Those Nine Hours

Gatecrasher

Most synonymous with Sheffield rave and drugs is the (now demolished) Gatecrasher club. Instrumental in the rise of techno and house music, it was a massive success until the renamed Gatecrasher 1 caught fire and had to be demolished.

It was here that DJ Anon (not his real name) had one of his first and "best" drug experience. 

“Best experience? Entering Gatecrasher with 50 pills in my pocket at the age of 17,” he added, “hearing trance music for the first time in the best club i’ve ever been in. Unreal. Some awesome memories of that place!”

He said that drugs were rife at the venue, and police agreed: a raid in 2001 led to 13 arrests and the discovery of what police described as a "substantial amount of ecstasy and cocaine."

Still thriving

DJ Anon said the drug scene is still alive.

“I’d say all the venues I’ve done are full of drugs, mainly because of the underground house scene I’m into. You get very little drugs in R ‘n’ B and traditional dance venues.”

He admitted that it had calmed down since the demolition of gatecrasher. 

“It’s nowhere near as bad, there were more pills [ecstacy] knocking about in them days- now it’s mainly coke for cool people, and mkat for the skint people.” He emphasizes the word ‘cool’. 

Mkat is a recent, but increasingly present addition to the drug scene. Dubbed Meow Meow by the tabloids, (though according to DJ Anon no-one using it ever called it this), it was once legal before gaining class B status in 2010. 

It is DJ Anon’s drug of choice.

“It’s cheap and cheerful. Does the trick. A harsh drug compared to coke, but who cares?” he said.

A gram of mkat can sell for anywhere between £15 and £30, whilst a gram of coke can be around £60. 

A DJ's privilege?

DJing in Sheffield and Manchester, from clubs and pubs with less than 100 punters to Ibiza venues with hundreds, this DJ has seen it all. 

“Straight away you can tell who’s on drugs.” He explained the tell tale signs: “Eyes and jaw mainly give it away, [they] act totally different to a drunk person.”

Despite the stereotype, he says that being a DJ doesn’t equal special treatment or an abundance of free drugs. They are easy enough to come by anyway. 

“I get offered them a lot during a set, but it’s just as easy off it.”

DJ Anon enjoys a more relaxed afternoon: drug free.

It has not always been a positive experience though. After taking a “dodgy pill” he had to tell his parents and a doctor had to be called to his house: “I thought I was gonna die off half a pill...worst part was telling the ‘rents I’m on drugs. Horrible seein’ them cry because their son is a druggy.”

 The experience hasn’t put him off drugs though. 

“Sometimes I think of the consequences, but most times I just think sod it: let’s get wrecked.”

“I generally take half a pill nowadays to make sure they're not dodgy ones: learnt my lesson far too many times.”

The war on drugs is an effort constantly in the news and DJ Anon is not entirely sure of the solution. He says dicriminalisation won’t make a difference to the users. 

Gatecrasher has come and gone, scenes and their devotes have appeared and disappeared, but the drugs have remained. 

Despite Britain going through a double dip recession over the past few years, Joe says it has had a positive affect on the business: “We’ve had us[sic] best year yet.”

“It’s times when shit’s hittin’ fan that people wanna go out and have a good time, this shop helps them.”

The brightly lit shop is full of trinkets and treasures; ranging from zippo lighters to books on cannabis culture and legal highs. 

Golden Harvests store front inside Forum Shops

"Your grandma could walk in..."

It isn’t just teenagers and students though that visit the shop. Joe says all manner of people pass through his doors: “There isn’t an average customer. You get your 18 year olds and students, but also locals between 50 and 60. Seriously, your grandma could walk in next, it’s so diverse.”

Golden Harvest has been established for 17 years, and is one of four similar shops in Sheffield. Despite being the biggest and stocking the largest range of stock, Joe won’t be drawn on whether his shop is the best or not. 

“It’s up to the customers to decide that, but we are the biggest and have the friendliest staff.”

During Joe's interview, two female students walked in. Amazed by the array of options available Joe talked them through the products, and they eventually opted for a cannabis lollipop. It’s not hard to see why he received such glowing recommendations. 

The cannabis lollies that the two ladies purchased

Joe says the buying habits of his clients are just as fascinating as the ages of the customers themselves. One of Golden Harvest’s best sellers are the legal highs. 

“They sell well,” he admits. “But I don’t touch that [myself].” 

