News

BARNSLEY Council have launched a new emergency contact centre to respond to coronavirus related emergencies.The scheme, set up to help the vulnerable people of the borough, began yesterday.The contact centre puts people in touch with support to help them, and where needed volunteers can deliver essential supplies, help with medication or have a chat with people so they don’t get lonely.Coun Jenny Platts, spokesperson for adults and communities, said:...

BARNSLEY Council has announced that they have closed all household waste recycling centres across the borough with immediate effect.According to the council, the sites have remained very busy and crowded, despite guidance from the government to only travel for essential reasons.Queues have formed on the highway, increasing the risk of accidents, and staff have been subjected to abuse when implementing social distancing measures.Please keep any waste you would usually...

RESIDENTS affected by severe floods which swamped Barnsley in November are eligible to apply for cash from the second phase of an emergency relief fund.The South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) aimed to provide ‘immediate relief’ to those impacted by way of an initial £200 grant, but the second phase will allow victims to apply for up to £1,000.Darton and Wombwell accounted for most of the flood-damaged properties following the torrential downpours on November 7.A...

THIS years bin collection calendar has been uploaded onto the Barnsley Council’s website.The calendar has been redesigned to be more accessible for residents in a simpler layout and format and provides the schedule running from January 2020 to January 2021, including changes to the Christmas and New Year service. Coun Chris Lamb said: “Our brand new bin calendar design should make it easier for our residents to find out when their bin...

WITH Christmas approaching, Yorkshire’s NHS 111 service is reminding the people of Barnsley to order and collect repeat prescriptions before GP surgeries and pharmacies close for the holidays.Hundreds of patients call NHS 111 during the festive season because they have run out of their regular medication, leading to unnecessary worry for themselves and increasing pressure on urgent care and out-of-hours NHS services.Dr Eithne Cummins, GP and clinical director for integrated urgent...

GP APPOINTMENTS will be available for over Christmas and New Year as i-HEART Barnsley will offer appointments on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day at sites across the borough. Some pharmacies will also be open on these days. On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, phone lines for appointments (242419) will be open from 8am to 9.30am for appointments between 10am and 2pm. Outside of these hours, people...

WITH Christmas around the corner, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) is reminding customers to plan ahead for their travel during the festive period in Barnsley.From Friday, December 27 until Monday, December 30, buses will follow a Saturday service, apart from Sunday, December 29, when they will operate a Sunday timetable. Train services will run as normal after a late start on Friday.On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, buses will...

A TAXI rank in Barnsley town centre will be relocated from January 6, it has been announced.The facility, on Midland Street, will move to Eldon Street to allow for work to be carried out on the Superbowl UK site in The Glass Works.From January 20, both Kendray Street and Midland Street will become limited access. Entry will be restricted to construction vehicles and vehicles used to access businesses within the...

BARNSLEY Council is reminding all residents to check their bin days to make sure they are prepared for changes over the Christmas period.Bins that are scheduled to be collected on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day will be rescheduled. Changes to collections on these dates will be on residents’ current bin calendars and can also be viewed online.The council is asking residents to check their calendars at least two weeks before their scheduled...

‘SIGNIFICANT progress’ in attainment is being celebrated across Barnsley schools after a report found that they were performing above the national average.The provisional education outcomes report, which was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, saw Barnsley rank higher than Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield for attainment in GCSE maths and English.Rachel Dickinson, executive director of people directorate, said that that the outcome is ‘something to celebrate’, with the results also finding...

A NEW service has been launched by Barnsley Hospital to help families with premature babies.The group, which runs once a month at Lundwood Family Centre, has been formed in response from parents whose babies were born at the hospital.Nurse Rachel Thrumble said: “Parents often see their baby in an incubator attached to numerous wires and machinery which can create a barrier and impact on the ease and frequency that mum and...

POLICE are urging residents to be vigilant in the lead up Christmas.Opportunistic thieves take advantage especially when presents are piled under the tree, expensive items left out on show, and doors and windows left unsecured.DCI Paul Murphy said: “Over the festive period, we are encouraging everyone to make sure their houses are secure and take precautions to keep themselves and their homes safe. Don’t make it easy for criminals. “Make...

