “It’s obviously very disappointing given the other finals here as well but she was definitely the better player today and she has had a great tournament”.
She was outplayed for much of the game, but will keep her place in the top ten.
Azarenka said: “I played really well in the first set but Maria is a great fighter and I had to really hang in there at the end.
“I think I had the right tactics. She likes to swing big, and when she has time it’s really heavy. I tried to take time away.
“I changed my mentality a little bit. I am enjoying myself so much on the court.
Zumba incorporates latin-inspired dance moves and face paced exercise that burn around 800 calories per session.
As pulsing latin rhythms bounce off the ceiling, almost 100 fitness fanatics pump their arms, zig-zag, jiggle and twist their hips in an energising unison.
This army of salsa dancing devotees are what you would have come across had you been at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre last week, where 88 people attended a mass Zumba class.
Zumba? Sounds exotic. Try reggaeton, mambo, flamenco and cha-cha-cha. Suddenly even your bottle of sports drink starts to taste like sangria.
The Latin inspired fitness craze, which incorporates tango, salsa and samba moves with invigorating keep-fit routines, was invented by Alberto “Beto” Perez in Colombia during the 1990s and has had people shaking their hips ever since.
“I love it! It’s such a fun way to keep fit, boost your confidence and meet new people. The choreography is really modern so it’s great when I go out dancing with friends in Sheffield too,” said Hannah Morris, 28, self-confessed Zumba addict.
The high-tempo class, lead by Zumba instructor Julia Crowder, was attended by a mixture of gym regulars and those who wanted to try it for the first time.
“The atmosphere was electric, lots of energy and enthusiasm and everyone enjoyed the class,” explained Julie Shepherd, Quality and Customer Services Manager at Ponds Forge Leisure Centre.
The demand to get involved in the samba sensation has been incredible. More than 200 people across Sheffield attended masterclasses, which are also hosted at Hillsborough Leisure Centre and Concord Sports Centre.
“We decided to hold it in the sports hall to enable everyone to experience the class as many customers were unable to get into the classes due to its popularity,” said Ms Shepherd.
Ponds Forge has since moved its salsa-cise style classes to a larger studio with a sound system and 60 member capacity to accommodate its growing number of followers.
“We are hoping to organise a further session and we will include a stage as we found due to the size of area it was often difficult to follow the instructors moves,” Ms Shepherd continued.
And Sheffield isn’t the only city to have caught the Zumba bug. Over 10 million people of all shapes, sizes and generations are taking calorie-burning fitness party classes in more than 90,000 locations across more than 110 countries.
Celebrity fans with a spot of Zumba fever include Victoria Beckham, Ricky Martin, Natalie Portman, Madonna and Shakira. Even America’s First Lady Michelle Obama is said to be a hip-swinging samba addict. She incorporated the rumba routines into her Get Moving campaign which took place on the White House’s lawn.
As well as classic Zumba, people can also enjoy Zumba Gold for the older generations, Zumbatomic for children aged 4-12 and AquaZumba, which is, well, Zumba in water.
Or if you’re feeling particularly taken by the Latin vibe, try Zumba Toning. Weighted maraca style Zumba Toning Sticks are used to tone and build your strength as you spin and wiggle to the likes of Zokalypso, Zamba Zumba and Zumba Te Va A Mover.
Zumba is said to be more effective than traditional keep-fit methods such as running or using exercise bikes as the salsa dance element makes it a way to tone the whole body along with a heart-pumping cardiovascular work out.
By using interval training principles of alternating slow and fast-paced routines, an hour spent in a Zumba class can burn as many as 800 calories. Which is pretty handy when the average paella can contain as many as 700.
So, in the words of Zumba enthusiasts, ditch the workout, join the party!
Classes at Ponds Forge currently run on Mondays 11am – 12pm, 6pm – 6.45pm and Thursdays 10am – 11am.
Visit Julia Crowder’s Zumba website for more information on her Sheffield classes.
The West’s “intervention” in Libya has been the most significant international event since the invasion of Iraq. Tom Rollins speaks to Libyan students in Sheffield about the road ahead.
Libyans protesting in Misurata city centre last month
Libya is a nation in turmoil. Its cities are being bombed and battered by Gaddafi forces, while foreign armies defend its people with ambivalent motives and debates fill the news over justifications for their actions.
But young Libyans studying abroad in the UK are left very much in the dark. Here they are, in a foreign country, scouring the news channels with no word from home other than the impersonal and faceless dispatches of some British reporter or another.
