Sheffield-born but not bred, the city has always been my home away from home. I’ve lived in Derbyshire all my life and since moving to Derby for University, when people ask where I’m from, I say Sheffield. Although not many of them believed me due to my lack of a Yorkshire accent. However, all of my family are from Sheffield, which makes it my home too.
My earliest memory of going to Sheffield would be when I was about six, catching the 43 bus from Dronfield with my Nan on a Saturday morning. We’d go shopping down the Moor to Atkinsons, then to TJ Hughes where she’d take us up and down the many floors. After that we’d go into Primark on High Street, before it moved onto the Moor. She’d tell me stories of when she used to go shopping there with her friends when she was younger, and how after a day of shopping they’d all go clubbing in what is now a Sainsbury’s on London Road.
When I left school at 16, I began my journey to becoming a Journalist at Hillsborough College. Sheffield holds so much potential for discovering new things every day, and compared to most cities, it just keeps getting better. After living in Derby for a year, I come back home to new buildings, new roads and streets, more trees and wildlife; I felt like I was in a new city all over again. Sheffield is an ever-changing city and it never ceases to impress me.
“Sheffield, to me, is a place I feel I can fall back on if everything else fails me.”
My first job was at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel on the outskirts of Sheffield. Working in a hotel allowed me to meet different people from all different walks of life. I used to get a lot of guests asking me where’s best to go in the city for food or for a night out. I’d always recommend to anyone for a night out: West Street. My work colleagues and I would share the craziest staff dos on West Street, starting the night off at my favourite bar, The Wick at Both Ends, and then diving straight into Players for those £6 rounds (I remember when they used to be £5).
I remember once after a night out at Corp, we would wobble up to Dev Green and lie on the grass for what felt like years, looking up at the stars and letting the world spin underneath us. I remember feeling like I could’ve slept there ‘til morning, but my friend would drag us to Popeye’s for some grub to end our night.
I could talk endlessly about Sheffield; it holds so many memories for me, both good and bad. It’s the place I’ve made friends for life, a place where I can hopefully move to with my boyfriend. Sheffield, to me, is a place I feel I can fall back on if everything else fails me.
