"HAS a child got to get killed before they do anything?" That's what one mum said about Barnsley Council after her warnings that a new housing development has turned her quiet cul-de-sac into a traffic hazard.

Gemma Crookes, who lives on Fenn Road, Tankersley, said the new 20-home development had extended the cul-de-sac and meant twice as much traffic was now fighting to get through.

She said: "Fenn Road was a quiet cul-de-sac and kids got used to playing out on the street. Now they've put new pavements in, which has narrowed the road, and there are big lorries coming through delivering topsoil - they have to go up on the pavements to get past.

"The speed limit is 30mph which is much too fast for the amount of traffic now coming through."

Mrs Crookes is calling for traffic calming measures and she and other residents have voiced their fears to the police who referred them to Barnsley Council's highways department.

Mrs Crookes, who works part-time at a hair salon, said: "Highways told us there have been no accidents on the road for the last three years, and if anything happens, we have got to phone the police. Has a child got to get killed before they do anything?"

She said her eight-year-old daughter and other local children had made posters and leaflets appealing to drivers to slow down, and were delivering them door to door in Fenn Road.

"We would like 10mph signs or speed humps - at 5pm it's like the M1 here," she said.

She claimed the new estate was also putting pressure on drainage and sewage systems. "The street smells of sewage - we think a sewage pipe has been wrongly fed into a rainwater drain."

Barnsley Council said any speeding issues should be raised with South Yorkshire Police.

Cllr Roy Miller, cabinet spokesman, said: "While road safety remains a key priority for the council, we no longer have the funding available to finance physical traffic calming schemes, such as road humps.

"We will carefully monitor the area and if there does appear to be issues with speeding we will work with our police colleagues to address them.

"As to the sewerage and drainage, the new housing estate has been through the full planning process, which takes drainage into account.

"If people in the area identify specific issues they should report them to us via email at roads@barnsley.gov.uk or on 773555 and we will work with the responsible authority - be that ourselves, Yorkshire Water, or the developer - to sort them out."

THE team behind the challenging restoration of the Victorian conservatory at Wentworth Castle are in London today as finalists at a prestigious awards ceremony.

The Wentworth Castle and Stainborough Park Heritage Trust are heading to the Palace Theatre in the West End where a film telling the story of their rescue project will be shown at the live final of the English Heritage Angel Awards.

Backed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Angel Awards celebrate the efforts of groups and individuals from all over the country who put hours of hard work, perseverance and imagination into saving derelict and severely damaged historic landmarks.

The Barnsley group is one of 17 on the shortlist, all of whom have been filmed by award-winning filmmakers DR Hood and Hannah Robinson and the films are already attracting large audiences on the English Heritage YouTube channel.

The films will be shown to a packed audience of heritage officials and enthusiasts before guest celebrities are invited to open a golden envelope, announce a winner and present one of the five Angel Awards up for grabs.

Andrew Lloyd Webber himself will be presenting an award, along with author and historian Bettany Hughes, 'Restoration Man' George Clarke and Richard Chartres, Bishop of London.

Paul Martin, the TV presenter known to millions from the BBC’s Flog It, will be hosting the show and introducing celebrities to present the awards.

MORE food banks are set to be started across Barnsley.

Following on from successful projects at Gateway Church and Cudworth Library, the Barnsley Foodbank Partnership is an entirely new entity which has opened two more in the town.

Their main storage hub is in Blacker Hill, where they have approximately 2.5 tonnes of food stored and ready to be distributed to those in need.

Operating out of two venues, the venture has been in the pipeline for 12 months. Hope House on Blucher Street has been open for around a month now and has already seen scores of people through its doors, opening once a week. The Salvation Army building in Wombwell opens twice a week.

Alan Rouane, 32, the project's co-ordinator, said: "There's such a big need for this in the town, we've barely scratched the surface. We get a massive mixture of people who have never been in this situation before.

"It's eye-opening as there's been a massive reaction - we were fully booked in Hope House last week.

"We've got around 2.5 tonnes of food stored and that's come from the generous public, schools' harvest festivals and church groups."

The steering group behind the project is made up of people from the NHS, Voluntary Action Barnsley, the council, churches and the Credit Union. It works on a referral basis and has nine referring agencies, set to be expanded as the demand grows.

"We're stocked up on staple foods," Alan added. "We'd like more volunteers and more donations as it's a big problem that needs addressing. Whether it's vegetables, rice, pasta or fruit, every little helps."

MP Michael Dugher, whose Barnsley East constituency saw its first food bank open on September 20 at Cudworth Library, said: "Volunteers' compassion and community spirit is truly inspirational, but it's absolutely shameful that in the seventh richest country in the world we have to open food banks in Barnsley to help people feed their families."

The alarming number of people relying on food banks to survive has tripled in the country over the last year.

The Trussell Trust, which runs 400 food banks across the UK, said it handed out supplies to more than 350,000 people between April and September this year.

