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We Are Opus
@weareopus.bsky.social
Opus works to create and support responses to achieve urgent systemic change through @nowthenmag.bsky.social @festofdebate.bsky.social & more.
👉 weareopus.org
Pinned
A statement from Opus on the government's decision to proscribe @palaction.bsky.social.

You can also read the full statement on our website, where all of our sources are linked.

➡️ weareopus.org/post/opus-te...

#PalestineAction
Reposted by We Are Opus
"As a standalone piece of theatre the production was gripping and beautifully presented, and it was striking just how much the political themes resonated today"

Our review for Utopia Theatre's #CrownOfBlood is in and our reviewer, Paul Szabo, loved it ⭐️

@sheffieldtheatres.bsky.social #Sheffield
Gripping and beautifully presented: Crown of Blood at The Crucible
Drama, revenge and betrayal combine in an African reframing of Macbeth by Utopia Theatre.
nowthenmagazine.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
“Artists who have a learning disability or who are autistic belong in our most prominent cultural spaces”

A new exhibition showcasing work from more than 70 artists with autism and learning disabilities has opened at @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social. #Sheffield

✍️ @rose-mason.bsky.social
"We all need to be seen": ArtWorks brings autistic artists and those with learning difficulties to Sheffield's Millennium Gallery
“The more we can learn from people who have lived experience of the systemic barriers, the more we can make things work better.”
nowthenmagazine.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:56 AM
'Lessons for a Story Commons' is a new series from the team at #ThePeoplesNewsroom.

For the past two years, they've been exploring how changing the way we tell stories can be key to changing the future itself 🔮

The introductory piece is in @nowthenmag.bsky.social ⬇️
The People's Newsroom - Lessons for a Story Commons: how storytelling can open the door to thriving futures
Organisers across the UK share how storytelling can help us transition to new economies on a liveable planet.
nowthenmagazine.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"The trumpet interplays with guitar riffs, the bass reverberates your chest – these are songs written to bring the party to venues like this, and it works"

Red Rum Club at Sidney & Matilda, #Sheffield.

✍️ Hamish Yewdall
"If you see us on Jimmy Kimmel, it's thanks to you": Red Rum Club at Sidney & Matilda
The Merseyside outfit play an intimate gig at Sidney & Matilda to mark independent Venues Week.
nowthenmagazine.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"The way we've chosen to deal with our ‘Lady Macbeth’ is so completely different from Shakespeare's version"

Opening at The Crucible in #Sheffield, we speak to director Mojisola Kareem about 'Crown Of Blood', a new adaptation of Macbeth set in 19th century Yorubaland.

✍️ @rose-mason.bsky.social
"A lot of people never have any experience with their homeland": Why Yoruba Macbeth is so important for Sheffield's African diaspora
A new adaptation of the classic Shakespeare play which transposes the action to Yorubaland will take centre stage at The Crucible this week.
nowthenmagazine.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Research shows that 9 in 10 people globally want more action from their governments on climate, and 7 in 10 are prepared to put their own money in to help.

On 14 Feb, South Yorkshire Climate Alliance are hosting a free event in #Sheffield on how we can mobilise this climate majority 🌎

Details ⬇️
Let’s mobilise the climate majority…… we need everyone – South Yorkshire Climate Alliance
southyorkshireclimatealliance.org.uk
February 2, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"We brought a bit of the mattress back and started to grow tomatoes in it!"

At the South Yorks Sustainability Centre's research summit, we learned how visits to a Jordanian refugee camp helped @granthamcsf.bsky.social find new ways to tackle the climate crisis in #Sheffield

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
"I sent the most exciting text I've ever sent back to Sheffield": how a farming breakthrough by Syrian refugees could help tackle climate breakdown in South Yorkshire
A visit to a Jordanian refugee camp in 2016 showed the Grantham Centre’s Tony Ryan innovative new ways to grow more food with less.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"This set of musicians have a musical symbiosis second to none, which they showcased to a sold-out crowd at their first gig of the year"

Faint Paint with @cal-innes.bsky.social at Delicious Clam, #Sheffield.