Legal highs

Legal highs have come under increasing pressure recently ,and have become prevalent in the media ever since the drug methedrone was given a class B illegal status in 2010. The drug had been coined as ‘meow meow’ by the tabloids, and received huge media attention. 

A selection of 'research chemicals' available at Golden Harvest

“The law around legal highs is getting more and more delicate. You’re not supposed to call them that anymore,” Joe said.

Legal high is used to describe many drugs and chemicals that have not been given illegality status. One of the most famous is Salvia, a ‘herbal high’ plant grown in Mexico. It is smoked like cannabis and is said to give users a hallucinogenic effect. Plant extracts are sold in packets and tubes by The Golden Harvest ranging from a couple of quid to £20.

Other forms of legal highs are powders and pills. Though they are not classed as such. Described as research chemicals they are packaged explicitly stating 'not for human consumption', often labelled as plant food. 

They are easily available to buy online and at The Golden Harvest.

Golden Harvest is the largest smoke shop in Sheffield

There is no doubt that legal highs or research chemicals will continue to make headlines in the tabloids, and judging by The Golden Harvest’s booming trade, people will continue to use them. 

As unemployment levels in young people creeps toward the million mark, Phil was told by employers he needed either more experience or a Masters degree to get the standard of job he was looking for. With another year of studying, and fees of £10,000, he had to remain in hospitality: an industry that cuts plenty of corners.

"The first thing they get you to do is sign a contract to pass up your legal breaks," says Phil, who often returns to work just seven hours after finishing. "Apparently, I'm allowed 11 hours between shifts; but most weekends, I finish at 2am and I'm back in at 9."

Extra responsibilities

Although grateful to his managers for allowing short notice trips to interviews around the country, Phil knows it comes at a cost, often having to run the pub himself. While he doesn't mind the added management responsibilities, he sometimes has to turn a blind eye to illegal licencing: "There has to be someone with a personal alcohol license on the premises at all times, otherwise we shouldn't sell drink."

"I don't have the right license, so when the other managers leave and I'm left to run the business, technically, we're illegally selling booze."

Management isn’t the only extra responsibility Phil has to deal with. "Chefs are my biggest nightmare. Sometimes they just can't be bothered to come in! It's something I'm again not trained in, but it happens so often, I've learnt the basics.

"Most of our stuff is microwaved anyway! I wouldn't eat here myself, but then, most of our customers come for the drink or to ogle at our bar staff."

Phil works with a core group of third year students from both Sheffield universities, none of whom have anything further than their bar work lined up when term finishes in a few weeks. "Some of our girls are 'doing a gap year'-travelling the world and just hoping there's more jobs when they get back. I look at places like Spain, and I just don't think it'll blow over."

Phil is right. ONS statistics show that the unemployment rate is 20.8% for 16-24 year olds in the UK, with 958,000 young people part of the 2.52 million Britons looking for work.

He has had some luck though. After successfully enrolling in a graduate scheme in London, he's glad to be coming to the end of his hospitality career: "I've never known a business industry with such a high turnover in staff. It can be easier to get work than other sectors, but there's no real room to progress."

In the chaos of a Friday and Saturday night on West Street, when the locals come out to play, there is one place that will always welcome students and locals alike. West Street Live breaks down the barriers by using a friendly atmosphere, rocking music and reasonably priced drinks to create a buzzing feel that is impossible to dislike.

A unique menu means that each time you go, you can try something new (and strong). The variety of drinks is such a big pull. Most other bars on West Street have the regular pints and small range of over priced cocktails. Not West Street Live.

Everyone who goes will have fun trying to find his or her regular drink. Mine is the “Shit Bomb” (cheap jager and cheap energy drink). For me the “Shit Bomb” represents the perfect drink at West Street Live. Its price of £1 is the cheapest jager bomb you will find anywhere in Sheffield.

The centre of Sheffield is already saturated with dozens of bars and pubs, so the need to offer something different is imperative to attracting customers. West Street Live achieves this by allowing the best local independent bands to strut their stuff, nearly every night a week. The wide range means that if you’re a regular you will never get bored of what’s on offer.

Unlike clubs, the atmosphere in West Street Live is far more relaxed. Booths and tables offer a chance to sit down and have a civilised chat. This is perhaps why the demographics of the patrons are older than many of the bar's neighbours.

One of the drawbacks to West Street Lives popularity is that it can get very crowded, especially on the weekends. It doesn’t help that some of the clientele can also be quite burly, meaning it can become a mission not to spill your drink over a large beer belly.

