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Government cash refusal won’t scupper Elsecar plans
AMBITIOUS plans to turn Elsecar into a state-of-the-art tourist destination will not be put on hold despite the government refusing to hand out Levelling Up funding, it has been revealed.Earlier this year, the town centre received a total of £10.2m in funding from the government to complete a number of projects.However, the second application for £16m - titled Elsecar Forging Ahead - was rejected by the government.A new 3,140 square metre waterfront...
Mayor praises library’s transformation
DODWORTH Library finally reopened its doors to the public earlier this week following a refurbishment.The site closed its doors in January - and the refurbishment includes upgrades to the heating system, lighting, and digital infrastructure to make the building more sustainable and future-proof.There is also a modern and flexible space for the local community.Dodworth Library is the latest community library to see exciting updates to its facilities as part of the council’s...
Brighter future for historic hall
HEROIC attempts to protect a crumbling hall from becoming overcome with out-of-control foliage - and finally being lost to the elements due to decades of neglect - will continue in a bid to salvage a ‘vital part’ of Barnsley’s history after an MP backed a campaign to bring it back into use.Grade II-listed Grimethorpe Hall - which was built in 1670 for Robert Seaton - has long been the subject of a series of...
Singer delighted with award nomination
A BARNSLEY hip-hop artist said she was ‘honoured’ to be shortlisted in the best UK breakthrough artist category at a prestigious award show.Delilah Bon, the alter ego of Hands Off Gretel star Lauren Tate, found herself with a great chance of picking up the title at the Heavy Music Awards.The prestigious shortlist for the 14 categories was crafted by a panel of almost 1,000 music industry experts, ahead of music fans themselves having...
Tributes flood in for popular teacher
TRIBUTES have poured in for a teacher who died suddenly while in France earlier this month.Kathleen Margaret Elliott, from Wombwell - better known by her family and friends as Katie - passed away on holiday aged 72 after suffering a broken elbow and developing sepsis which she sadly couldn’t recover from.Her auntie, 90-year-old Margaret Shields, told the Chronicle Kathleen dedicated her whole life to teaching and transformed the lives of many pupils throughout...
Barnsley FC
Reds announce six pre-season friendlies
Barnsley have released their pre-season schedule, with six friendlies throughout the month of July. The Reds are set to begin at non-league Worksop Town on July 1 from 3pm, at the end of the first week of pre-season training.They then visit National League North champions AFC Fylde - managed by former Reds caretaker boss and first team coach Adam Murray - on July 8. They take on Championship Hull City on Tuesday, July 18...
Call-ups for Russell and Bland
Barnsley's Jon Russell has been named in Jamaica's provisional squad for this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, following on from Reds under 18s' captain Jonathan Bland's selection for Wales under 19s.Russell, 23, made his international debut earlier in the year and is on a 50-man list which will be cut down before the tournament begins in the USA on June 24.Jamaica are due to play their first game against the hosts at the iconic Soldier...
The Reds players in 22/23 season
A player by player review of Barnsley's 2022/23 season. Statistics from league and play-off matches. Starts (substitute appearances), goals MADS ANDERSEN, 47 games, 2 goals The captain made the most interceptions in the division while also being in the top ten for clearances and headers won and, more surprisingly, passes. The Dane, 25, surpassed Arjan de Zeeuw’s record of Barnsley appearances by an overseas player. He has been one of...
A to Z of Barnsley's 22/23 season
An A to Z review of Barnsley's 2022/23 season. A FOR ALMOSTWhen Josh Windass’ header hit the back of Barnsley’s net at 5.38pm on Monday, May 29, a season which had started for some players and staff in the first week of June the previous year was finally over.It was the most agonising way imaginable to lose a play-off final, with even a penalty shoot-out at least less shocking and brutal because...
Duff wants to ‘go again’ but thinks Reds ‘will lose a couple’
MICHAEL Duff says he is focused on ‘going again’ with Barnsley and believes that, although they may lose some of their star players this summer, there will not be as much disruption as a year ago. Duff has impressed in his first season as Reds head coach, helping to unify the club and fanbase before breaking a club record of 32 wins in all competitions then losing Monday’s play-off final to local rivals Sheffield Wednesday...