✍️ Steve Hunting
"This next song is for anyone who's been disgustingly in love": Faint Paint at Delicious Clam
With a sold-out crowd and songsmithery of the highest order, Faint Paint's glossy set exudes great promise for 2026.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:48 PM
We're proud to launch 'Lessons for a Story Commons', a new series from #ThePeoplesNewsroom 🎉

These lessons emerged from a group of creatives who gathered to share examples and prompts for shifting the way we tell stories.

Start reading in @nowthenmag.bsky.social ⬇️
The People's Newsroom - Lessons for a Story Commons: how storytelling can open the door to thriving futures
Organisers across the UK share how storytelling can help us transition to new economies on a liveable planet.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:40 AM
📢 Abolitionist collective Cradle Community are hosting an event in #Sheffield on 31 January, in collaboration with local poet Sarah Lasoye.

Expect an afternoon of creativity, learning and experimentation, exploring how we can become active bystanders in our communities.

Tickets ⬇️
We Keep us Safe: Active Bystander Workshop · Luma
In collaboration with Sheffield-based poet Sarah Lasoye, Cradle is hosting a special event in Sheffield! We’ve come together to plan an afternoon of…
loom.ly
January 23, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
The NHS in #Sheffield is considering handing control over the medical data of thousands of people in the city to #Palantir, a US firm with links to the Trump regime.

"It continues the privatisation, outsourcing, and asset-stripping of the NHS," one local doctor told us.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Sheffield's NHS could be about to hand over patient data to a US spy-tech firm with links to the Trump regime
The trust which oversees the Hallamshire and Northern General hospitals refused to rule out giving control over patient data to US firm Palantir.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
“Thank you to everyone who spoke up, campaigned, and stood together... in the crosshairs of a powerful international corporation”

Community organisers in Sharrow, #Sheffield, are celebrating after a proposed new McDonald’s was refused planning permission for a second time.

@sammgreg.bsky.social ✍️
Sharrow McDonald's: victory for community campaigners after "utilitarian" proposals rejected for second time
Councillors voted unanimously against the US corporate giant, following concerns around pollution and worsening health inequalities.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"This is local people choosing to put their savings into something good for the planet" – @alexidimond.bsky.social

A project designed to tackle climate breakdown in #Sheffield by raising capital from citizen investors has hit its target much earlier than expected.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Ambitious citizen investor project tackling climate breakdown in Sheffield smashes £1m target two months early
The opening round of Sheffield Climate Investments could be used to fund solar panels for schools as well as better insulation in council homes.
nowthenmagazine.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:46 AM
"When we look at complex problems, they often fall outside any one remit – but if we're to overcome them, that needs to change"

Over on our blog, Opus co-founder James Lock shares his thoughts on how we can begin to tackle the most urgent problems we collectively face ⬇️

#SystemsChange
Where the old maps and mandates fail: civic work in the spaces between
When we look at complex problems, they often fall outside any one remit – but if we're to overcome them, that needs to change.
www.weareopus.org
January 13, 2026 at 10:51 AM
"The United States’ illegal incursion into Venezuela is the latest and most full-throated assertion of a return to colonial logics, as the old liberal-democratic order continues its precipitous collapse"

Read reflections from the Opus team on the criminal invasion of #Venezuela ⬇️
Reflections on the criminal invasion of Venezuela
The United States’ illegal incursion into Venezuela, universally regarded by legal scholars as a crime under international law, is the latest and most full-throated assertion of a return to colonial l...
www.weareopus.org
January 8, 2026 at 2:19 PM
On the Opus Blog, we've started sharing a monthly round-up of articles, podcasts, books and more that our team have been learning from each month 📚

Here's the first edition – featuring @georgemonbiot.bsky.social, @graceblakeley.substack.com, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira and more.

