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8/1/2023 1 Comment Herm Albright
Herm Albright 1876 - 1944, who is he and what has he got to do with Birley Spa? Well, simple answer, absolutely nothing. He was a German born American artist, famous for saying this... "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." It's a quote I've loved for years, and as a group, our positive attitude is what has carried us through a lot. At the end of August it will be 5 years since we started our campaign to save Birley Spa. It's been a long 5 years of the highest highs, and the lowest lows, and all manner of emotions inbetween. The last 12 to 18 months however, have been hard, really hard. Last year we were so happy when we found that the Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, for restoration work to the pond, had been successful. We thought, finally, this is it! But it wasn't. It should have opened doors for us. We were no longer talking about restoring a building and a pond, because the pond was being done. We were no longer arguing about NLHF, refusing to fund Birley Spa, because they already were. Which we knew they would. But for some reason, nothing changed, in fact it got worse. Staying optimistic, staying hopeful, became very hard indeed. We know we have the support of the community, we know people are interested in Birley Spa, but those that had the power to change things, or enable us to change things, didn't want to speak to us. A couple of months ago, pretty much as a last ditch effort I emailed Kate Josephs, CEO of Sheffield City Council outlining the above and saying, we don't know where to go, we don't know who to talk to anymore. The Lowcock report, produced in the wake of the tree debacle, identified systemic failures within the council and their approach to working with, and listening to communities. Has anything really changed? It did take her a few weeks to get back to us, in fairness, she is a very busy lady. Since then, yes, there have been some massive changes. We've spoken to officers from the Local Area Committee and have a direct contact within the council once more. Separately, we have met with our MP Clive Betts, who has been supportive from day one, twice and it really does feel like there's been a shift. Most recently we met with the new Heritage Champion, Councillor Janet Ridler, a very worthy holder of the post. She came to our first Heritage Open Days in 2019 in her role with Sheffield Civic Trust. She is a real powerhouse and ally for the heritage community. We will be working with her to hopefully, finally, move things forward. We are working on a business plan, again, with a view to securing a lease and with it a bright future for Birley Spa. We have a few new people on board who are not as battle weary as those of us that were here from the beginning, and they don't have the weight of past wrongs to carry. For all of us, our passion for our beautiful Bath House is as strong as ever, and with the energy of our new people, we are still, very much, a force to be reckoned with. But we will need the community to stay on board, we will need the community to stay with us, it's not over yet.
In other news, the restoration work on the pond is still ongoing. Tony from SCCT very kindly used their powerful mower in the grounds and garden to great effect. Next big job is the retaining wall at the side of the pond, just need the monsoon season to end. The Moorhens seem to approve of the work so far, successfully raising a brood of six chicks, certainly the largest brood we've seen them have.
We are, of course, taking part in Heritage Open Days in September, our 5th year of being involved, details are on the website and will be on the Facebook Group shortly. We look forward to seeing you there if you haven't been before, or again, if you have! Volunteer Days are ongoing, but we are still struggling with numbers. The weather certainly hasn't helped, but if it's a half decent day we would love for you to join us. Our Facebook Group now has almost 2,500 members, we would like to personally thank every single one of you for showing your support, we would not have persevered as long without you. Let's hope we have good news to share soon. Further updates as we get them.
1 Comment
4/7/2023 0 Comments Springing into Action!
First, an apology. It's been far too long since we've posted an update, but again, it's not because we've been sat on our hands. Not making excuses but, we are all volunteers, we have lives, we have jobs, and it's (very) hard at times to stay motivated. We are entering our 5th year of trying to save something so special, that we shouldn't be having to fight to save it at all. But, enough of the doom and gloom, we have too much good stuff going on! Our volunteer sessions are continuing with slow but steady progress being made to maintain and improve the garden and grounds. Ranger Tom and colleagues have tackled more of the overgrown Cherry Laurel and cleared a couple of the self seeded trees to improve the view of the Bath House.
Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust have commenced the National Lottery Heritage Funded restoration work on the pond and surrounding area. The 'island' has been removed and the silt build up from around the edge of the pond has been considerably reduced. Some of the steps have been replaced and we have a new bridge. The Kingfisher was untroubled by the work going on around him and continued fishing till the beginning of March when he left as normal for the breeding season. The Toads celebrated the improvements in their own way! The path at the side of the pond has been widened and the bench temporarily removed until a low retaining wall can be been built. This work should be starting soon, but we have not got a date as yet.
 We held our Easter Event on Thursday 6th April. it was a great day and we were very lucky with the weather. Lots of children, sunshine and butterflies. We ran it as an Egg Hunt this time and very much fun was had. Thank you to the volunteers who helped out, particularly the Easter Bunny, who was pretty well cooked by the end of the day!  Our next Event is one of a few we will be holding that are part of the Funding through NLHF. A Dawn Chorus Bird Walk led by Jim Clarke. We're really quite excited about this, sharing the sunrise with our beautiful birds and hearing their song, is going to be something quite special. Hope you can make it!
We do, of course have other events planned throughout the year, a full list will be available soon. The future of the Bath House is still, sadly, uncertain, but we have been working with Students from Hallam University to produce a Business Plan, that illustrates that there is a viable future in such a unique Heritage Site. We are very grateful for all the hard work they have put in. Hopefully following the local elections we will be able to have constructive talks with the council about the next steps towards bring our wonderful Birley Spa back into use. Fingers crossed for good weather and even better news soon! 1/1/2023 2 Comments 2023, New Beginnings?
As we bid farewell to 2022, we reflect on a bittersweet year, that overall was amazing, let down only by the councils refusal to engage with us, at all. Will 2023 be any different? If the wording in the Sheffield Draft Local Plan, relevant sections quoted below, is to be believed, then maybe, but given our lived experience, for over four years now, we're a little dubious to say the least. "Objectives for a green city ● To safeguard and enhance Sheffield’s unique natural landscape setting of valleys, woodlands, trees, rivers, wetlands, geological assets, urban green spaces and open countryside, in order to: ○ provide excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation; ○ improve health and well-being; ○ protect and enhance biodiversity; and ○ mitigate climate change. ● To achieve a minimum 10% net increase in biodiversity across the city as a whole. ● To make efficient use of land by maximising the use of previously developed land and promoting higher density development in accessible locations. Objectives for a well-designed city ● To create attractive, safe places with distinct identities, and to enhance the character of urban and rural areas in Sheffield by requiring high quality design of new neighbourhoods, buildings, public spaces, and streets. ● To achieve inclusive design of buildings, streets and public spaces so that they can be easily accessed and used by everyone. ● To protect, conserve and enhance buildings, landmarks and areas that are attractive, distinctive and/or of heritage or archaeological value." Regardless of the outcomes of the Local Plan, we will continue to do our best to achieve the recognition and the funding support our beautiful Birley Spa needs, and that our wonderful community deserve. The first phase of work will be starting shortly on the pond restoration, dates will be announced when we have them from SCCT. As part of the improvements there will be coppicing work taking place in the grounds, during January, which the local community can get involved with. We are currently firming up dates for this and updates will be on our Facebook group. So if you fancy going a bit Bear Grylls down at the Spa, this is most definitely for you!  Students from Sheffield Hallam University will be starting to create a Business plan for Birley Spa as the new term starts. To ensure that we are bringing a plan together that all the community support we will be conducting a number of surveys to identify what YOU want. The first survey we have undertaken is regarding use of the Plunge Pool. We have had over 680 responses so far and have been able to produce a Word Cloud from replies to the last question, fascinating isn't it? The link to the survey is below, if you would like to add your voice. www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M9B9BKP Please do engage with these surveys as they are released, it is so important that we produce a plan that works for everyone.
Speaking of events for 2023, we are having a table at the Sheffield Heritage Fair at the Millennium Galleries on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th January, if you're free come along and say hello.
