Former Sheffield Wednesday mascot Barney Owl's new career revealed with indie beer shop opening
The shop is already open and trading
A Sheffield man who spent more than 20 years entertaining football fans as Sheffield Wednesday mascot Barney Owl has embarked on a very different new chapter after leaving his role.
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James ‘Jimbo’ Wilmshurst has transformed the former La Di Da shop at 12B Station Road in Chapeltown into the Ale & Radio Indie Beer Shop — the first permanent home of the online radio station he launched from his pub shed just over two years ago.
The shop is already open and trading, with an official launch and ribbon cutting taking place on Saturday, September 26.
James launched Ale & Radio with a team of contributors in April 2024, broadcasting from a pub shed in Sheffield and combining two of his biggest interests — music and beer.
What began as a hobby project has since grown into a 24-hour online radio station with more than 100,000 streams, working with breweries, festivals and independent businesses around the UK.
Now James has left his previous employment to concentrate on Ale & Radio and the new shop full-time.
James said: “It's probably the biggest leap I've ever taken. Ale & Radio started in my pub shed as an idea to combine beer and radio, and I don't think for a second I imagined that a couple of years later I'd be standing inside an actual Ale & Radio shop.
“I've left my job and recently stepped away from being Barney Owl after more than 20 years, so it really does feel like the start of a completely new chapter.”
Customers can expect pales and IPAs, craft lagers, stouts and porters, sours, Belgian and German beers, world beers and craft cider, with a large selection available chilled to take away.
The shop will also feature a regularly changing Beer of the Month, with customers able to try a small sample before deciding whether to buy.
James said: “I want it to be somewhere that's genuinely fun to visit. Of course I want people to come in and discover great beer, but I want there to be much more going on around it.
“The radio station will be part of the shop, we'll be talking to breweries, doing tastings and collaborations and hopefully creating something a little bit different.”
Putting Chapeltown on the map
James also hopes the new business can play a part in encouraging more people to discover Chapeltown and the wider north Sheffield area.
The shop is just a short walk from Chapeltown railway station, close to the M1 and only a few miles from High Green — where Arctic Monkeys formed and its members grew up.
That musical connection is something Ale & Radio plans to celebrate as the shop develops.
James said: “When people talk about Sheffield and music, understandably they often think about the city centre, but there's a brilliant musical story right here in north Sheffield too.
“Arctic Monkeys came from just up the road in High Green. For a business that's built around beer and music, that's something we'd love to celebrate.”
The new venture also marks the end of another major part of James’ life.
Having first stepped into the Barney Owl costume aged 18, he spent more than two decades as one of Sheffield Wednesday's mascots, alongside fellow Owl Ozzie.
He recently brought his time as Barney to an end as the demands of running his own business and developing Ale & Radio made continuing increasingly difficult.
Ale & Radio will continue broadcasting online alongside the shop.