Kim Mogg

Sheffield baker Nikkie French of Sweet Temptation Cakes rushed to repair a wedding cake that began falling apart shortly before a couple's ceremony on August 8. She and her partner Les collected tools, buttercream and a spare cake, then stabilised the poorly assembled cake under significant time pressure. French's account went viral on Facebook, attracting more than 1.2 million views. The story also highlights the bakery's growth from French's hobby in 2015 into an established Hackenthorpe business offering customised cakes, modelling and other baked goods.

The SwitchBot Standing Circulator Fan is reviewed as a versatile smart-home device that can function as both a desk and standing fan. It offers three height settings, up to 28 hours of battery life, quiet operation, adjustable airflow, oscillation, a night light and compatibility with smart-home platforms and voice assistants. Priced at £99.99, it is recommended for quiet nighttime use, summer cooling and year-round air circulation.

Builder’s Brew Cafe, opposite Sheffield Cathedral, offers families and adults access to hundreds of LEGO sets alongside coffee, cakes and snacks. The cafe charges £4.50 per person per hour, provides free-building bricks and Duplo sets for younger children, and advises booking while accepting walk-ins when space allows. Owners James and Laura Beech say the venue is designed for both children and adults, and it has grown since opening in 2023.

A grass fire burned an approximately 50-metre stretch of Longley Park in Sheffield on July 28, prompting a response from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. The blaze is the latest in a series of fires affecting Sheffield’s green spaces, while the Met Office reports very high or exceptional wildfire risk across much of England and Wales. A prolonged moorland fire at Tintwistle Moor in the Peak District is also described as one of England’s largest wildfires.

A reviewer describes the iGulu F1 Smart Home Brewer as an easy-to-use automated device for brewing beer, cider, wine, and kombucha at home, highlighting its simplicity, high beverage quality, and minimal maintenance. Limitations include small batch size and a high upfront cost. Despite some issues with instructions, the reviewer concludes it is an impressive choice for home brewing enthusiasts.

The Old Horns Inn in High Bradfield, near Sheffield, is praised for its views over the Peak District and Damflask Reservoir, family- and dog-friendly atmosphere, range of drinks and home-cooked food. Landlord John Wyke says the pub’s warm welcome and atmosphere encourage visitors to return, with customers travelling from as far as Nottingham. The pub, which has won several Thwaites awards, underwent a major refurbishment in summer 2024.

The National Videogame Museum in Sheffield will open Together We Play on 18 July 2026, celebrating videogame communities, fan memories, personal collections and shared play. Highlights include a mural by William Exley, Sheffield residents’ Minecraft project Sheffield of Stories, a recreated 1980s living room, a 1990s gaming space featuring Doom, and Mario Kart Wii. The exhibition is supported by the BFI National Lottery Screen Heritage Fund and runs alongside the museum’s unlimited summer-return ticket offer through 1 September.

Cawa has opened a new cafe in Sheffield railway station’s former first-class lounge on platform five. The project brings a previously underused heritage space back into public use, creates local employment and supports regional suppliers. The June 30 launch was attended by civic, business, transport and community representatives, with Cawa’s Deon Jacobs emphasizing the venue’s role in welcoming visitors to Sheffield.

Residents of Moorland Road in Gleadless, Sheffield, have decorated homes and telephone wires with England flags and bunting ahead of the team’s World Cup match against Panama. Friends Luke and Shawn plan to add more decorations for every England goal, reflecting wider celebrations across Sheffield as pubs, restaurants and homes prepare to show the match.

Sheffield Theatres’ production of the musical Summer Holiday, based on Cliff Richard’s 1963 film, has opened at the Crucible during a heatwave. The story follows Don and his friends on a European bus trip, where they help the pop group Do Re Mi and encounter the runaway Barbara. The review praises the infectious soundtrack, Sheffield references and comic performances from Jane McCarry and Damian Humbley, while co-director Elizabeth Newman highlights the show’s optimism and lack of cynicism. The production runs until July 18, alongside a free summer-holiday beach on Tudor Square.