They said the problem was so severe that some people using food banks have started to hand back items that need cooking, as they cannot afford to use the energy.

"The level of food poverty in the UK is not acceptable," said Chris Mould, the Trust's executive chairman. "It's scandalous and it's causing deep distress to thousands of people."

TWO paedophiles - one of whom is HIV positive - groomed vulnerable young boys on the internet.

Anthony Marsh, 53, and Lee Davis, 39, scoured  for their victims, who included youngsters from Barnsley.

Marsh, who used the aliases Tony Taylor and Tony Smith, is HIV positive and pleaded guilty to 34 offences including possessing and distributing indecent images of children, and sexual activity with a child.

Davis used the name James Parkin and pleaded guilty to 20 offences including rape, sexual activity with a child, and taking indecent photographs of a child.

Both men were also jointly charged with conspiracy to commit sexual activity with children, and both admitted their offences at a court hearing last month.

The pair, who are from Doncaster and are both married, searched for impressionable, young, vulnerable boys and arranged to meet them.

Their offences are thought to date back to 2005 and involve boys aged between 13-17 from Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield, Hull, Darlington, Birmingham and Preston.

None of the victims contracted HIV.

Detective Inspector Delphine Waring, of South Yorkshire Police, led the investigation.

She said police had worked with others to unravel the 'intricate web' the pair spun around their identities and their crimes.

"Marsh and Davis committed many appalling crimes against young, vulnerable boys over many years," she said.

"The young boys who were the victims of their crimes will continue to receive the support of specialist agencies so they can come to terms with what happened to them and to build successful and happy lives.

"We have also provided support to the families of Marsh and Davis who, let us not forget, are also victims in this case, and whose lives have been changed irreversibly by their behaviour."

They will be sentenced on December 2.

A BARNSLEY man who has dedicated more than 30 years to coaching has won a top award for services to sport.

Mike McKenzie, from Penistone, has been named South Yorkshire Sport Coach of The Year 2013.

Mike began training in Taekwondo in 1979, founded the Quest Taekwondo club in 1988 and 2013 marks Mike’s 25th anniversary as a coach and instructor.

Mike, who holds his 7th black belt in the martial art, said: "I'm honoured to receive the award. I've dedicated the last 30 years of my life to delivering high quality sports experiences and there are many more years ahead."

During the last 25 years Mike has been involved in many of the defining moments of Taekwondo, including being a member of the delegation that successfully lobbied for the sport to be included in the Olympic Games.

Mike was the Sport Manager for Taekwondo at the London 2012 Olympic Games and uses his experience to deliver the Olympic legacy through Quest Taekwondo.

Mike has now been nominated for the National Sports Coach UK Coaching Awards held next month.

A GROUP of travellers set up camp at Locke Park.

Four caravans appeared on the basketball courts next to the car park on Thursday morning.

A resident on Keresforth Hall Road said it was the second group to pitch up since August.

She added: "They come and go. There was a group here in August and they were here for about four weeks but I don't know if it's the same ones or not.

"They haven't been a nuisance yet, but you watch, there will be six more tomorrow."

Another man can see the travellers from his windowand said they should not be on the park.

He added: "It must be a horrible life, not knowing where you're going. They will be here for a few days until they get moved on to somewhere else where they're not wanted, before being moved on again.

"I feel a bit sorry for them."

A WARNING has been given to a man whose dog was found in Royston canal with weights strapped to its paws.

Three-year-old Bruiser, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was found last month after his body was seen floating on the surface.

The RSPCA initially said they believed the dog had been alive when he was thrown in the canal.

But this week RSPCA's deputy chief inspector, Lynsey Harris, said they would not be prosecuting.

She said she interviewed the owner and he told her Bruiser had hanged himself on his lead after trying to escape when being tethered to the fence at his home.

She said the owner had come back home to find Bruiser dead.

She said the man said he had tied weights to the dog's paws and disposed of him in the canal beecause he had 'panicked', she said.

She added the owner had walked along the canal with Bruiser regularly in the past and thought it would be a suitable place to leave Bruiser's body as he could not bury him in his garden.

DCI Harris said a lengthy investigation had taken place and ligature marks found by the vet following a post-mortem matched up with the dog hanging itself.

Prior to Bruiser's death, DCI Harris said he had been well looked after and was in good condition.

A verbal warning was issued to the owner for the poor tethering of the animal.

"Even though the dog died in a not very nice way, it wasn't as horrific as we initially thought," DCI Harris said.

THE Reds held off a late comeback from Middlesbrough on Saturday to move off the bottom of the table with a 3-2 win.

Paddy McCourt opened the scoring for Barnsley with a solo run in the 26th minute, before two quickfire Chris O'Grady goals to make it 3-0 at half-time.

"We've got three points against an outstanding team," said a delighted David Flitcroft. "In the second half they went for it but we stuck firm.

