Nick Harland

'I have to commute to the UK from France every week just to be there for my family' Rolando Mercado has been trapped in this 1,500-mile, bi-weekly arrangement since his family visa application was rejected

Exclusive: 'I have to commute to the UK from France every week just to be there for my family'

I spoke to Rolando Mercado about being trapped in a 1500-mile, bi-weekly arrangement to see his family in Manchester after his visa application was rejected in 2024.

uk.news.yahoo.com/home-office-...

Hoping the Leadmill finds a new home in Sheffield

Ditching the uni dream - QS Insights Magazine 38 For the first time, the proportion of British young people opting to study at university dropped. Do they still see value in a degree?

I wrote about whether more young Brits will turn away from university given the spiralling costs, student loan arrangements and graduate unemployment. For QS Insights Mag.

Thanks to @nickhillmanuk.bsky.social from @hepi-news.bsky.social, Dave and Michael for contributing.

The future of greyhound racing is murky. Can it survive? A night at the dogs — With roots in ancient civilisations, the sport has traditionally been a pastime of Britain’s working classes. But falling betting…

The future of greyhound racing is murky. Can it survive?

www.huckmag.com/article/futu...

thanks to @isaacmuk.bsky.social for commissioning and then whipping the article into shape!

The future of greyhound racing is murky. Can it survive? A night at the dogs — With roots in ancient civilisations, the sport has traditionally been a pastime of Britain’s working classes. But falling betting…

I had a night at the dogs and wrote about it for @huckmag.com.

‘It’s ridiculous’: publicans bemused by rise of single-file queues to get served Bar owners say they struggle to dissuade people from forming a line as behavioural experts point to post-pandemic ‘new norms’

One of the realy interesting post-pandemic trends are 'people doing a thing that they clearly can't possibly be enjoying and ignoring everyone else urging them not to'.

Just feels like a totally unconnected set of matches every week with absolutely no jeopardy in any of them. And a league table that I just can't take seriously

Tour de France Femmes is coming to Sheffield 2027 - 31st July Stage 2 finish #TourDeFranceFemmes
#TheOutdoorCity
#TDFF

My review of my review: it's not as shit as I was expecting, but it's still quite shit. To be honest though, sometimes it's nice to read back some of your old stuff just to see how far you've come along. I like to think I am a little better than quite shit nowadays (but not that much).

I was digging through my files the other day and stumbled across this - which is (I think) the first writing of mine that ever appeared in print!

It was in July 2011 for The Tramlines Times; a newspaper that used to be given away every day of Sheffield's @tramlinesfestival.bsky.social.

This crowdfunder to start rebuilding Britain's social club movement is tantalisingly close to its target - please support!

I've decoded these two headlines, and I think what they were trying to say is: 'we have absolutely no idea what's going to happen in the budget'

An image of an instant noodle advent calendar in a supermarket

Because nothing says Christmas like an instant noodle advent calendar.

‘A fine line between old and new’: the tricky reinvention of the working men’s club ‘At the Mildmay, a Guinness is £4.40’

My article: www.timeout.com/uk/nightlife...

Last year I wrote a piece for Time Out about how working men's clubs are reinventing themselves for the 21st century, and I saw how they're bringing back a sense of community to their local areas.

So it's exciting to see a crowdfunder has been launched to ensure their survival. Please support!

very well deserved!!

Happy birthday, football!

'I'm an unpaid carer. I'll be living on £15 a month when I get my state pension' Chantal Chaervey told Yahoo UK that the carer's benefit must be kept for the 1.2 million carers who continue their unpaid role after claiming their pension.

I was so moved by Chantal. She's whip-smart, driven and deeply compassionate. She's been an unpaid carer for her son Harry, for the last 22 years.

Once Chantal claims her pension, she won't receive carer's allowance any more. She'll have just £15 a month to live on
uk.news.yahoo.com/carers-allow...

One of Sheffield's best-loved venues has had its future secured, as part of plans to create a "National Trust for music" The Music Venue Trust are looking to raise £1.5 million from fans to acquire the freehold on grassroots culture spaces in Leeds, Newcastle and South Yorkshire.

The future of one of Sheffield’s most celebrated arts venues looks set to be secure for the long-term with the announcement that its city centre site will be acquired by @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social for the benefit of the city.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social

#GutLevel #MusicVenues #Dance #Clubbing

There's so much wrong with single file queuing at bars, but I think the worst might be that it's way less efficient. A single file queue takes far longer to clear than the traditional ruck.

Also, bars were literally built with the ruck queuing system in mind. To go against it is fucking insane.

ANTICIPATE!

'Gotta support the team though, haven't you?'

I wrote about the world of shit TV football dialogue for @mundialmag.bsky.social, to learn why characters always talk about football in such a deeply weird way.

Cheers to Adam from @footballcliches.bsky.social and Sean for chatting with me!

Intriguing to see the page layouts, text formatting, placement of illustrations, and exact colour scheme of our small mag The Fence (L) receiving such 'sincere flattery' from a 200k+ circulation 'nuke the small boats' newspaper like The Telegraph (R). Very cool.

A flirty Meta AI bot invited a retiree to meet. He never made it home. Impaired by a stroke, a man fell for a Meta chatbot originally created with Kendall Jenner. His death spotlights Meta’s AI rules, which let bots tell falsehoods.

this is absolutely horrifying www.reuters.com/investigates...

An image of the Leadmill in Sheffield, boarded up after closing in July 2025 with the Pulp plaque outside missing

Outside the former Leadmill in Sheffield, with a plaque commemorating Pulp's first ever gig missing

Looks like Jarvis has got his wish - the plaque outside the Leadmill commemorating Pulp's first ever gig appears to have been taken down #sheffield #leadmill #pulp

9 of the best things to do in Sheffield The city makes for a brilliant weekend break, with countryside charm and buzz wrapped together. Our expert shares the activities worth basing your trip around

Missed this last week but it's not wrong www.thetimes.com/travel/desti...

Creative Cull - QS Insights Magazine 31 Creative degrees are increasingly devalued, sparking debate over the purpose and value of higher education.

"Cuts to creative degrees would narrow the already limited pathways into the creative workforce for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds." magazine.qs.com/qs-insights-...

thanks to Emily from @creativepec.bsky.social, Joe from @cardiffunimusic.bsky.social and Jackie for explaining the wider impact (and senselessness) of cutting these creative degrees

Creative Cull - QS Insights Magazine 31 Creative degrees are increasingly devalued, sparking debate over the purpose and value of higher education.

At least 14 UK unis are currently implementing redundancy programmes affecting creative degrees - or closing them altogether.

The culling of creative degrees is narrowing the already limited pathways into the creative industry for working class students.

My latest piece for QS Insights Magazine: