December 2012 Issue 103

Plans to build a new primary school on Skinnerthorpe Road were agreed by Sheffield Council at a meeting on 15th November. The school will aim to meet the increasing need for extra primary school places in the area. It will be run as an Academy and built using £5.5 million of Government money.

Fir Vale School was granted Academy status by the Department for Education on the 1st November 2012.

The Community Toolbank at Abbeyfield Park House in Burngreave will close at Christmas after 10 years

Police are still appealing for information following a shooting incident on Burngreave Road in October

The impact of cuts and benefit changes

Five large empty houses at 501- 509 Barnsley Road, which were previously owned by Sheffield Council, are to be brought back into use by local social landlord Arches Housing.

Property owners and residents in Page Hall are being urged to check the condition of boundary walls after reports of a number of recent collapses, with the latest happening in October.

The Council's Masterplan to renew homes on Skinnerthorpe and Bagley Roads has been all but abandoned after the Environment Agency identified that around half the site was at risk of flooding.

Fir Vale Food Bank launched a food collecting box at Ellesmere Children’s Centre

30 children and teenagers, and the Eden team, spent 3 hours during half-term planting daffodil bulbs and plants and seeds in Popple Street.

Pakistan Advice and Community Association have recently recruited and trained eight Roma community advocates.

Sheffield City Council are writing to residents explaining new parking restrictions on roads affected by hospital parking.

Changes are taking effect from October to some local bus routes – 72, 76 and no 2. Also Christmas holiday services.

To see someone you love start to forget who they are, what they have achieved and to lose their independence is heartbreaking.

The council has agreed that it will begin consultations to close down the Norbury Dementia Resource Centre in Burngreave.

Burngreave residents will be affected by major welfare benefit cuts planned for April 2013.

Litter has been an issue concerning the local community in recent years and local residents are feeling neglected due to their concerns not being addressed.

Local resident John Mellor has reported delays in the time the council takes to respond to reports of fly-tipping in the streets around Scott Road.

A project to collect local views on Council Housing and the management of public spaces in Burngreave.

Burngreave’s Study Support projects have been told that the Council will no longer fund them after March 2013, which could mean closure for the projects.

It was Children in Need last week and at Pye Bank Primary School we sold buns, biscuits, popcorn and drinks to raise money for Children in Need

Parkwood Academy’s Community Team partnered with the four House Captains and Vice Captains hosted a cake sale as part of the “World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, 2012”. Together they raised £275 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

On Friday 16th November, it was Children in Need day at Byron Wood primary school, from nursery up to Y6.

Whiteways School supported Children in Need, raising money with a ‘mad hatter’ theme. Through the week, we made hats during dinner times so we didn’t need to purchase expensive hats!

On Friday the 16th November 2012 Fir Vale Preschool celebrated the Children In Need event by selling homemade buns that the children baked all week in the pre-school.

Owler Brook pupils have been gaining skills to become better learners, and with their new learning powers they have designed and built a 21st Century City.

M.A. Students from Sheffield University's Department of Landscape chose Parkwood Springs for their Urban Development project.

Just one year ago, Mothers of Burngreave Network started activities at Verdon Recreation Centre, so that their children could have a safe place to be after school. Since then, the group of Somali women have gone from strength to strength.

October's gloom was temporarily broken when the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha visited Abbeyfield Park for an colourful afternoon party on 26th October.

For over a year the Vestry Hall has been a centre for youth work. It started out as an emergency response to the tragic death of a young man, Deeq Ali. Since then it has developed into a place where young men can think about their futures, access services and benefit from opportunities available to young people.

Radford Love and Aran Murdock, members of the Pilsung Taekwondo club at Verdon Recreation Centre. have recently achieved success in under 13s regional competitions in Barnsley. Both have been training for over 4 years.

The sixth Beacons Festival took place on Saturday 13th October on Parkwood Springs.

Verdon Recreation Centre’s Halloween Party.

a thrilling party at Pitsmoor Adventure Playground.

Its the time of year when people traditionally think of making New Year’s resolutions. Top of the list for some will be to stop smoking.

Kier have recently appointed Shahbaan Ramzan as an extra member of their Sorby House/Vestry Hall Buildings Management Team.

On Saturday October 13th Rock Christian Centre, a multi-cultural Church based below Ellesmere Green, hosted another annual Harvest Feast.

During Inter Faith Week School Council members from St Catherine’s Primary School and St Thomas Moore organised a Faith Walk around the local area visiting places of worship.

Since Summer 2011, a number of volunteers have given up their time to sit and listen to children read at Firs Hill School.

Two Whiteways Adult ESOL classes took their Trinity speaking and listening exams at Entry Level Three and Level One in June.

Fir Vale School’s Class of 2012 celebrated their success with staff, parents, and ex-Sheffield United player Bruce Dyer at the Annual Celebration Evening.

Fir Vale School has joined over 100 other schools, local authorities and teaching organisations in taking legal action against the Ofqual exam board.

Merhawit Bereket, one of the residents of the YWCA’s Peile House project on Pitsmoor Rd, took part in SHEBEEN’s environmental youth weekend at Losehill Hall in the Peak District.

With the winter season and the cold and dark days, we can forget to look after ourselves and maintain a healthy balanced diet. Here are some tips for everyone so you can feel your best during the cold weather

It is very important to continue eating five portions of fruit and vegetables in winter, but it can get expensive. Here are some tips to help you get your five-a-day in a quick and cheap way.

Beginning with a history of Grimesthorpe, Alan Billam follows on with a ‘boy’s eye’ view of life in the area in the ’30s and ’40s; games they played, tricks they got up to and working life as a teenager and young man

St James celebrated is 100th anniversary with great success. The event brought together both young and old with several generations of some families represented.

Designs for the development of Ellesmere Green will go forward to the next stage with very few changes following the consultation in the summer.

A festive edition of Edgar Lowman's carton strip.

Contact us on 203 7562, email communityassemblynortheast@sheffield.gov.uk, or write to: Firth Park Library, 443 Firth Park Road, Sheffield, S5 6QQ. Blog – http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/northeastnews Website – http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/northeast

Green City Action are celebrating this week after having over 2000 school children visiting the School for Vegetables community allotment site at Grimesthorpe allotments, Burngreave. They have been delivering environmental education activities to local school children since 2011.

It’s a crisp, sunny, autumn morning in Burngreave cemetery. Rick from Fireside Housing co-op is in charge of the apple juicing and kids of all ages join in chopping and enthusiastically pressing the fruit.

Write to Abbeyfield Park House, Abbeyfield Road, Sheffield, S4 7AT

Why Fir Vale?

Story: Jamie Lang (Treasurer Friends of Abbeyfield Park) The future of Abbeyfield Park House is still uncertain. Concerns had been raised the City Council might not be able to maintain the House, after notice was given that the roof was in such poor condition that it could no longer be repaired on a piecemeal basis. Fears were expressed that this could lead to the House being left empty and decaying.

Christmas Fair at the Crescent Community Centre on Thursday 6th December 2012.

Various events at Rainbows End over the Christmas period.

The Firth Park Festival committee Christmas event on Thursday 6th December.

Pitsmoor Methodist Church extend a warm welcome for you to join them for their Christmas events events:

Events at St Peter’s over the festive season.

If you are caring for someone else’s child for 28 days or more this is called Private Fostering. Find out about the support available to private foster carers.

Visit the Adult Learning Guide website for details of new courses in the spring term.