Laura Andrew

Ticket buyers are urged to secure Betfred St Leger Festival passes before launch prices expire at midnight on June 30, ahead of the 250th anniversary event at Doncaster Racecourse from September 10 to 13. The programme includes Betfred Ladies Day, Gents Day with the Doncaster Cup, the Leger Legends charity race featuring Frankie Dettori, and the landmark running of the Betfred St Leger Stakes. The festival concludes with a family‑focused Sunday Funday, with organisers expecting strong attendance for the milestone year.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is auctioning over 200 surplus winter illumination displays through Doncaster-based NCM as it prepares new festive features for 2026. The lots include themed lanterns ranging from Santa and reindeer to dinosaurs and giraffes. Park CEO John Minion highlights sustainability and reuse, while NCM’s Amy Rutherford describes strong local interest in the unusual auction. Bidding closes on July 2 with items available to view and purchase online.

The Star promotes Queer Weekly, a free newsletter featuring LGBTQIA+ news, issues of the week, cultural highlights and related coverage. Readers can subscribe by visiting the newsletter page, entering their email address and selecting Queer Weekly; the first edition is due to launch soon.

Sheffield readers identify former shops they would like to see return to the city centre, recalling retailers including John Lewis, Wilson Peck, Pollards, Roberts Brothers, Woolworths and BHS. Their comments emphasize fond memories of traditional shopping, childhood visits, family trips and distinctive in-store experiences.

Sheffield readers have suggested priorities for up to £20 million in Pride in Place funding for Batemoor/Jordanthorpe and Parson Cross. Their proposals include attracting major department stores such as John Lewis, replacing empty and low-quality retail units, improving affordable parking and bus access, expanding pedestrian areas, maintaining parks and paths, adding public toilets, planting trees and creating covered public spaces. Several readers also called for lower rents and stronger support for new shops and cafés.

Readers can enter a competition by correctly predicting Team GB’s gold-medal tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics. One winner will be selected from the correct entries after the August 7 closing date and will receive a three-night Paris tour for two from Riviera Travel, including four-star accommodation, return Eurostar travel from St Pancras, and sightseeing at attractions such as the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Champs-Élysées and Eiffel Tower. The competition is open to UK residents aged over 18 and is run by National World in partnership with Riviera Travel.

Sheffield residents explain why they put up Christmas trees and decorations before December. While some prefer to wait until December or limit the decorating period, others say early decorations bring comfort, happiness and more time to enjoy the festive season. Readers including Abby Wade, Helen White, Emma Beth Platton and Katie Pickering contributed photographs of their early Christmas displays.

A photo gallery showcases Halloween costumes submitted by people from Sheffield, including freaky clowns, a zombie bride, a zombie nun and Maleficent. The gallery aims to inspire readers’ Halloween outfit choices and includes contributors’ comments and costume details.

A photo gallery showcases pet rabbits belonging to Sheffield residents, including Honey, Coco, Dillon and Rosie. Owners describe the rabbits’ breeds, personalities and affectionate habits, highlighting their sociability, energy and appeal as pets.

The Star showcases children from Sheffield in spooky Halloween costumes submitted by readers. The photo-led listicle features costumes inspired by characters including Chucky, The Mask, Jack Skellington and Pennywise, with readers describing the outfits and, in one case, noting that a handmade costume won first prize in a local dress competition.

A Sheffield community feature showcases reader-submitted pumpkin carvings ahead of Halloween. It briefly explains the tradition’s origins in the UK, including the earlier use of turnips and the belief that lanterns warded off angry spirits, before highlighting creative designs shared by local residents.

Sheffield readers submitted photographs and affectionate messages celebrating their wives and partners for Wife Appreciation Day, which took place on September 17, 2023. The feature shares testimonials from David Price, Jon Ekwubiri, Martin Howis and Sarah Havenhand, who describe their partners as soulmates, beautiful, supportive and longtime companions.

Readers in Sheffield shared photographs and personal tributes celebrating their grandparents for National Grandparents Day, held on September 10. Contributions describe grandparents as supportive, loving and generous, while several photographs preserve family memories, including wedding images from 1938.

A photo-led feature marking National Dog Day presents reader-submitted images and affectionate captions about dogs in Sheffield, including Bear, Frankie and Beau. The gallery celebrates the companionship and joy pets bring to their owners.

The Star presents a selection of reader-submitted photographs shared to celebrate World Photography Day. The visible entries feature Sheffield train station, Sheffield Botanical Gardens, wildlife and other local or scenic subjects, with contributors credited for each image.

A reader-submitted photo feature showcases adorable cats owned by people in Sheffield, published in celebration of International Cat Day. The gallery includes photos and brief comments from Jacob Roberts, Ian Mitchell, Kerry Louise Scott and Dean Ashworth about their cats.

