Even though it might not seem much has changed within Grenoside Park, it doesn’t mean we have not been busy.

Virgin Media help paint the fence

We had a volunteering day back in July, supported by a team from Virgin Media who used their own time as part of a volunteering day to help us prep areas of the fence in readiness for painting. They helped us remove some of the old flaking paint and undercoat the fence ready for its top coat of green. We are very grateful for their time and we can already see and vast improvement on the fence around the main entrance. Thank you again for donating your time to our project.

Ongoing work with Sheffield Council

As we work towards our vision in collaboration with the council, we've faced some challenges due to recent changes in their Park and Countryside team, resulting in a slow progress. Additionally, the council has requested a feasibility study/survey for the Playground, which is a necessary step before we can proceed. However, the council will not bear the cost of this study, and we are required to fund this which costs approximately £6K. While we'd prefer to allocate the funds to better use, we recognise the political realities and may have to pay in order to advance the project. Nonetheless, we're committed to finding ways to reduce the costs and overcome the hurdles in our path.

With this is mind we had two visitors to the Park to discuss our plans and visions.

Miriam Cates Conservatives MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge met with Adam and Luke:

“It was great to meet with Adam and Luke from Friends of Grenoside Park (FOGP) last week to discuss how I could support their project to restore this fantastic space, and make it a safe and accessible space for everyone. The current park equipment has fallen into disrepair, and so it was great to see the draft designs for park upgrades.

I know how important it is to invest in our local parks, and it's fantastic that local parents and community members are working together to raise money for the benefit of their local area. I look forward to doing what I can to support FOGP and seeing progress at the park as the project develops.”

Whilst Laura our Chair met with prospective parliamentary Labour candidate for Penistone and Stocksbridge Marie Tidball. Marie had some great fundraising ideas and had generously offered to support and guide us in some of our funding applications.

Christmas is just around the corner!

We know we are not quite ready for Santa to arrive but it is less than 100 days away and Friends of Grenoside Park have stepped forward to run and manage the Grenoside Christmas Tree Trail. With changes within the community this much loved family event was in jeopardy of not going ahead or vanishing from our calendars. We plan to make the trail even more grand and exciting, with some great prizes for participants. We call upon you to be part of the Grenoside Christmas Tree Trail by decorating and theming your own Christmas tree outside your home or business.

This event is open to both families and businesses and will run throughout December, giving the public an opportunity to vote for their favourite tree from the 1st to the 22nd of December. We encourage Grenoside residents to join in the festivities and decorate their gardens with either a traditional Christmas tree or an existing tree or bush that can be festively decorated.

Let’s make this year’s Christmas Tree Trail the best one yet! Please look out for further information on the event through various social media and news channels over the few weeks.

As always we're grateful for the support from our community and local businesses - without it, our project wouldn't be possible. Your donations and time help us reach our goals and vision for Grenoside playground and park. Together, let's create the best space we can!