A DAIRY farm’s products have been recalled due to a potential link to an E.coli outbreak. Barnsley Council, along with Public Health England, have recalled all of Oxspring-based Darwin’s Dairy products including all forms of its milk and cream. Environmental health officers visited the dairy, at Whitefield Farm, Halifax Road, after Public Health England became aware of an increase in E.coli cases in South Yorkshire. A total of 18 ‘confirmed or probable’ cases have been identified in...

A FLOOD relief fund has been set up to help dozens of people whose homes were ruined earlier this month.The South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF) said just over 100 households were now known to be affected in Barnsley and appealed for people to apply for funding.Darton and Wombwell accounted for most of the flood-damaged properties following the torrential downpours on November 7. The council has offered £250 per house affected, topped up by a government...

BARNSLEY COLLEGE is the only college in South Yorkshire to be chosen to run new T level courses which start in September.The college will be offering new technical courses in construction, digital, and education and childcare which will begin in September 2020. A further 22 courses will be rolled out in stages from 2021, which will cover subjects such as finance and accounting, engineering and manufacturing, and creative and design.T Levels are a new two-year...

OFFICERS in Barnsley have issued a warning to shoppers after several incidents of purse thefts in the town centre, and have introduced a way for people to ‘hear’ their purse.‘Purse bells’ have been introduced by South Yorkshire Police and are available for people to pick up at the front desk in Barnsley Police Station.Sergeant Steph Coverley said: “It’s the time of year when our high streets across South Yorkshire start to get busier,...

A PILOT scheme aimed at giving people face-to-face contact with support services in Barnsley was launched this week.The ‘Talking Point’ programme, a partnership between Barnsley Council and social care, housing, police and health services, hopes to give residents a better idea of what support is available in order for them to improve their own independence and wellbeing.The project’s pilot scheme, targeting the Dearne, was launched at Goldthorpe Library yesterday and will see further...

WOMEN in Barnsley will now be able to access cervical screening appointments in Barnsley at evening and weekends.Nurses from the iHEART Barnsley service will be offering cervical screening appointments on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 10.30pm and on Sundays from 10am to 2pm at the Chapelfield Medical Centre in Wombwell.The appointments have been set up to help women get appointments at a time most suitable to them. Appointments can be booked in advance...

CHANGES to the opening times at the household waste and recycling centres across the borough have come into effect today.The winter opening times will see all four centres close at 4pm.The centre on West Street, Worsbrough, will open at 8am and Smithies Lane, Springvale and Nicholas Lane will open at 9am.All centres will continue to open seven days a week but will close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day...

IN SUPPORT of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Barnsley Hospital is raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.The hospital will also be making people aware of the importance of attending screening appointments. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, with around one in eight women in the UK being diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.However, if detected earlier, treatment has a higher rate of success....

SMOKERS are being encouraged to put down the cigarettes for good as Stoptober campaign kicks off today.Yorkshire Smokefree has over one hundred clinics across the region with weekly group and one-to-one sessions available along with telephone and online support.Nationally, the Stoptober campaign has driven over 1.9 million quit attempts and is the biggest mass-quit attempt in the country.Those who choose to quit with the support of their local stop smoking service are four times...

BARNSLEY Council is set to declare a ‘climate emergency’ with plans to create a zero-carbon borough earlier than its original target.The council says its strategy is to reduce pollution levels and bosses are aiming to a achieve a zero carbon borough by 2040 – ten years sooner than the government is aiming for nationally – as air pollution has been cited as the fourth biggest threat to public health after cancer, heart disease and...

TODAY is World Suicide Prevention Day and residents are being encouraged to ask Alright Pal?The #AlrightPal? Campaign from Barnsley Council demonstrates the importance of people spotting signs and choosing to take a small action and asking if a person is ‘alright?’.The council are working with partners including MIND, and Barnsley Samaritans as well as Barnsley Football club.A spokesman from Barnsley council said: "Our #AlrightPal? campaign is all about starting the conversation around...

A NEW campaign has been launched in a bid to encourage women to monitor their alcohol intake as research suggests there are breast cancer risks associated with alcohol.The ‘Spot of Lunch’ campaign, launched by the council and in partnership with the Yorkshire and the Humber Alcohol Alliance, are using TV, online and Facebook in a bid to help women make more informed choices on their alcohol consumption.Latest figures show one in seven UK females will be...

