Firstly an apology for the delay in publishing this blog post, but we have been very busy.

A lot of preparation was required for the Heritage Open Days but it really was worth it! We had held back in clearing too much around the building as we were keenly aware that any improvement to its appearance could have made it more appealing to a potential buyer, now that that threat has been removed it has been very rewarding to see the building, on the outside at least, look a little more loved.

Over the 2 weekends we were open for Heritage Open Days we had approximately 150 visitors, from across the city and much further afield, even as far as Norwich. We will never get bored with people saying 'Wow!' when they first see the Plunge Pool. The talk and tour was very well received, the value of the Spa and its grounds is certainly not a hard sell. Although this was a free event we received donations just short £250! Thank you to all!

On Tuesday 22nd October the Firefighters from Birley Fire Station came to help in the grounds, to say they did a brilliant job, is an understatement. We are so grateful for what they achieved, surplus saplings were removed and the true width of the path by the side of the Bath House was rediscovered. They made a huge difference and are keen to help out again at some stage. They will also be donating half the proceeds of a charity run they are doing to the Friends group, date to be confirmed.

Birley Spa held its first Halloween Trail on 31st October, the building was transformed into a spooky wonderland. It was fantastic to see so many of the local community attend, we cannot wait to do it all again next year, and who knows, we may even have electricity!

We are now an official Company Limited by Guarantee for charitable purposes, when we have raised funds of £5,000 we can become a Registered Charity, both of these things give us access to more fundraising opportunities and access to funding streams. The next step is clearly to raise as much money as we can because to apply to many of the big funders, for repairs to the building, we would be expected to provide a percentage ourselves. Sadly due to the current economic uncertainty the local businessman who was going to help us, is no longer able to do so.

We have been very lucky to be enrolled on the Prosper North mentoring scheme which will help us develop our business plans' long term sustainability. We may also be eligible at the end of it to apply to the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund. We have attended a Social Enterprise and Trading workshop which was very interesting, although a little ahead of where we are now. We also have a business advisor provided by Prosper North whom we have now had two very productive meetings with.

The council decided that as there was a very comprehensive survey done of the Spa just over 12 months ago, there was no need for a second one and currently we are basing our repair plans on aspects of that. There is a possibility that the council will be able to fund some of the smaller, but urgent repairs to prevent further deterioration of the building. They have already been and cleared the grates and some of the gutters. We will be meeting with the council in the near future to discuss next steps.

Following on from the Firefighters marvellous work, we have decided that we will have regular volunteer sessions in the grounds, on the second and 4th Sunday of each month. At the present time we are extremely limited with the amount of tools we have, but much of the work we have to do is literally hands on, so bringing your own gloves is essential. The aim in the grounds is to remove all none native species like Yellow Archangel and then contain invasive growth such as Ivy, Holly and Brambles. The sessions will be 10 till 12 noon, the first one will be Sunday 10th November. Please come along if you can.
 
We are now moving into a new phase with the Spa and we are increasingly aware that the workload is growing. We will need to expand our committee in the near future, further details to be announced.

We will update you on the outcome of our next council meeting.

Following a few turbulent weeks, where the Spa felt more under threat than ever before, it was with some trepidation that we arrived at the Town Hall tonight for our second meeting with Councillor Paul Wood. Also in attendance were Councillors Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan and Star Reporter Molly Williams.

It is fair to say the tone had altered considerably since our last meeting. The 10th August deadline has now been removed and we will receive a letter that will hopefully allow us to apply for funding. There will be an independent survey done of the building to assess the true cost of repairs and prioritise them accordingly. Councillor Wood will look into potential ways that the council could fund or match fund these repairs. Although this is great news, it does leave the possibility of the hall becoming residential or office space, on the table.

To remove those options completely we would need to find funding ourselves. To that end we have approached a community enterprise development group and are to schedule a meeting with them hopefully in the next week. We have submitted an application to Prosper North who provide mentoring for cultural heritage organisations with the opportunity to access the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund. We have also received a generous offer of financial assistance from a local businessman who is keen to see the Spa remain as a community building.

There is a determination on both sides that Birley Spa will be restored. The results of the building survey could play a huge part in which way the outcome goes.

Further updates will be given as we get them. Thank you for all your support, we couldn't have got this far without you!