Marmadukes celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Sorting Office cafe on Sheffield’s Ecclesall Road with a free World Cup and Mug Championship. Customers and staff competed with their favourite mugs, received free coffee from Origin Coffee Roasters, and took part in qualifying rounds and finals on June 23. Marmadukes employee Nick Newton won the competition, receiving vouchers, an Origin gift bag and a handmade Clare Anderson Ceramics plate, while other winners received donated prizes.

Sheffield’s Crossed Wires Podcast Festival will return for its third edition from July 2 to July 5, following an attendance of 25,000 people the previous year. The four-day event will feature live shows, performances, special guests, DJ sets and fan events, including Greg James and Alice Levine’s Bad Chat, a boxing discussion hosted by Johnny Nelson and Andy Nicholson, BBC Sounds programming, and BBC Radio 4 shows at The Montgomery.

An Audi Formula One show car is on Sheffield’s Fargate for one day only, from 10am to 6pm on June 22, as part of a nationwide tour organised with partner Revolut ahead of the team’s debut at the 2026 British Grand Prix. Visitors can play interactive games, win merchandise and enter draws for Silverstone tickets, while the final prize includes a VIP race experience. The tour follows Revolut research showing strong British interest in Formula One but significant barriers to attending races, including ticket, travel and accommodation costs.

Sheffield Cathedral, 1554 Coffee Shop and Supertram are hosting the #StrikeAPaws competition from June 18 to 20, inviting dog owners to take photographs at the cathedral between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Twelve winners will receive prizes including a professional photoshoot, inclusion in the 2027 Dogs of Sheffield Cathedral calendar, a gift bag, a Supertram week-long pass and a cathedral concert ticket.

The Choir of Man is praised as an energetic, feel-good production that transforms Sheffield’s Lyceum into an interactive pub. Although it lacks a conventional storyline, its celebration of friendship, familiar rock, pop and folk songs, strong choreography, tap dancing and audience participation creates an engaging night-out atmosphere. The full cast receives acclaim, particularly Jack Skelton, Niall Woodson and Nimi, while a finale featuring 92 local choir members singing Sia’s “Chandelier” brings the audience to its feet.

Sharrow Vale Community Association has transformed a graffiti-covered wall beside the Mogul Room on Hickmott Road into a colourful mural featuring the words “Our Vibrant Community.” Designed in consultation with residents and painted by local artist Rob Lee, the project was funded through the Sharrow Vale Market and local LAC funding after weather and COVID-related delays. The association, which also supports local causes and neighbourhood clean-up efforts, says the mural demonstrates what the community can accomplish collectively.

Sheffield-based artist Conor Rogers won second place in the Football Art Prize for an acrylic painting of Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder with his head in his hands, rendered on a betting slip. The international competition, organized by Touchstones Rochdale and Parker Harris, explores football’s influence on passion, identity, community and culture. Rogers’s work is included in a touring exhibition that opened at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery before moving to Manchester’s National Football Museum.

The BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 is presented as a compact 288Wh portable power station suited to camping and household power cuts. Weighing 4.3kg, it delivers up to 600W of continuous output and can charge devices including smartphones, laptops, lights and mini-fridges. Its app supports charging controls, monitoring and memory settings, while turbo charging provides faster replenishment. The review is positive overall, though a solar-panel cable must be purchased separately.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary is seeking volunteers to help with donation sorting, caring for rabbits and guinea pigs, assisting in the cattery, dog walking, charity-shop work and event support. The sanctuary, founded in 1988, rescues and rehomes dogs, cats, rabbits and equines. Additional volunteers are especially needed for car parking at the Fun on the Farm event on 5 July, with inductions held at its North Anston site.

Sheffield Wine Week returns from June 24 to 28, 2026, with tastings, talks, pairings and a wine festival on Bole Hills in Crookes. The Pangolin in Hillsborough and Hillsborough Book Shop will host an evening on June 25 featuring five wines paired with five books, with guests able to take home their favourite book-and-wine pairing. The city-wide festival is being coordinated by Mike from Old Shoe/Not Open Don't Come and Virginia from Tenaya.

