News

POLICING priorities for Barnsley town centre and its surrounding areas will be set later this month.Barnsley Central Neighbourhood Policing Team’s six-weekly meeting will be held at Tesco, on Wombwell Lane, from 6pm on October 22.Residents have been invited to attend to help shape the policing team’s priority list.

LOCALS are being encouraged to attend the launch of the Penistone Family Hub later this month.On Wednesday, October 23, the family hub will officially launch on High Street, next to St John’s Primary School.A spokesperson said: “Along with a whole host of fun, it’s also the perfect opportunity for you to discover how our services can tailor their support to help you and your family thrive.“Join us from 3pm...

FUNDS were raised for Kexborough church last weekend through a friendly coffee morning. Visitors turned out for the event on Saturday morning, where they reconnected with friends, tried some homemade cakes and took part in a raffle. All money raised from the day will go towards maintaining the church.

RESIDENTS in Thurnscoe let their creative side flourish as they made and displayed scarecrows as part of a village-wide tour. Many took part in the event, designing their own scarecrows and displaying them throughout the village. Last Saturday and Sunday, residents were invited on a tour to see each of the creations.

THE manager of Mapplewell & Staincross Village Hall has announced that he is to leave at the end of the year.This follows two years of major improvements to the hall that included a £205,000 investment by the National Lottery Community Fund in 2023 and the recent £350,000 refurbishment as part of the Principal Towns funding carried out earlier this year.Nick Hibberd is to be replaced by local entrepreneur, Gez Morrall, who...

VOLUNTEERS joined Barnsley Council in Wombwell on Monday to take part in a community clean-up.Wombwell Couns Brenda Eastwood, Robert Frost and James Higginbottom the South Area Environmental Caretaker Team and communities officers alongside volunteers and representatives from South Yorkshire Police, housing and community safety officers for a morning of action.They tackled litter, fly-tipping and weed removal on Blythe Street, Barnsley Road and the surrounding areas.In a joint statement, the...

Volunteers from a local group helped clear away 32 bags of discarded rubbish over the weekend.The group, whose members come from Wath, West Melton and Brampton, honed in on the area around Wath Skate Park and the Rugby Club on Moor Road.A group spokesperson said: “Due to a great turnout we were able to clear a big space.“Our fabulous volunteers cleared a whopping 32 bags of carelessly discarded litter...

A FAMILY-friendly festival will be taking place in the town centre at the weekend.The Family Hubs Festival will kick off on Saturday, August 31 from 10am until 4pm.There will be family-fun entertainment aplenty throughout the day, with headlining performances from local singer, Viva la Vintage, and entertainment for the children with Hippochondriac, Daft as a Brush, Football Crazy and Shed of Stories.A spokesperson for the council said: “You’ll be...

A TOTAL of 15 members of staff from the Department for Work and Pensions in Sheffield travelled to Elsecar to take part in a community litter-pick. Joining volunteers from the Barnsley South Area Team, the litter-picks covered areas including the canal, Wath Road, Church Street and the reservoir. A total of 18 bags of rubbish was collected.

The Superjam Tea Party returns next week.The dementia-friendly event will be at the Holiday Inn in Dodworth on Tuesday and features entertainment from Ian King.Tickets – which are £12 – must be booked in advance and include afternoon tea and live entertainment.To book contact Kathy Markwick, Freelance Community Consultant, on 07729 528844 or via email at kathymarkwick@gmail.com

A VOLUNTARY community group has secured a £30,000 grant from the council to install new play equipment for local children.Mates of Milton, a group of local residents who volunteer to keep the area clean and inviting, were awarded a £30,000 grant from the council’s Pride of Place grants scheme.The scheme has supported more than 50 community-led projects that improve the quality of life and wellbeing of residents.The grant enabled...

THE Refugee Council made the most of the sun this week as they took people to Locke Park to help them get out and socialise.On Tuesday, 14 refugees and asylum seekers took a trip to Locke Park where they were given the opportunity to climb the tower and learn about the area’s history.The visit was supported by the Friends of Locke Park, who helped open the tower 11 years ago....