If you feel like going out of your comfort zone for a night, and experiencing something different, then I know you will enjoy West Street Live. After all, it's free to get in, so what’s the worst that can happen?

In the real world it seems there is a general consensus that there should be the decriminilisation of some drugs. Every few years, a Home Office select committee and drug experts put forward such an idea, and the Primer Minister and his cabinet dismiss it outright. This is a process that has been repeated for the past 15 to 20 years. 

 Those Nine Hours spoke to Peter Reynolds: the leader of CLEAR, a cannabis law reform political party. 

The 54-year-old branded the politicians as “cowards” and blamed their lack of action on the subject due to them “being scared of the newspapers.” 

Reynolds said the prohibition of drugs was a major problem: “ It always causes more harm than it prevents.”

“It is much better off to legalise heroin and crack cocaine... [what's needed] is a much stricter regulation on alcohol, and much lighter regulations on cannabis.”

Whilst medical use is at the heart of CLEAR’s campaign, Reynolds said they also see the benefit in decriminalisation for all users. 

“It would massively reduce crime and create a massive amount of jobs,” he said, citing evidence from the USA, which has a large labour force involved in the production of cannabis for medicinal purposes. 

Based on CLEAR’s own research commissioned in 2011, Reynolds said, “The cannabis market is worth about six billion a year.” 

"If the government was to legalise cannabis and tax it, there would be a net gain to the exchequer of about nine billion a year.”

As well as calling them cowards, Reynolds said the solution was to take the market out of the hands of criminals and for the government to stop “abandoning the responsibility of children, and the whole of society to criminal gangs.” 

Although the issue of decriminilisation seems to encounter continuous brick walls, Reynolds believes that we will see some form of society in which cannabis is decriminalised within the next five years. He believes the best option is to give a select number of retailers a license to sell the drug, with no more than two or three per town. 

The response in Sheffield is less clear. A 2012 poll by The Sheffield Star showed that over 90% of those polled agreed that some drugs should be decriminalised. Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg also argued that current laws were out of date. 

However, last year South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable, David Crompton, strongly disagreed with the possibility of decriminilisation; citing the problems that the rise of legal highs has brought.

It is unclear whether the recent exposure by the national press will lead to the decriminalisation of cannabis, or if it will cease to become an issue, hitting the familiar brick wall for another few years. 

The dicriminalisation of drugs is already in force in Portugal and getting results. The United States has recently passed legislation that legalises cannabis in certain states, and Amsterdam has long held the crown of the drug friendly city. 

The climate seems to be edging towards a drug decriminalised society and Britain drug laws are quickly looking archaic. 

Former Sheffield Hallam student Jonty Bayliss is one such person who has given up alcohol. He initially decided to give up alcohol for lent: "I always need to give something up for lent, so last year I decided to give up alcohol."

Gave up booze for lent and now going the whole year

Many people struggle to keep to their lent promise, but Jonty didn't find it a problem, and now plans to go and do the entire year without drinking alcohol, stating how good he now feels because of it.

"I feel a lot better. I have got a lot of things done in my life. When I used to have hangovers in the morning or the day I felt it was taking something away from my life, a couple of days being productive doing work and exercise. I am going to continue on for the next 10 months and hopefully the year."

His promise to be be teetotal didn't impact his social life. “It is not as hard as you think. You realise you can have a good as a night out without drink, as you can with it.”

The secret to a good night out without alcohol is energy drinks:  "I can still have a little bit of a dance and have a laugh with my friends. I generally enjoy life and I never needed alcohol to have a good time in day-to-day life with my friends, so why do I need it at night?"

Getting drunk: A rite of passage?

According to a study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, more and more young people feel that getting drunk is not a rite of passage for them.

The issues raised in the report include how they dislike the lack of self-control drinking gives them; the high cost of alcohol; and they can't work it round other commitments: such as work or sport.

Jonty joins a growing number of teetotallers in the UK, and it is easy to see why: he feels a lot better and is doing something with his life, rather than slumped in bed suffering from hangovers. 

  Volume better than profit

A member of the bar staff, Tom, was unsure whether it was easier to run a pub outside of the city centre: “We have to do more to attract people to come here.  It’s a lot harder outside of town, because there are less people around, but it can be mix and match, depending on which part of town you’re in.”

