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Scheme to tackle chronic loneliness
A JOINT project by Barnsley Museums and Heritage Doncaster will support older people who are lonely or isolated after receiving generous funding.
The scheme will have a focus on the Dearne Valley, and aims to create volunteering opportunities and reduce chronic loneliness.
It will run until December 2025 and involve delivering creative and wellbeing activities in the local areas and sharing learning between the two museum services.
The project will also enable groups to visit...
Flower show first for stately home
WENTWORTH Woodhouse will host a prestigious flower show for the first time next year.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced that the flower show, previously held at Tatton Park, will be held at the grand site next year.
The show has attracted around 80,000 visitors in previous years - and it’s hoped the turnout next year will be similar.
Helen Pettit, the RHS director of shows, commercial and innovation, said: “We’re incredibly excited to...
Series of bike thefts lands man in jail
A REPEAT thief has been jailed after officers connected him to a series of crimes in Barnsley.
Ian McAffrey, 37, was arrested and charged with burglary on 17 April, following an incident which saw him a raid a shed in Dodworth on 25 March.
He pleaded guilty and was handed a four-month suspended sentence, but at the time of his arrest, officers found a pushbike in his car which they suspected was stolen...
LOCAL HISTORY: A glimpse into a bygone age
SOME more sketches by Kenneth L Graham have been unearthed in our archives room.
The pictures, from his Old Barnsley series, were originally featured in the Chronicle way back in 1932 and give an insight into a bygone age.
Some of the sketches will be instantly recognisable despite huge changes across the town over the last century.
It’s believed Kenneth produced 46 sketches in total.
Partnership aims to make homes safer for children with asthma
YOUNG asthma sufferers who live in council houses in Barnsley will be targeted through a joint partnership in a bid to make homes safer for those living with the respiratory condition.
Asthma is the most common long-term medical condition in children in the UK, with around one in 11 children living with asthma.
South Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Alliance have teamed up with Berneslai Homes, who manage properties for Barnsley Council, to ensure kids...
Young boy left with 'serious injuries' following hit-and-run
A TEN-YEAR-OLD boy has been left with serious injuries following a hit-and-run in Brierley this week.
At 5.55pm on Tuesday, police were called to reports of a road traffic collision on Church Street.
Upon arrival they found the boy who had suffered injuries including a fractured cheekbone in the collision.
He was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.
The grey van...
Police issue warning over courier fraud
POLICE in Barnsley are urging residents to remain vigilant with their online banking after it became easier for criminals to commit courier fraud.
The most common way that courier fraudsters operate is by calling their intended victim on the phone and claiming to be from their bank, the police, or another trusted authority.
Once they have established a veneer of trust, the fraudsters will claim that an unusual payment has been spotted on your bank...
Mayor raises over £20k for chosen charities
THE Mayor of Barnsley has raised more than £20,000 for his two chosen charities over the last 12 months.
Coun Mick Stowe raised £10,346.16 for each the Barnsley Blind and Partially Sighted Association (BBPSA) and Barnsley Hospice.
Representatives from the two charities were invited to the mayor’s parlour last week to be presented with their cheques.
Throughout the year, the mayor has hosted a 23-mile charity walk, a charity ball and golf day.
He said:...
MP praises government on broadband progress
BARNSLEY’S only Conservative MP Miriam Cates has praised the government after it was revealed thousands more households in her constituency now have better broadband.
Across her constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge in 2019, only two per cent of households had access to gigabit broadband.
This has increased to more than 56 per cent this year.
Mrs Cates said she will work to ensure more of her constituents have access to better broadband.
She added: “I...
Learners face L of a wait amid test shortage
THOUSANDS of learner drivers face long waits to take their test because of a shortage of appointments.
New research suggests in Barnsley, just over 15,000 people are learning to drive but current projections show only 8,261 test appointments will be available this year.
The data gathered through Freedom of Information requests and Office for National Statistics figures found that monthly demand for tests in 2024 exceeds the monthly capacity for testing by almost a fifth....
Jenny spreads the joy of reading
A NEW mum is taking time out of her busy schedule to provide free books to children across Barnsley.
Jenny Duffy, 33, whose son was born only nine months ago, will be running a book hunt throughout the month, where she will hide more than 100 books in town for youngsters to find.
The project has been supported by town centre businesses The Yorkshire Witch and Old George, who have provided funding for the books...
Hospice accumulator tops £25k
BARNSLEY Hospice has raised more than £25,000 over one month through its ‘Accumulator Challenge’.
The challenge saw 20 teams do their best to turn a £30 loan into as much money as possible throughout the month of March.
Teams did everything including making orange gelato, fancy dress, hosting raffles and crafting a Barnsley Hospice-themed cocktail, as they worked to honour the hospice’s 30th anniversary.
