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Top three finish for pageant girl Swayze
A BARNSLEY pageant girl is celebrating this week after returning home with a number of awards.
Swayze Best, 21, from Honeywell, only started her pageant journey last year but she already has a number of wins under her belt.
She competed in the Miss Petite Global UK competition in Birmingham and the winner had the chance to jet off to Malaysia to take part in an international competition.
Unfortunately Swayze didn’t pick up the top...
Winter illnesses ‘caused by rising energy costs’
THOUSANDS of pensioners who have faced a shocking ‘heat-or-eat’ dilemma have been admitted to hospital with cold-related illnesses over the last three winters.
Following cuts to winter fuel payments and the rising number of flu cases, Barnsley Hospital logged a total of 3,295 admissions for over-65s over the winter months between 2021 and 2024.
Freedom of Information statistics cite influenza, hypothermia, pneumonia, chest infections and bronchitis as main reasons, however healthca
Musician Catherine ready to live the American dream
A BARNSLEY jazz artist has gone viral almost overnight - and is set to embark on a European and American tour after signing with one of the world’s largest booking agencies.
Catherine Rannus, from Dodworth, has an extensive repertoire from pop to jazz and classical to traditional.
She’s been providing live music for weddings and functions for over 20 years and has quite the local following.
But after meeting with York-based musician Reuben Barrett in...
‘Yet another takeaway is not what’s needed...’
PLANS to create a SEVENTH takeaway on a 70-yard stretch of a town centre street have been submitted to Barnsley Council’s planning board.
There are currently six takeaways on Wellington Street, all within a 30-second walk of one another.
An application has been submitted to the council to add a seventh, the Chronicle can reveal.
It comes after it was revealed that Barnsley ranked the lowest in England for healthy life expectancy for women, who...
‘Questions still remain over bin collections’
BARNSLEY Council bosses were quizzed over the waste collection services at a rarely-used ‘call for action’ meeting this week but ‘many more’ questions remain according to a local councillor.
More than 100,000 bins were missed by local collection crews over the first two months of the year due to heavy snow and the implementation of the council’s new safety scheme Be Safe, Work Safe, Target Zero.
Councillors across the borough were inundated with complaints from...
Clare planning charity ball in son’s memory
A PROUD of Barnsley winner has not been resting on her laurels since taking home one of the coveted trophies last year as she is now in the process of doing something she’s never done before - planning an elaborate charity ball.
Clare Eager won the hearts of Chronicle readers with her tragic story of grief and determination, after she began a campaign that gathered more than 50,000 signatures to increase awareness and funding of...
Pupils putting brakes on speeders
PUPILS at a school plagued by speeding vehicles and reckless parking have begun campaigning to improve safety in the area and have already got the attention of their local councillors and MP.
For years senior leadership at Cawthorne CofE Primary School have been struggling with the congested Maltkiln Row and Tivy Dale streets, that has seen drivers mounting the curb in an attempt to find a place to stop and speeding in between parked vehicles....
Money raised thanks to students’ creations
FASHION students at Barnsley College have helped raise money for Barnsley Hospice by selling their creations.
Barnsley Hospice Retail Hub commissioned the students to transform second-hand denim and other waste fabrics into contemporary outfits.
The project challenged students to be creative with the second-hand clothing and wasted fabric, transforming unloved items into cherished ones through innovative ideas and experimenting with the fabrics.
Amy Basry, fashion tutor at the college, said:
Cafe revealed as Barnsley’s best!
YOU voted in your droves... but there could only be one winner.
Our quest to find Barnsley’s best coffee went right around the region with strong contenders from all parts of the borough.
But we put it to our readers to decide their favourite and they decided Royston’s Central Cafe was the best.
They saw off strong competition from Audrey’s Coffee House, Gallagher’s of Barnsley, The Old Ivy Shed, The Old George, Rob Royd Farm...
Hospital congratulated following survey results
BARNSLEY Hospital has been crowned the best in the country for its team work and work-life balance in the most recent NHS staff survey.
The survey - which covers acute and acute and community trusts - involved staff answering a series of 118 questions about their experience of work, along with questions relating to employee engagement and morale.
The hospital was named the best in the country for teamwork, compassionate leadership, and supporting work-life balance....
