July Goings On

I'm not really a fan of competitive sports, but no-one can miss the fact that the Tour de Sheffield rolls through the outer regions of our city this month, offering souvenir sellers and magazine article -writers a freewheeling theme of cycling references to play on. Here's a quick pedal through some of the month's highlights. There will be a really exciting event taking place on Burngreave Road on 6July, as the cyclists race past to cheers from Abbeyfield Park Multicultural Festival, which is held on the same day. This is a lively festival, with a great mix of music, food and fun, giving the whole community its hi-viz moment of public celebration. Out in South Sheffield there is also Woodseats Festival to look forward to on 12 and 13 July, with a whole saddle-bag full of family fun, music and even a community parade. Tramlines, on the last weekend of the month, must wear the yellow jersey in terms of July festivals. The line-up in the main arena of Devonshire Green is impressive and the Peace Gardens will host an extravaganza of world music and dance, alongside activities like interactive live spray can art. Another highlight is the Folk Forest at Endcliffe Park, run by Regather, Sheffield’s trading co-operative. If you haven't got into folk music, it’s the people's music, celebrating and protesting through songs handed down through generations and constantly re-invented for today's global consciousness. From a grassroots musical tradition, it's developed into a lively contemporary fusion crossing many genres. The co-operative movement has had its own equivalent of a doping scandal this year, so it's time to talk about things. An open meeting for anyone involved in any kind of co-operative is to be held on 16July at Aizlewoods Mill on Nursery Street, itself a successful co-operative business centre. It will cover discussion of co-op principles of education and co-operation between co-ops, at a time when the movement is beginning to re-group, professionalise and strike back, putting the brakes on the 'winner takes all' approach to serving human needs. The Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair comes around again for the fifth year running. It's at the Showroom on 12 July and is gearing up to be the biggest yet. As well as a whole range of thought-provoking books, comics and leaflets putting a spoke in the wheels of capitalism, there will be films and talks covering topics from practical online security and the English Civil War to mental health under the system we live in. So there's a greased lightning tour of some events in Sheffield this month. None of these will cost you a penny farthing, so don't stay chained in at home. Get on your bike and enjoy the summer. Details of these and much more can be found on the Alt-Sheff website and all good social media outlets. Have a great month. woodseatsfestival.org.uk regather.net facebook.com/SheffieldBookfair alt-sheff.org )