Thank you to all our supporters, we now have over 2,200 followers on Facebook, we really do appreciate it. If you want to get more involved, we would be happy to have you onboard, whether volunteering in the grounds, helping with events, adding your expertise or opinions on what we do, please do get in touch. Come on 2023, we are ready for you! 11/6/2022 0 Comments Winter is Coming! It seems a while, since we've produced a blog post, but don't think for one moment that we have been sitting on our hands, we absolutely have not! Yes, we had hoped to say that following the successful National Lottery Heritage Funding bid for restoration of the pond and surrounding area, that the council were working with us to secure the future of the building once and for all, but sadly no, in fact the silence has been deafening. We have, however, had a meeting with our MP Clive Betts who has maintained his support for the Spa. Through his connections with Sheffield Hallam University, we will be working with students at the Business School in the New Year to produce a business plan. We are really looking forward to this important project starting. To validate aspects of the business plan we will be conducting a series of surveys, the first of which is below, and which covers use of the Plunge Pool. Please click the link to complete it. Thank you. www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M9B9BKP It is hoped that the first stage of the restoration of the pond will be underway soon, weather permitting. The first task is to remove the silt island that has built up where the stream from the Bath House enters the pond. Fingers crossed Mr Kingfisher won't be too put out. The goals of the SCCT work are:
During the summer holidays Friends Of Birley Spa held several events at the Spa including a Bug Hunt and Teddy Bears Picnic, great fun was had. We had a stall at the Armed Forces Day event at Frecheville Sports and Social Club, a fantastic day where we talked to lots of people, including the Lord Mayor. Then in September we held our 4th Heritage Open Days, a wonderful event where we get to share the history of our beautiful Spa, and hear other peoples memories. We have also been lucky to receive funding from Central Eastern Co-op with which we have purchased a Talking Bench for the garden that will be a regular feature of our volunteer sessions and other events, so people can come along, sit and have a chat.
More recently we had our Halloween event two nights of spooky fun, that just keeps getting bigger. Coming up soon we have a stall at the Fairway Inn Christmas Market on Saturday 3rd December and then, for our last event of the year, our (fully booked) Christmas Trails.
So yes, we've been busy. If we haven't seen you this year, we hope to see you soon. To everyone who has attended a volunteer session or an event or followed us on our journey, Thank You! 6/21/2022 0 Comments Excellent News! NATIONAL LOTTERY CASH WILL RESTORE BIRLEY SPA GROUNDS TO FORMER GLORY
A £97,170 restoration project is set to see the grounds of Sheffield’s historic Birley Spa Bath house restored to their former glory. Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust were successful in their bid to The National Lottery Heritage Fund which will also include the research and celebration of the importance of the Victorian bathhouse that was originally built for Charles Herbert Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers and the Lord of the Manor of Beighton in 1842. Made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the three year project aims to open up access to the grounds to a whole new generation of visitors and will train up scores of volunteers to become local history researchers. A Friends of Birley Spa Group was originally formed in 2018 with the aim of working alongside Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust and Sheffield Parks, to look at ways to restore the grounds for community use. Birley Spa Bath House – which was originally a hotel with spa bath underneath – has had mixed fortunes over the years. By 1895 the baths were failing to make a profit and only a single plunge bath remained in use. The hotel itself was closed around 1878 and it is believed Earl Manvers removed the marble from the building himself for personal use. In the 1920s and ‘30s the grounds were opened up to children and included a wishing well, sand pit, swing boats, a paddling pool and the large lake behind the house was used for boating and fishing. When the Second World War began in 1939, the grounds were closed. The bath house, on the other hand, became a private dwelling for many years and received Grade II listed status in 1973. A restoration project in early 2000s saw a major overhaul of the bath house itself. Diane Leek, chair of Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The grounds of Birley Spa have been a fantastic resource for the community in decades gone by and this money means they can be restored to their former glory and become an amazing asset once again. This far reaching project also allows us to explore the fascinating history of the area and allow members of the public and scores of schools to become a part of it.” David Renwick, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust with their restoration project for Birley Spa, with money raised by National Lottery players. This project will ensure that the Trust can safeguard this important local landmark for future generations, and provide opportunities for the community to explore and celebrate the Spa’s heritage while creating stories for the future.” We are so proud to be part of this, but it wouldn't have succeeded without the support of our local and wider community, anyone who's been to an event, posted a photo or supported us in any way YOU have made this happen. Thank you! 5/10/2022 1 Comment Time for (Real) Change? As Spring is racing towards Summer there's a real feeling of renewal and change in the air, is it time, at last, for Birley Spa to emerge from slumber too? We attended the full council meeting in February and asked a question about Birley Spa. We listed all the reasons why the building should be saved, and asked why the council, despite there being a very strong case for restoration, were choosing