One of the main ways Tom and his colleagues attract customers is to charge lower prices for their drinks, as they believe that volume is better than profit. "The more people you get into the place the busier it gets. People will look inside, see it has a good atmosphere, and come in.”

As for the decline in pub numbers, Tom puts this down to a number of factors: the recession, the smoking ban and supermarkets selling cheaper alcohol.

"Supermarkets never makes it easy for pubs to keep up. Alcohol is getting more and more expensive for pubs to buy, and therefore many of them  have to raise the prices. As a result, people can’t afford to come out as much. If you can make the beers as cheap as possible, then you’re bound to get more customers."

He confidently assure me that there is no chance that this pub will close.

Although the main clients of the Fox and Duck are students, the pub also has a general clientèle of middle aged elderly people.

Two of these customers, Malcolm and James, explain why the Fox and Duck attracts them.

James explains why he prefers pubs outside of town. " I don’t like it in town centre, there are too much cheap drinks around and too much trouble- that’s a massive factor. We don’t want trouble, we want to come in when it’s nice and quiet."

Malcolm says: "Its more like a traditional pub, and has a good mix of people. It gets the locals in. and the students at night." Both agree that its nicer than city centre pubs.

Real Ale scene booming

Michelle is the manager at the Hillsborough Hotel which according to the Sheffield pub guide is the 6th highest rated pub in the whole of Sheffield.  She genuinely appears surprised at her pub’s high ranking, but reckons that this is down to the pub's micro-brewery, which allows the pub to produce its own ale. Michelle says that this has attracted real ale fans, and what are known as beer tickers (the real ale equivalent of train spotters): enthusiasts who travel from pub to pub ticking off real ale pubs as they go.

Michelle reveals that having a micro-brewery on site makes it easier for smaller pubs to survive, as it is cheaper to brew home-made beer rather than forking out to buy expensive lager. “The real ale scene hasn't been affected by the recession at all; in fact it’s taking off. It has affected pubs, but not real ale ones. 

"It isn't as rowdy as the city centre- there are no binge drinking students here. Our clients are mostly locals, older drinkers and real ale fans who are looking for a quiet drink.

"The main difficulty we had is trying to appeal to locals, trying to make them happy and it’s fair to say that we've succeeded."

Thankfully to these customers, the Fox and Duck and the Hillsborough Hotel look set to be open for some time.

Words, video and pictures by James Thompson

Fox and Duck Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/broomhillfox?fref=ts

Sean recalls he was out with a group of friends but lost the majority of them early in the night. He remembers one person he was with was far too drunk and he stumbled into a group of 'broad, tall, thugish' males. Sean, as a friend, tried to intervene and get his drunken friend out of trouble but they all attacked him. “One of their friends took my arms around my back, so I was pretty defenceless, while another one of them head butted me numerous times.”

The attack came to Sean as a surprise: “I never get attacked when I’m at home- everyone knows who I am – a taekwondo British champion.”  

Sean has said it doesn’t put him off going out, as it is rare to happen to someone once; let alone twice. Sean puts the violence down to students being hated by citizens of South Yorkshire, more so for Sean – someone from Manchester living in the heart of Yorkshire.

Sean, like a lot of people, blames alcohol for violence inside nightclubs: “When I’ve drank too much alcohol, all I want to do is eat fast food and pass out in my bed. There are people that seem to get aggressive when they have had a drink though, I have no idea why.”

Many of his friends have quizzed Sean as to why he did not defend himself, as he’s a taekwondo champion: “When you’ve been drinking it affects your senses- you almost have a false sense of security.” The ex-junior British champion, who attended two European championships, said he’s always confident on a night out. Sean claims he has learnt his lesson, and since then always controls his drinking habits and is more aware of people around.

Meet Max Goodwin. He can’t get to sleep: “I don’t want to tell anyone. I don’t want to tell my parents- they would just worry. I want to be able to deal with this myself.”

Max Goodwin isn’t his real name. He wishes to remain anonymous.

In a recent study, the BBC found that 25% of people in the UK suffer from some form of sleeping disorder. One of the factors behind this statistic is the result of stress.

Max is in his third year and the pressure is getting to him. “Ever since I’ve been at university really. But now especially when I’m in third year and the works become really important.”

“The stress of university has piled up on me. I’ve always been a nervous person but university has increased this and I always feel under pressure.” The result, long hours yawning over work in the library, “Its like the library has become my home.”