"I'm delighted we got the three points and proud that we didn't collapse. It's a big win. We've talked about the performances lately but I know that you're judged on results.

"We've got a plan and know where we want to be in the league table at the end of the season. We've done a lot of things wrong and made a lot of mistakes early on in the season but we're making that right with hard work."

The Reds are now up to 22nd in the table, ending their winning drought which has gone on since the 2-1 win against Huddersfield Town on August 31.

THE region's firefighters have postponed their proposed strike.

Crew members were due to walk out between 6.30pm and 11.30pm on October 19 in an ongoing dispute over pensions.

Fire chiefs had warned that response times to emergency calls would have suffered, with just eight fire engines available to cover the county instead of the usual 27.

However, the Fire Brigades Union has chosen to postpone the strike, saying ‘progress’ had been made in talks with the government.

South Yorkshire FBU spokesman Graham Wilkinson said: "The reason the strike has been postponed is that the government have had discussions with the FBU this week and it looks like there could be some movement on one of the issues.

"It looks like there could now be protection for firefighters over 55 deemed unfit for firefighting.

"But this isn't concrete yet as all the fire authorities would have to agree first and there are other issues that need resolved too so this is a postponement of strike action rather than a cancellation."

AN MP has called for tougher laws to help stop dog attacks. It follows an attack on Goldthorpe woman Rebecca Lowman last month, who found police could take no action because the incident happened on private property.

Mr Healey backed amendments to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which will update the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and was heard in the House of Commons this week.

Speaking in Parliament, the MP for Wentworth and Dearne said he welcomed long-awaited plans to close the loophole preventing prosecution if a dog attacks in its owner’s or a relative’s home, which was a 'significant loophole in the law'.

But he said ministers had been too slow to make that change and now had the chance to act ahead of a serious and growing problem, by introducing dog control notices.

Mr Healey said: "Thousands of victims are injured and hospitalised each year as a result of dog attacks.

"The number of owners sentenced for offences related to dangerous dogs has increased by more than one third since 2009.

"Just in South Yorkshire the police have responded to 464 dog attack incidents in the past year, and in 2013 so far they have taken out 26 court cases pursuing prosecution against those owners."He spoke about the serious injuries to Mrs Lowman’s arm and leg, suffered when defending a woman being attacked by a family dog in her own house.

Rebecca and her husband John came to Mr Healey after learning the police could not take any action because the incident happened in a private house.

A BARNSLEY man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Emergency services were called to a property in Kirkland Gardens, Monk Bretton, at about 7.40am on October 18.

A 55-year-old woman was found with serious injuries and has been taken to hospital where she remains in a serious condition.

A 31-year-old man sustained minor injuries and was also taken to hospital.

A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

A cordon will remain in place at the address while forensic examinations are conducted and initial enquiries are carried out.

Police believe this was an isolated incident.

A BARNSLEY author who had his first novel published at the age of 39 has started writing its sequel.

Dad-of-three Jonathan Lee, from Pogmoor, had The Radio published on April 22 and has sold over 3,000 copies since.

Having entered The Novel Prize, a competition for unpublished authors, Jonathan finished as a runner-up in the prestigious competition - and beat off more than 2,800 people.

Approached by publishers afterwards, Jonathan then achieved his long-standing dream and had his novel printed.

The Radio centres around the decline of the lovable-yet-hapless George Poppleton, a middle-aged, henpecked father and husband who stumbles across an old transistor radio in his loft.

His obsession with listening to the radio drives him on an unexpected journey, fuelled by the painful memories of the suicide of his only son many years before.

Whilst his only daughter, Sam, and wife, Sheila, plan perhaps the most ill-fated wedding ever conceived, the radio transports George further and further away from reality.

It's a story of what it means to be a family, the perception of loving and being loved, and what it means to be sane.

"It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid," Jonathan said. "I studied A-level English at Barnsley College and I wrote a number of short stories over the years, but I suppose getting a full-time job and providing for my family became paramount and writing took a back seat.

"Five years ago, after my friends became thoroughly bored of me saying that I would ‘one day write a novel’, I made time and began writing properly.

"The Novel Prize gave me the spirit to continue and keep following my dream."

Well on his way to shifting his objective of 5,000 copies of the book in its first year, Jonathan's already well into writing The Page, The Radio's sequel.

"I've written about 60,000 words of The Page," he said. "I'm juggling that with my family, my job at an accountancy firm and also doing talks to people in the community about writing."

The Page, which is set to be finished by June 2014, begins with a tragic car accident, leaving Michael Sewell alone and lost for the first time.

The loss of his wife, Margaret, after thirty years of marriage has left a hole far greater than Michael could have imagined.

Michael must delve into his past and face his future, taking him and his family on a horrifying and tragic journey toward the truth.

