An estimated £1.4million has been invested in improvements to playgrounds and outdoor leisure facilities across the city, right in time for the summer holidays, which are now in full swing.
Two more Sheffield Parks officially recognised amongst the best in the Country
Pound's Park and the Sheffield General Cemetery have been awarded the coveted Green Flag Award – the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Pound's Park and Sheffield General Cemetery join 16 other Sheffield parks in achieving the coveted Green Flag status.
Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council, said:
“Sheffield is one of the country’s greenest cities blessed with a range of parks, woodland and countryside. We are incredible proud of not only of the breadth of green space in the city, but also of the quality of these spaces.
“I am delighted to hear that two more Sheffield parks have been recognised for their excellence and will join the list of the best parks in the UK. This is an incredible achievement and is testament to our Parks and Countryside Team, as well as the many volunteers across the city, who help to maintain our greenspaces to such a high standard.”
Pound's Park is one of the city’s newest parks, having opened just last year, as part of the Heart of the City II redevelopment. The park is managed and maintained by the Council’s City Centre Management team, who also are Green Flag award holders for the Peace Gardens, the Winter Garden and Devonshire Green.
The award-winning park is located in the city centre, on the former fire station site between Rockingham Street, Wellington Street and Carver Street, and offers a multitude of experiences, including spaces for play, relaxation and socialising.
With families in mind, Pound’s Park features a three-by-eight-metre climbing boulder, reminiscent of a Peak District rockface, and a significant new children’s playground.
The playground includes two large pyramid towers – with the tallest standing at 11 metres, stainless steel slides, climbing structures, playhouses, a seesaw, wheelchair-accessible play equipment and more.
On the other hand, Sheffield General Cemetery, in Sharrow, is one of the city’s oldest greenspaces, opened in 1836 as a municipal burial ground where people of Nonconformist religion could be buried according to their own custom.
Today it is a much-loved green oasis and also important as a wildlife site and the Cemetery will continue to be managed for heritage and biodiversity interest.
In 2023, the General Cemetery celebrated the end of a four-year, £3.8 million conservation and repair programme, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Parks for People programme. As part of the project, the Council carried out extensive structural repairs to the Cemetery’s famous catacombs, stabilised key monuments and provided support to the massive retaining walls, which are now nearing 200 years old, ensuring the Cemetery can continue to be treasured and admired by future generations.
The site is also supported by the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust (SGCT), who carry out educational tours and workshops, conservation work to maintain and enhance the monuments, landscape and paths, as well as historical research of the Cemetery and its occupants.
Sally Puddifoot, Landscape Conservation Manager at SGCT, said:
"Sheffield General Cemetery Trust is delighted that Sheffield General Cemetery has been awarded a Green Flag.
“It's a recognition of the incredible hard work and dedication of the landscape volunteers who maintain many aspects of the site.
“The local community value the cemetery enormously and we welcome visitors from all over the UK, and abroad. We get great satisfaction from looking after such a unique and special place."
A range of community gardens across the city also received a Green Flag Community Award recognition, including:
- Alexandra Road Community Garden
- Devon Gardens
- Firth Park Community Allotment
- Gleadless Valley Methodist Church Community Garden
- Grenoside Green
- Heeley City Farm
- Herdings Community and Heritage Centre Community Garden
- Wortley Hall Walled Garden Wortley Hall
The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said:
“I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Pound's Park and Sheffield General Cemetery on achieving a Green Flag Award.
“We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that they maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.
“It is important that our free to use spaces are maintained to the Green Flag Award standard, making them accessible for all members of the community while ensuring the environment is protected.”
