Party at the Station

The next station protest is in the form of a Party to Celebrate the station refurbishment.We are really pleased to have what Lord Adonis says is one of the best stations in the country. It's such a shame that East Midlands Trains are again preventing us using it with their human barriers.

Station Protest Friday 17th July 5.00pm
Come to a party!
It is 7 years since the footbridge was first conceived and to mark the occasion we are having a birthday celebration, to which you are invited.
There will be a huge birthday cake, music and street theatre with top of the bill and star performer, the one and only...Tim Shoveller!
We look forward to seeing you. Please tell your friends too. If you would like to offer entertainment, please get in touch.


Did you know that the Sheffield Town Council of 1870 was so concerned at the construction of the train station and it's propensity to divide the eastern side of the town from the town centre, that they insisted public access across the bridge be preserved across the railway site? One could argue that the construction of the 2002 footbridge is the 21st Century response to access for all.

Please come to the RASC AGM at 7.00pm on 7th July at Victoria Centre.

Meet your new MEP

This is who the good people of Yorkshire have elected as one of their representatives in Europe. Guardian article about Andrew Brons. I wonder how many of the voters realised exactly what the BNP stands for-I am ashamed that our region has elected a fascist. It could have been so much better if just a few more people had voted Green instead- then we would have the politics of hope, not hate. Caroline Lucas would rather forget the BNP and concentrate on the planet. I think if our positive manifesto had been given the publicity it deserved, instead of being lost in the mire of MP's expenses scandals, the result could have been much better. I have spoken to people who supported UKIP/BNP and they did it because they are worried about jobs and wanted to send a protest to the MP's in Westminster. How much more effective that protest would have been if it had been for Greens who want to create a million new green jobs.

Sheffield flooded again

A car negotiates a lifted drain cover and geyser on Granville Road yesterday. Further down the hill the Southside block of Castle College was inundated with sewage water.

As Sheffield clears up after the second major flood in two years, questions need to be asked about the capacity of our drains. It is clear that global warming is already bringing far more extreme weather events to our city. Our drains just can't cope with the amount of water that these flash floods bring. I remember people talking about the 2007 floods saying they were a one in a hundred year event- but here we are again two years later, and I'm drying out my cellar again.But I'm one of the lucky ones, at least I've got a cellar! Other folk are clearing up houses that they've only just got straight from the last flood having had sewage water in the main living rooms. It must be heartbreaking. So what should be done? Firstly Yorkshire Water should be investing in improving the drains- we need to plan for the expected increase in these flash floods. Secondly insurance companies could do a lot to help. Many people get discounts for having good security. Why can't we have discounts for having a water butt and/or a green roof? If lots of householders could be persuaded to make these simple improvements it would take a lot of pressure off the drains. Thirdly we need to stop paving over our green spaces. Sheffield City Council have just removed one of the few patches of grass in the city centre as part of the "regeneration" of Tudor Square by the Crucible- and householders all over the city have converted their front garden into a drive for the car. The less soil and grass we have, the worse these flash floods will become. Perhaps there should be a Council Tax discount for householders that maintain a permeable garden.

The Greens have been arguing for years that we need to do more to prepare for global warming. Unfortunately as yet very little has been done and we will be increasingly at the mercy of the elements.

Vote Green tomorrow.

Sorry I've been so quiet recently- our phone line got broken so haven't been able to blog for a while. But it's been repaired just in time to remind you to vote Green in tomorrows European elections. Here's a little video that explains the voting system very well- it's aimed at the North West region, but in Yorkshire we are facing a similar battle- and with the collapse in popularity of the big 3 parties, anything could happen tomorrow.



Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, was in Sheffield recently for "Any Questions". She stopped by to support our campaign to keep the station open to the public. There has been an interesting development in the barrier campaign. EMT have contributed £15000 for a feasibility study looking at redeveloping the current service bridge to act as a new pedestrian bridge. This will cost in the region of £1.5 million if it goes ahead. Personally I don't think this would be a good use of public money when there is already a perfectly good bridge. Surely EMT can find a better way to catch fare dodgers than blocking the bridge completely to non train travellers. There is a new poll on the Council website that asks you to choose between 3 options- keep the current bridge open, let EMT go ahead with barriers and issue residents passes, or redevelop the service bridge. Please vote for the first option! 3700 people have already done this, 94% of the vote.