In the spirit of The Radio, The Page ends with a twist that no-one sees coming.

For a full list on where Jonathan's speaking, click here.

A COUPLE who were told they 'would never last' have marked their 50th wedding anniversary!

Brian Coggin, 71, and wife Janet, 68, married at St Mary's Church on October 12, 1963, after courting for two years and celebrated their anniversary last Saturday.

But Brian said people didn't think they would stay together because Janet was a member of the Salvation Army and Brian wasn't religious and liked to drink, smoke and gamble.

Fifty years later, he says he knew from the moment he saw her that Janet was the one for him and this had helped them stay together despite challenges over the years.

"I was lucky," he said. "It might sound corny but, when I first met Janet, it was love at first sight. I knew straight away she was the one for me.

"She spends a lot of time at the Salvation Army and I really like my telly so I watch what I want when she's out. I like my own company but obviously I prefer hers.

"I also think it's important to be able to see both sides of the argument on the rare occasions we do have a disagreement and Janet never likes to go to bed before working things out."

Brian and Janet met in a pub in Hemingfield and, after a two-year courtship, were engaged for two months.

They spent some time living with Janet's mother on Collindridge Road before moving to Ings Road for six years and moved to their current address on Hall Street about 35 years ago.

They have three children, Adrian, 38, Tracey, 43, and Stuart, 42, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

MOBILE speed cameras will operate on the following roads from Monday.

A61 Park Road, Barnsley

A628 Cundy Cross to Shafton Two Gates

A633 Rotherham Road, Athersley South

A633 Rotherham Road, Monk Bretton

B6411 Houghton Road, Thurnscoe

Brierley Road, Grimethorpe

Pogmoor Road, Barnsley

A6023 Doncaster Road, Mexborough

A6022 Rowms Lane, Swinton

A633 Sandygate, Wath upon Dearne

B6097 Doncaster Road, Wath upon Dearne

Melton Green, West Melton.

THE co-ordinator of the town centre food bank has warned people are relying on it more than ever and revealed it's distributed more than 1,400 parcels to those in need.

Janet Crownshaw said she could only see the situation getting worse with the introduction of universal credit benefit.

"On average we're feeding about 50 people per week," Janet said.

"We're finding more and more are coming and while we are here to offer help, it's very alarming."

Items such as tinned meat and tomatoes, pasta and baby milk were donated by staff at the Unite Community Centre on Huddersfield Road, which offers one-to-one benefits and welfare support.

People who visit the centre in the NUM offices may have had their benefits stopped or seeking employment and support claims.

Joe Rollin, Unite community co-ordinator, said: "We're getting more people coming to see us and it's a real mix of everything.

"We work with people but it can take weeks to sort things out, so if they're really desperate we can advise a visit to the food bank for emergency relief."

Joe said an average of ten people visit the centre on a weekly basis, but more are seen through drop-in sessions, and it's hoped the opening days will be increased from two.

But he added: "Not everyone living in poverty is unemployed, which is more shocking.

"People are still struggling to make ends meet and might still come and see us even if they're employed."

PERFORMANCES in training will decide whether Jack Butland or Luke Steele with be Barnsley's first choice goalkeeper, says David Flitcroft. Who would you go with?

Flicker has claimed that he hasn't yet decided if he will reinstate Steele when he recovers from his back injury, which prompted the loan signing of Butland, Stoke and England U21's promising 'keeper.

"Like every position, the decision will be based on training pitch performances," said the manager.

"Steeley's attitude has been superb since he's been out of the team and he's not far away from training.

"Jack's conceded five goals in three games but two have been penalties."

Who would you go with? Have your say below.

AS a nurse, 92-year-old Agnes Ashley spent her working life caring for others, but when it was her turn to be looked after, her family say she was let down after sustaining pressure sores while staying at a Barnsley care home.

Mrs Ashley, who was bedridden, died in April 2010 at Eboracum House on Park Grove.

At her inquest held the same year, a coroner was told she suffered from a pressure sore at the base of her spine measuring 18cm across and almost 3cm deep.

Coroner David Coutts-Wood subsequently ruled that Mrs Ashley's death was partly due to pressure sores.

Now, after three years of legal action, her family believe justice has been done after Eboracum House agreed a 'substantial' out of court settlement.

The home, which has denied liability for her death, will pay the family a five-figure sum.

Her children Linda James, Ann Wilcock and Noel James believe her life could have been prolonged had the home put a care plan in place earlier to treat the sores.

It prompted them to pursue a claim for medical negligence against the home through Raley's solicitors.

"Once we got that verdict from the coroner, that's when the anger came in and we wanted answers," said 64-year-old Linda.

"We decided to take legal action because we wanted the home to be held accountable."

The case never went to court because Eboracum House opted to settle beforehand, which the family said should serve as a 'wake up call' for the home.

"We feel we made the right choice to pursue it and we all feel we've got some closure and some justice has been done," said Linda.

