Sam Gregory

2 months ago | nowthenmagazine.com | Sam Gregory

Dr Joanna Clare Dobson is a writer, researcher, artist and allotment-holder based in Sheffield. Her academic work focuses on the role the more-than-human world plays in narratives around trauma, as well as exploring the intersections between grief and nature. The sudden death of her seven-year-old brother Simon when Joanna was ten was a formative influence on her work, leading her to look at what goes unsaid in moments of deep loss.

2 months ago | nowthenmagazine.com | Sam Gregory

When you think of your immediate neighbourhood, what are the first things that spring to mind? It’s unlikely to be the exact ratio of homes to parking spaces, or any number of other official datasets held by public bodies. When we think of our own communities, we’re more likely to draw on the personal and the subjective: the bakery we like, the pocket park where we walk the dog, the dual carriageway that’s a nightmare to cross taking our kids to school.

Mar 20, 2025 | nowthenmagazine.com | Sam Gregory

The UK’s biggest non-partisan politics festival is returning to Sheffield this spring for its tenth year, featuring more than 50 events that will explore how we can begin to tackle some of the most urgent issues of our time. Running from 22 April to 30 May at venues across Sheffield and online, this year's Festival of Debate features sessions on crucial issues such as eliminating poverty, bolstering our democracy, tackling health inequalities and addressing the climate crisis.

Mar 19, 2025 | nowthenmagazine.com | Sam Gregory

South Yorkshire will take back control of its bus network in 2027, bringing routes, timetables and fares under democratic control for the first time in decades. That’s the decision announced by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard yesterday, who said the region would introduce a so-called “franchising” model, similar to that already in place in London and Manchester.

Mar 13, 2025 | nowthenmagazine.com | Sam Gregory

Student activists at the University of Sheffield (UoS) have protested throughout the week against the institution’s links to the Drax power station in North Yorkshire, which despite its claimed environmental credentials is the UK’s biggest carbon emitter. Members of the People & Planet society and Extinction Rebellion held a demonstration on Tuesday outside the Students’ Union, later delivering a letter to the President and Vice-Chancellor of the university calling on them to cut ties with Drax.