Hospice fundraiser was a trendy success
MORE than £6,000 was raised for Barnsley Hospice in a special fashion-focused event at the weekend.
The ‘30 Years of Fashion’ event on Saturday saw fashion designer for the late Queen Elizabeth II, Angela Kelly CVO, give expert advice on dressing well.
Guests were able to shop for pre-loved clothes, browse speciality stalls and enjoy a two-course meal.
Angela - who also wrote the Sunday Times’ best-selling novel ‘The Other Side of the Coin: The...
Council to be quizzed over bins
COUNCIL bosses are set to be grilled about under-fire waste collection services after it was revealed more than 100,000 bins were missed by Barnsley collection crews in the first two months of the year.
A perfect storm for prolonged disruption throughout January and February was encountered due to heavy snow and subsequent ice as well as the council’s new safety scheme - Be Safe, Work Safe, Target Zero - in the waste industry.
It resulted...
Mates rallying around James after cancer diagnosis
THREE Barnsley lads are set to take on a mammoth challenge in a bid to raise funds for their friend who was diagnosed with cancer last year.
James Brown, 37, of Carlton, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on August 5 last year and has since undergone an array of treatment for the illness.
But at first he thought he had just been over training and decided to put off going to the doctor while...
Regeneration hitting outlying areas
A COUNCILLOR has urged Barnsley Council’s ruling Labour group to prove they are not ‘shunning communities’ outside the town centre in favour of continuing its multi-million pound regeneration.
Coun Hannah Kitching, who represents Penistone West for the Liberal Democrats, chose to speak out against the local authority’s spending in the centre which has included more than £200m on the Glass Works, £11m on the Jumble Lane footbridge and millions more already rin
Illegal vapes with £150k street value are seized
A HUGE spike in the amount of illegal vapes being seized by enforcement teams tasked with ridding Barnsley’s streets of dangerous items can now be laid bare after a document revealed more than 12,000 were confiscated over a two-year period.
A Freedom of Information request documents the rise in illegal vape use which, according to public health teams, contain higher levels of nicotine whilst being considerably cheaper to buy.
The Chronicle can reveal no data...
Tenants locked in dispute over disrepair rows
ALMOST 100 council house tenants are locked in legal disputes over the state of their homes - and a report into disrepair rows revealed a sharp increase in claims being lodged.
As of December 2024, there were 92 live - or ongoing - legal cases owing to disrepair.
Between April and November last year, 118 disrepair claims were received, which is a 28 per cent increase compared to claims in 2023/24 where 92 were received....
Band hit all the right notes to clinch victory
AN award-winning brass band clinched another victory at a regional competition and found themselves promoted in what is set to be one of the most impressive years of their history.
Barnsley Metropolitan Band celebrated its 50th anniversary in style last year, being crowned Yorkshire champions, hosting a variety of exciting shows and even making the finals of the Proud of Barnsley awards.
However, their 51st year may be the best yet, as after taking a...
Actor breaks silence on why he walked away from top TV show
MANY were shocked when Barnsley-born actor Kenny Doughty made the sudden decision to quit the hit ITV drama Vera - but two years after his departure he’s opened up about the experience.
It was recently announced that after disappearing from people’s screens in 2023, Doughty will be returning to television once more in Channel 5’s The Au Pair, based on the best-selling book by Emma Rous.
Now he’s revealed that his decision to step back...
Cancellation frustration ... and almost three quarters of train services late
DOZENS of no-show train services left commuters stranded across Barnsley - with the town’s ten stations having three-quarters of their services delayed and many more completely cancelled in the first weeks of the year.
Department for Transport statistics obtained by the Chronicle compare cancelled Northern-operated services at Barnsley Interchange, Darton, Wombwell, Penistone, Elsecar, Goldthorpe, Bolton-upon-Dearne, Thurnscoe, Silkstone Common and Dodworth.
Dodworth was the worst-impact
Brave Arabella taking on the Great North Run
A YOUNG girl who lives her life with only half a heart after being born with a potentially fatal condition has not let her various and severe medical issues hold her back - and is now preparing to take on the Great North Run in aid of charity.
At only 13 years old, Arabella Canetti has experienced more trauma than most adults go through in their entire lives.
Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -...