In this challenging year the Parks & Countryside Service delivered the following improvements led by the Projects Team with support from colleagues across the council, specialist contractors, community partners and the committed body of hardworking volunteers that contribute to Sheffield's rich variety of green and open spaces. Park s & The work outlined below has helped to provide new facilities, improve the quality and create welcoming green and open spaces for the people of Sheffield to play, Countryside relax, socialise, and exercise but most importantly, enjoy. Service PARSON CROSS S20U20CCESSES Ward: Firth Park GENERAL CEMETERY Ward: Nether Edge and Sharrow Back in January contractors Capital works: appointment of consultant team began the much needed and detailed design stage with lots of stakeholder improvement works to the skate engagement, all managed remotely - in particular park at Parson Cross. This structural investigations of the catacombs and TV involved completely overhauling coverage! the existing tired facility and building a new concrete area for 'all wheels' which can be used by BMX, Skateboard, Scoot, Roller Blades and Wheelchair MX. SHIREBROOK VALLEY VISITOR CENTRE Activity Programme: Appointment of two new team Ward: Woodhouse members and delivery of package of distanced and 2020 saw a new lease digital activities promoting of life given to the new ways of volunteering and engagement working visitor centre at closely with Sheffield General Shirebrook Valley. This Cemetery Trust, Whole Site Management Group and involved..... local community. A new education room, which can be opened into one large . space. PONDEROSA A smaller meeting room Ward: Walkley Interior decor with welcoming Early this year work began to improve the access to colours that have been this well loved park just outside the city centre. designed to be friendly for a Further path works wide variety of users. were delivered to enable New accessible doors and people to use the site in secure shuttering all weathers. Next Stage Delivering visitor access, experience and Before environmental improvements to enable people to enjoy and learn about local wildlife and heritage and to benefit their physical and Now! mental health. has been secured as match funding from Before 40k Veolia Environmental Trust to deliver this £ phase. Many thanks to Woodhouse Community Forum, Shire Brook Valley Heritage Group, Shire Brook Valley Conservation Group and Friends of Birley Spa for your enthusiasm and involvement with the project. Now! PLAY IMPROVEMENTS Before n Oak P e ar re k G C C oo rk oo rk kson Pa kson Pa Now! rough bo Pa ls r il k HILLSBOROUGH PARK H Ward: Hillsborough F o d Work is underway to begin a wide ranging R x n ic k h u stakeholder and community consultation exercise for h ar il o a 5 year Forward Plan for mond P l Rec. Gr Hillsborough Park with the ambition of achieving kson Pa o rk Green Flag Status for the park. Co N f o f D t li u ad ti C chess Ro ngham HILLSBOROUGH 'All Wheels' ip tnersh in par Playground with In partnership with the Friends of Hillsborough Park phase 1 of the playground improvements has now We've now secured over £250k towards been completed. a new Bike Park facility due to be completed in Spring '21. Working with partners at Access Sport and British Cycling the facility will be supported by an activity programme to encourage cycling, develop skills, and build a community club linked to the facility. OXLEY PARK Ward: Stocksbridge & Upper Don Working with the Friends of Oxley Park (FOOP) & For ? Stocksbridge Leisure Centre Trust (4SLC) has been secured from the Towns Fund accelerated funding pot. £500kThis will enab le the delivery of a new Playground, Path Improvements and expansion of the car park which will improve access for users of the park and leisure centre. CONSULTATION During 2020 we were able to facilitate consultation [online] through the corporate Citizen Space Before platform. The COVID situation has really challenged the team to innovate and widen the methods of Work has already taken place to reaching the people of Sheffield to engage transform the meaningfully in how people want to see their green leisure centre spaces improved and managed. 'My Park, My Health' survey was created for This piece of the projects with Public existing grass Health Funding which land will be transformed asked people how the into a high quality parks played a role in play area their Health & Wellbeing and how the spaces could Now be improved to support this. Concord Park 72 Responses Ecclesfield Park 273 Responses Oxley Park 147 Responses Consultation was also progressed for; Next step Hillsborough 'All Wheels' 833 Responses Construction works on this is to start early January Sheffield Botanical Gardens - 218 Responses 2021. The next phase of this project is to work with the local community to progress the 'All Wheels' Education & Engagement facility that will replace the existing skate ramps that Spider Park 79 Responses are in poor condition and difficult for all ages/skill levels to utilise. Shire Brook Valley Visitor 136 Responses Centre Sycamore Park Improvements 71 Responses Green Flag Award Sheffield General 140 Responses The hard work of Cemetery staff, Friends Groups - safeguarding the next 100 years and volunteers was recognised in Acros October by the s all consultations the following co environmental charity Many people felt the the mmon 'Keep Britain Tidy' who local greenspace was mes emerged an important 'meeting once again awarded place for the us 13 Green Flags for community' Across sites in Sheffield. peo sites ple wan more a ted The success was marked by lighting some of our reas for picnics sites green, Botanical Gardens Pavilion, Weston Park Bandstand, the Winter Gardens and Ecclesall Before Woods Discovery Centre. Improvement to existing 'play' areas continued to be a priority for people To wh at extent is the par To w impo k hat exten rtant to is the t your Phys im park H ical portant t ealth? your M o W ental ellbeing? More wildflower ot and wildlife N t ess tan L nt ee promoting habitats por rta agr e Despite the challenges, Sheffield’s im po er gre nt creating im eith isa ta y green and open spaces quality N or d or er Sheffield mp V t I tan Standard levels maintain a high standard, por with 68% of sites meeting the Im Sheffield Standard. This is achieved through positive site Across consultations the management and ongoing most prevalent response development/improvement was 'Important' projects. by 'very important'followed The support of our Friends Groups, stakeholders and Carterknowle Park volunteers has also been Ward: Ecclesall invaluable during these 400metres of woodland difficult times. paths were built in 2020 The target for next year is which has made the for 70% of our sites to meet woodland usable in the the Sheffield Standard. winter months- for residents and for school cross country. A new entrance has been designed and will hopefully be built in 2021. Surveys have also been carried out with the aim of resolving the drainage issues. Playground COVID cleaning regime Ward: Across All Site Maintenance Ward: Across All One of the biggest challenges this year was keeping on top of the dropped litter where During 2020 once the Playgrounds were allowed people were not using the bins or if full not to re-open the Playgrounds Team and taking it home with them. Parks staff Maintenance staff planned and delivered a robust cleaning regime to protect people from the maintain and empty 648 bins across the city. potential transmission of coronavirus. They carried Many thanks to the volunteers who have out a staggering 200 cleans per week! assisted in keeping the parks and green spaces tidy. With help from local residents the team regularly returned areas to their usual standard Op stock en S Maintenance Stats Relaxed Mowing ck pa la ce 5,486 & Wildflower B beds have been maintained. Ward: Across All Park users have fedback in consultations that 'flower beds' add colour to the sites and have been a feature of parks since Victorian times. One of the measures introduced by the maintenance teams during the pandemic was 512,959 m2 the relaxation of existing mowing regimes. With of hedge has been cut staffing levels lower due to absence and shielding and maintained, these provide the team worked out which areas could be valuable habitat to wildlife and relaxed to allow for more wildflower to grow helps define boundaries of sites. which has been a common request from the public throughout consultations. have now been turned 105 acres over to relaxed mowing. 128,647,544 m2 of grass cut. This is the equivalent to 18,017 football pitches! Community Tree Planting The community tree planting programme was impacted FORGE DAM heavily by the restrictions Ward: Fulwood however the team worked Agreement on the way forward for a technically hard to plant where possible. specialist project working closely with Friends of The team lead some COVID safe community Porter Valley planting at Worrall in December with who have fundraised over 261,000 for the project, £ 15 people volunteering and planting 700 trees. so that this project The team worked with Dore Primary School to can be delivered in 2021. plant 400 new trees, with the children learning about soils, worms and unearthing old pieces of pottery. The team with the help of contractors, rangers and parks staff are on course to plant 10,000 trees this year! Many thanks to Trees for Cities who are funding much of the planting this year. UP NEXT IN 22002211 Following delivery of a ovements Sustainable Drainage Woodthorpe Ravine e Play Impr Ward: Richmond Mor luding; scheme and landscaping planned, inc works at Woodthorpe Ravine a new playground will be installed on the • Chelsea Park Playground site as part of the • Upper Hanover Improvements development of • Mortomley Park Sheffield Housing • Worrall Rec Company’s Princes’ • Philadelphia Gardens Garden Housing Estate • Bolehills on the Manor.