The siblings believe Mrs Ashley, who lived most of her life in Worsbrough Common, got the pressure sores due to a basic neglect of care on the home's part.

Linda said: "What I can't understand is if mum was being washed, cleaned and taken to the toilet, the sore should have been seen."

The former nurse moved into Eboracum House in January 2008 and in March 2010 was taken to Barnsley Hospital with a suspected heart attack.

That's when hospital staff found the pressure sore.

Mrs Ashley's skin was severely damaged with surrounding tissue beginning to die and bone visible. She was taken back to the home but her condition worsened after another hospital visit, with the sores becoming infected and septic.

At this point the reality of what was happening hit home for the siblings when a consultant told Linda that her mother was dying.

A BARNSLEY pensioner is to be awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to the community.

Tony Dutton, 74, from Wombwell, was visited by the Lord Lieutenant, David Moody's secretary last Tuesday to discuss the awarding of the medal at the annual Neighbourhood Watch concert on October 26.

It comes four years after Tony, of Barlborough Road, was nominated by his wife and by fellow volunteer Mike Bretton.

They cited the work Tony has done over the years with the Neighbourhood Watch, as a member of the Friends of Wombwell Cemetery, a community first responder and as a custody counsellor speaking to inmates.

Tony has also found funding to distribute personal alarms to the elderly and vulnerable people, was ordained as a priest by the Christian Fellowship in May and works as part of Wombwell Food Bank.

He said he was surprised to have received the medal after such a long time but delighted to be recognised in such a way.

The British Empire Medal was first awarded in 1922 but was held in abeyance from 1993. It was revived in 2012 for the Queen's diamond jubilee.

A CHILD was nearly knocked over outside a school - just a month after its lollipop lady retired.

Emma Currie, a parent governor at Heather Garth Primary, said: "We did have a near miss when a year 5 pupil was nearly hit by a car driving too fast and I'm told this wasn't an isolated incident.

"The road directly outside the school gate is terribly chaotic from about 2.50pm. We have parents parking on the school zig-zags in the no stop zones, sometimes right up to the gate.

"There's double parking, parking around junctions and even cars parking totally on the pavement next to the crossing. It all gets a bit crazy at the end of school."

The school has been without a crossing patrol since the last person retired and the road outside the school on Billingley View is not deemed dangerous enough to warrant any special traffic safety measures to be introduced.

The council is providing some assistance in the form of their parking enforcement car patrolling the area but Emma says its presence was too premature and had left by the time the traffic worsened.

Parents are now more concerned at the absence of a lollipop lady that they won't let their children walk home and instead come in their cars and increase the volume of traffic around the area, she said.

The council have promised to provide in-school road safety training to the pupils but Emma, who has two children at the school, says parents could themselves make it safer.

"There's no possibility of the school getting a new crossing patrol so it's now a case of working with the council, school and parents to improve safety outside of school."

BERNESLAI Homes is expecting to face up to several million in rent arrears when the new Universal Credit benefit is introduced in Barnsley.

Director of housing management at Berneslai Homes, Mark McGee, revealed the figure at a Barnsley Council watchdog meeting.

He was asked by Cllr Joe Hayward what the cost will be to Berneslai Homes when Universal Credit comes into force, replacing six existing benefits, including jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance, income support, working tax credit, child tax credit and housing benefit.

The change means claimants will be paid their total benefits monthly, rather than weekly, and they will be responsible for paying their own rent, rather than it being deducted from their benefit.

Mr McGee said it's the single biggest risk 'without a doubt'.

Universal Credit will be introduced in pilot areas from this month, but it will be brought in across the regions in stages, with it expected to be brought in in Barnsley in 2015.

"There's a tremendous amount of work to do to make sure people know they will have to pay their rent," said Mr McGee.

"The cost to Berneslai Homes? If everybody paid their rent it would still cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds to collect the money.

"That will not happen. We're talking about several million being lost in rent arrears."

Peter Francis, from the Welfare Rights Service, said he thinks people know the name 'Universal Credit' but not what it involves.

"Under Universal Credit there will have to be a new regime of sanctions, much more stricter than ones we are used to," he warned.

"We will see people losing benefits for three weeks to years for serious offences.

"A lot of people will suffer short-term sanctions for four weeks if they fail in their claims, such as failing to turn up for an appointment or signing-on day, there can be all sorts of reasons.

"Other bits about Universal Credit is people will have to be available and seeking work 35 hours a week and that's a huge change. They will have to claim on line and not everyone can.

"People aren't prepared yet. It's the next wave to hit us and there is an awful lot still to be done."

A BARNSLEY motorcyclist has died following a crash on Thursday night.

At 9.35pm a blue Yamaha motorbike was travelling on the A637 Barnsley Road towards Darton and a silver Citroen Xsara Picasso was travelling in the opposite direction.

The vehicles collided on a sweeping bend near to Bence Lane. The motorbike left the road and came to rest down an embankment.

The 44-year-old man, from Barnsley, riding the Yamaha suffered fatal head injuries and died at the scene.

The 82-year-old man driving the Picasso, also from Barnsley, was not reported to have been injured.

Police want to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the manner of driving prior to the incident or anyone who saw the collision.

Witnesses are to call 101 quoting incident number 1263 of October 17.

BOBBY dazzlers were all over the Metrodome when TV star David Dickinson came to the town.

Dickinson's Real Deal visited Barnsley on October 5 and people flocked to the venue with their antiques and family heirlooms.

Michael Walker, from Silkstone, proudly presented an array of First World War medals and a death plaque in memory of his uncle Leonard Walker, who died in 1917.

The medals belonged to Leonard's brother, Herbert, who survived the war to tell his tale.

Michael also had a copy of The Barnsley Independent from 1917, documenting Leonard's death. A letter from a pal was also present in the collection, explaining how he'd died.

"What's nice about this is the story, the ephemera and the tragedy about once of the brothers dying and the other coming back," said David Dickinson.

Michael said he decided to sell his collection because his sons didn't want the piece of history.

He was made an offer of between £300-£500 but opted to take a chance and go to auction.

Four episodes were filmed on the busy day in Barnsley and its presenter said it's the first time his popular show has come to the town.

"The north always produces very nice crowds and more jovial people," he added. 

The first Barnsley episode of Dickinson's Real Deal will be shown on ITV early next year.

TWO Barnsley men have been arrested after cannabis worth an estimated £150,000 was found at a house.

The illegal set-up was discovered at an address in Highgate Lane during a day of action run by officers from Goldthorpe Safer Neighbourhood Team.

A total of 176 cannabis plants were found inside the property and are estimated to be worth about £150,000.

Two men, aged 39 and 29, have been arrested on suspicion of production of a controlled drug and remain in custody where they're being questioned by detectives.

AN animal protection organisation has urged Barnsley's residents to boycott a circus.

Animal Defenders International (ADI) is calling on local residents to stay away from Circus Mondao's performances in Thurnscoe from October 16-20.

The circus is one of only two in England that still performs with wild animals.

Jan Creamer, chief executive of Animal Defenders International, said: "Animals with travelling circuses are on the road for almost the entire year. That means they have to endure constant transportation and live in rudimentary, temporary accommodation.

"Worse are the horrific abuses during training that Animal Defenders International has exposed behind the scenes in circuses, not just in the UK, but all over the world.

"We urge people in Thurnscoe to visit circuses with human only acts - those acts have a choice."

The suffering endured by animals in circuses is well documented and scientifically established. Given the constant travel and their temporary nature, circuses cannot provide animals with adequate facilities to keep them physically or psychologically healthy.

A circus animal’s life can also be, and often is, a violent one. Animal Defenders International has exposed circus cruelty at numerous circuses around the world, including the UK.

BRAVE souls taking part in Zombie Run Barnsley have been warned they will enter a terrifying post-apocalyptic world.

After signing up to the event, the runners were given instructions from 'HMRC Department of Pensions and Zombies' to meet at evacuation point Worsbrough Mill on October 19 - a class one secure military site.

It's here they will receive further details on evacuation from the zombie apocolypse.

'Corporal' Katie Cartwright, who is Barnsley Hospital Charity's fundraising manager, explains what they can expect.

"On arriving at the site, runners will be greeted by fully kitted-up military personnel," she said.

"Surrounded by emergency vehicles, from fire outfits to full army-rigged trucks and armoured vehicles, the runners will enter a fantasy world from the minute they step on site."

Known as the 'evacuees', the runners will be ushered by zombie squad personnel while SWAT teams keep an anxious eye out for any rogue zombies who may have found their way onto the secure site.

Once they have been called, the runners will take their places at the starting point where they will prepare to run for their lives.

"However, just as everything seems like it's under control, reports will come in of a breach of the defences," said Katie.

Before runners' eyes a battle between the zombie squad and the living dead will unfold. Amid the organised chaos, the 'evacuees' will be told to run.

Participants will be taken on a 5k route across rugged terrain, from river crosses to swamp trails to forest and farmland. On the way they will encounter a number of obstacles such as bridges, tunnels, a 'flesh' store, a zombie pit and a refugee camp.

Not only will they have the obstacles to face but the course will also be littered with the living dead!

All runners will have a utility belt attached with three lives on it. It will be the zombies' role to try and take the lives from them.

Katie, 32, says the aim of is not to get achieve a personal best time but to reach the other side - alive.

"At its heart Zombie Run Barnsley is a way for local people to support their local hospital," she said.

"We've been overwhelmed with the support we have had for this event, with more than 500 runners, more than 100 volunteer zombies and 50 event volunteers signed up already."