MOST READ
Tributes flood in for popular teacher
The Reds players in 22/23 season
Royston man Ledger set to run line in FA Cup final
Duff wants to ‘go again’ but thinks Reds ‘will lose a couple’
Reds announce six pre-season friendlies
Brighter future for historic hall
Police urge council board to refuse shop’s licence
A to Z of Barnsley's 22/23 season
Memories of Barnsley: Pioneering takeover by factory workers
Inspirational dance teacher to be remembered
News
New York to Wembley for father and son
A FATHER and son duo made a 6,600-mile round-trip from New York to Wembley to watch the Reds lose in the League One play-off final.Dave Bond, 69, is originally from Wombwell - but he moved to New York in 1996 and he currently resides in Long Island.He travelled to Manchester from JFK Airport last Thursday and stayed with friends in Wombwell before travelling down to watch Michael Duff’s side at Wembley.He told...
Horse owner’s plea to motorists
A CONCERNED horse rider is fighting for improvements to be made to allow others to feel safe when on the roads.Sarah Green - who has a yard in Cawthorne - wants South Yorkshire Police to set up a speed awareness ride to combat dangerous drivers and the impact it can have with spooking horses.She told the Chronicle that even when she wears bright clothing, some drivers take no notice and drive with little...
Sewage companies blasted by MP
A LOCAL MP slammed the government on their ‘soft touch’ towards water companies in the House of Commons last week - after it was revealed sewage was dumped into Barnsley’s rivers for thousands of hours.Earlier this year, statistics released by the Environment Agency revealed the shocking amount of raw sewage released into rivers across the borough in 2022.Yorkshire Water release sewage when there is too much demand on their treatment works during rainy...
Councillor urges council to fix pothole-ridden roads
A COUNCILLOR has urged highways bosses to finally step up and repair Barnsley’s ‘deteriorating’ road network at long last - after last winter’s harsh conditions left many key routes requiring work.Coun Steve Hunt, who was re-elected to his Darton East role in May, spoke at last week’s full council meeting following complaints from residents.It came after an extra £2m was recently signed off - which will be added to the £18.4m Highways Capital...
Prison officer to be sentenced
A FORMER prison officer from Barnsley has been convicted of possessing terrorist material - and will be sentenced next month.Ashley Podsiad Sharp, 42, of Cudworth, pleaded not guilty to a charge of disseminating a terrorist document at Sheffield Crown Court earlier this year.He also pleaded not guilty to possessing a document containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.Following his trial...
Sport
Two wins for Shaw Laners
Barnsley Woolley Miners are still in contention for four trophies after two wins this weekend. The Shaw Laners won their league match on Saturday and are fifth, 20 points off top after eight of 22 games. They then beat Harrogate in the first round of the Yorkshire Leagues 40-over Cup, which they reached the final of last year. They are also in the semi-final of the Twenty20 Blast, which they won last year, and visit...
Stones two thirds of way to treble
John Stones is two thirds of the way to a treble with Manchester City after winning the FA Cup final.City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday, with Thurlstone man and England international Stones again drawing praise in his midfield role.They have already won the Premier League and now face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday in Istanbul – hoping to be the first English...
Royston man Ledger set to run line in FA Cup final
BARNSLEY man Scott Ledger is preparing for the biggest game of his officiating career on Saturday, when he will be one of the assistant referees for the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley.The Royston man, 46, has been running the line in Premier League games for 14 years.Ledger told the Chronicle: “It will be the biggest game I have had. “You can only do the cup final once....
Shaw Laners hope to replicate Reds’ spirit
SEVERAL Barnsley Woolley Miners players were at Wembley on Monday and their captain believes they can learn from Barnsley’s performance against Sheffield Wednesday.The Reds played for 70 minutes with ten men but conceded just before the League One play-off final was due to go to a penalty shoot-out, so lost 1-0.Captain Beck Frostick, a Reds fan, said: “There were a fair few players and staff from the club down at Wembley, with a...
Bethany in England squad for World Cup
Barnsley woman Bethany England has been selected in the England squad for this summer’s World Cup.The Kingstone woman, who will be 29 this week, scored 12 goals in 12 WSL games for Tottenham Hotspur after moving in January from Chelsea. She finished third in the league’s top-scorer chart.Bethany has 21 England caps, with 11 goals, and was as unused substitute as they won the European Championships last summer. She has not been selected...
