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!

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!

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.

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?
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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!​

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!

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!



​

It was beginning to feel like we would never get here, but finally we made it, Spring! What a joy to see a bit of sunshine and watch the land and nature come back to life, hopefully starting a new chapter for all of us.

We, surprisingly, have some good news, we have received a grant from the South Yorkshire Community Fund to help us promote Friends of Birley Spa. We have some lovely new banners to put out when we have events, a noticeboard to provide information for visitors, a laptop, projector and power bank so we can provide talks, slideshows, video screenings etc at the Spa, or indeed anywhere, schools, history groups, care homes, anybody who wants us really ! If the lifting of lockdown goes to plan, fingers crossed, we will be able to do much more.

We are hosting an Easter Trail at the Spa (Covid-safe) on Saturday 3rd April, this is already fully booked. We are also having an Easter Bonnet Competition which opens on 2nd April, please see attached poster or contact our Facebook page.

The Oral History Project has been a little slow to get started due to pandemic related issues but should be fully up and running shortly. We have some wonderful stories already but we know there are still plenty more out there.

Volunteer Days should be able to restart soon, further details when we have them. It is worth pointing out that although we have volunteers working in the grounds, if you would prefer to help in some other way, we would still love to hear from you.

Regarding the future of the Bath House, we have not heard from the council since before Christmas when they were supposed to be undertaking a feasibility study for the buildings future use. It is now the run up to the council elections in May, so the likelihood of any potentially controversial decisions being made are minimal. The council is undergoing changes following the previous leader stepping down and there may be more changes to come. As part of the election process there will also be a referendum on the way the council is run. Following serious campaigning by It's Our City, we will be able to choose how we wish to be governed, whether by the current cabinet system or by a committee system, whatever the outcome, it could have serious implications for all of us. There is also a new Chief Executive at the council, Kate Josephs, who is apparently keen for change for our city. We have emailed her and invited her to Birley Spa to discuss our situation, as yet we have not had a reply.

The last 12 months have been unimaginable for all of us, let's hope we are over the worst. Our campaign to save Birley Spa goes on, the pandemic has proven the case for saving this wonderful site as the green heart of our community. It is time to reclaim what is ours.

Even as we have come in to the New Year, we are still living through the strangest of times and 'normal' still seems a long way off. We at Friends of Birley Spa have tried to focus on the positives as much as possible. We still have a beautiful Spa to save and we still need you to help us achieve it!
Thanks to generous donations we have run a series of raffles that have raised £230.00 to fund more events and continue to raise awareness of the importance of our unique heritage site and its' surroundings. We are planning a Covid-safe Easter Event, details to be announced soon, and looking at events for further into the year. We are also awaiting news on a funding bid that, if successful, will help us take Birley Spa to a much wider audience.

Our Oral History Project in conjunction with Sheffield University starts on 15th February 2021. We know there are so many stories out there, please do get involved.

We have already received some fascinating information and photos that are mind-blowing! It is important to point out that the person who sent them did not think we would be interested, all stories are important.

The project is running until June but we can continue to add to it as new stories come to light. Whether it is recent history or ancient we want to hear it.

We have been lucky to receive media coverage both from The Sheffield Star www.thestar.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/help-create-permanent-historical-record-beautiful-sheffield-bath-house-3093594  and 
BBC Radio Sheffield, which has resulted in people contacting us from other parts of the country.

There is  another project running alongside this one, compiling a comprehensive resource of the History of Birley Spa, again undertaken by the University of Sheffield. The wonder of the internet has opened up a whole new world of historical archives, there is so much more to discover. we can't wait to see what we find. 

We have no update from the council, although perhaps with the pandemic situation this is not too surprising. Recently, Joined Up Heritage Sheffield published a Heritage Strategy for the city, as the council did not have one. It is hoped that the council will adopt this document, and if so it should be to our benefit.
Everything we have said about the Spa and its importance, to the community, for nature, for mental health and wellbeing, has been proven during this terrible time. Birley Spa will become a green hub for health and wellbeing, we must make it happen, for all of us.