Being Sheffield youth, we all know it’s the best place to live, with the best people around. And as well as many other things to be proud of, our city has produced a steady stream of world-recognised talent to inspire another generation. Charlotte Smith starts the Sheffield hall of fame about, citing who she thinks we should blow our Sheffield steel trumpets over…. 

(If you can’t find someone that you think deserves to be saluted, or there’s someone nobody knws who you think deserves recognition for something great, then write to us at cubeweb@ssclc.net telling us all about ‘em and we’ll add it to our tribute page and credit you.  We’ll also keep you informed of future Cube related stuff you might be interested in, such as competitions and events)

Michael Palin: You may know him first and foremost from his Monty Python days. Now a well known BBCpresenter Palin likes to travel around the world presenting documentaries from anywhere and everywhere. He was born in Sheffield and attended Birkdale School!

Sean Bean: Sean Bean is the most famous now ‘Hollywood’ actor to come out of Sheffield. With roles in movies such as Lord of the Rings and James Bond under his belt, you would think he wouldn’t be interested in his humble hometown of Sheffield but not so.  We still see him in the city from time to time, especially at his much loved football ground, Sheffield United. I can’t say I agree with him on this count but with 100% Blade tattoo on his left shoulder, you got to respect his commitment to home!

Helen Sharman: Not a glam celeb but some of you may have already heard of this woman, as she went to Meadowhead School, (my school!) formerly Jordanthorpe Comprehensive. She lived a pretty normal life here In Sheff until she saw an advert to become an astronaut, ‘no experience needed’. This led to her beating a staggering 13,000 applicants after spending over 18 months of gruelling training in Moscow's Star City. In May 1991 Helen became the first Briton in space….A Sheffielder had to be the first!

Prince’ Naseem Hamed: We all know our very own Prince Naseem who earned his first title in 1995 as World Featherweight Champion, for his amazing boxing ability. He’s sadly been in the press for negative reasons recently, but nevertheless Hamed will always be remembered as a boxing phenomenon and of course for his spectacular entrances to the ring.  These included, flying in on a ‘magic’ carpet, being carried on a king's throne and walking down a fashion style runway to name but a few.  Ooh, this guy has style...I like it

Richard McCourt AKA Dick from ‘Dick and Dom in da Bungalow’ Throat clear…Booogggiiieess!! Had to be done. Well we all know Richard (doesn’t seem right to call him Dick!) co-presented this very successful kids show where he and his partner in crime, Domanic Wood, were happy to make complete fools of themselves and get paid for it…some have all the luck! For those of you seeking media fame, Richard, a fantastic TV and radio presenter, started out doing a media course at Norton College!  We know cos we interviewed him recently.  Find out what he had to tell us at www.radiowaves.co.uk

Lord Sebastian Coe OBE: Lord Coe was born in London, but moving to Sheffield soon after, he considers it his home (good lad!). He is primarily famous for smashing 12 world records and winning 2 gold medals for running, pretty impressive hey?  More recently Coe was successful in bringing the 2012 Olympics to London. On winning the bid Fellow athlete Steve Cram said of him “Seb has done a fantastic job and made every single effort to make sure we couldn't turn round and say we hadn't done this or that”  Well done Lord Seb, Sheffield salutes you!

Anna Walker  Well, you might recognise her name from Sheffield hosted show ‘The Games’. Anna’s T.V presenting started with Calendar News in 1989. She’s a pal of Catherine Zeta Jones and was even maid of horror (sorry honour) at her wedding to Michael Douglas.  She seems a bit of a sports addict not only but it’s great that she’s out there representing Sheffield.

Sheffield sounds…

Something we’re really proud of in Sheffield is our musical output!  Yep not everyone’s here, so feel free to add who you think rocks and should be on here.  They don’t have to be famous!

Moloko: Moloko are yet another famous band from our ol’ hometown of Sheffield. Probably most famous for their chart-topper ‘Sing it Back’ which reached the top spot in the U.S. charts, which most people say is the hardest music scene to break. The group met at a party in Sheffield, where lead singer Murphy tried to chat up fellow band member Mark. Oh, by the way, the band’s name means milk in Russian! A bit random but hey, that’s how I am…

Human League: Don’t you want me baby? ...they sang over 25 years ago but we did and indeed still do.  Philip Oakley and Adrian White, Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley all hale from the steel city. Phil and Adrian were original band members who spotted the lasses dancing at Sheffield's Crazy Daisy club in Woodhouse, which was when the band properly formed. They then recorded their first album, the five million selling ‘Dare’ and despite that being, to most, the high point of their career, they’re still much loved in Sheffield and beyond today.

Arctic Monkeys: Yeah I know, but we gotta mention ‘em! These lads are from High Green and attended Eccelsfield School. They rocketed into the number 1 spot in the charts in October 2005 with their debut single ‘Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor’ which was quickly followed by ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ which also hit the top spot. Arrhh…aren’t we proud of these home-grown lads!

Def Leppard: This bunch of royalty rockers were more likely favourites of your parents although I have a load of mates at school who think these guys still rock and after 29 years and 25 albums there must be something in it! Their first rehearsal as a band was held in a spoon factory on Bramall Lane and their first public gig at Westfield School, which some of you lot may attend.

Richard Hawley Richard refers to himself as a ‘gobsh**e from Pittsmoor’, but his music is far from it.  Formally with Sheffield bands The Longpigs and Pulp, Hawley has found solo success inspired by his beloved Sheffield.  If ever there was a man proud of his city this is he.  Most of Hawley’s work refers fondly to the city we know and love.  His 2003 album Lowedges speaks for itself and his recent offering Cole’s Corner, refers to where lovers used to meet in town, now the site of a HSBC bank!  We’re hoping for an interview soon Richard!

Pulp and Jarvis Cocker Jarvis cocker was featured in ‘Inspired by… Mod Culture’ in our last issue so we won’t say too much, except he’s great and so is Pulp.  Pulp has been another band proud to sing about our city.  Sadly the fountain he wanted to meet up at in the year 2000 has gone (top of Fargate) but so has 2000 so never mind.  Go to www.pulponline.com to see pictures of how Sheffield used to be.

So… our Steel City might not be famous for steel anymore, but it’s still legendary for its people! Who knows you could be the next big thing. Then again, it’ll probably be me.

By Charlotte Smith

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