#SystemsChange
What we've been learning from: December 2025
Here's our regular round-up of some of the most interesting and thought-provoking things our team have been reading, watching and listening to over the past month.
www.weareopus.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
“The community already made their feelings clear with a strong ‘no’ in the first round of public objections”

Sharrow residents are continuing their fight to stop a new branch of McDonald’s being built in their neighbourhood.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social

#Sheffield #Sharrow #McDonalds
As one Sheffield community continues its fight against McDonald's, local residents are beginning to imagine what else the site could be used for
Sharrow residents have put forward ideas ranging from a community sauna to a play park and a mini rewilding site.
nowthenmagazine.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
“Every single hole of a suitable size in a river wall might provide a habitat for a species"

We spoke to @wildsheffield.bsky.social about Connecting Limbs, a project using nature-based techniques to restore the ecology of the River Sheaf (which gave #Sheffield its name!)

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Connecting Limbs: Meet the project which aims to bring life back to Sheffield’s nature-depleted rivers
Along the River Sheaf, scientists and engineers are exploring how to mimic natural processes in heavily urbanised environments.
nowthenmagazine.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
"CMAT opened the gig in her now-iconic tour fashion: a single spotlight illuminating her at the back bar singing 'Janis Joplining' whilst the Very Sexy #CMAT Band powered ahead onstage"

@cmatbaby.bsky.social at The Octagon in #Sheffield

✍️ Sahar Ghadirian
Euphoria in motion: CMAT at the Octagon
60s glamour, whip-smart storytelling and the Very Sexy CMAT Band in tow – CMAT’s tour is a fever dream of dance, devotion and country-pop brilliance.
nowthenmagazine.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
If you haven't yet seen it, here's our report on South Yorkshire Police's decision to arrest 17 people in #Sheffield simply for holding signs, in an action described by local councillor @mineshparekh.bsky.social as "shameful".

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Palestine Action: Police in Sheffield arrest 17 peaceful protesters against genocide as outrage at free speech gag grows
36 police officers were required to arrest the anti-apartheid activists, in an episode described by a local councillor as “shameful”.
nowthenmagazine.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
Before Saturday's arrests, @defendourjuries.bsky.social put out this powerful short film that explains why ordinary people are standing up for civil liberties in the face of a state-sanctioned crackdown on political protest.

It's well worth a watch ⬇️

#PalestineAction #DefendOurJuries
Who We Are | A film by Defend Our Juries | Lift The Ban
YouTube video by Defend Our Juries
www.youtube.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by We Are Opus
South Yorkshire Police have joined police forces across the UK in launching a crackdown on the right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.

In #Sheffield, several activists with @defendourjuries.bsky.social were arrested today simply for holding up a placard.

✍️ @sammgreg.bsky.social
Palestine Action: Police in Sheffield arrest 18 peaceful protesters against genocide as outrage at free speech gag grows
36 police officers were required to arrest the anti-apartheid activists, in an episode described by a local councillor as “shameful”.
nowthenmagazine.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
It's not a very windy day here in Sheffield, but the Palestinian flag was flying high above the Town Hall earlier to mark the UN's International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 🇵🇸

#Palestine #Sheffield #Gaza
November 29, 2025 at 10:17 AM
🚨🚨🚨

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation's Ideas and Pioneers Fund has reopened.

The fund offers grants of up to £20,000 to individuals and organisations who want to explore a bold and brave idea for social change that is still forming/emerging

⏰ Hurry: applications close 2 December
Ideas and Pioneers Fund
We support individuals and groups who want to explore ideas for social change.
www.phf.org.uk
November 28, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by We Are Opus
We're super excited to see the new play from our friends at Utopia Theatre, working with @sheffieldtheatres.bsky.social, in February 🤩

Set in nineteenth century Yorubaland, #CrownOfBlood is a Yoruba retelling of Macbeth, filled with heritage, spirituality and movement.

More info and tickets ⬇️
Crown of Blood | Sheffield Theatres
'Of what use is a good man without ambition' A powerful retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth set during the civil wars of 19th-century Yorubaland. General A
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM