Story by Rohan Francis
Hidden away between the Adventure Playground and Byron Wood School is the little-known Burngreave Recreation Ground. Sitting high above neighbouring housing, overlooking the City to the south and Don Valley to the east, the Rec’ and its surrounding woodland have recently begun to reveal themselves to nearby residents as work begins to clear up and renovate the area.
The Rec’ is a curious combination of football pitch and wildlife haven. Specimen trees such as rauli (a Chilean Beech tree, which is rare in the UK), birch, pine, hawthorn, willow and cherry surround the site and provide homes for nesting birds, insects and snails. The once carefully planned paths and grand steps are overgrown and fear of encounters with shady characters make it under used.
But with the help of bagpipes, a kazoo maker, jugglers and Betty and Saleema’s tea, local residents were lured up the hillside, in early June, to view proposals to breathe new life into the space. These proposals have been developed through partnership working between the local community, Parks and Countryside and Breeze Landscape Architects.
The event saw the unveiling of visualisations by Breeze showing improved access to the woods, renovated play areas, restored paths and steps, an upgraded football pitch and terracing of the embankment on Burngreave Street.
The newly-cleared embankment helped people see what a difference even a small amount of work can make. Much of what the plans suggest is about increasing visibility so everyone can feel safe when enjoying the Rec.
The Lord Mayor, Jackie Drayton, opened the event and discussed the plans with Breeze Architect’s Neil Black and Parks and Countryside’s Amie Rowland.
Funding to continue the improvements, which it is hoped will begin next year, is being sought by the Parks and Countryside Service, supported by the newly-formed Rec Friends Group. If you would like to get involved their next meeting will be on 13th September, 6.30pm at the Burngreave Cemetery Chapel. For more information contact Amie Rowland, Parks and Countryside Service, on 273 6952.