BERNESLAI Homes has been named as one of the top ten social landlords in the country. What do you think to this?

It was voted by a panel of judges at 24 Housing Magazine and although judges have decided the order of numbers 11 to 50 of the UK’s top fifty social landlords, now the public have been asked to decide the order of the top ten.

Helen Jagger, the chief executive of Berneslai Homes, said: "We're very proud to have been named among the top ten social landlords in the country.

"This proves that we've made great progress over the last few years and we're one of only two ALMOs (Arms Length Management Organisations) to have been named at this level."

You can visit 24 Housing’s website and vote by clicking here. Voting closes at 5pm on October 31 and the order of the top ten will be announced in December.

BARNSLEY is the safest place in South Yorkshire, according to the region's police and crime commissioner.

Shaun Wright claims that 62 crimes are committed per 1,000 people in Barnsley, compared to 63 in Rotherham, 72 in Doncaster and 72 in Sheffield.

Mr Wright, who was born in Royston and later lived in Carlton and Higham before moving to Rotherham where he became a Labour councillor, says the biggest issues in Barnsley are related to car crime.

"Barnsley is the safest place in South Yorkshire in terms of overall crime when you compare to Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield," he said.

"When I grew up in Barnsley there were a lot less crimes than there are now. People were trusting and had greater respect for people and their property.

"Society has changed a lot but some of those historical values have been passed down from generation to generation.

"We all know that Barnsley folk - and South Yorkshire folk - are genuinely nicer than people in other parts of the country."

The top priorities remain around dealing with car crime, including car break-ins and the stealing of cars. Burglaries and shoplifting are also on the rise, but drugs possession is reducing.

"I must add that there's a whole raft of crimes that are going unreported. There are things like fraud, stalking and harassment and bullying through social media but many of these crimes go unreported, so I suspect if they were included then the statistics would be very different."

SHOCKING figures have been released stating almost a quarter of children in Barnsley are living in poverty.

Mark Wood, of the council's Supporting People group, gave a presentation to the Church Action on Poverty in Barnsley meeting saying the figure was currently 24 per cent, rising to 47 per cent in parts of Thurnscoe.

He said deprivation was measured by levels of income, health and disability, education and skills, housing and crime. It meant choices between eating or paying the rent on occasions, he added.

Of the 24 per cent of children living in poverty, 20 per cent of those have one parent who is working.

He said more of those are working than not working.

In Barnsley, 40 per cent of workers are in unskilled, low paid jobs with very little job security.

At least one third of workers are in part-time jobs.

On top of the 24 per cent already living in poverty, 20 per cent are just one step away, and have no savings, no equity in their houses, can't cope on their current level of income or are struggling to feed themselves.

"There are 354 councils in the country and Barnsley is 43rd from the bottom," he said. "The cuts in Barnsley hit people twice as hard as the national average.

"There's a certain unfairness about this. People who have already hit are hit again."

He said there were also 10,000 elderly people who were also classed as living in poverty.

Between 2005-2010, the number of hard-pressed households in Barnsley had increased by as much as 34 per cent in some areas including Brierley, Grimethorpe, Wombwell, Worsbrough and parts of Thurnscoe.

Ian Guest, chief executive of the Credit Union, said: "The cost of living is going up but income is not keeping up with the cost of living and it's only going to get worse."

AN abandoned, part-built block of flats which was once valued at £11million is up for auction - with a guide price of just £375,000.

The 'City Reach' apartments, at the junction of John Street and Burleigh Street, was conceived as a striking new addition to the Barnsley skyline when it was given planning permission six years ago.

However, it has since been dubbed as 'a tragedy waiting to happen'.

It's now being offered for auction in Leeds on October 24 by Eddisons on the instruction of the Joint LPA Receivers - for less than four per cent of its original value.

The superstructure of the development has been completed and the scheme is for 66 one-bedroom flats and 20 two-bedroom flats. At ground floor level 10,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space is planned.

Tony Webber, of Eddisons, said: "The scheme is available for completion as planned, or could be suitable for alternative schemes such as a hotel, offices or social housing, subject to planning."

A further £4million is thought to be needed to finish the intended development.

Asa Foster, 28, who took the spectacular photograph on this article, raised the alarm of the 'death trap' concrete skeleton after scaling the unfinished building.

Asa was shocked at what he found inside, with needles strewn about and the building being used by people taking drugs and drinking. 

He said it was only a matter time until someone was seriously injured or killed as the building has no security, external walls, barriers, lighting, and there are holes in some of the floors.

NINE girls from a Barnsley rugby club were part of a 25-strong Yorkshire squad that were runners-up in the RFU County Rugby Festival.

The girls, from Barnsley Ladies Under 18s, were selected to play in the county team at the Vale of Lune Rugby Club, Lancaster, on October 6.