The National Institute of Sleep recommends that adults get a minimum of 7 hours sleep a night. Max says that he will get about 4 hours. Max confesses, “It’s ruined my social life. I’ve lost my friends."

It was clear from talking to Max that this lifestyle wasn’t healthy. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Max’s windows were swollen and bloodshot.

Many students choose to take sleeping pills to guarantee some shuteye. But Max says they wouldn’t work for him, “I’ve never tried them, I’ve always been a light sleeper and I can’t see pills changing that."

Max explains what turned him from a fresh face fresher to a pasty third year, “I think I’m obsessive compulsive as I can’t seem to leave any work until it’s up to my standard.”

What about after graduation? “I’m not sure really. I know its going to be an issue when I leave university, but once the stress is off me it will be a lot easier to handle.”

Studies have shown the 'risk of harm and death increases if a nurse is asked to look after more than eight patients', and Labour has already advised that a minimum staff requirement should be put in place.

Primarily involved at the Acute Surgical Ward in Barnsley, Lauren has to work three to four night shifts a week as part of her contract. Trained in 'intermediate life support' for emergencies, she explains why she has more responsibility at night: "If there's an emergency, you have to adapt to the situation, and take charge, because the seniors or doctors just aren't around."

On Monday, the Guardian reported that a busy night time GP service was recruiting nurses to undertake doctor's duties, but even though the Barnsley ward can be low on numbers, Lauren must follow procedure: "There's emergency numbers to call, and people do come, but whilst there's 10 to 20 people here in the day, at night time there's just three of us."

"It can be intimidating at night, purely because of the lack of people around. You're just down to the skeleton staff."

Outside a Sheffield hospital at night

Lauren, who has had to deal with a cardiac arrest during her shifts, spent three years at Sheffield Hallam University studying nursing, with 50% of the course practical based. In this time she worked throughout South Yorkshire: at Rotherham, Sheffield and Doncaster hospitals, before her move to Barnsley. Close to a return to Sheffield, Lauren loves the day to day life of a nurse: "I enjoy the variety, and how no two minutes are the same."

"I love working with people, so there's definitely job satisfaction."

 "I certainly don’t do it for the money!"

Those two incidents are not the worst she had seen. One night whilst on duty she had to treat one of her co-workers who had been attacked by a drunken person:  “This one man didn’t want to leave the ambulance. We asked him repeatedly to move into the hospital, but on the fourth attempt, he reacted by grabbing a pair of scissors my colleague had in his pocket, and cut open my colleagues face with them. That was the most horrific thing I have ever seen.” After this incident, Yvonne and all other ambulance drivers were trained so that this never would happen again.

Yvonne says that alcohol is the core problem and that you see the real effects of what it can do if visit A&E after 1am. There have been suggestions that people who cannot handle their drink and end up in hospital should have to pay for their treatment, but Yvonne disagrees. She claims the NHS is a service for everyone to use: “People would not go to hospital if you had to pay for the service. In the medical profession you’re there to serve anyone – not matter what state they are in.”

Seeing the state of some people in the early hours of the morning that require medical attention has put Yvonne off drinking alcohol for life. Since she started the job she has not drank and even though she quit nearly 15 years ago she still doesn’t want to try it: “My grandfather was a world war one veteran and suffered from shell shock throughout his life-he went to drink to solve his problems. I saw the state of him, and since then alcohol has never appealed to me – seeing idiots drunk at 3am just adds to my point.”

Sheffield: Home to 3500 ghosts

Originally a joke to his unemployment officer, Mr Penny Dreadful's Steel City Ghost Tour has become a phenomenal success and is ranked as the sixth best ghost tour in the country.

“At business school, when I told them I wanted to do a ghost walk, they thought it was a joke. They said it wouldn’t work, but I said if I managed to get 8 people on any tour in the first year then it’s succeeded. Eight years on, and 42000 people later, I get interviews for television, magazine and radio. This joke has become Frankenstein’s monster: it’s done a lot better than we thought it would do.”

From Stephen the blind fiddle player in Paradise Square, to deadly corpses that attack grave robbers at St James' Square; Sheffield is home to many supernatural beings, and Penny Dreadful knows all about them. He reckons that there are around 3500 ghosts in the city.

Steel City has three story researches who are dedicated to check all the stories to verify their accuracy, how they came to haunt and even the names of the ghosts. All stories told must have at least three eyewitness reports, co-operation with businesses to document hauntings occurring at their premises, and even official police reports.  Dreadful prides the company on its accuracy, which he says is one of the reasons why Steel City Ghost Tours is so highly rated.

