Tell the Truth Sheffield, Review of 2025

by Graham Wroe

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s good to review what TelltheTruthSheffield.org has achieved in the last 12 months. It’s been a year of steady growth for the blog, with increasing numbers of subscribers (if you aren’t one yet, please click the link!) and viewers. The year has been dominated by the Genocide in Gaza, as most of the most-read posts reflect (see below). The media has consistently failed in its duty to report accurately what has happened in Gaza itself and what has happened here in Sheffield in response to this. I think this blog has made an important contribution to telling the truth about Israel’s crimes and the unrelenting activism of those in Sheffield who have opposed them. I am particularly indebted to Catherine Fish, who wrote the most-read post of the year, about the Filton 24. The way the Hunger Strikers have been ignored by the media, as well as the Defend our Juries placard holders, arrested for simply holding a sign, is truly disgraceful. If you missed it, do watch the videos of the 17 arrests outside Sheffield Cathedral.

The climate crisis hasn’t gone away, and indeed, 2025 will almost certainly be the hottest year on record. The media have failed to report the climate crisis with the urgency it requires, especially when it comes to topics like tipping points, which many of our leading decision-makers and journalists still don’t understand. But our articles each week in the Sheffield Telegraph, each fortnight in the Sheffield Star and letters in many papers around the country help to educate the public. Perhaps the most important event of the year regarding the climate was the National Emergency Briefing, which we covered in 3 posts. Many thanks to my fellow Sheffield Telegraph Environment contributors this year, Darcy White, Karine Nohr, Ci Davis, Chris Broome, Stephen Pennells and Rosalind Dean. We make a great team!

The massive growth of the Green Party since Zack Polanski was elected leader offers some hope for the future, and this is reflected in the most viewed videos, with local Councillor Alexi Dimond speaking in 2 of them. I look forward to welcoming Zack Polanski back to Sheffield on 17th January.

2025 has also seen the rise of Reform and the far-right, but the most watched video for this year was the rally outside Sheffield Cathedral, organised by Stand Up to Racism in response to UKIP, who insisted on marching to a hotel, a temporary home to asylum seekers. I think people are beginning to see through the lies of the far-right, Nigel Farage and his supporters, and sincerely hope the Greens will continue their massive growth in 2026, winning many more seats in the local elections in May and replacing both Labour and Reform when it comes to the next General Election.

The outlier in the most-read posts is my interview with Thomas Atkin about his plan to extend the Supertram System, a post that dates back to February 2022. It is a blot on the Regional Mayor’s record that no progress has yet been made on this, although there is again talk of extensions to the hospitals. This should be a much bigger priority than re-opening Doncaster Airport, which will be a climate crime. I’m pleased to see Thomas’s vision is still getting noticed.

I was never satisfied with the response to my investigations concerning the threats posed by old landfill sites in Sheffield that contain toxic waste and are close to flood risk areas. The response I got from the Environment Agency is here and the Council Committee I wrote to never responded to me. I have once again written to the Waste and Streetscene Committee.

My hopes for the next year? TelltheTruthSheffield.org has a great team of writers who deserve a bigger audience. Can you help make that a reality? If you are skilled in social media such as TikTok or Instagram and can offer an hour a week to make engaging posts from the material we produce and boost visitors to the blog, please consider joining our little team. Let me know your interest by emailing graham@tellthetruthsheffield.org.

Finally, many thanks to all you readers. If you like what you read here, please don’t forget to spread the word by sharing it on social media. I wish you all a very happy, peaceful and rebellious New Year!

10 most read posts of 2025 (click the links to read them)