“The April’s in her eyes: it is love’s spring,
And these the showers to bring it on. Be cheerful.”

– William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra (c. 1606)

We have revamped how we deliver our (Monthly) Articles of Interest — now to just be called ‘Articles of Interest’. Rather than sending out a spreadsheet once a month, readers will now be able to browse boards relating to their areas of interest at any time. These boards will be updated once a week, usually on a Wednesday (although not next week due to annual leave!). See our new ‘Articles of Interest’ page (which can also be found via the menu bar at the top of the page) for more information and a list of the boards. We hope that this will make our Articles of Interest service more accessible to all our users!

This month’s reading group book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Hard to escape recently due to its new film adaptation, this novel tells the story of the tumultuous, doomed relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff, and the ramifications it has within their families for the following generation. The meeting to discuss this book will be held in the library and over Teams on Wednesday 29 April at 5.30pm — contact the library if you would like to join the discussion.

This month’s reading for pleasure highlight is from the same century as Wuthering Heights — but features a much less harrowing story! Pride and Prejudice follows the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman living on her family’s Hertfordshire estate, who is under pressure to marry and finds herself increasingly entangled with the haughty Mr Darcy. For anyone wanting to explore Jane Austen’s novels, this is a great place to start.

Following are a selection of awareness events happening in April:

Sheffield Children’s is involved in a new research trial to test an innovative treatment for Dravet syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy! The treatment involves the drug zorevurnersen being administered via spinal infusion; those who have received this treatment have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of seizures experienced daily. The initial trial’s results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, with Dr. Archana Desurkar, one of our Sheffield Children’s colleagues, credited as a co-author.

A new report from the Children’s Commissioner highlights the situation faced by thousands of children who are spending long periods of time in hospital. While some are not medically able to leave hospitals, others who are fit to be discharged are facing delays due to factors such as waiting for long periods to be assessed for care and funding, a lack of suitable housing, difficult-to-navigate health and social care, and a lack of care placements for those with complex needs.

New figues from Unicef indicate that 4.9 million children worldwide died before their fifth birthday in 2024, a figure that includes 2.3 million newborns. An estimated 5% of this number died due to severe acute malnutrition. The overall figure is disproportionately concentrated in certain areas of the globe; 58% of this figure came from sub-Saharan Africa, and 25% came from Southern Asia.

This briefing, based on research from the University of York and summarised by the Centre for Mental Health, outlines how mental health support might be adapted to better suit neurodivergent children and young people. The research indicates that standard mental health provision is often ineffective with neurodivergent CYP; for example, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness programmes often prove difficult and stressful for this community.

A new survey from the UK Health Security Agency indicates that midwives remain the most trusted source of information by new and expectant mothers on pregnancy vaccinations information. Of the 800 respondents, 91% recalled hearing about vaccines during pregnancy, and 86% had seen or heard something which made them aware of the importance of pregnancy vaccinations.

A new report from the government’s Women and Equalities Committee explores menstrual health provision and education for girls and young women in the UK. It includes findings and guidance on menstrual education and support in schools, as well as recommendations for improvements to publicly-available information on the NHS website and in social media content. Also included in the document is a summary note from a roundtable meeting held with young disabled and Deaf women.

Since last June, calls to Martha’s Rule helplines have more than doubled, following the widespread roll-out of the initiative. 1 in 3 calls made by patients, families, and staff identified cases of rapid worsening of conditions, enabling crucial interventions to be made.

New research from the UK Health Security Agency indicates that 1 in 3 parents believe children always need antibiotics for an ear infection. Of the 500 parents surveyed across England whose children had experienced symptoms of an ear infection, 49% thought that ear infections can get better without antibiotics, with 27% being unsure.

Following the recent confirmation that Sheffield will remain the home of snooker until at least 2045, this year’s World Snooker Championship will return to the Crucible from 18 April–4 May! There may still be limited ticket availability — see the link for more information.

George Shaw returns to the city with a new exhibition at Yorkshire Artspace. Running until 25 April, Small Returns features paintings and works on paper exploring locations from his past. Some of the works on display are being shown publicly for the first time.

The fourth EccyFest will take place 17–19 April, featuring a trail of pubs and beers along Ecclesall Road. Get a stamp card from a participating venue and collect a stamp at each bar to be in with a chance of winning prizes!

Next month’s post will be published on Friday 24 April 2026 — look out for it then!