News
Ketamine-fuelled motorist jailed
A BARNSLEY man who drove the wrong way on the M1 whilst high on ketamine has been jailed.Daniel Thorpe, 29, of Novara Close, was almost five times over the legal limit for ketamine when the police found him on October 16.He had stopped at a BP garage in Wakefield at around 5.40pm and, after leaving without paying, he was seen on the M1 northbound between junction 38 and 39 driving erratically.He was...
Police urge council board to refuse shop’s licence
POLICE bosses have urged Barnsley Council’s licensing board to refuse a shop’s bid to sell alcohol for 24 hours - after officers claimed it would increase disorder and jeopardise public safety.Applicant Gowtham Raja Rajarama, who runs Darfield Supersave on Garden Street, failed a test purchase operation last October and is on a police-served ‘action plan’ to avoid further breaches until the end of 2023.However, a licence variation is being sought, which will allow...
Top award for police officer
A BARNSLEY police officer who is living with a life-limiting disability has won at the South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Awards. ( PC Alison Slingsby was given the Inspiration Award at the second annual ceremony in honour of her work raising money for charity after she was diagnosed with MS in May 2020. ( PC Slingsby, of the Barnsley domestic abuse team, jumped 15,000ft to the ground last year in a parachute jump to raise...
New cops to reduce response time
A POLICE accountability board was told that response time in Barnsley could be ‘slowly but surely’ improving - with hundreds of officers currently in training.A report shows that while overall emergency response times have increased to 71 per cent within the target of 15 minutes, the number of officers trained and capable of responding remains below capacity.Chief Superintendent Simon Wanless, who is the district commander for the Barnsley district, said they had a...
Grandmother heaps praise on MP
THE grandmother of a young boy on palliative care says a ‘weight has been lifted’ thanks to the tireless work of a local MP.Daniel Green, six, whose brain is damaged in three areas, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and mitochondrial disease at four months old leaving him struggling to stand, sit and eat.He was placed into palliative care in 2021, but his family took comfort in the fact he would be able to...
Barnsley FC
Oulare no longer a Red but Iseka and Styles due back
OBBI Oulare is no longer on Barnsley’s books after joining Belgian second division club Lierse on a two-year deal. The Chronicle understands that the Reds cancelled the contract of the Belgian striker who signed in 2021 and made two substitute appearances before being loaned out to Molenbeek for the last season and a half. There were questions over the physical fitness of the 27-year-old who barely featured for his loan club. He was originally contracted...
Norwood option taken, Thomas offered new deal
BARNSLEY have taken their option to extend James Norwood’s contract for another season while offering Luke Thomas, Joe Ackroyd and Aiden Marsh new deals and releasing ten players.Clarke Oduor has been released along with under 21s players Jack Butterfill, Keegan Hartley, Kareem Hassan-Smith, Jordan Helliwell, Will Lancaster, Rudi Pache and Jason Sraha.Norwood, the 32-year-old striker who scored 11 goals this season, signed a one-year deal last summer with Barnsley having an option to...
Reds have four weeks off after play-off heartbreak
Barnsley’s players will have four weeks off after their play-off final defeat before beginning pre-season for the 2023/24 League One campaign.The Reds – who suffered an agonising last-gasp loss to Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley on Monday – are due to return on Monday June 26.They are set to play up to seven friendlies throughout July against opponents from non-league, Championship and League Two.The League One season is due to...
Talking points from play-off loss
Analysis from Barnsley's play-off final loss to Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls scored in the 123rd minute after the Reds had Adam Phillips sent off just after half-time in normal time. THE CRUELLEST WAY TO LOSE IT IS difficult to think of a crueller way to lose a football match than the manner in which Barnsley missed out on promotion at Wembley against their bitter local rivals in the League One play-off final. After being...
'Cruellest way I have ever been beaten' - Duff
Michael Duff said losing in the 123rd minute to Sheffield Wednesday in the League One play-off final was ‘the cruellest way I have ever been beaten.’ Josh Windass headed home with almost the final touch of the match, which had looked likely to go to penalties at Wembley. Barnsley had played for 70 minutes with ten men after a red card to Adam Phillips then lost 1-0. Duff told the Chronicle: “I...