NEW local MP Marie Tidball attended her first local event as the Labour Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge at the weekend.Ms Tidball said: “Thank you to Thurgoland Community Welfare for inviting me to their excellent community Fun Day today – my first local event as our MP!“Well done to all the volunteers who organised it and for all the local people who took part, especially in their mini Olympics.”...

THE Barnsley South Family Hub officially opened to the public last week.The hub, based in Wombwell, was opened by Mayor of Barnsley Coun John Clarke and his wife and mayoress Doreen.Following a ribbon cutting ceremony by the Mayor, families were invited inside each hub to meet a wide range of expert family support services, who can offer guidance, help and support whenever they need it. The first-of-a-kind opening with the...

SCHOOLS and community groups across Worsbrough are set to benefit from a pot of funding that has not been touched for five years.In 2017, a group of residents formed a committee to put on the Worsbrough Fair.They were successful in applying for a £10,000 National Lottery Fund grant to fund the fair but didn’t spend the entire amount.The committee has now disbanded and the funding, which has remained untouched...

BARNSLEY Football Club’s charity wing has been successful for a grant to support residents across the town.The Barnsley FC Community Trust will now support the Take Action, Live Longer Scheme for early cancer screening working in partnership with NHS South Yorkshire ICB, Barnsley Council and Barnsley CVS on behalf of South Yorkshire Cancer Alliance.The funding will help address health inequalities and support timely presentation of signs and symptoms of cancer....

PUPILS at a special needs school in Thurnscoe have been volunteering within the community to help out those around them.Robert Ogden School youngsters took part in gardening work at the Dearne Unit in Goldthorpe, helping the Safe Places site maintain its outdoor area.Teaching assistant Andy Walton said: “The students also purchased some herbs and compost for them as a way of saying thank you for letting them come out and do...

PENISTONE’S Young Farmers’ Club have been named the county champions for the first time in over a decade.The group, now in its 80th year, have more than 60 members aged between ten and 28.Held at the annual county rally in Thirsk, the group took home the top prize for the first time in 11 years – much to the delight of each and every one of them.Chloe Mott, who...

BARNSLEY Council are celebrating Learning Disability Week.Taking place from today until June 23, the council is working closely with local organisations to celebrate the creativity of local people with learning disabilities.A free programme of events will be hosted across the town centre during the week.On Wednesday, June 19 an exhibition will be launched at the Library @ the Lightbox – displaying artwork, paintings and creative projects from local people...

BARNSLEY Council’s How’s Thi Ticker team has won a national Public Health award.How’s Thi Ticker is a community blood pressure check campaign which brings free blood pressure checks out into communities. The team, which won this year’s Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Public Health award, has delivered more than 7,500 free blood pressure checks to date, making it easier for people to find out their numbers and have important conversations about looking after...

BARNSLEY Football Club and its charity wing delivered more than 100 player appearances last season – a 300 per cent increase on the previous year’s figures.This work included the launch of Sky Bet’s ‘Building Foundations Fund’, hosted at Oakwell in conjunction with the EFL.‘Show Racism the Red Card’ held an event within the Copier Systems Legends Suite in September which saw Barnsley FC Women captain Charley Evans, Barnsley FC defender Barry...

BARNSLEY Youth Bowling Club has more than doubled its initial target from a 12-hour non-stop bowling fundraiser.The Barnsley YBC members undertook the marathon effort at Barnsley Bowl, Carlton, on May 12 and have donated the proceeds to Barnsley Hospice.They handed over £2,024 to Simon Atkinson from the hospice on Saturday.

AN unused building which dominates High Street in Hoyland is finally set to come back into use after the council struck a deal with the Community Shop.The organisation sells surplus products donated by major retailers, brands and manufacturers at a heavily discounted rate.Gary Stott, executive chairman, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be bringing Community Shop to Hoyland.“With the continuing cost-of-living challenges, this store will make an enormous difference to...

THE community rallied together to create a special memorial area at Birdwell Primary School in memory of a dedicated member of staff.Sue Black, a much-loved school meals supervisory assistant, recently died after years of service to the school.Headteacher Steve Honeyman said Sue’s presence and impact on the school community were undeniable, as she touched the lives of countless students and staff with her warmth, kindness and unwavering commitment to her role....