P.S. We also have the go ahead for our Heritage Open Days!
​https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/birley-spa-bath-house-history-talk-and-tour

On 28th June we had our first official meeting with Councillor Wood as Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, it did not go as well as we hoped, but we felt we were still able to move things forward. If we were to receive the letter to allow us to apply for funding, we could prove we could repair and maintain the building.
We received an email, sent just before midnight on 8th July, which changed all that. We were told we had to prove we could acquire £200k for repairs and £30k per annum to run the building, by 10th August or the Bath House would be sold to one of a number of bidders, waiting to buy the building. We were not getting a letter to allow us to apply for funding.
Our local councillors  and Heritage Champion were not included in the decision making process, we were devastated.
There have been some unpleasant things said about us, but we have been open and honest throughout this journey and we hope that people can see that.
We have not given up, we have a few options we are working on, but the playing field is far from level.
We want to send a message to the council that Birley Spa matters, please come and add your voice!

Please note, due to Health and Safety issues, the car park at the Spa will not be available.

Visit Birley Spa, Friends of Birley Spa Plan for the Future
Through a collaboration with Friends of Birley Spa and the Karma Hub an oasis of tranquillity, relaxation and nature has been created.
Karma Hub offer Yoga, holistic and wellbeing practices and classes on the upper floor of the Victorian Bath House with glorious views over the gardens to the pond surrounded by aged woodland and an abundance of wildlife. There is an onsite Vegan/ clean food Café with seating on the patio to complete your wholesome experience. Maria and Claire look forward to welcoming you.
The Karma Hub Space can be hired out for other functions including weddings, meetings etc. It is also the home of the local brownie/guide group.
On the lower floor in the former museum and Coal Hole is the FOBS Den. From here we conduct history talks and tours and co-ordinate events. (We are rather good at Halloween and Christmas, but other times of the year are available!) There is also a guide to the Sculpture Trail, information on the Shirebrook Valley and amenities within the local area.
Most weekends we offer a Pop-up Café with home-made bakes and our signature lamb bake. Water and biscuits are available to our four-legged friends.
To the right of the Café, the Plunge Pool can be viewed, for current bathing times please see the notice board. The waters at the Spa are purified through ozone making them perfect for those who cannot bathe in chlorinated water. We have Spa weekends twice a month, prices available on request.
The Plunge Pool and Den can also be hired for photoshoots.
There are Victorian and Steampunk events throughout the year, check our website for details.
There is a multi-functional space beyond the Plunge Pool which is used regularly by the WEA for heritage classes, this area is also available for hire and is particularly suitable for childrens parties as the children can access the gardens and the gates can be closed for security if necessary.
The enclosed Victorian gardens reflect a bygone era where much of the planting was as relevant for its use in herbal medicine as for its beauty.
Although the grounds are still being gradually restored, with help from Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, to best help the nature of our area, and encourage new species, we are happy for volunteers to join us on our fortnightly sessions.
Throughout the summer months we offer Forest Schools for various age groups, please contact Claire for further information and booking.
The Sculpture Trail has work from local artists Stoneface Creative and Jason Heppenstall as well as community built installations involving local schools and adults with learning disabilities.
The newly installed childrens playground to the side of the disabled carpark, is a safe environment for under 10s.
Disabled parking and access to the Spa and grounds is from Dyke Vale Way. Parking is available on Dyke Vale Road.

The Councils View
Prestigious office or residential use.
The group may be able to have an involvement with the Spa.

Just over a week ago we had a meeting with the Council led by Councillor Paul Wood, with Councillor Bryan Lodge and Councillor Karen McGowan, and with MP Clive Betts in attendance.
As we had expected there was some covering of old ground and a moving of goalposts, but nothing that we viewed as un-achievable. Our business knowledge was tested and found to be lacking, but we have learnt a lot in the past week and are confident we are ready to move ahead with our plans. We need a business partner to ensure an income stream to maintain the Bath House, but we feel strongly that this partner must share our vision of community, green space, nature and well-being, rather than purely profit. 
We were also asked about improving access to the site itself and how this would be funded, this is an issue that we are aware of, but as we had prioritised funding repairs to the building, we hadn't got very far with that. Since the meeting it has come to our attention that other parks in the area are eligible for funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy for improvements, but not Birley Spa.
We have been quizzed about how we intend to fund the repairs to the Bath House and we have many possibilities in that regard. Paperwork has been submitted for us to become a Charitable Interest Organisation, but we cannot apply for funding without a decision from the council. We have been told we should be receiving a letter confirming 'Head of Terms', an agreement that we will  be granted a Community Asset Transfer if we are successful in our bids for funding, that also enables us to apply for it.
We have registered the Spa for the Heritage Open Days Event in September
www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/birley-spa-bath-house-history-talk-and-tour?fbclid=IwAR1LmJHkRCwBSgZop-2BZWV3G_8LyXyxwKkc1LeU-Vpsw0dLk_y3oQHzYxI      

We are also planning a Spooktacular Halloween Event, and hopefully a Christmas one too.