News
Flood-prone river to be remodelled
MAJOR work to help areas hit by flooding is set to commence in the coming months to help support the hardest-hit residents - including remodelling a local river.At last week’s full council meeting, Coun Trevor Smith of Darfield asked the council what their plans are to help alleviate flooding woes in Darfield and Low Valley.He has campaigned for a number of years about the flood risk in the two areas across his ward....
Benefit claimants reach record high
MORE people are claiming Universal Credit in Barnsley than ever before as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite the town’s hardest-hit residents.Universal credit is a benefit available to those out of work, disabled or below a threshold of earnings and savings.Combined with a winding-up of older benefits and reduced employment opportunities, the number of people using universal credit across England rose dramatically over the pandemic - and has remained high since.Figures from...
Tom Selleck film premieres
BARNSLEY’S only private investigator premiered his film highlighting Tom Selleck’s links to the town last week.Tom Selleck: The Barnsley Connection was shown to residents at Dodworth Miners’ Welfare last week, and filmmaker Dave Cherry said the event went well.More than £100 was raised for Barnsley Hospice through the event, and a number of dates have already been set to show the film in other locations.On Wednesday, a Q and A sessions will...
Inspirational dance teacher to be remembered
AN inspirational dance teacher who taught thousands of Barnsley kids will be remembered at an event later this month.Julie Foster taught in her time as a choreographer after she opened the Jay Bee Theatre School, in Barugh Green, more than four decades ago.She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was just 56 years old - but her husband, Peter Foster, said she never stopped smiling.Julie’s condition started to deteriorate last year, leaving...
High-value gully covers stolen from roads
A NUMBER of gully covers were stolen from roads in Penistone last week - at an estimated cost of more than £40,000.Barnsley Council said they were disappointed to see that criminals had stolen the covers - and confirmed they are working with South Yorkshire Police to find the culprits.A spokesperson added: “Stealing these vital pieces of highway infrastructure is incredibly dangerous, something we don’t tolerate in our borough.“We’re joining forces with partners...
Sport
‘Lucky’ Rec hope reprieve is turning point
ATHERSLEY Rec’s manager admits they are fortunate to have been given a reprieve from relegation but believes it can be a turning point for the club.The Penguins finished last in NCEL Division One but avoided a second successive relegation back to the County Senior League following to a restructuring of the leagues. Rec manager Jimmy Whitehead said: “It’s definitely lucky but I think we’ve deserved that luck as a club for all the work...
Barnsley youngsters crowned county champions in Cudworth
BARNSLEY youngsters enjoyed success at the Yorkshire Championship at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium, Cudworth. Under 17 Jonson Hughes, from Darfield, won gold over both 3,000m and 1,500m. Maya Schofield, from Royston, won the under 15 girls’ 800m. She finished in a personal best of 2-13. Great Britain international Joe Ferguson, from Darton, competed for the first time this season, winning the 100m with 10.6.Barnsley AC’s Dominic Brennan won gold in the under 20 men’s...
First Sunday League final to be played at Oakwell in 9 years
A BARNSLEY Sunday League final is due to be played at Oakwell this weekend for the first time in nine years. The Challenge Cup final between West Bretton and Darfield Cross Keys is set to take place from 12.15pm on Sunday on the first team pitch at Oakwell, with free entry. It is seen as ‘pilot’ event, with a view to all three Sunday League finals returning from next year as was tradition until they...
Barnsley happy with win but angry with T20 format
BARNSLEY Woolley Miners are hoping their first league win of the season leads to a title challenge while they are frustrated that the format of the Twenty20 Blast they won last year has changed. The Shaw Laners won by 92 runs at Treeton on Saturday, having lost one league game and had three abandoned previously this season. Captain Beck Frostick said: “It was great to get a first league win and it’s about time. “We...
Town reach NCEL and have long-term goal to get to Northern Premier
WOMBWELL Town have been officially promoted to the Northern Counties East League this week and already have a long-term goal of reaching the level above that which would make them the highest-placed non-league team in Barnsley.NCEL Division One will now consist of 24 teams, four more than last year, with six promoted from various divisions and none relegated. Town finished fifth in the County Senior League Premier Division, which was their stated requirement at...
