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Sheffield amongst nine areas to be long listed for UK City of Culture 2029

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Clementine Hall - 18th March 2026

It's big news for Sheffield as the city has officially been long listed to become the UK City of Culture in 2029.

It’s one of just nine places across the country to make the cut, alongside the likes of Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wrexham.

Winning the title could bring huge investment to Sheffield, thousands of visitors, and a massive spotlight on everything that makes our city special - and let’s be honest, Sheffield’s got plenty to shout about.

From music and film to art and grassroots creativity, culture runs right through this city, and it would be a huge achievement to receive this title.

So, what happens now? Each arena will now receive £60,000 to develop a full application with the aim to build a vibrant cultural programme by 2028.

The nine confirmed long listed locations are: Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "For far too long, opportunity has not been shared equally across the country. The UK City of Culture and new UK Town of Culture competitions recognise the enormous contributions made by communities all over the UK who are all part of the story of who we are as a nation.

"I look forward to seeing what the nine long listed places have in store as they progress in the competition. I also urge any towns thinking about entering the UK Town of Culture competition to seize this opportunity and get involved. It’s a chance to show the country what makes them unique and shine a spotlight on their cultural offer, enriching the lives of local people."

Go on Sheffield, we're rooting for you big time. We can't think of a city more worthy.

Read more: Public transport across South Yorkshire to be rebranded as the South Yorkshire People’s Network

Featured image - The Sheff

Sheffield

TV presenter’s rant pointing out double-standard over Sheffield Wednesday punishment goes viral

Danny Jones Sky News presenter rant about Sheffield Wednesday punishment compared to Premier League clubs

Sky News presenter rant about Sheffield Wednesday punishment compared to Premier League clubs

A TV presenter and Sheffield Wednesday supporter's speech about the perceived double standard concerning another pending points deduction at her club compared to the punishment of Premier League clubs is trending online.

Many believe she's pretty bang on the money, to be fair.

Wednesdayite Sophy Ridge, who hosts a regular Sky News show with fellow presenter Wilfred Frost, recently took the opportunity to indulge in some understandable fan frustration during a show this week.

Admittedly, getting on her soapbox a bit - and for good reason - the Richmond-born Owls fan simply shed light on the contradictory nature of Sheffield Wednesday's penalty set for the next season over financial violations when compared to top-flight offenders.

Went on a bit of a rant on telly comparing how Chelsea & Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt with#swfc

pic.twitter.com/AeHhlwNRtH
— Sophy Ridge (@SophyRidgeSky) March 17, 2026

Citing both Manchester City (with their estimated 115-130 charges still no closer to being resolved) and now Chelsea as being the most recently accused of breaking regulations, she argued that there's a significant difference between penalties teams are being slapped with - or in some cases, still avoiding.

For instance, while the Man City saga first broke back in February 2023 and relates to alleged breaches dating all the way back to 2009, they are yet to be confirmed as guilty, at least not in any public announcement.

As for the West London club, Chelsea have only just been hit with a fine, albeit a Premier League record sum of approximately £10.75 million, as well as a 12-month transfer ban, though it has already been suspended for two years.

This is due to them having made undisclosed payments to agents, players and various other individuals during the Roman Abramovich ownership era.

Meanwhile, for anyone who hasn't been following the huge furore among the long-suffering Sheffield fanbase, Wednesday fans, players, and footballing staff are the ones being penalised for what many believe is nothing more than 'improper' and 'irresponsible' management of the club at an executive level.

For context, they are currently set to start the next 2026/27 campaign in the EFL's third tier with a 15-point handicap, which could very well spell yet another disaster year, with Ridge adding: "How attractive is that [a club sale] going to be for an owner that might be looking at back-to-back relegations?"

https://thehootleeds.com/the-sheff/sheffield-wednesday-could-be-set-for-a-starting-points-deduction-next-season/

Sadly, it seems that its matchgoers and other die-hards are the ones set to pay the price this time, as they often have been; according to the sports journalist, that's often the case further down the pyramid.

For instance, Todd Boehly's Chelsea organisation seem to have been let off the hook regarding any setback in the standings due to their cooperation with the profit and sustainability (PSR) investigation, and because their offence pre-dates the modern PSR guidelines era.

In fact, Chelsea were actually said to have voluntarily reported themselves regarding historic offences within youth football, which also seems to have afforded them some leniency.

Put simply, she believes it's unfair for the soon-to-be League One side to face such harsh terms and a fee just a few million shy of the figure they've been told they 'must' pay outgoing owners, Dejphon Chansiri, while Chelsea face "no sanctions despite the fact this [illegal spending] clearly would have given them a sporting advantage" in the past.

What do you make of the whole saga, and do you think there's a difference in how so-called 'bigger' clubs are treated compared to those in lower divisions?

Read more:

Featured Images — Sky News (screenshot)/Daniel Bagshaw (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sheffield

Public transport across South Yorkshire to be rebranded as the South Yorkshire People’s Network

Clementine Hall

A new brand has been revealed for public transport in South Yorkshire.

Not only will it receive the swanky new name, but the network will also be accompanied by a rather eye-catching colour scheme that will be applied to buses and trams across the region.

That's right - bright orange.

The revamp is all part of a whopping £1.5bn investment into transport across the region that will see the tram network renewed and buses brought under public control.

South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: "I promised to make change happen, to give South Yorkshire back the world class public transport system we once had, and that's exactly what we're doing.

"That's why we're putting in a huge investment to fix our public transport system, backed by even greater ambition, so that we can build something that truly works for all of us across South Yorkshire; a real People's Network."

The new name will appear across the region on bus stops, tram staff uniforms and more. It will operate like the Bee Network over in Manchester.

Transport bosses sat the colours of orange, grey and black were chosen because they speak to the region's history of "industry, Northern grit, and resilience".

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said: "Alongside major investments like Northern Powerhouse Rail to Sheffield from Manchester and Leeds as well as critically a new station in Rotherham, improving connectivity within South Yorkshire and connecting it better to the rest of the North will change lives here for decades to come."

And it's not just all about the rebranding, as the mayor has also promised a long list of transport improvements including the imminent opening of a new tram-train stop in Rotherham, extensions to the tram network and free travel for all under-18s across South Yorkshire by summer 2027.

Read more: Sheffield has been named one of the UK’s top ‘pub culture’ hotspots

Featured image - SYMCA