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Get involved with new MyFuture job fair
IF you are looking for a change in your career direction then the #MyFuture training and recruitment event being held later this month is an event you must attend.
The Chronicle has teamed up with the Barnsley 2030 campaign and some of the borough’s leading employers to offer job seekers the chance to learn more about the opportunities on offer.
More than 20 employers and training providers will have a presence, making it...
WATCH: Was 1970s Barnsley really like Belgium?
HOW did Barnsley, at the turn of the 1970s, resemble a small Belgian city?
Readers might shudder when they think back to the ill-judged and ultimately canned ‘Tuscan hill village’ idea drawn up for the town in the early 2000s, and immediately discard any comparisons to the continent.
But in a visit as part of his series ‘Nairn’s Europe’, acclaimed architectural critic Ian Nairn – in an otherwise fairly scathing assessment – offered some substance..
'Remember to be kind to yourself' - mental health consultant
TEACHER-turned-mental health and wellbeing consultant Sarah Wray believes the key to self-care is in remembering to be kind to yourself as well as others. In the second in a series of guest articles, Sarah of LiveWell Consultancy shares her advice for 'self-kindness'...
Since lockdown started in March, we have seen many, many acts of kindness where people and communities have come together to support each other.
Why do we choose to be kind?
Kindness is...
Stray cats rehomed by generous woman
A SALON owner who has spent almost a year and £12,000 to rescue two stray cats she met on holiday in Turkey is expecting a special delivery tomorrow.
Kelly Walker - owner of Vanilla hair salon on Sheffield Road - is set to receive the cats from a courier after trying to get them on the 2,500-mile trip having ‘fallen in love with them’ on holiday.
Kelly was travelling during the November lockdown last year...
Mental health consultant shares five tips for wellbeing in lockdown
IN the first in a series of guest articles, former teacher Sarah Wray - who now runs Live Well Consultancy, working to improve mental health in schools - has shared her advice for looking after your wellbeing in lockdown...
After weeks of ‘lockdown’ many of us are experiencing highs and lows.
The uncertainty of how long lockdown will last, how we will move forward as a nation and how it is impacting on us as...
Sherlocks set sights on cracking the US
LOCAL INDIE band, The Sherlocks - who have supported Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and also the Libertines - will be heading to the States for a whirlwind tour, only five days after their UK tour ends.
The band have previously toured America, but drummer Brandon Crook admits that they haven’t been ‘Stateside’ in almost two years and the band are keen to grow their fanbase across the pond.
The four-strong band from Bolton-upon-Dearne will promote...
Singer Shane is on final countdown
A SINGER-SONGWRITER could be in with the chance of winning big after getting through to the final of a national singing competition.
Shane Morrall, 23, has made it through to the final of the Open Mic UK singing competition which is held at the O2 arena in London tomorrow.
The competition aims to find the country’s best unsigned artists and the winner will gain the opportunity to produce their own album of original music.
Shane...
Military charity announces mental wellbeing training
FAMILIES of serving RAF personnel and veterans in Barnsley and the rest of Yorkshire who are finding life tough will be offered training to help them identify, and deal with, the symptoms of poor mental wellbeing.
The Royal Air Forces Association, the charity that supports the welfare of the RAF family, is offering mental wellbeing awareness training at venues across the UK, some of which will be taking place in Sheffield.
The initiative, named Finding...
Crime expert coming to town
AN EXPERT forensics lecturer will give an insight into the minds of serial killers in a lecture.
Jennifer Rees will speak about how serial killers are classified and the different categories of killers. She will also debunk some common myths and show the difference between male and female killers.
Jennifer will also speak about the phenomenon of killer couples such as Fred and Rose West and ‘The Moors Murderers’, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and...
Holiday-loving family enjoy taste of small screen stardom
A BARNSLEY family featured in a Channel Five documentary say being picked was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ - although they admit having cameras follow them around on holiday was a little strange.
