Working out of a hideaway in the Loxley Valley, Andrew Vickers has been tasked with creating ‘eco-niches’ for threatened species to call home.
The writer and performer’s new stage story blurs the lines between family history and occult fantasy, in an attempt to “re-enchant” the world.
At recent local elections, the seats won by each party did not match their share of the vote – without urgent reforms to make local government more representative, Sheffield’s decision-making could bear little resemblance to how we vote.
We spoke to musicians and promoters who say they can feel a new buzz in the city’s scene.
Thursday 21 May 2026 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sheffield Energy Hub, Pinstone Street
Tickets are £5 (free for unwaged/low-waged)
As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, ecosystems are collapsing, and the planet’s future hangs in the balance. For centuries, our legal systems have treated nature as something to be owned and exploited, but a bold new movement is challenging this paradigm.
In The Forest Fights Back, Jessica den Outer explores a groundbreaking global movement – Rights of Nature – taking on the legal system to recognise the rights of rivers, forests, and mountains to exist, flourish, and sustain their ecological balance. From the fight for the Whanganui River in New Zealand to the battle for Spain’s Mar Menor lagoon, den Outer highlights the campaigns led by grassroots communities, telling stories of determination and legal ingenuity.
This movement goes beyond law – it represents a cultural shift that could reshape how we live, think, co-exist and advocate for nature.
The conversation will be hosted by Jonny Douglas of the River Dôn Project, a Rights of Nature project based right here in South Yorkshire that seeks to demonstrate how we can see and sense into the complex ecosystems and relationships that make up the water catchments that we are all a part of.
Tickets ➡️ https://www.tickettailor.com/events/festivalofdebate/2149276
Jessica den Outer is an expert in environmental law who advocates globally for the Rights of Nature. Since 2017, she’s been consulted and has spoken for institutions like the UN and Harvard. She founded the NGO ‘Stichting Rechten van de Natuur’ and has received numerous awards for her pioneering work.
One Labour candidate who lost her seat described local councillors as "collateral damage" for the party leadership, with council leader Tom Hunt unseated by the Greens in Walkley.
In South Yorkshire, politics is not just shaped by ideology, but by geography. A local candidate, a lifelong Labour member and an 18-year-old first-time voter reveal how place influences identity, priorities and ultimately, the way people vote.
A city-wide licensing scheme would go beyond today’s changes, forcing landlords to fix threats to human life, says one Labour councillor.
Wednesday 6 May 2026 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Foundry, Sheffield Students' Union
A fairer, healthier, more caring and sustainable society is entirely within our grasp. The new book by Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level and The Inner Level, shows us the way.
• How do we ensure that everyone has good health and receives the care they need?
• How do we provide education that allows every child to flourish?
• How do we ensure safety, justice and a sustainable environment for all?
We'll explore these questions and more with Kate and Simon Duffy on 6 May.
Tickets ➡️ https://www.tickettailor.com/events/festivalofdebate/2149418
Full conscription into the machine war has expanded to Sheffield. I went to meet our mechanical overlords in Meersbrook Park.