Sheffield kiosk owner on The Moor issues plea to graffiti yobs targeting her business

By Robert Cumber
Published 9th Jul 2022, 09:46 BST
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A Sheffield kiosk owner has spoken of her frustation with the graffiti yobs repeatedly targeting her business.

Donna Maw says she frequently has to pay to get the unsightly scrawls removed from the walls of her hut at the bottom of The Moor, only for the graffiti to reappear within weeks.

She has appealed to the culprits’ conscience and wants them to understand the impact of their ‘mindless’ actions on struggling businesses like hers who are doing their best to get the city centre ‘moving again’ as they attempt to bounce back following the Covid pandemic.

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Donna Maw has run the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre for 14 yearsDonna Maw has run the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre for 14 years
Donna Maw has run the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre for 14 years

“We keep getting graffiti cleaned off and it comes back with a vengeance,” said Donna, who has run the kiosk for 14 years, initially with her late husband Robert.

“We’re trying so hard after Covid to be there for our customers and help get the city centre moving again but I don’t know how long we can keep this up if this keeps happening.

“We’ve got these mindless thugs on CTV but it’s hard to find them. I just wish they knew the impact of what they’re doing and thought about all the people it’s affecting.

“I’ve been here for 14 years and I’d say it’s definitely got worse in the last three years or so.

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Donna Maw, who runs the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre, has appealed to the conscience of the graffiti vandals targeting her businessDonna Maw, who runs the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre, has appealed to the conscience of the graffiti vandals targeting her business
Donna Maw, who runs the kiosk at the bottom of The Moor in Sheffield city centre, has appealed to the conscience of the graffiti vandals targeting her business

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“The Moor liaison officers have been ever so good but there’s only so much they can do and we have to get it cleaned off ourselves.”

Donna spoke out after photos of graffiti on her kiosk were shared as part of an article in The Star in which a volunteer litter picker claimed Sheffield needed to do more to tackle graffiti and flyposting if it wants to compete with Leeds, where she claimed the city centre was much cleaner.

Donna wants people to realise how businesses like hers are doing their best to clear graffiti but feel like they are fighting a losing battle.

She said the graffiti vandalism was particularly galling as she had stayed open throughout the Covid lockdown as an essential business, making sure other essential workers could get everything they needed, and the city centre was still struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Related topics:SheffieldLeeds