Newly-weds Lisa and Jamie Green, and Lisa’s children Millie and Sam, were picked from thousands of applicants to star in ‘All Inclusive: How Do They Do It?’
The consumer documentary follows holiday-goers as they arrive at a busy all-inclusive hotel in Spain, and is...
Students key to stand-up show
A STAND-UP comedy show with the tongue-in-cheek message that ‘not all disabled people are heroes’ will see a Barnsley comedian joined by a Britain’s Got Talent star.
ImPairment was created by 29-year-old Pete Selwood, who was born with syndactyly fused digits on one of his hands and Jack Carroll whose wisecracks about his cerebral palsy led him to the final of the reality TV show as a teenager.
The pair will perform the show at...
Family determined to keep alive young Jacob’s memory
THE family of a baby who died suddenly at just nine weeks old have raised more than £5,000 in his memory.
Jacob Oliver Clancy died on January 18 2018 and following his death he was taken to Rose Cottage in Sheffield - a mortuary for children.
It is run by a team that includes specialist paediatric pathologists, technicians, scientists and other health professionals, to ensure the correct care for the child and support for their...
Mick manages to find comfort in the canvas...
AN artist who is awaiting a heart transplant is proud after an exhibition put his work on display for the first time.
Mick Sheard, 60, has always been interested in art but his hobby became his lifeline when a period of bad mental health left him seeking a means of escape.
“When I was off work while struggling with my mental health, drawing became really therapeutic for me,” said Mick, of Upperwood Road, Darfield.
“I...
Having a beer for Beau...
A FAMILY hoping to give a little boy with complex needs the best chance in life are hoping to find help in beer - literally.
Ben and Emmie Taylor have organised a charity beer tasting evening in Penistone to help contribute to their mammoth fund-raising effort to help their three-year-old son Beau. Due to a genetic change which wasn’t discovered until after he was born, Beau has been unable to learn to walk, and cannot...
‘Allo ‘Allo star to reveal all about glory days...
A HILARIOUS musical celebration of worldwide smash hit BBC comedy series ‘Allo ‘Allo is coming to Barnsley at the end of the month - with one of the show’s stars taking to the stage.
‘Allo, ‘Allo Again comes to the Lamproom with Sue Hodge - who played Mimi Labonq in the series - resenting a visual feast of laughter and music, with Keith ‘Paddington’ Richards at the piano, as she recalls the antics of the...
Gallery’s positive steps towards inclusivity
BARNSLEY’S museums team has trialled the first of a scheme designed to make its sites less overwhelming for those with additional needs.
The first ‘relaxed’ opening took place on Tuesday at Experience Barnsley, in the town hall, and Cooper Gallery.
It saw any noisy exhibits have their sound switched off and visitor numbers monitored to provide a more comfortable experience for people with autism, dementia and other conditions that may make the spaces inaccessible.
The...
Slimming World consultants meet Alan Carr
A GROUP of Slimming World consultants from Barnsley got the chance to meet TV chat show host Alan Carr when they were enjoying their successes.
Alan co-hosted the annual Slimming World Awards in Birmingham where he met consultants Claire Carnall, Jen Crossland, Danielle Newman, Sonja l’Anson and Dorothy Key who all run groups across Barnsley.
Claire said: “The members at our group make me burst with pride, not only have they seen big changes on...
Vote for Barnsley Youth Choir to win £1,000 award
BARNSLEY Youth Choir has been shortlisted for a special award recognising the positive impact it makes in the local community.
The youth group has been nominated for the Avant Homes ‘Let’s Make a Difference’ award for the huge contribution it makes to supporting communities that need it most.
The awards are open to anyone living in Scotland, north east England, Yorkshire and the Midlands with more than 250 people put forward in the nomination stage....
Shaun stunned as hit moves in on top spot
BARNSLEY actor Shaun Dooley still cannot believe that a ‘Barnsley lad’ could be in with the chance of scoring a Christmas number one.