A photo gallery celebrating Sheffield sisters and their close relationships for National Sister Day. Readers submitted hundreds of photographs and personal messages describing their sisters as best friends and essential sources of support; the gallery presents a selection of 30 images and accompanying tributes.

A reader-submitted photo gallery celebrates Sheffield residents’ aunts and uncles through family photographs and affectionate messages. Contributors describe them as exceptionally special relatives, best friends, hardworking family members and cherished companions.

Sheffield readers shared photographs and personal tributes celebrating their parents for National Parents Day. The feature highlights gratitude toward living parents, memories of those who have died, and the love, reliability and selflessness parents provide to their families.

A photo gallery showcases tattoos submitted by Sheffield residents, including designs featuring Dorothy, Marilyn Monroe, Pokémon and Sheffield Wednesday. Contributors explain the personal significance or creative appeal of their tattoos as part of coverage linked to National Tattoo Day.

A photo gallery showcases Sheffield students from the class of 2023 dressed up for their school proms and leavers' balls. The Star published additional reader-submitted images after receiving many photographs of local students celebrating, including events held at venues such as Wentworth Woodhouse.

A photo gallery presents images of Sheffield-area teenagers attending their 2023 school proms. The photos were submitted by parents, grandparents and family friends through Facebook and include students connected with Westfield School, Wath Academy and All Saints.

A reader-driven listicle argues that Sheffield is better than Leeds, drawing on more than 1,000 reader responses. The visible examples praise Sheffield’s music heritage, including The Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Def Leppard; its local condiment Henderson’s Relish; and Sheffield United, while also emphasizing the city’s green spaces, food, drink and friendly character.

Readers describe alleged paranormal experiences in and around Sheffield, including unexplained noises and lift movements at Northern General Hospital, bells and taps operating by themselves at other former hospitals, glasses and photographs moving in pubs, and a vanishing elderly man on Jawbone Hill. Other accounts involve a First World War soldier supposedly haunting a Crookes home and a spirit in an Arbourthorne house that prompted the family to move and have it blessed.

A survey of more than 1,000 Sheffield residents highlights what they believe the city centre needs, with more retail shops emerging as the top priority. Suggestions include bringing back John Lewis, adding larger shopping facilities, improving public transport and parking, reopening roads, expanding tram access and installing electric-vehicle charging points. Readers also call for better support for rough sleepers and people with alcohol problems, alcohol-free zones, a football museum, more live music, an over-30s nightclub, improved restaurants and food venues, and secure play areas for children.

A photo-led feature presents readers' suggestions for nostalgic television shows they would like to see rebooted in 2023. The selections include classics such as Bagpuss, Thunderbirds, Worzel Gummidge and Sesame Street, alongside the more modern Byker Grove, against the backdrop of the growing number of reboots from streaming services including Netflix and Disney Plus.

Millhouses Park has been named the favourite park in Sheffield by readers of The Star, with Hillsborough, Graves and Norfolk also receiving support. Located 3.5 miles from the city centre, the 12.87-hectare park has been open to the public for more than a century and offers a boating lake, swan boats, a café, gardens, playground, skate park and zip wire. Readers particularly value its family facilities, greenery and childhood memories.

A photo-led feature showcases Sheffield babies dressed in festive outfits for their first Christmas. Parents submitted photographs of the children, including Freddie, Theo, Leo, Jude and Melissa, wearing reindeer, elf and Christmas-themed clothing.

A nationwide egg shortage linked to avian flu, sharply higher energy and production costs, and falling hen numbers has left supermarket shelves bare and prompted purchase limits at Lidl and Asda. Restaurants such as Wetherspoons have altered menus, while the British Free Range Egg Producers Association warns the disruption could last beyond Christmas and calls for retailers to pay farmers more. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey expects the supply problem to be temporary. Sheffield readers largely blame supermarkets for underpaying farmers and recommend buying eggs directly from farms and local shops, where supplies are reportedly more reliable.

The Autumn Statement allows local councils to raise Council Tax by up to 5% from April 2023 without holding a referendum, potentially pushing a typical Sheffield Band D bill above £2,000. The change is intended to give councils more flexibility to fund local priorities, including adult social care, but Labour and Sheffield readers criticized it amid rising energy, food and fuel costs. The actual increase will depend on Sheffield City Council and each property's tax band.

The UK and France agreed a new migration deal under which Britain will provide France with an additional £8 million annually for 100 more coastal officers, patrols, drones, night-vision equipment, detection dogs and UK observers. Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak welcomed the agreement while acknowledging that it would not resolve the Channel-crossing crisis on its own. Sheffield readers largely criticized the policy, arguing that the money should instead support UK policing, coastal patrols, the NHS, asylum-claim processing and accommodation, and expressing concern that taxpayers would bear the cost.