TWO devoted dads from Thurnscoe are one step closer to realising their dream of opening up a sensory garden for autistic children in the area.Michael and Paul Atwal-Brice are avid fundraisers for several charities and have won a number of awards.They have two sets of twins – Levi and Lucas, and Lotan and Lanson.Levi and Lucas both have severe autism, developmental delay, severe learning difficulties, are pre-verbal, and can...

BARNSLEY Council has been supporting Creativity and Wellbeing Week which aims to highlight the positivity it can have on residents.On Wednesday, a creative health celebration event took place at Barnsley Civic to showcase work whilst offering local people more opportunities to learn about creative health in the town.There will also be a jazz concert yesterday at Barnsley Library.Anna Hartley, executive director for public health and communities, said: “We’re pleased...

YOUNGSTERS in Great Houghton will be celebrating after the area’s village hall committee secured almost £30,000 in funding for new play equipment.The funding, which was handed to the committee through the Pride of Place grant scheme, will help deliver three new pieces of accessible playground equipment at Pleasant Avenue Park.A new nest swing, accessible roundabout and monkey bars will be added to the site in the coming months – at a...

BARNSLEY East MP Stephanie Peacock stopped off a town centre charity to hear about what’s being done to help dementia sufferers.Ms Peacock is a patron of BIADS and has visited the facility a number of times, offering her support for the work that staff and volunteers do ahead of Dementia Action Week.She said: “I am proud to be a patron of the charity and to support the work that staff and...

BARNSLEY Council has embarked on a mission to find the town’s ‘treasures’.Bosses want to hear from local residents about what they believe makes the town exciting and unique.Locals are being invited to attend a series of free workshops across Barnsley, taking part in cultural activities such as creating writing and object handling.If people would like to, they can bring a piece of their own ‘treasure’ that connects them to...

WATH Festival returned earlier this for the 51st time.Families were treated to all the entertainment they’ve grown to expect, including Morris dancing and musical performances.Midday on Saturday, the traditional reading of Thomas Tuke’s took place, followed by the throwing of 40 dozen loaves of bread from the church spire.The unusual tradition comes from the clergyman’s will, in which he gave money for bread to be donated on St Thomas...

BARNSLEY Hospital Charity’s Make A Memory Appeal has hit its £300k following a three-year fundraising campaign.The massive effort has seen hundreds of Barnsley residents get involved – and bosses say it’s thanks to the ‘overwhelmingly generous’ support of local people who have chipped in since 2021.The success will improve the lives of dementia sufferers in the town and boost patients’ facilities.The target was established to transform the care of...

A LOCAL library celebrated its official reopening on Friday following a refurbishment.The Mayor Coun Mick Stowe conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and residents are invited to explore the revitalised space."We are thrilled to celebrate the reopening of Worsbrough Library, a beloved cornerstone of our community," said Coun Stowe. "Libraries are more than just buildings; they are sanctuaries for learning and imagination. I encourage everyone to visit and experience the magic within...

RESIDENTS in Tankersley and Pilley are being encouraged to submit their views on the area’s new neighbourhood plan.The neighbourhood plan team formed last year, with the aim of reaching out of the community to ensure they have a say on how the area develops over the next ten to 15 years.A survey has been created for residents to complete, with a closing date of May 21.John Thornton, who has...

MEMBERS of the Barnsley Palestine Solidarity Campaign headed to Sheffield to support protesting students.Youngsters at the University of Sheffield want the higher education hub’s bosses to disclose what investments in Israel are and divest from them, saying they will continue their occupation camp until the university takes action.They point out that there is still no ceasefire in Gaza and across Palestine and that more than 34,000 Palestinians – two-thirds women and...

WENTWORTH and Dearne MP John Healey recently paid a visit to see the new home of a local disability charity.Social Eyes is a day service provider which supports adults with learning disabilities and autism and runs several creative life skills and activity sessions.The group has moved from the drop-in centre in Rawmarsh to a new facility at the Methodist Chapel on Princess Street in West Melton.Mr Healey said: “It...