Shaun covered Taylor Swift’s song Never Grow Up, as part of the album Got It Covered which helped to raise money for Children in Need. The album features 11 songs performed by multiple celebrities such as Helena Bonham-Carter, Jim Broadbent and David Tennant.
Shaun and his wife Polly first came up with...
Town sees light in family’s latest festive fundraiser
A CARING Penistone family is all set to light up Christmas for a good cause.
For the 14th year, the Baumbers are illuminating their house to raise money for charity.
And this year proceeds from the popular event will be for the local Happy Cafe, which works to boost well-being among residents.
Last year, the bonanza of lights at the Long Furlong home raised £600 for Penistone Bumping Spaces.
“We would love to beat that,”...
TV’s Mark is quick with a joke - and a rant
AFTER spending last year being cluster-bombed with yoghurt and half-killed by Bear Grylls, Mark Watson returns with a UK tour doing what he’s best at: being indoors.
Inspired by the ‘shocking state of the world his children are growing up in’, and a desire to do something about it, Watson’s Infinite Show, which comes to The Civic on November 23, is about empathy.
A spokesman said: “Mark tears into his topic with his notoriously high...
Campaigning dad Paul is also back in the running...
A DAD to disabled and epileptic twins has been nominated for the second year in a row for the Yorkshire Choice Awards.
Paul Atwal-Brice, of Thurnscoe, has been campaigning with his husband Michael for their identical adopted twins Levi and Lucas, who both suffer from epilepsy and are autistic, to have access to cannabis-based medication Epidiolex.
The campaigning has been a success, with Levi now taking the medication, but both Paul and Michael want Lucas...
Shaun goes silver with record
BARNSLEY actor Shaun Dooley is celebrating after receiving the news that his charity album has gone silver.
More than 60,000 copies of the album Got It Covered have been sold since the album went on sale in November. The album features a selection of covers from celebrities including Luke Evans, Olivia Colman and Suranne Jones who all picked a song that is meaningful to them.
The album was recorded in the famous Abbey Road Studios...
Festive farm visit for TV vet Peter
CHRISTMAS arrived at Cannon Hall Farm this week with a guest appearance on the Channel 5 series Yorkshire Vet’s Christmas Special.
The Cawthorne-based farm played host to The Yorkshire Vet when he paid a visit while filming for his festive programme.
It revolves around the 12 days of Christmas, and when the farm became home to two reindeer, vet Peter Wright couldn’t resist paying a visit to take a look.
“We recently traded 30 goats...
A picture perfect US trip...
A BARNSLEY photographer swapped the town for the Big Apple when she was flown out for a special anniversary photoshoot.
Collette Evans was hired by Rotherham couple Nicola and Mark Smith to capture special stateside photos of their tenth wedding anniversary in New York.
The photoshoot took place on November 8 at iconic sites around the city including in Times Square, the New York Public Library and Grand Central.
Collette, 32, established Day Street-based Picture...
Mapplewell folk take heart
A MAPPLEWELL cafe is the ‘perfect location’ for a new defibrillator which was unveiled this week.
Landon’s Diner, on Blacker Road, was revealed as the location of the village’s new defibrillator on Monday afternoon outside the diner.
The defibrillator was donated by Tony Batty, 53, a barber of Racecommon Road, Barnsley, who has fund-raised, with the help of the local community, to install more defibrillators around Barnsley.
The campaign followed a defibrillator going missing from...
The disabled double act aiming for laughs
A COMEDIAN from Barnsley has paired with a Britain’s Got Talent star for a new show with the message that ‘not all disabled people are heroes’.
Some, says stand-up Pete Selwood, are just ordinary people trying to be funny.
Pete, 29, was born with syndactyly, meaning the digits on one of his hands are fused together.
But Pete didn’t even know what the condition was called until he began writing an upcoming show with Britain’s...
Team effort pays off for Green Moor’s praise
A SMALL village described as a ‘delight’ by judges has bagged two prizes at the RHS Britain in Bloom awards.
