10 times Sheffield made national and international headlines, including Willy Collins memorial and Johnny Depp

There’s always something happening in Sheffield but the city doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves.

By Robert Cumber

Published 23rd Apr 2023, 04:45 BST

Besides steel, The Full Monty and the Arctic Monkeys, it’s perhaps best known for the World Snooker Championship. With the eyes of the world fixed on Sheffield during this year’s tournament, the event hit the news when play was interrupted by a Just Stop Oil protester who leapt onto a table and emptied a packet of orange powder.

It’s not the first time Sheffield has made national and international headlines, as this photo gallery shows. How many of these events do you remember?

These are just some of the occasions Sheffield has made headlines nationally and internationally

1. Sheffield in the headlines

These are just some of the occasions Sheffield has made headlines nationally and internationally Photo: Other

When this 37-ton memorial to dad-of-nine Willy Collins was unveiled at Shiregreen Cemetery in March 2022 it attracted worldwide attention. Rumoured to have cost £200,000 and featuring two life-sized statues of the bare-knuckle boxer, as well as LED lights and a jukebox playing his favourite tracks, it was hard to miss. There was controversy over whether the giant memorial complied with planning permission but over a year later it remains standing.

2. Willy Collins headstone

When this 37-ton memorial to dad-of-nine Willy Collins was unveiled at Shiregreen Cemetery in March 2022 it attracted worldwide attention. Rumoured to have cost £200,000 and featuring two life-sized statues of the bare-knuckle boxer, as well as LED lights and a jukebox playing his favourite tracks, it was hard to miss. There was controversy over whether the giant memorial complied with planning permission but over a year later it remains standing. Photo: Dean Atkins

Sheffield is no stranger to tree disputes but this one was on a much smaller scale. A 'petty' row between neighours on Briar Close, in Waterthorpe, led to a tree being cut in half - as this bizarre photo shows. The neighbour responsible reportedly objected to the branches overhanging their driveway.

3. Tree cut in half

Sheffield is no stranger to tree disputes but this one was on a much smaller scale. A 'petty' row between neighours on Briar Close, in Waterthorpe, led to a tree being cut in half - as this bizarre photo shows. The neighbour responsible reportedly objected to the branches overhanging their driveway. Photo: David Kessen

Magid Magid certainly made the most of his year in the chains as Sheffield Lord Mayor, garnering attention for his outspoken views and eyecatching fashion sense. Probably the stand-out moment was when he banned Donald Trump from Sheffield, branding him a 'wasteman', while wearing a sombrero in a show of solidarity with 'Mexicans, other Latins and all people suffering at the hands of the Trump regime'. He even invited members of Sheffield’s Mexican community to perform a traditional Mexican dance during an interim in the council meeting. He said at the time: "In this current climate of politics where fear and hate is widespread, the last thing we need is a world leader like Donald J Trump being a spurting cesspit of hate, stoking divisions between communities while scapegoating minorities."

4. Sheffield Lord Mayor bans Donald Trump from city, calling him a 'wasteman'

Magid Magid certainly made the most of his year in the chains as Sheffield Lord Mayor, garnering attention for his outspoken views and eyecatching fashion sense. Probably the stand-out moment was when he banned Donald Trump from Sheffield, branding him a 'wasteman', while wearing a sombrero in a show of solidarity with 'Mexicans, other Latins and all people suffering at the hands of the Trump regime'. He even invited members of Sheffield’s Mexican community to perform a traditional Mexican dance during an interim in the council meeting. He said at the time: "In this current climate of politics where fear and hate is widespread, the last thing we need is a world leader like Donald J Trump being a spurting cesspit of hate, stoking divisions between communities while scapegoating minorities." Photo: Submitted

Sheffield Johnny Depp Just Stop Oil