Altogether they made £25,024 over the month, meaning that the Accumulator...
New Academy opens up new opportunities for students
THE new Berneslai Homes Academy has officially opened at Barnsley College.
The aim is to give students across Barnsley access to more high-quality education and training and more opportunities to experience the world of work.
There is already a long-standing connection between the college and Berneslai Homes - and it’s hoped the academy will strengthen the connection between the two.
Berneslai Homes supports a range of apprentices as well as currently hosting a number of...
Barnsley historian moves on to mining museum
HISTORIAN John Tanner - who oversaw the creation of Experience Barnsley in the town hall - has landed a new role at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield.
Dr Tanner has a long track record of successfully delivering major projects and will take up the job of head of masterplan and capital projects at the site.
For Barnsley Museums, he led the creation of Experience Barnsley and he has also been involved in increasing...
Women urged to ‘think twice’ over cancer symptoms
BARNSLEY women who may put off seeking a medical opinion upon finding a symptom of cancer have been urged to think twice as part of a new scheme which aims to increase early detection rates.
Following the successful launch of the ‘Peace Of Mind’ campaign by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance, the focus has shifted towards highlighting symptoms associated with womb cancer.
Sometimes called endometrial or uterine cancer, it is the fourth most...
Residents celebrate boundary decision
RESIDENTS across Silkstone and Silkstone Common are rejoicing this week after the Boundary Commission sided with their wishes to remain in the Penistone East ward - after scores of locals aired their concerns about proposed changes.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) reviewed Barnsley’s 21 boundaries having last done so in 2003 - and their final draft report was released to the public earlier this week.
Approval to press ahead was granted by...
Community centre extension wins approval
PLANS to extend St John’s Community Centre in Penistone have been approved by Barnsley Council’s planning board.
An application to demolish existing outbuildings and replace them with two new extensions were originally submitted in February.
The plans, for the site on Church Street, were approved last week.
A report states: “Penistone is a historic market town which has its main retail and service offer concentrated on Market Street which is further enhanced by the new...
Councillor demands action over year-old sinkhole
A LOCAL councillor has questioned the Coal Authority after a six-foot-deep sink hole in Hoyland has ‘remained untouched’ for over a year.
It’s located on the the Cloughs Estate - an area around Clough Fields Road in Hoyland - but was left with little work completed.
The council subsequently covered the sink hole and an investigation found a mine shaft had collapsed.
But, more than a year later, Coun David White - who represents the...
Action needed over ‘shocking’ life expectancy figures
THE wealthiest women in Barnsley are living almost a decade longer than the poorest females, new figures have revealed.
New analysis by academics from the Institute of Health Equity at University College London shows the difference in life expectancy of the least and most deprived female residents in Barnsley has grown by 2.3 years, from 6.3 in 2010-12 to 8.6 in 2017-19.
This period was used because it was before the coronavirus pandemic, which substantially...
Club presses ahead with FA Cup dream
A LOCAL grassroots football club who are dreaming of competing in the FA Cup are seeking planning permission to improve the facilities at their ground.
Dodworth Miners’ Welfare’s senior team are currently competing in the Sheffield County Senior League step seven of the football pyramid and are only one league away from being able to compete in the oldest national football competition in the world.
However, if they are to make that step up they...
Reggie supports fellow pupil with 100-mile challenge
A YOUNGSTER raised more than £1,500 over Christmas to support a fellow pupil who’s suffering with cancer.
Reggie Cartwright, ten, ran 100 miles in December to raise funds for Children with Cancer UK, after he found out that a Gawber Primary School pupil had been diagnosed with cancer.
He originally planned on finishing the full distance on Christmas Day, but ended up going above and beyond and managed to complete it a day early, raising...
Town square revamp ‘well worth the wait’
THE official opening of Hoyland Town Square - following a £400,000 redevelopment - was ‘well worth the wait’ according to the Mayor of Barnsley Mick Stowe.
Its redevelopment saw work undertaken by Barugh Green-based AmcoGiffen - with a contract tendered at £155,000 - over a number of months.
After the work was finished last year, a celebration event was held by Barnsley Council to open the new-look town centre but residents felt there was very...
Electric buses to take to the roads
STAGECOACH is set to introduce its first electric buses into Barnsley later this month.
In partnership with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and the Department for Transport (DfT), the buses will be on the town’s roads from May 20.
The 23 electric buses will feature on the 22x and 221 routes which run from Stagecoach’s Rawmarsh depot, connecting the Dearne Valley across Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster.
Stagecoach Yorkshire’s managing director, Matt Kitchin, said:
Reece shows real community spirit
A YOUNG volunteer has been developing new skills while helping his community.