not to help us. We weren't really given an answer, they said the council had no money, we've never asked them for any. They also stated that the previous group had a lease for the building but were unable to cover the costs of running and maintaining the Spa, which is completely untrue, they never had a lease, it was never their building to pay for. Overall a frustrating and disappointing experience, all the more so as the failure of the previous restoration, is unfairly used against us. Following the local elections on 5th May, the council are now in the process of changing over to the new committee system, we are unsure how this will work, but can only hope that our voices will, at least, be listened to. We have applied for funding for a comprehensive 5 to 7 year business plan, and should hear in around a month whether or not it has been successful. If unsuccessful we will have to find an alternative way to fund it. Birley Spa is far too important a site for us to give up now, other organisations are showing interest. It is such a shame that the council have, so far, lacked the vision to see what could be achieved.  Our Easter event ran over 2 days this year, once again was great fun for all, and we were very lucky with the weather. It was lovely, as always, to see so many happy smiling faces. We will be announcing a list of events for the rest of the year shortly. If you have any ideas or suggestions for events you would like to see at the Spa, please do get in touch. Birley Spa is for all of us, whatever you would like to see, we will try and make it happen. We are also looking for volunteers, whether to help out at events, arts and craft skills, gardening, you name it, come and be a part of something special! Our volunteer sessions in the garden and grounds are going well, we are particularly grateful to the Give It A Go (GIAG) scheme through Sheffield University Students Union for helping us. As part of our ongoing project to document the flora and fauna at the Spa, we have joined Inaturalist and opened a project for Birley Spa and Silkstone Ravine. If you have the app on your phone you can take a photo and upload it, if you're unsure of the name, it doesn't matter, the app will suggest an id and other users will verify it. If you would like to join the project the link is here - uk.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-and-fauna-of-birley-spa-and-silkstone-ravine Let's prove what a special place for nature we have!
On 19th July it will be the 20th anniversary of the Grand Re-opening of Birley Spa, following restoration. We think it would be appropriate to recognise this date, if you have any suggestions as to how we should commemorate it, please let us know. Further updates as we have them, fingers crossed for good news soon! 2/6/2022 1 Comment Possibility and Positivity? Following our meeting with Kate Josephs in October 2021, an independent survey of the building was undertaken by Buttress Architects, the meeting, that was scheduled for November, took place on 28th January 2022.
Kate Josephs had said we would continue discussions in the spirit of possibility and positivity, but the lineup for the council on the day was the executive member for finance, the head of property services and the head of housing, quite clearly that spirit was no more. The view of the council is that as they have no funds, we have to find £400k for the essential repairs and have a sustainable business plan for the future of the Spa. It is worth pointing out that in March 2020 we were advised by the council to have a professional business plan drawn up and the council would pay for it. They said they would pay for it instead of new doors for the building (even though one of the doors was assessed as insecure by a council officer), several months later they said the quote was too expensive, no doors were replaced, no business plan either. We were told to seek out a cheaper quote, however, at this point there was an idea from within the council that funding could be found to make the upper floor residential. We were not keen on this idea at all but the council were determined to see it through. We felt this was unlikely to be a viable option but were left unable to move forward with a business plan because we did not how much of the building it would need to cover. In our meeting in October 2021 we were told that the cost for residential conversion would be between £1.7 and £2 million. Funnily enough, that was the end of that conversation! So now, in effect, we are back to where we were 2 years ago. The surveyor was also at the meeting and talked us through his report, we agree with his findings, that the main structure is sound that the upper floor is rotten, there are issues with the roof and major work needs to be undertaken to stop water ingress to the building. We asked whether this was through lack of maintenance, he replied that the main issue was vandalism to the roof. We pointed out that the vandalism to the roof was not recent at all and that it was in fact lack of maintenance and inadequate repair. The £400k figure comes from the recommendations in his report. As the council are aware, we cannot apply for funding for the building without partnership or tenure. This makes fundraising an issue also, little point in us raising thousands of pounds, for the council to simply sell the building anyway, before we even get into the fact that this is not an affluent area. Do we need business/es and/or charities to get involved? Of course we do, but again how do we convince them to work with us when the council won't? Perhaps the bigger question is why? We are happy to be working again with our Business Advisor from Prosper North, if anyone can get us through this he can. An interesting comment at the council meeting was that they did not want to set us up to fail, the way we see it, that is exactly what they have been trying to do for the last 3 years, it hasn't worked yet. We are stronger, we are wiser, our support has grown and our vision for the Spa is more relevant now than when we first developed it, but we couldn't have got this far without you, thank you for believing in Birley Spa! P.S. The photo is of Snowdrops from the Spa, a symbol of HOPE. 12/17/2021 3 Comments Here's to 2022!