Steel City Ghost Tours provide three tours a week, and each is different from the last. Monday's is full of traditional ghost stories more acceptable for a family audience, while Wednesday and Thursday feature more gruesome and darker stories that may require a sick bag for the weaker listener.

One tour includes a trip to the Museum Pub, which used to be a former private medical school where a disgruntled sturgeon set up a post mortem room in order to teach medical students how to dissect a body, although some of them weren't actually dead. One of the unfortunate victims still haunts the pub and has a habit of groping female staff.

The next stop is Campo Lane behind the Catherdral. Dreadful tells how Campo lane used to be the most violent street in England, dominated by violent Irish gangs, full of prostitutes young and old and various thieves and pickpockets. Unless you lived there, you would not want to walk down there.

The most haunted place in Sheffield is the Old Queen’s Head pub at Ponds Forge, which claims to be the oldest domestic building in Sheffield, dating back to 1475. The pub is home to seven ghosts, but Dreadful remarks that there used to be eight, but one vanished when a piece of furniture was moved out.

Johnson-Smith, suited in his Penny Dreadful alter ego with long black suit, top hat and a very worn walking stick, tells that his fascination with ghosts started from an early age. "I’ve seen ghosts all my life; I initially thought everyone could see them, but when I was 12 my brother told me to stop being so morbid."

However, Darren's morbid interest has grown into a success story that has confounded everyone's expectations and even managed to sway some of the sceptics.

Steel City Ghost Tours site: http://www.steelcityghosttours.co.uk/index.html

Since the year 2000, Dempsey's gay bar and club has attracted students and locals alike. The bar has one aim: "to provide a safe environment where people can come along to at any time, and have a good time."

Despite having a high student membership and being open seven days a week the busiest nights are in-line with any other business: Friday and Saturday.

Regardless of the fact Dempsey's is a gay bar, it likes to distances itself from the recent reports of straight people being refused entry, David said: "We have heard the stories, but I'd say that 50% of our clientele are straight customers. We do find a lot of gay people bring their straight friends along, but we have a very strong straight customer base."

The strict door policy Dempsey's operates does give the bar a sense of security, and there is very little hassle here compared to a standard bar that you would find in Sheffield City Centre: "We tend to get very little trouble compared to anyone else. We have a very good working relationship with the police."

Homophobia is something the club does not tolerate, and fortunately it rarely happens inside the club. During the late nights, the only issues they have are when people are passing by, and such language is being shouted anonymously in their direction.

The bar has 18,000 members and David estimates that at least 4,000 members are straight, many of whom visit the club on a weekly basis. He said: "A lot of customers we get during the day time are straight. Many people pop in here after they finish work due to the relaxed atmosphere."   

Dan Bean knows why, “We sell a lot more kebabs when they are drunk. I guess it's because you crave meat when your pissed.”

 The takeaway of choice in Sheffield is Broomhill Friery. But this is no ordinary chippy. The shop has a star quality. The owner Dan Bean is a cult figure amongst most students in Sheffield. His uncle is Yorkshire royalty, Sean Bean.

This family run takeaway, serves the hordes of students who stop by after a night out. “The Friery”, which is perfectly placed between student accommodation and the clubs of central Sheffield, is open till 4am.

“We get on with drunk people, treat them like friends.” Says Bean. With nearly six years of experience, Bean recognises his customers, “I make them my friends. There isn’t any condition with my friendship.”

 But Bean knows more than most its difficult dealing with drunken students: “If customers don’t want to be friends then we don’t let them in. If they are arrogant then we kick them out. If they’ve got an attitude then we don’t want them here. We are the bouncers.” The Friery also deploys CCTV around his shop, which he says prevents trouble.

It’s not all doom and gloom running a takeaway, “No one at Broomhill Friery drinks. We need to be focused on our work. But we are very happy, easy life.”

It’s obvious Bean revels in his job, and the tales to tell: “Bird with her tits out. One guy with his dick out. Once a week I’d say. Everyone’s having a good time so it’s hard to stop them.”

 It’s remarkable to think that these people will stay up till the early hours, just to serve you. If students had to stay up that late then you might expect them to be riding the Red Bull. However at the Friery they have more traditional methods, “We drink tea and coffee. We provide cups of teas for free if you want.” 