The article presents six questions Sheffield Star readers would ask Matt Hancock about his participation in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, including why he joined, why he accepted a reported £400,000 fee, why he is absent from Parliament, and what he intends to do about the energy crisis. Hancock said the show would let him reach audiences who usually avoid politics and raise awareness of dyslexia, while critics viewed the appearance as self-promotional and inappropriate given his parliamentary responsibilities, COVID-19 record and forthcoming book. Hancock was suspended from the Conservative Party during his appearance and said he would donate part of his fee to St Nicholas Hospice and dyslexia-related causes.

The Sheffield Star highlights reader-submitted photographs of cats from Sheffield to mark National Cat Day, celebrated on October 29, 2022. The article explains that the annual event began in 2005 to raise awareness of cats in shelters and features photos of cats including Charlie, Maggie, Fraggle, Nora and Buttons.

A Sheffield Star feature showcases reader-submitted pumpkin carvings made for Halloween 2022. The visible entries include designs inspired by Ghostface from Scream, Stranger Things, Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and a peek-a-boo theme, alongside background on the Irish origins of pumpkin and turnip carving.

Rishi Sunak became Conservative Party leader and was set to replace Liz Truss as prime minister after Boris Johnson withdrew from the leadership contest. The political turbulence, combined with the cost of living crisis and rising household bills, prompted renewed calls for an early general election instead of waiting until 2025. Sheffield readers were divided, with several demanding a public vote while others argued that the government should settle down and govern.

Following Liz Truss’s resignation after only 44 days as Prime Minister, Sheffield readers responded with jokes and memes, including calls for Larry the Downing Street cat to replace her. The article highlights comparisons with a wet lettuce, short-lived political and celebrity appearances, and the brief tenure of Sheffield Wednesday manager Peter Eustace, while noting the wider turmoil surrounding Truss’s government, including Suella Braverman’s resignation and the Conservative Party’s fracking dispute.

Tramlines returns to Sheffield’s Hillsborough Park from July 22 to 24, 2022, with Sam Fender, Kasabian and Madness headlining. The article outlines festival opening and closing times, tram access, Covid-19 entry requirements, ticket resale plans, prohibited items, facilities and other performers.

NHS patients can rate Sheffield dentists from one to five stars on the official NHS website. The visible rankings identify Taptonville House Limited as the highest-rated practice, followed by Broomhill Dentist Practice, Hurlfield Dental Practice and Castle Dental Practice, with each practice’s distribution of patient ratings listed.

Cinco de Mayo, observed annually on May 5, commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. The celebration is marked by parades and festivals in Puebla and by Mexican-themed events, food and drinks, particularly in the United States. It is distinct from Mexican Independence Day on September 16 and the Day of the Dead on November 1–2.

A selection of flights departing from Doncaster Sheffield Airport is listed for the May–June 2022 half-term period. Fares start at £56 per person for Ibiza, with other destinations including Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Spain and the Canary Islands priced mostly below £110. The piece provides departure and arrival times, flight durations and indicative fares.

Eight food and drink festivals are scheduled across South Yorkshire in spring and summer 2022, following the return of large events after two years of disruption caused by Covid-19. The programme includes Sheffield Food Festival, a Sheffield wine event, Fox Valley Food Festival, a gin and rum festival, the Great British Food Festival at Wentworth Woodhouse, Doncaster’s Delicious Doncaster festival, a beer and gin festival in Scawsby, and Barnsley Flavours Food Festival. Events feature local traders, street food, tastings, chef demonstrations, live music, workshops and family entertainment.

A visitor guide to museums and galleries across Sheffield and South Yorkshire, covering venues in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham. It outlines each attraction’s historical or artistic focus, notable exhibitions, facilities, admission details, opening hours and address, with particular emphasis on the region’s industrial, mining, steelmaking and transport heritage.

The UK clocks go forward one hour at 1 a.m. on Sunday, March 27, 2022, coinciding with Mother’s Day, meaning people lose an hour of sleep but gain lighter evenings. The article explains the history and purpose of the twice-yearly clock changes, the terms British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time, and advises going to bed earlier to adjust. The clocks are due to go back on October 30, 2022, and forward again on March 26, 2023.

The Worm Moon, the final full moon of winter and the third full moon of 2022, occurred on March 18. Its name refers to earthworms becoming active as spring returns, while other traditional full-moon names reflect seasonal conditions or activities. The moon was expected to remain visible in Sheffield despite reaching peak illumination at 7:18 a.m., with 10:29 p.m. identified as a good viewing time. The spring equinox was due on March 20 at 3:33 p.m., marking the start of spring and longer daylight hours.

A Sheffield gift guide recommends seven local businesses for Mother's Day 2022: Cocoa Wonderland's handmade chocolate boxes, True North Store's Sheffield drinks and gift cards, Letterbox Gifts' postal relaxation kits, Jameson's Tea Room gift vouchers, Collard Manson clothing and jewellery, Bear Tree Records vinyl, and books and magazines from La Biblioteka.