The Leadmill Sheffield: First South Yorkshire throws support behind venue with 'drive a bus' competition

First South Yorkshire is offering people the chance to steer a bus through an obstacle course in support of The Leadmill.
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The bus operator is the latest company to throw its weight behind the famous Sheffield music venue, and is showing its support by holding a one-of-a-kind contest.

Four lucky winners will be invited to put their skills to the test and drive a bus through an obstacle course of cones and barriers against the clock.

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If that doesn’t set contestants’ nerves on edge, they then get to do it again – but blindfolded.

The Leadmill in Sheffield.The Leadmill in Sheffield.
The Leadmill in Sheffield.
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The competition is being held in support of The Leadmill, whose operators are fighting to prevent themselves being evicted by their landlords in 11 months time.

Rob Hughes, operations director at First South Yorkshire, said: “The Leadmill is an iconic music venue that is recognised across all music genres, it is probably easier to mention who in the music industry has not performed a gig here, so to help protect one of Sheffield’s historical and popular attractions we are getting behind their campaign in support of keeping it running in its present form.

"To help spread awareness and at the same time have a bit of fun, we have offered a few lucky people the chance to get behind the wheel of a bus to undertake some of the training our drivers would go through when they join us.”

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To enter the contest, The Leadmill is asking hopeful drivers to comment on its Facebook post. The winner will be randomly picked at 5pm on Friday, April 22.

The competition comes after The Leadmill was served notice by its landlords, Electric Group, last month ordering it to vacate the property in March 2023.

Electric Group says it plans to keep the building as a music venue and invest £1m.

The venue has launched a campaign to ‘save the Leadmill’, and has been met with widespread support by key figures in the music industry and the public.

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The team has also launched a billboard and poster campaign across Sheffield, where passersby can scan a QR code to sign the petition.

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