News

BARNSLEY take on Sheffield Wednesday in the League One play-off final this afternoon.Michael Duff’s side will be looking to make an immediate return to the Championship after last season’s relegation to the third-tier of English football.The Reds have already beaten the Owls twice this season - and third win in a row will see them promoted back to the Championship.What are your predictions for this afternoon’s game?

THE headteacher of a Royston primary school is urging parents to park considerately when picking their children up – after a pupil was nearly run over last week in a ‘terrifying’ ordeal.Rachel Ward, headteacher at Parkside Primary Academy on Midland Road, received a letter from a year five child – Bronte Webster – last week alerting her of an incident which happened outside the school gates.The letter said: “I’m writing to inform...

A MEDIEVAL-THEMED festival that took place last weekend was a ‘massive success’ with thousands in attendance, according to its organiser.Medieval Mayhem, which spanned Saturday and Sunday at Monk Bretton Priory, included a variety of historic-based activities including axe throwing, birds of prey, a puppet theatre and musicians.Organiser Victoria Agnew told the Chronicle the event saw more than 5,000 people with the new Mayor of Barnsley, Coun Mick Stowe, impressed by the...

BARNSLEY Council were called out to almost 3,000 rodent infestations last year – the equivalent of more than eight every day.A Freedom of Information request shows the council tackled 2,952 rodent infestations in 2022 – down from 3,261 the year before.It was also down from 3,258 infestations recorded in 2020.Ian Andrew, chief executive at the British Pest Control Association, said rodents are a ‘serious public health pest’ with rapid...

A BARNSLEY teenager will be making her way to Brazil later this year to represent England in the World Schools Championship.Gabrielle Idle-Beavers, 15, from Darton, will travel to Rio de Janeiro in August to take part in the swimming championships which are held in the Olympic arena.She’s been swimming religiously since she was just eight and has gone from strength-to-strength – and her mum, Nicky, said she couldn’t be more proud...

A PAIR of midwives from Barnsley Hospital have won a national award from the Royal College of Midwives.Yasmeen Akhtar and Melissa Addy – specialist mental health midwives at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – received the Outstanding contribution to midwifery services: Perinatal Mental Health Award at the RCM annual awards in London last Friday.Around one in five women experience mental health problems during or after pregnancy.Recognising the need for...

FAMILY and friends of a young man who tragically fell to his death whilst scaling a mountain took part in a 90-mile bike ride last weekend to raise funds for the rescue team whose members recovered his body.Jack Carne, from Monk Bretton, was just 23 when he died in February while out climbing 3,200-feet-high Gribin Ridge in Glyderau, Snowdonia, with two of his friends.The group were ascending the mountain when a...

MEMBERS of Stairfoot Ward Alliance celebrated the installation of a defibrillator in Kendray last week.The lifesaving equipment – which was installed at Rae House on Thursday – was funded by the alliance and is one of three defibrillators that will be installed across the ward over the coming months.Phil Hollingsworth, service director for communities at the council, said: “The Stairfoot Ward Alliance are proud to be able to put up new...

ALAN Littlewood has been a member of Worsbrough Bridge Cricket Club since he was 11 years old.Forty years on, and now the club chairman, he is still playing a huge role in ensuring that the club is thriving and does great things for its community.Nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award in the Volunteer of the Year category, Alan has taken on many roles within the club over the years from...

A TAXI firm in Barnsley is attempting to raise money for the hospice by taking part in its accumulator challenge.City Taxis chose Barnsley Hospice and their charity of 2023 earlier this year, and they will take part in the accumulator challenge alongside 17 other firms.The aim is to raise as much money as possible for the charity, using a £31 seed fund provided by Barnsley Hospice’s very own ‘Lord Sweetener’....

A SOAPSTAR visited a domestic abuse support group in New Lodge on Tuesday to raise awareness of domestic violence and lend a hand to charity members.Resolute Women’s Support Group currently hold meetings in different venues across the borough and are hopeful to set up another group in Worsbrough from next month.Coronation Street actress Sally Carman, originally from Mexborough, who plays the role of Abi Franklin in the ITV drama, stopped by...

TWO new collections of archives are now on display for residents to see at Barnsley Archives.Catalogues of documents about Monckton Colliery and Monckton Coke and Chemical Company can now be seen for the very first time. The records held by Barnsley Archives cover the period when the colliery and chemical company were locally owned.Records end with the nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947, and the Coke and Chemical Company...

A PAIR of ‘crazy’ Barnsley fans will travel nearly 1,000 miles to Wembley on Monday – after they booked a holiday to Barcelona before the season concluded.Matt Wood, 47, and his eight-year-old son Hartley, may well be travelling further than anyone else as the Reds face Sheffield Wednesday in the League One play-off final next week.When Michael Duff’s side started the season poorly, Matt, from Wombwell, decided to book a trip...

BARNSLEY College students have created crisp packet blankets to help keep the homeless warm overnight.After taking part in lessons about global warming, students decided to collect and reuse crisp packets and turn them into blankets to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic going to landfill, whilst creating an effective method to protect the homeless from wet weather.The scheme took six weeks, as the youngsters collected a great number of crisp...

PLANS to offer an in-person banking service when the final remaining venue operating outside of Barnsley town centre closes its doors in the summer are being explored by council bosses following a backlash.Barclays insists its King Street branch, in Hoyland, only has a dozen regular customers but its planned closure in July following a decade of other branch closures across the borough will inflict ‘serious damage’ on elderly customers who are not comfortable...

STEVE Iveson and Shiro Ando both live in America but the pair are busy planning a fundraising challenge to raise funds for a Barnsley charity.The men’s families have been deeply affected by dementia and as Steve’s family, who live in Barnsley, are currently being supported by local dementia charity BIADS (Barnsley Independent Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support), they decided to take on the enormous challenge of the National Three Peaks.The paid hope...

MORE than 36,000 households in Barnsley should now have received a cost-of-living payment from the government, new figures have revealed.Department for Work and Pensions figures show around 36,500 households in Barnsley are eligible to receive up to £900 in cost-of-living payments.They are among more than eight million households across the UK who will receive the support.Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 100 households.The first of three...

STAFF at Barnsley Hospice have launched an appeal for local people to donate their time and join the hospice as a volunteer.The hospice is currently recruiting volunteers in various roles across the hospice, retail hub and ad-hoc fundraising events.Hospice director of human resources and organisational development, Stephen Hall, said they are keen for people to get involved and find a role to suit them.He said: “Since before the hospice...

POLICE chiefs have vowed to clamp down on criminals targeting Barnsley’s rural outposts and taking advantage of quiet routes out of the county after pleas for action were made by farmers who have been left on the brink by high-value thefts.According to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), 2020 and 2021 saw a reduction in thefts a decrease attributed to long spells of Covid-19 lockdowns before incidents started to climb last year.Parish...

THE family of a woman who contracted Covid and died in March as a result of developing pneumonia are hoping to raise £1,300 for ward 23 at Barnsley Hospital.Kathleen Jenkinson contracted Covid at the beginning of March, before then having difficulty breathing and needing to be admitted to the hospital.Sarah Allam, one of her daughters, said her mum soon developed pneumonia and her condition ‘rapidly deteriorated’ before staff made the decision...