“The humanitarian situation is dire”
Ahmed Elmedhen, 21, is a Mathematics undergraduate in his final year at the University of Sheffield. He was born in Misurata, Libya’s third city in the north-west of the country, and moved to the United Kingdom when he was two-months-old. His family – uncles and aunties, grandparents and cousins – still live there today.
“I missed lectures for something like two weeks, just watching the news”, Ahmed says. He watched the television as much as he could, to hear whatever he could from home. Real news isn’t easy to get hold of. “The communications are impossible to get through. Just yesterday we managed to get through to our family for the first time in three weeks”.
Ahmed cannot speak to his relatives for more than a minute-and-a-half at a time, and any news from them is scant at best. “We haven’t heard of any casualties to my immediate family”, he says. “My father’s cousin was shot dead in the protests in Misurata, and another died from torture. Many Libyan students have had the same”.
Photo credit: Martin Beek Flickr
Unfortunately this is an all too common experience in Misurata. “The humanitarian situation is dire”, Ahmed says. “Food supplies aren’t getting into the city, the electricity is often cut out and the hospitals can’t facilitate the number of casualties now coming in”.
“Wipe everything out”
The city has been under siege. Reports have emerged that Gaddafi-loyalist forces were ordered to “wipe everything out” in Misurata. Snipers have shot unarmed and innocent civilians, and the indiscriminate shelling by helicopter and fighter jet continues. Words like “desperate” and “dire” keep cropping up, but never quite do it justice.
Ahmed is one of between 75 and 100 Libyan students at the University of Sheffield today. On March 8, Sheffield’s Forge student newspaper reported on an alleged £400,000 exchange deal signed between the University of Sheffield and Omar Al Mukhtar University and Al Fateh University, both state-run institutions in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. The deal allows Libyan students engaged in scientific research, in fields such as medicine, to transfer to Sheffield and study here.
The University has issued a statement: “The University of Sheffield is concerned about the current unrest in the Middle East and our thoughts are with students, academic colleagues and their families. The University has proactively been in contact with all of our Libyan students to offer support during this difficult time”.
Since the crisis began, the university has provided Libyan students with financial and pastoral support. Jo Halliday, SU International Student Adviser, said: “We’ve certainly seen an increase in students coming forward for advice; concerned about family members stuck in Libya, people here that need to get back to Libya, funding, and not knowing how long this will go on for.
“We’ve worked with the university to have financial services geared up temporarily and send messages of support to them”.
“Previous Libya”
However Ahmed presents a more ambivalent view of the relationship between UK universities and the Libyan regime, and the students moving between the two. “The government has done some good things for students in the past. The only thing that I question as a Libyan is who these people are.
“There are people in Sheffield who are still supportive of the Gaddafi regime, because their financial situation depends on it”. These students receive financial help from the regime to study abroad after all. “It is important for them that the regime survives. The ‘previous Libya’ as I like to call it”, Ahmed says. “But the new Libya that will be created will cater for these people too”. Clearly he remains hopeful, despite the enormity of the tragedy he witnesses each day, through the news and distorted phone calls from family in Misurata.
Abdulrauf Zubia, 22, graduated in Engineering from the University of Sheffield in 2009 and now lives and works in Manchester. His family are also from Misurata, whom he last visited at Christmas. His fiancée lives there. He hasn’t spoken to her for days. “There’s no contact, no telephone lines – do you know what that feels like? It’s emotionally draining and painful. It’s just too much”.
Abdulrauf’s uncle, Mohammed Zubia, is English Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the 7th October University in Misurata. His department has its own exchange programme with some English universities. He believes in a relationship of “mutual benefit” between Libya and the UK, in both a student exchange programme or in intervening against Gaddafi. “Many of my friends warn about the unpopular war in Iraq and I understand that argument, but we have no other option. We don’t care about money anymore, we just want our lives back. When the problems started in Libya, it was people against tanks. There’s absolutely no comparison”.
Protests against the Gaddafi government in Misurata last month
But Abdulrauf remains positive. “You have to”, he says. “Things can only get better. We couldn’t have had a worse regime than the Gaddafi regime, and for the last 42 years. Nothing can be worse than the days of Gaddafi”.
Most Libyans would agree. Like Abdulrauf, Ahmed is articulate, and clear on the road ahead for Libya. “There is no room for discussion right now. We need to fight the regime and end it; to create a free, democratic Libya for the future. All Libyans are united on this, at home or abroad”.
No matter what happens in Libya in the coming weeks and months, there will be two young men avidly watching the news somewhere in Sheffield, or beyond, waiting for the day when Gaddafi is deposed and the killing stops. Then the “previous Libya” will end and a new Libya can finally begin.
