October 2024 brings you episode two of Sheffield’s hyper-local podcast for Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe and Neepsend, with Tom Miller from Neepsend Social Club and Canteen talking about where the idea for his quirky business came from, and telling me about the difficulties Neepsend businesses are facing since the double yellows / parking changes in the area. Then I speak to Beki Gibb from Oaklea Crafts about terrazzo, wreath and lino printing workshops, including what happens if you go, whether you have to already know how to do it, and what if you want to go but you’re nervous. And finally, a conversation with Brian Holmshaw, the Green Party Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Ward who’s also chair of the Central Local Area Committee. They have an upcoming event, all about green social prescribing, that he tells us about. Thanks for reading Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe and Neepsend News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Timings00:00 Intro01:55 Tom Miller from Neepsend Social Club and Canteen27:52 Beki Gibb from Oaklea Crafts40:50 Councillor Brian HolmshawTranscriptPhilippa WillittsWelcome to the October episode of NUN Local, the hyperlocal podcast in Sheffield for Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe, and Neepsend.In today's episode, I talk to Tom Miller from Neepsend Social Club and Canteen about his business, about what you can expect from his Sunday roast, and about the challenges businesses in Neepsend are currently facing.I also speak to Beki Gibb, who is the owner of Oaklea Crafts. She has some workshops coming up where you can go and learn different crafting techniques, and so she tells us all about that.And then I speak to Brian Holmshaw, who is the Green Party Councillor for Broomhill and Sharrow Vale Ward, but he's also the chair of the Central Local Area Committee.They have an event coming up, and he's here to tell us all about it.Just before we jump into this interview with Tom Miller from Neepsend Social Club and Canteen, couple of points.One is that we recorded on the 18th September. So that helps you position when the meeting was that Tom was talking about.And secondly, NUN Local approached councillor Ben Miskell and Sheffield City Council to give them a chance to respond to the points that Tom made about the traffic and parking changes, but Ben Miskell and the council did not get back to us.Now enjoy the interview with Tom, then Beki, then Brian.Neepsend Social Club and Canteen is on Burton Road in Neepsend with events, pub games, craft beer, and good food.Tom Miller from Neepsend Social Club and Canteen is here.First of all, you call Neepsend Social Club and Canteen a modern reimagining of a classic social club.What made you want to recreate that kind of nostalgic vibe?Tom MillerThat's a very good question.It's my business partner, Ben, who just happens to be my twin brother, but we have been in business for 8 years now doing various ventures. And this is the biggest and the latest.It's just something that we have spoken about in the in the past, when we were kids, growing up in Chesterfield in the early years.There's a rich heritage in this country and locally of social clubs, working men's clubs, that we just felt was something to really be proud of.We came across the idea, stumbled into the idea vicariously through going to Denmark. We went to Copenhagen on holiday, just a little holiday, weekend away.And as we do when we go to fun cities that are food led and things like that, hospitality led, go to all these different places and have a great time.And then the idea starts whirring in your head and you think, oh, this thing's great. That thing's great. Why can't we… let's take this home. Let's do our own version of these kinds of things.And we happened to go in a place called Absalon, which is essentially a Danish version of a social club. And we were like, oh, this is brilliant. Like, there's so many cool things about it.The decor was amazing. They had all these wonderful events on, and it's really, really community focused, community led. They did loads of cool stuff like pay what you feel food nights, and things like that.And the spirit of that place, we were really inspired by. We came back to Sheffield and were like, let's do a Danish version of a social club.And then that idea percolated for probably a few months in our heads before we thought, hang about, we've got this rich heritage that I was just referring to, this rich heritage of social clubs and working men's clubs in this country anyway.So the idea transformed into, let's really try and lean into that.And if we're going to do something, let's try and pay homage to the heyday of the social club, which is the sixties, seventies.And that's why we have this Wes Anderson type decor and style down here that we tried to make it as immersive as possible in terms of the decor.And it’s born out of COVID as well. We all spent best part of two, if not more, years inside.That focused the mind a little bit...