Team Green Moor, a group of committed volunteers who meet in all weathers to make sure the village looks its best, won a gold at the national awards show and also came out top of the small village category - which they believe is a first for any group from Barnsley.
Team member Claire Derrick...
Stendel into the sunset is captured...
FORMER Barnsley FC head coach Daniel Stendel’s time at Oakwell has been immortalised in a Barnsley artist’s latest work.
Neil Richardson created ‘A Bala Street Sunrise’ after seeing a photo the German had posted to his Facebook page, reportedly taken by assistant Chris Stern and showing Stendel cycling away from Oakwell towards the horizon.
Lifelong fan Neil was struck by the poignancy of the image put online following Stendel’s separation from the club earlier this...
Cyclist Andy saddling up for 550km ride to raise charity cash
AN AVID cyclist is taking on the challenge of riding from London to Paris to raise funds for a local charity.
Andy Duncan, of Silkstone, will be tackling the 550km journey alone to challenge himself and also raise money for the Ian Pratt Motor Neurone Disease (MND) charity. Ian Pratt is a friend of Andy and has been battling motor neurone disease since he was diagnosed seven years ago.
Andy, 50, will set off from...
TV chef returns to Barnsley this weekend
MICHELIN Star chef Jean-Christophe Novelli is on the run - but he’ll be hiding out in Elsecar over the weekend as he returns to the Flavours Food Festival.
The Frenchman, currently starring in Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted, will return for the second year in a row to the annual food and drink festival.
The family-friendly weekend will host a variety of workshops, demonstrations and live entertainment through the weekend, with Jean-Christophe once again making the...
X Factor Holly’s releases new single
FORMER X Factor contestant Holly Tandy released her new single this week after two years of working on her music.
Holly, now 18, has spent the past two years working on new music since she competed in ITV’s X Factor aged just 16 and released her new single, Small Talk, on Wednesday.
“I’ve been doing a lot of writing in the past two years and I am really excited to be releasing new music to...
£1,000 raised in Aalish’s memory
THE family friend of a little girl who died from a rare form of cancer tackled a 24 mile walk and raised more than £1,000 for charity.
Richard Appleton, who is originally from Darton but now lives in Belgium, walked from Sheffield Children’s Hospital to Dodworth, raising funds in memory of Aalish Naylor.
Aalish was just eight when she died last year after losing her battle with neuroblastoma - a type of cancer which affects...
Police give advice about trick or treating for Halloween
SOUTH Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is re-launching the Dark Nights campaign to make Halloween safe and fun for the community.
Speaking about the campaign, a spokesman said: “Halloween can be fun for children and young people, but it can be distressing and intimidating for older people.
“If you are going to go ‘trick or treating’, respect and consider others and follow some simple guidelines, that way everyone can have a safe and enjoyable time.”
South...
Josh hits right note for Sepsis Trust
A MAN who was touched by the care his seriously ill father received while in hospital with sepsis has raised funds for The UK Sepsis Trust and Barnsley Hospital by hosting a night of gigs.
Last December, Josh Hinds’ dad Gary became ill with what he thought was a common cold.
However, as his condition worsened, Gary, 51, was rushed to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties, and it was soon discovered that he had sepsis....
An unseen glimpse of life in wartime...
EXPERIENCE Barnsley’s new exhibition revealing the Second World War as seen through the eyes of Barnsley folk has led to the town hall museum being the ‘busiest it’s ever been’, according to the team.
‘The Second World War: Barnsley’s Story’ offers an as-yet unseen glimpse into life in Barnsley from 1939 to 1945 - covering the town’s fundraising, how it supported refugees and evacuees, and the efforts of miners and factory workers.
The exhibition was...
Concert to raise money for Ugandan children
A BARNSLEY choir is celebrating its tenth anniversary by throwing a fundraising concert this weekend.
The Barnsley and District U3A Choir will be joined by its guests, the Thurnscoe Harmonic Male Voice Choir, to perform at the live event.