Reece Childs, 15, has been working for the volunteer group Jolly Good Communities in Cudworth for two years now.
With them, he helps set up events while supporting their planning and delivery within the community.
Through this, the Outwood Academy Shafton pupil has developed a variety of new career skills, particularly improved organisational and financial awareness.
He said: “The first event which I...
Young champions aiming for national glory
A LOCAL school football team is vying for national success.
Lacewood Primary School, in Bolton-upon-Dearne, have so far this year won both the Pokemon Cup in South Yorkshire and the Don and Dearne-focused Totty Cup.
With these wins under their belt, the team of year six students - all aged ten or 11 - are looking to make a national name for themselves, and managed to represent South Yorkshire at Liverpool FC’s academy back in...
Superhero Lauren is a girl on a mission
A YOUNG girl from Hoyland Common described as a ‘superhero’ is wanting to raise awareness of a rare condition - which affects just one in 18,000 children in the UK - and show people it’s not holding her back.
Lauren Taylor, 12, was born with a rare genetic condition called Williams syndrome which is characterised by developmental delay, intellectual disability, cardiovascular disease and growth deficiency.
She was born weighing just three pounds and 12 ounces,...
Bus move high on agenda for Coppard
SOUTH Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has revealed work to bring bus services back into public ownership will be high on his agenda having been re-elected.
Mr Coppard won the election with 138,611 votes, roughly 51 per cent of all votes cast in the ballot.
He was first elected mayor in 2022 and should have served a four-year term, but the election was brought forward after the roles of mayor and South Yorkshire Police and Crime...
Boxing duo’s proud day at the palace
FATHER and son boxing team Josh and Mick Wale enjoyed a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ day out as they attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace this week.
Josh, Mick and Gail, Mick’s wife and Josh’s mum, were invited to Wednesday’s event as a thanks for their work in the community.
Now based in Brampton, the Wale-run gym has been a safe place for youngsters to get fit, keep out of trouble and learn discipline for more than...
Charity appeal smashes £300k target
A THREE-YEAR fundraising effort which has involved hundreds of Barnsley residents will improve the lives of dementia sufferers in the town - after a huge target was finally smashed to boost patients’ facilities.
Barnsley Hospital Charity’s Make A Memory Appeal reached £300,000 - and bosses say it’s thanks to the ‘overwhelmingly generous’ support of local people who have chipped in since 2021.
The target was established to transform the care of the elderly ward at...
Proposed traveller site turned down
PLANS to turn former allotments in Brierley into a caravan site for a traveller family have been turned down by Barnsley Council.
The site, off Mackey Lane, is just over 1,000sqm in size and there is currently a twin unit mobile home sited at the northern edge.
An enforcement notice was issued in October last year, stating the work was classed as ‘inappropriate development on the green belt land’.
A report states: “Heavy plant and...
In-demand charity to develop safe houses
A DOMESTIC abuse charity will develop properties in Barnsley to accommodate people who cannot access a busy women’s refuge due to more complicated needs.
Although figures for the final quarter of 2023/24 have not yet been published, 788 women had come forward in the first nine months of the year surpassing estimations.
More than a quarter of the 788 were repeat cases and 29 victims were relocated to a women-only refuge in...
Two charged over Grimethorpe incident
TWO people have been charged following an investigation by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit into transportation of firearms into the UK.
Ian Claughton, 58, and Lesley Claughton, 57, both of Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, have been charged with bringing a realistic firearm into the UK, two counts of possession with intent to supply class B drugs, possession of a firearm and being concerned with production of class B drugs.
Ian Claughton...
‘Community really came together’ in evacuation drama
COMMUNITY spirit shone through after Grimethorpe residents were told to pack their bags and evacuate after a number of suspicious items were found at a property.
The bomb squad descended on Brierley Road on Wednesday morning after South Yorkshire Police placed a 100-metre cordon around the house on Brierley Road.
Overnight, the evacuation zone was reduced to just three houses, whose occupants are expected to have to stay out of their homes until this evening....
Accident blackspot action ‘comes at a price’
SWIFT action has been taken at an accident ‘blackspot’ on the edge of the town centre - which has been the location of five accidents in as many months - after motorists claimed their line of vision was being obstructed by a pedestrian crossing.
The junctions of Racecommon Road, Park Road and Keresforth Hall Road saw three accidents over the festive period while a more serious collision occurred last month which resulted in a hospitalisation....
Caring Annalise supports mum and excels at school
A YOUNG girl who’s had to learn to look after herself from a young age has pushed past her difficult start to support her mum and excel at school.
Annalise Sharp, 11, has been through a lot in her young life.
In 2020, during the pandemic, she lost her dad unexpectedly, and since then has had to support her mother, Laura Peasegood, whose health deteriorated as she suffers with fibromyalgia - a condition that causes...
