Is Sheffield sexy? Tory MP Michael Fabricant didn't think so, and said our lack of glamour held us back in our pursuit of the World Athletics Championships. We asked members of Children's Express, a group of Sheffield teenagers learning about journalism, what they think.
| Sheffield is not sexy. It is old and dirty. |
Sheffield has the widest variety of people I have ever seen, making it an incredibly multicultural society.
It has many historical buildings mixed with more modern places giving the city real personality. However, I do think Sheffield is not as environmentally friendly as it could be, and has a high pollution rate. Sheffield could clean up its streets more.
To its credit, Sheffield has already started to make itself a more attractive city, with the demolition of the egg box and the reconstruction of Midland Station.
Sheffield could become even more attractive by knocking down the indoor markets and replacing them with a traditional open-air market. Sheffield has great nightlife and some great entertainment which adds to its sexy image.
Natalie Ansell, 15, Norton Lees
Despite what anyone may say about Sheffield, it has improved tremendously and modernised at an accelerating rate.
There's something for everyone in Sheffield, plenty of nightlife for the party animals, the Lyceum, the Crucible and the new Millennium Galleries for the more expressive, arty individual, Meadowhall for the shoppers, and don't forget the Centertainment Park, boasting the biggest cinema in the city, bowling, nightclubs, bars and restaurants. I love the new Peace Gardens.
Sabrina Golding, 14, Firth Park
Sheffield is not sexy. It is old and dirty, a city which needs new buildings, more bins and more cleaners. Our transport system is not the best either. Supertram should be extended far further, and the bus routes are sometimes too complicated.
Sheffield bus station should be renovated, cleaned and repainted. Sheffield Airport should have greater investment so we could compete more with Manchester. Old disused buildings should be knocked down, have new buildings built on these sites and then sold on.
Liam O'Reilly, 13, Woodseats
Sheffield is a great city, full of things to do. The problem is, we don't always appreciate it. There are some brilliant places, like the Peace Gardens, the Centertainment complex and the Arena. Sheffield appeals to so many people, those who enjoy the nightlife, or those who prefer the great outdoors.
The city accepts all people, regardless of their background, whether gay, straight, black, white, old or young.
The downside of Sheffield? The council seems to keep spending money on unnecessary things like the Centre for Popular Music. Why not spend money on completely transforming the train station?
Holly Gillway, 12, Beauchief
Sheffield has some beautiful parts, but also some unattractive areas. Some of the buildings are amazing, like the Cathedral and the more modern National Centre for Popular Music. It's a real shame that such a beautiful building was such a great waste of money, shut after a year. The money should have been used more sensibly.
The Peace Gardens are great to relax in, sunbathe and have fun. A less attractive feature of the city is Midland Station. From the outside, the building is remarkable; inside, it is dirty and noisy. We only hope that when the building work is finished, it is worth it.
Laura Smith and Ben Strutt, 13, Wincobank
I think Sheffield matches my idea of sexy because it has many attractive places such as Meadowhall with its easy access by car, train, tram and buses and offers a variety of shops, eating places and entertainment, Don Valley stadium, the Arena, Valley Centertainment, the city centre and lots of parks.
I do think, however, there a few historical sites to see in Sheffield. When I have visited other cities, including London and Edinburgh, they appear much bigger than Sheffield, probably because they seem more "active" cities, but the great thing about Sheffield is that it's easy for you to travel around and have a good time.
Jasmine Stewart, 14, Firth Park
The Peace Gardens are definitely sexy, although why spend so much money and time on them when it could have been spent developing the rest of The Moor? We should also be looking at how we can bring more shops like we have at Meadowhall into the town centre.
The decision to knock down the egg box is a good one - this will certainly make the town centre more beautiful!
Oliver Musselwhite, 12, Lower Walkley.
About the team
This article was produced by Children's Express Sheffield bureau. It was published in the Sheffield Star.