Broomhill Friery has everything a takeaway should have, 20 varieties of burgers, fish and chips, kebab, southern fried chicken and even vegetarian. Bean is keen to maintain that the Friery is offering a package, “It’s good because by eating you are helping with your hangover; its absorbing alcohol and they get good service and good food.”

Owner Dan Bean, with uncle and Hollywood star, Sean Bean

(http://www.broomhillfriery.com/Broomhill_Friery/Home_Page3.html)

The street pastors were formed in 2003 by London Vicar Les Isaac, based on a similar programme in Jamaica. Isaac wanted to use the three biggest gangs in the city: the police, the council and the church; to work together to tackle urban problems. Praised by notable politicians such as David Cameron and Boris Johnson, it has been a phenomenal success as there are now 250 Street Pastors initiatives across the UK, with 10,000 trained individuals who provide over 600,000 volunteer patrol hours every year. 

Tricia explains that they are greeted positively by the majority of people that they meet and stresses that they don’t seek to convert people but to listen, to care and to help.

'They are good Samaritans'

Street Pastors formed a great relationship with the police, who helped to set up the organisations and provided the group with council grants. A policeman on patrol jokingly said, “People who hate cops will get on well with the street pastors, as they are more approachable.”

Sheffield Street Pastors

The pastors also get on well with bouncers and at every club we stop at they are given lollies, and discuss matters such as family. Outside Soyo, one bouncer, Ray, a real man mountain, greets Ann with a hug. "Pastors are just like your best friend," says Ray, "We’ll have a chat on a weekly basis. They are definitely a positive addition to nightlife as they help people that are drunk, lost their way needing a taxi- they are good Samaritans.”

"Looking out for others"

The pastors all have similar reasons for being part of the organisation, to be faith in action on the streets. Ann, who works a teacher, said she was inspired to join after one of her former pupils died from a drugs overdose and thought of her own children: "When my own children were teenagers they went out drinking, and I’d like to think someone was out there looking out for them.” 

Phil has been a member since the Street pastors began in Sheffield more than four years ago. "I became a street pastor after 3 murders in Burngreave, and we as churches in the area decided to make a difference," he says, "Crime rates dropped, and the police said "We don't know what you're doing, but we want you in the city centre as soon as possible'; So here I am!"

Trevor, an observer, wants to join the street pastors, "I have two teenage daughters who are starting to come out to town at night. When they come back worse for wear, your heart goes, and you wonder if someone was looking out for them."

One person who the pastors did look out for was Jane, a homeless woman sleeping in a doorway to an apartment block on West Street. While she and Phil chat, Tricia reaches into the rucksack and gives a grateful Jane a space blanket, and a cup of warm coffee from the neighbouring takeaway.

All of them feel that their efforts have been worthwhile. Phil says: "I find it fun and I love it, it’s a real joy to do, it's not a burden and the more people we help the better.”

Picking people up at 3am is a major problem for taxi companies: “A lot of people have this misconception about taxi drivers: that they take people the long way round,  but they don’t do that,” says Dermot, "The way they would rip you off is by blatantly overcharging you. They won’t take more of their time going the long way round.” 

Although plenty of arguments, there hasn’t been many taxi drivers attacked in the last few years. Most of the abuse is verbal, and as Mercury has 18 different nationalities working, a lot of the abuse is unfortunately racial.  But Dermot says a lot of taxi drivers can calm down a situation by just talking to the customer.

Mel Hardy, assistant manager, does a lot of night shifts out of choice because, oddly enough, he enjoys them: “Initially you think there are four lads here and only me; if they wanted, they could do anything to me. But if you are friendly to them, they’ll normally be nice and chatty to you.”

Mel says he’s seen it all: “I’ve had all sorts, a knife pointed at me just because people demanded a free fare; it’s all just part of the package.” But he still disagrees with the idea of CCTV in taxi’s: “At no point have any of our employees said ‘Oh I wish we had CCTV’. It looks just as good if it says the taxi you’re driving has a camera in when it doesn’t.” Mel believes it’s just another money making scheme by the government.

Running away from taxis without paying is known as ‘bilking’, and although the company has a good relationship with the police, they don’t seem too interested. Dermot recalls one night about ten years ago: “This guy in Nether Edge just got out of my car and he just ran without paying a fare. I decided to chase him and I caught him, brought him back to my car, and I took him to the middle of Norfolk Park and left him there.” However, Dermot stresses to his taxi drivers that that sort of behaviour is not encouraged.