Brewing giant set to reopen local pub
A WOMBWELL pub could soon reopen to the public thanks to huge funding from beer giant Heineken just months after they brought a new lease of life to a Worsbrough boozer.
The Junction Inn, based on Wath Road, closed its doors to pub-goers in 2018 before briefly operating as a bistro.
Heineken UK’s Star Pubs subsidiary are now set to reopen the site, alongside 61 other long-term closed locals, this year.
With working from home...
Parents unite in call for improved SEND provision
PARENTS who believe their children have been failed by the local education system are uniting in the hope of improving special needs provisions.
James-Swallow Gaunt - whose 17-year-old autistic son Ethan used to attend Penistone Grammar School before he was removed and home-schooled during his year ten studies in 2022 - has created an online group to allow all parents who feel their children with special educational needs aren’t being treated correctly can communicate.
The...
Hospital keen to ease pressure with prescription pilot
BARNSLEY Hospital bosses have confirmed they would be keen to trial outpatient prescriptions being sent to local pharmacies after it was revealed the ‘demand on the NHS has never been greater’.
The NHS pilot, which was first launched during the pandemic, aims to enable hospital outpatient prescriptions to be sent electronically to a patient’s community pharmacy.
It’s hoped the pilot will help ease the pressures on the hospital after it was revealed some patients were...
Police thank residents and confirm incident is non-terrorist related
GRIMETHORPE residents are continuing to return home as police confirm that yesterday’s incident on Brierley Road was non-terrorist related.
Police have confirmed that a number of suspicious items, which were discovered when officers supported a Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit warrant yesterday morning, were removed from the property yesterday and the area has been made safe by colleagues from the army's EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team.
A police sp
Parliamentary visit for Barnsley students
BARNSLEY College students were given an ‘amazing opportunity’ to visit Parliament last month.
The students who represented the college in a Parliamentary inquiry into electric vehicles were given the chance to see the impact of their work in Westminster.
Barnsley College was one of only six schools and colleges in the country to be accepted onto the programme, launched in August 2023 to understand how the government will achieve its target of decarbonising...
More Barnsley residents may be eligible for carer's allowance
THOUSANDS of unpaid carers are receiving benefits in Barnsley, new figures have revealed.
Those providing care for more than 35 hours and earning less than £151 a week are eligible for a carer’s allowance – a weekly payment of £81.90.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show there were 5,923 people receiving the benefit in Barnsley as of last summer, the most recent available figures.
A further 2,541 people were...
Supported living go-ahead for new-build houses
PLANS to use two newly-built Hoyland properties as supported living accommodation for young people have been approved by Barnsley Council.
Both of the properties on Cumberland Road have three bedrooms and the plans are to house up to six young people - aged between 16 and 25 - when at full capacity.
The young people are those who are looked after by the local authority, and care leavers, who are waiting to be housed by...
LOCAL ELECTION 2024: Our reporters round-up the news as Labour celebrate ‘excellent results’ despite low turnout
LABOUR maintained their majority council at last week’s election despite a lower voter turnout than in previous years.
Results in Barnsley reflect the national trend, as the party won 17 of a potential 21 seats in Barnsley.
The remaining four seats Darton East, Dodworth, Kingstone and Penistone West were taken by the Liberal Democrats, with a surprise win for Steve Bullcock, who had unsuccessfully run in two previous elections.
Meanwhile the Conservatives...
Musicians in harmony for new show
TWO institutions of Barnsley’s musical heritage are uniting for a new show.
Thurnscoe Male Harmonic Voice Choir and the Barnsley Metropolitan Band - who are celebrating 100th and 50th birthdays respectively - will be joining forces later tomorrow (Friday) for a show that will display the very best of the town’s local musical talent.
The show starts at 7pm at St John and Mary Magdalene Church in Goldthorpe, with tickets available on the door.
After...
Grimethorpe evacuation zone reduced to three houses
THE cordon surrounding a property in Grimethorpe was reduced to include just three houses late last night.
Police advised local residents who were originally evacuated that they could return safely to their homes.
All roads in the area have now been reopened.
A small cordon remains in place at three properties involved in the incident on Brierley Road and a police presence remained in the area overnight.
A 57-year-old woman and...
Daredevils urged to stay out of open water
SOUTH Yorkshire Fire and Rescue bosses have teamed up with Yorkshire Water in a bid to warn local residents about the dangers of entering open water.
There are eight reservoirs in Barnsley - including in Langsett, Elsecar and Worsbrough - and the Be Water Aware campaign urges daredevils to stay out of them.
The latest figures indicate there were 226 accidental drowning deaths in 2022 across the UK with six taking place in Yorkshire -...