Admission is free but any additional donations raised will go to the Africa with Love charity to help support Kyjubira School in Uganda, who care for more than 700 children.
The concert kicks off at Emmanuel...
Women volunteer to take part in beach clean-up
MEMBERS of a Women’s Institute group took to the beach as part of a nation-wide beach clean up to help the environment.
Barnsley Opals Women’s Institute (BOWI) visited Flamborough’s North Landing beach to take part in a beach clean-up organised by the Marine Conservation Society.
Each year the society hosts the Great British Beach Clean which aims to encourage the public to keep beaches clean after their visit.
Ten members of the BOWI group took...
New office will help charity grow further
BIG BROTHER contestant Sian Hamshaw cut the ribbon to officially open a charity’s new office.
Sian, 26, who starred in Big Brother in 2018, was on hand to welcome the charity HOPE to their new office based on Regent Street in the town centre.
HOPE (Helping Others Positively Engaged), is an organisation which helps individuals improve their quality of life.
They run a cooking course, healthy holiday workshops and a toddler group.
The founder, Peter...
Fundraising’s a real drag...
STUDENTS from Barnsley College are raising funds by making over volunteers for an art and drag show.
Drag it Art, which takes place on October 11 at the Metrodome, is a collaboration of top drag queens and cabaret acts, music from BA Funk and a camp disco.
To raise money for Barnsley Hospice, drag queens will work with local students to makeover six volunteers and turn them into drag queens.
Raychel McGuin, the event organiser,...
Basil is stuck with Mini mania
GOING for a ride in a police car isn’t everyone’s idea of fun.
But for classic car enthusiast Basil Webb, who has been spotted cruising around in a police Mini that looks to have come straight out of the 1970s, it’s just one part of a life-long love affair with a specific type of motor.
Where some lovers of the classic Mini might stop at buying one, ‘Baz’, 78, has devoted much of his life...
Local lads made good get back to basics at college
AN INTIMATE town centre venue was turned ‘into Wembley’ as The Sherlocks - who have shared a stage with artists such as Liam Gallagher, Kaiser Chiefs and The Libertines - played an unplugged set for local fans.
The Barnsley Chronicle arranged for the Bolton-upon-Dearne band to perform an uplifting set of acoustic reworkings of songs from second album ‘Under Your Sky’ alongside their most recognisable hits.
One youngster remarked, ‘it’s like Wembley in here’ as...
Record breaker Ash’s tricks will be a treat
A WORLD record holding freestyle footballer is bringing his tricks and tips to Barnsley Academy.
Ash Randall has recently broken his 20th world record for the most football neck catch passes in one minute with his friend Steve Gray.
“I’d been aiming for the 20th for a while but I was putting it off because I didn’t know what to do for it,” said Ash.
“I’ve already broken the longest time controlling a football with...
Rockers strike right chord with label...
A MIXTURE of the old and the new has resulted in a local band being snapped up by a record label.
HUULEN, fronted by Bolton-upon-Dearne’s Andy Daniels, has signed a deal with Rock Avenue Records USA after being spotted by the label’s UK scout Duggie Kyle.
He liked the sound of the band’s older songs, when they went under the name of The Starkins, as well as their tweaked sound as HUULEN - which means...
Flavours food fest is back
FLAVOURS Food Fest makes a welcome return to Elsecar Heritage Centre on Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20.
Packed full of foodie fun, music and live entertainment, it promises to be an action packed weekend for food lovers and families alike.
Michelin award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will be headlining over the entire weekend. He will be meeting and chatting with fans as well as cooking up a storm in lively cookery demonstrations over the...
TV star’s Wath date
SPIRITUAL medium Derek Acorah - famed for his appearances on TV - is set to take to the stage in Wath as part of his all-new The Eternal Life tour.
Derek is one of the world’s most renowned spirit mediums, having demonstrated in theatres throughout the UK and has been working with spirits for 40 years. He will be coming to Montgomery Hall on October 25. He will be connecting with the spirit world and...