PASSENGERS across Barnsley are being encouraged to check for bus service changes ahead of a new timetable coming in next month.From September, around a quarter of all services in South Yorkshire will see route or timetable changes, although South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive said some local buses will benefit from increases in frequency and improved reliability.Tim Taylor, SYPTE’s director of customer services, said: “We’ve worked hard with bus companies to protect the network...

A NUMBER of pharmacies will remain open this bank holiday Monday.With the bank holiday weekend, most GP practices and pharmacy opening hours are likely to be different from normal.However, these pharmacies around Barnsley will be open and accessible:- Asda Pharmacy, Asda Superstore, Old Mill Lane, 9am – 6pm- Boots, Cheapside, 10am – 4pm - Tesco Pharmacy, Tesco Extra, Wombwell Lane, 9am – 6pm.Anyone needing to access GP services can still...

A POPULAR park has gone smoke free as part of Yorkshire Day celebrations.Elsecar Park marked the occasion with a launch event at the bandstand.Coun Jim Andrews, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health, said: “We want to provide as many smokefree environments as possible for children and their families to enjoy, and I’m thrilled that the whole of Elsecar Park has committed to this ambition.“Evidence shows that if young people see smoking as part of...

Now families and groups can save more as a popular group travel offer is to be available everyday over the summer by Stagecoach Yorkshire.Starting Monday 22nd July 2019, Stagecoach Yorkshire will extend its 5 for a Fiver ticket offer to include weekdays during the summer holiday period until the end of August.For just £5, customers can purchase a ticket that can be used by any group of between two and five people on most Stagecoach...

We know you’ll be busy during the festive period, so we’ve put together a survival guide to help you through! Travel information, pharmacy openings, emergency numbers, supermarket opening times… it’s all in here! Merry Christmas!Supermarket opening times:ALDI opening times across BarnsleyChristmas Eve 24 Dec - 10am-4pmChristmas Day 25 Dec - CLOSEDBoxing Day 26 Dec - CLOSEDWednesday 27 - 8am-10pmNew Year’s Eve 31 Dec - 10am-4pmNew Year’s Day...

STAGE three of the Tour de Yorkshire 2017 will race through Penistone this Sunday, and we've put together a guide to help you get the most out of the day.Will I be able to park nearby?The council is encouraging people to avoid unnecessary car journeys on the day and to be aware that parking at hotspot venues will be limited. Can I get to the race using public transport?Take a look at...

WE know you'll be busy over the Easter weekend, so we've put together an Easter survival guide to keep you up to speed!We've been in touch with everyone we could think of to get you the need-to-know information.In here, you'll find info on doctors, pharmacies, buses, trains, bin collections and supermarkets.Happy Easter!Doctors: Most GP surgeries will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. However, 111 cover will be available as...

A RAFT of changes to Barnsley’s bus services come in this weekend - and we’ve got you covered. The changes follow a consultation with communities and councillors last June and July that saw over 1,000 people give their views. As part of of the changes, new ‘BConnect’ day (£4.50), seven day (£16) and 28 day (£60) tickets have been made available from TravelMaster that can be used on any bus in Barnsley. Existing single operator...

We know you’ll be busy during the festive period, so we’ve compiled a survival guide to help you through! Travel information, pharmacy openings, emergency numbers, supermarket opening times… it’s all in here!Supermarket opening times: Asda, Old Mill Lane Christmas Eve: Closes at 7pm Christmas Day: Closed Boxing Day: 9am - 6pm Dec 27: Opens at 7am Dec 28: 24 hours Dec 29: 24 hoursDec 30: 24 hours New Year’s Eve: Closes at 7pm...

TRANSPORT bosses have announced a potential shake-up of bus services in Barnsley - that could see some big changes made to the town's bus network. Plans for a new bus network and ticket system in Barnsley are to be put to transport chiefs for approval next Monday (November 7), following consultation with local communities and councillors on proposed changes for the borough.It would see changes to bus timetables, routes and frequencies - that would...

It's that time of year again! Bonfire and firework displays will be taking place across the town, and we've created a WAB Guide so you can see where they are.The Fitzwilliam Arms are putting on their annual fireworks display on Friday for you Hoylanders, if you fancy a pint and some pie and peas the fun starts at 6pm. Hoyland Common Working Men’s Club are going all out too. On Friday they’ll be a bonfire,...