Weston Park Cancer Charity has unveiled its Ribbons of Hope ‘Bridge of Remembrance’ in Sheffield’s Weston Park. The display features purple and white ribbons bearing the names of loved ones who have died and is open to the public until June 30. Donations will support cancer research, treatment improvements and patient services. Sheffield Lord Mayor Andrew Sangar opened the display, which was assembled by Wake Smith Solicitors volunteers, while Forde Recruitment sponsored the campaign and local florists donated the ribbons.

Around 800 people took part in Breast Cancer Now’s Pink Ribbon Walk at Chatsworth House, completing 10- or 20-mile routes to raise funds for breast cancer research and support. Emmerdale actor Lisa Riley joined the event and spoke about losing her mother, Cath, to breast cancer in 2012. The charity’s walks have raised more than £15.5 million over 21 years, while Breast Cancer Now highlighted the continuing need for research as breast cancer diagnoses are expected to increase.

Craig Betts, known as the “Inflatable Runner,” plans to attempt a world record at Rother Valley parkrun on May 30 for the largest group of people completing a parkrun in inflatable costumes. He began running after a cycling accident and turned to inflatable costumes after seeing how they lifted people’s spirits. Betts will also join Dan in a six-hour continuous charity run in June to help fund treatment for Dan’s wife, Claire, who has stage-four metastatic melanoma and is exploring clinical trials and treatments in the UK and abroad.

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary will hold its annual Pooches in the Park fundraiser at Sheffield’s Millhouses Park on 13 September 2026. The free family event will include dog-show classes, a Best in Show competition and a sausage race, with entries costing £2.50. Funds will support the sanctuary’s rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming work across South Yorkshire. Organisers also encourage corporate volunteering, dog walking and other forms of support.

Fawlty Towers – The Play, adapted by John Cleese from three original television episodes, has arrived at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre on a UK tour. The production starts slowly as the storylines are introduced, but its second act delivers sustained slapstick comedy and strong audience laughter. Danny Bayne is praised for his portrayal of Basil Fawlty and Emily Winter for her performance as Sybil. The play is recommended for existing fans, although its dated content and reliance on familiarity may limit its appeal to new audiences.

The Luna Ring Gen 2 is presented as an affordable, subscription-free smart ring offering sleep, readiness, activity, cycle, stress, and recovery tracking through the Luna AI engine. Its lightweight titanium design and new on-the-go charging are strengths, while battery life of up to five days, intrusive internal sensors, and recognition limited mainly to walking and running are drawbacks. Voice controls via Siri and the LifeOS AI coach expand its functionality, although the reviewer rarely used the coaching feature. Overall, it is recommended as a strong beginner smart ring for users seeking health insights without a large subscription fee.

Sheffield residents recommend local pubs for festive drinks and Christmas meet-ups. The visible entries highlight Malin Bridge Inn for its winter-wonderland decorations, festive atmosphere and Christmas cocktails, alongside The Gardeners Rest at Neepsend, Bankers Draft and Fat Cat. The article encourages readers to support local pubs and suggest additional venues.

BBC director general Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness resigned after allegations of serious and systemic bias, including the editing of Donald Trump’s speech and coverage of Gaza and trans rights. Sheffield readers offered sharply divided reactions: a small minority defended the BBC as accurate and balanced, while most accused it of bias and questioned its denial of corruption. Several called for the TV licence to be abolished and the BBC to become a subscription-funded service, while others questioned its political balance and coverage of Reform UK. The resignations come as the BBC faces critical discussions with the government about its future and funding.

Sheffield residents recommend their favorite parks for walking dogs, highlighting Longley Park, Norfolk Park, Millhouses Park and Graves Park, along with other green spaces such as Whirlow, Endcliffe and Graves. The recommendations emphasize Sheffield’s extensive open spaces, woodlands and park cafés.