THROUGHOUT our regions, the To Let or For Sale signs hang outside once-thriving public houses, reminders of times gone by. The pubs are victims of drastically changing habits - and the smoking ban, which has emptied tap rooms everywhere.
Community leaders bemoan the loss of these focal points of neighbourhood activities and call for action to stop the loss of such important institutions.
But one pub, in Sheffield city centre, will not be mourned.
It is the Cannon, on Castle Str
eet, which has stood empty and without customers since February when it lost its licence after the city council complained of falling standards.
Over the years, the pub had developed a seedy reputation as a hang out for people waiting for their cases to be heard at the local courts and it became a magnet for gangs and trouble, with 42 crimes and many disturbances being recorded in its final year.
People were known to cross the street rather than walk by some customers loafing around in its doorway.
However, it is not its unsavoury past which has caught up with the pub, but an uncertain future. It has been sold to be converted into an amusement arcade and apartments.
As they say, all good things come to an end. And so do all bad things. And good riddance in this case.
Year-long reminder of mum’s generosity
A BOX of chocolates and a thank you card are the usual means for people to express their gratitude after a stay in hospital restores someone’s health - and faith in human nature after being cared for by dedicated and highly skilled medical staff.
But young Sheffield mum Carrera Murray has taken the gesture a stage or two further after the Sheffield Children’s Hospital cured her daughter of a rare condition which caused her to walk on tip-toed feet.
She is organising a charity calendar to raise money for the hospital.
This is a marvelous gesture and one which will not only be welcomed now but will serve as a reminder of the hospital’s good work for a year to come.
The full article contains 358 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