Following our last meeting we had a short follow up meeting with Councillors, with MP Clive Betts joining us by telephone, to update him on where we were at. He was pleased with the way things were going. At the end of this meeting we were informed that no final decision would be made until after the council elections....
We are still waiting.
Councillor Jim Steinke, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety was replaced by Councillor Paul Wood in a Council Cabinet reshuffle. Although Councillor Wood had met us briefly previously, the feeling that we are almost starting from scratch (again) is a little frustrating. We do however have a meeting with him at the end of this month.
But please don't think for one minute that we have been sat twiddling our thumbs, we most definitely have not! We are in the process of becoming a Charitable Interest Organisation, which will put us in a position to apply for funding to restore the Bath House. We have been liaising with community based businesses regarding the use of the main hall to create an income stream to maintain the building and ideally a multipurpose venue for community events. We have had our May Day Event, a viewing of the Plunge Pool and given talks on the history of Birley Spa. We will be having a float and stall at Beighton Gala and other events and activities are in the pipeline.
Today we have had a very productive meeting with Sheffield Wildlife Trust and look forward very much to working with them in the future. Which brings us to Alan, the name we have given to our Tawny Owl, the Guardian of Birley Spa, who very kindly put in an appearance for our visitors!
We need YOU, our members and followers to keep spreading the word about our cause, get involved with our events, come and show your support on the Ranger days. We have a long way to go and much to do, but would love you all to be part of it!

Yesterday we had a meeting with the council and at last got to present our business plan.

Our plan is quite comprehensive, including restoration of the building and development of the site as a whole to becoming a unique heritage site accessible to all.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it was well received. The councillors were impressed with our ideas and our obvious passion towards seeing them realised.

Although this is indeed positive news, we still have several hurdles to cross. We have more meetings to have and many more councillors to impress. But we will bask for a moment in our success. We are not certain what hoops we still have to jump through, but we have all upped our intake of spinach, just in case the last round is a best of 3 arm wrestling competition! (It worked for Popeye!)

Date of next meeting to be confirmed.
​

​The sale was withdrawn and we barely had time to celebrate before the council announced the building was to be put up for auction on 4th September. On 30th August at a Public meeting organised by Friends of Birley Spa, our MP Clive Betts was able to state that the auction had been postponed, possibly indefinitely. We were to have a meeting with the council to discuss our plans to secure the future of the site.
Prior to the meeting an application had been submitted to make the Spa an Asset Of Community Value, which meant the council would have to give us 6 months notice to sell the building, this was granted at the beginning of November. Within a fortnight they gave us notice they were to sell the building in 6 months.
We finally had our meeting with the council in December. During this it became apparent that the fundamental issue with the councils view of the situation as opposed to ours is that the building comes under one department and the grounds come under another. We, and everyone who knows and loves the site view it as a whole, because it is. 
The spring rises in the Bath House and flows through the plunge pool into the stream, which feeds the pond, which then returns to a stream, which flows through to the Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve. Selling the building, despite it being listed and having caveats regarding heritage and water source, is a recipe for disaster. See sheffieldoldtownhall.co.uk/ if you think we are wrong.
At the conclusion of the meeting we were invited to produce a viable business plan.
On 5th March 2019 we had a meeting with the council, where we were to showcase our business plan. We were, however, prevented from doing this as Property services intend to offer a conditional tender to selected interested parties. To hear ours would be a conflict of interest. This totally contradicted what we had been told.
We have another meeting towards the end of March where we hope to hear that this process has been halted.

On Friday 15th March we had a visit from the council. Coucillors Paul Wood, Jim Steinke, Bryan Lodge and Denise Fox came to have a look around. Councillors Wood and Steinke had not been before and I think the site as a whole was quite a revelation to them. it is so hard to explain just how special this place is. Better to let the building speak for itself! Hopefully this will help in our next meeting. Fingers crossed!