The girls helped Yorkshire to start off with a 10-0 win against Northumbria, following this up with a 12-0 win against a combined Cumbria/Durham side.

Ellie Frow, who was given the honour of being appointed captain, got on the score sheet with a try and Rebecca Bennett kicked a conversion.

In their third match the ladies lost to eventual tournament winners Lancashire 29-0 but bounced back in the final match against Cheshire with a 29-0 victory with Rebecca Bennett going over for a try and also kicking 2 conversions.

Barnsley Ladies U18s have been shortlisted in the Sports Team of the Year category at this year's Proud of Barnsley awards.

THE festival lights for Diwali will be illuminated this Friday evening in the town centre.

Cllr Dorothy Higginbottom and Mrs Dorothy Parkin Coates will switch on the lights near the indoor market entrance at Cheapside at 6.45pm.

Diwali, popularly known as the ‘festival of lights’, falls between mid-October and mid-November.

Each autumn, in partnership with local Indian communities, Barnsley celebrates by switching on the Diwali lights in the town centre.

For Hindus, it's one of the most important festivals of the year and celebrated in families by performing traditional activities in the home.

After the switch-on guests will be invited to make their way to Chilli, on Market Street, where light snacks will be available.

The Gujarat Association of Barnsley and the Indian Welfare Association of Barnsley look forward to celebrating this event with members of the public.

WOULD you recommend Barnsley Hospital's maternity services?

Women in the town are being asked that very question by the hospital in order for it to improve its patients' experiences.

All women who receive care across four areas are being asked the question in an extension of the Friends and Family test.

The four areas are antenatal care, birth care on the labour suit, postnatal ward care and postnatal community care.

Jill Pell, head of patient experience at Barnsley Hospital, said: "The feedback will prove invaluable in helping us to make the patient experience we provide as good as it possibly can be."

IT has been announced that Pingu the penguin will switch on the town’s Christmas lights on November 20.

Like last year’s event, the switch-on is aimed primarily at young families, but kids big and small are invited to join in the fun.

It will take place at the front of the Town Hall from 5pm, with Dearne FM playing all the Christmas classics to get people in the mood for the festive season.

Pingu will be joined by the Mayor of Barnsley, Cllr Ken Richardson and special guests (to be announced) to switch on the lights at 6pm, followed by a fireworks display.

There will also be children's rides in the town centre and late night shopping until 7.30pm and Experience Barnsley will also be staying open until 7.30pm.

What do you think? Have your say below.

A BARNSLEY man who has completed just 54 out of 240 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of benefit fraud has been warned he will be jailed if he doesn't up his efforts. 

Probation officer Charles McDermid, prosecuting, said James Radcliffe, 31, last did unpaid work in mid-July.

He said: "He didn't tell the Probation Service he had changed his address. It's of concern that 186 hours of unpaid work still has to be done more than six months after he was sentenced."

Mr McDermid said Radcliffe wrongly claimed £8,119 in benefits when he failed to disclose he was a full-time student.

Morgan Hogarth, defending, said Radcliffe had started working but had had problems including difficulties with an employer and his landlord.

Mr Hogarth added: "Mr Radcliffe wants to get on with things. It would be shame to condemn him to prison now."

Deputy District Judge Tim Capstick said: "I will send you to prison if you do not complete this work."

Radcliffe, who admitted failing to attend unpaid work sessions, had 20 hours added to his sentence and was ordered to pay £70 in costs.

A MAN has appeared at Sheffield Crown Court after a 51-year-old woman was found with extensive burns.

Anthony Tindle, 46, of Primrose Avenue, Darfield, made his first appearance at the court on a charge of wounding last week.

He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody.

He will appear at the court again on December 11 where he is expected to make a plea.

Police were called to Primrose Avenue at 6.20pm on September 23 where they found a woman suffering burns. She was taken to Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.

KATHRIN Baldry's mum was told her little girl only had months to live when she was born, but now Kathrin, 20, has just completed a charity skydive with her!

Mum Susan, 51, was told her baby would only live for 18 months after she was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called Biliary Atresia as a baby.

Kathrin has suffered with jaundice and tiredness and says she's had her 'fair share' of hospitalisations.

She battled with her illness during her studies and had to sit her GCSE English exam at home.

Kathrin, of Norwood Drive, Barugh Green, underwent a liver transplant aged 16 and was named Barnsley College's student of the year for her grit and determination.

She is now studying for a teaching qualification at Edge Hill University.

At the end of September, she plunged 15,000ft to raise money for the Children's Liver Foundation and was joined by Susan.

"It was fast and cold and it was quite scary but we enjoyed it," Kathrin said. "When I touched the ground it was relief but you also felt like you had done a marathon because it takes the breath out of you."

Kathrin said she is feeling stronger since the transplant and the skydive was a special experience for her to share with her mum.

"I've always wanted to live a full life because my donor gave me a second chance to live my life to the best I can."

For more information, click here.