With support of Park Rangers and our wonderful Birley Firefighters we have made improvements in the grounds, again there is still much to do. We are currently awaiting the outcome of a NLHF funding bid by Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust, for more substantial work to be done to restore the pond and surrounding area. We have hosted Heritage Open Days, very successfully 3 times, with all events fully booked, because the Spa is so special, it is after all not just a local hidden gem, it should be a national treasure. We have had Halloween at the Spa 3 times, tremendous fun for all involved, the last two events have been over 2 nights as its popularity continues to grow. This year we had events at Easter and through the school holidays and have the potential to expand on this in future. We had our first school trip, Birley Spa Primary, the children absolutely loved it! It was wonderful to see so many happy faces, and finally confirm that there are no sharks in the plunge pool! We have worked with students from Sheffield School of Architecture (UOS) on a Live Project- Reimagining Birley Spa. Through their fantastic efforts the vision for Birley Spa has been brought to life, it is a phenomenal body of work. xd.adobe.com/view/5785d8f2-b6b3-41c5-9301-26c0e57b9841-02d6/?fullscreen We held our first Christmas event this year, where 100 children visited Santa in the garden. It was a worry that we might not achieve our visitors expectations, given our success with Halloween, but we managed to pull it off, and the feedback from our visitors has been heartwarming and truly humbling.
Over time we have grown, our Facebook group had less than 300 members in 2018, there are now over 1700. Just imagine what we could have achieved had there not been a pandemic. Imagine if we had electricity, running water, toilets, a restored, useable building?
We have had support, for which we are tremendously grateful, from Asda, through donations for events and the Green Token Scheme. Morrisons, Maddy Wood, community champion, has always been happy to help us when we needed her. Olympus Scaffolding were there for us when we needed help putting on Covid Safe Heritage Open Days. PYO Pumpkins have helped us with Halloween. We have had volunteers from the Give It A Go scheme at Sheffield University Students Union help out on our work sessions in the grounds. Volunteers of all ages have pitched up and done their bit, whether as regulars or occasional contributors, their efforts count. As the saying goes, "Every little helps!", and we're thankful for every single bit of it. We are here for our community, our heritage, our social history, our nature and our green space. We are all volunteers, we work hard for what we believe in. We believe in Birley Spa. We believe in our community. 2022 will be our year, it's time. Happy New Year to All! 10/4/2021 0 Comments Things That Go Bump In The Night..It's been a while, but we've not quite given up the ghost just yet! Indeed we have been very busy with various events including, Pebble Painting, Fun Day with Friends of Hi5's, Scavenger Hunt, Bear Hunt and a Teddy Bears Picnic. Lots of fun was had, we do love happy smiling faces! 
From 10th to 19th September we held our 3rd Heritage Open Days. Over the 2 weekends we had over 220 visitors. A thoroughly enjoyable event, as always. The beauty of Birley Spa is not a hard sell and as more and more of its fascinating history comes to light, its charm just grows and grows. We were very lucky with the weather, our Kingfisher proved a little bit elusive, but the Moorhen family were happy to entertain our visitors. (Below Middle photo by Photographer Peter Lawson)
We have just started a Sheffield University 'Live Project' with the Architecture Dept, kindly funded by Ward Councillors through the Ward Pot. 14 very enthusiastic students visited the Spa last week and have already started working on plans for the future of Birley Spa. Their efforts will culminate in an Exhibition of their work along with another 18 projects that are part of the programme, on 4th November. We are really looking forward to the outcomes of this work that will give us tangible evidence of the possibilities that can be achieved. With regard to the future of Birley Spa we met with Kate Josephs, Chief Executive, Sheffield City Council in August, when she came to Birley Spa. We had a follow up meeting via Zoom on 4th October. Kate has been very supportive, but is very aware of the problems that the site has, and the role of the council in its current state and uncertain future. This is an ongoing conversation of possibility and positivity, which we really appreciate after months/years of negativity and inaction. We are due to meet next in November date TBC. Our Volunteer days are going well, the next one is Sunday 10th October 10am to 12 noon. Real inroads have been made in reclaiming the garden, but there is much more to do. Within the grounds, the autumn leaf clearing process will soon be starting, Parks Dept will be doing some pruning work around the pond and our Owl Box will be put up. Fingers crossed we hear soon the outcome of the National Lottery Heritage Fund bid for restoration works to the pond, submitted by the Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust. Lastly, and some might say, most importantly, Halloween is almost upon us, our favourite time of the year! Booking is through our Facebook Group. This is our 3rd Halloween and promises to be our most ghoulishly spooktacular yet, see you there!
5/22/2021 1 Comment Can You Feel It?
There is something in the air, can you feel it? A bit of hope, a bit more happiness, a whiff of change perhaps?
Fingers crossed we're just about over the worst of the pandemic and life is getting nearer to normal. The council elections and referendum have shown that people were eager to have the council do things in a different, more inclusive way. It looks like change is finally starting to happen. Even Alan the Tawny Owl is looking optimistic! On Friday we joined the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Sheffield Greenpeace, Owlthorpe Action Group, Wardsend Cemetery and many other organisations and individuals to declare a Nature Emergency for Sheffield. We did this because, 'Nature is in trouble - we are losing our wildlife at a faster rate than ever before. The UK is one of the most ‘nature depleted’ countries in the world. And right on our doorstep, here in Sheffield, we are losing our wildlife because of: - Habitat loss and destruction, such as the loss of important sites for housing, or the burning of our moorlands - Wildlife being hunted and persecuted, including the mountain hare - Increasing threats from pests and disease, for example ash-dieback - Invasive plants and animals squeezing out our local wildlife - Pollution of land and water, including the excess use of pesticides - The climate crisis making it harder for all wildlife to survive and thrive - Limited opportunities for people of all ages to experience, enjoy and connect with nature.'(Extract from Wildsheffield.com) If you have followed us for any length of time you will know that all of the above are causes close to our hearts and have been part of our goals from the beginning. By the end of Friday Sheffield City Council, in quite a change from their stance pre-election, had agreed to support the declaration. This is very good news, for nature, the environment, and for Birley Spa. In other exciting news, Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust are in the process of submitting an application, with our collaboration and the support of Parks Dept, to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for repairs and improvements to the pond and immediate area. Fingers crossed we are successful. And so to the Bath House, we have a number of meetings coming up, some with the council and some with other bodies regarding the future of the building, of course nothing is certain, but the conversation is getting louder. As we have said previously, the pandemic has proven the case for the building to be a hub for the community, for health and well-being, for education and for nature, our voice is starting to be heard. As can be seen from the first photo at the top of this post, our Volunteer sessions have restarted in the grounds. It feels so good to be getting our community involved again and it really impacts on the difference we can make. The next sessions coming up are Tuesday 8th June and Sunday 13th June, both 10am till 12 noon. We would love for you to join us! (Please bring your own gloves) P.S. Keep an eye on our Facebook page as we have a big event announcement coming out soon! |
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