Here's our August round up, as summer draws to a close and we prepare for the return to school and daily routines. Despite the challenging weather there's been a lot to celebrate and plenty to look forward to in the coming season. Summer has flown by, but its been action packed and so much fun! Shout out to everyone who has enjoyed time in our outdoors and done your bit to help keep them clean, tidy and welcoming for all. A few summer highlights have been: - Millhouses Waterplay reopening celebration event
- Round Sheffield Run - hosted from Endcliffe Park
- Kids holiday clubs at Ecclesall Woods and Sheffield Botanical Gardens
- Fun fairs at Graves and Firth Park
- Colouring with llamas, goat-kid feeding and beach fun at Graves Animal Farm
- Gruffalo Gathering reading festival at Hillsborough Park
- Community fun days across the city, and of course...
Tramlines!What a weekend it was at Hillsborough Park - more than 100,000 people came to the park across the 3 days of live music, with amazing headliners Fat Boy Slim, Courteeners and Wolf Alice bringing the house down!  Crowds gather at the main stage to watch The Coral at Tramlines 2026 Festival organisers still hold the original ethos of the event from Sarah Nulty by supporting local artists to perform and giving back to the park and local causes. Huge recognition to our Hillsborough Park team for their hard work in preparing the site for the festival and getting things back to normality so quickly. The 2026 edition was so good that early bird and tier 1 tickets are already sold out for next year!  Scorched land and vegetation following a fire at Westwood It's been a challenging month across our 'not-so-green' open spaces, with extreme dry conditions increasing the risk and severity of fires. We've had teams out every day taking on extra activity to reduce risk and supporting our emergency services in handling the impact of fires in the region. We want to express a huge thank you to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, South Yorkshire Police and our own staff for all their efforts, as well as local people for taking care and precautions in helping to reduce risk. The wetter weather has brought some relief, but dry conditions are still an issue across our parks and countryside and in your own gardens. There is still risk of fires and so we ask everyone to continue: - No fires
- No BBQs
- No waste left behind
- No tolerance for others' irresponsible actions - please report to firestoppers
 New playground equipment at Firth Park Following a playground refurbishment, Firth Park was heaving earlier this week as local people came together to celebrate the grand reopening. Working in partnership with the Friends of Firth Park to meet the need of local people, we installed new equipment that will appeal to children both young and old, providing a safe and welcoming playground for them to enjoy. The celebration event organised by SOAR - Unity in the Community - was supported by the Friends group and featured live music, dance performances, children's games, activities and more! Courtside Hillsborough has been shortlisted for another award! Following a rigorous process, Courtside was selected as one of the top finalists in the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Service Awards 2026 for Best Public/Private Partnership Working initiative. The awards take place on Thursday 17 September - wish us luck! There's been a 'murder'As the crows gather in Norfolk Park, a murder is a regular occurrence. While crossing the 'conservation grassland', the Centre in the Park within reach, numerous eyes scan your soul. But fear not, for no life has been lost. The collective noun for a gathering of crows (Corvus Corone) is a 'murder'.  A 'murder' of crows search for food in the grasses at Norfolk Park Highly intelligent, these birds can be seen foraging for tit-bits in the areas of long grass around the park. Prior to the breeding season, these usually solitary birds gather en-masse to rake over the turf, often ragging out the mosses in search of hidden invertebrates. Numbers can reach more than 100 birds, which can make for a very sinister stroll through these un-flappable midnight black Corvids. Grass snake egg pilesThese awesome creatures love wetland habitats or dry grasslands near a water source and if you're lucky you might see them in various locations across Sheffield.  A grass snake hiding out in an egg pile created by our rangers and local volunteers. To support the survival of grass snakes our rangers and volunteers have been using the ARG UK (Amphibian and Reptile Groups UK) guidance on how to build grass snake egg laying piles. The team created some egg laying piles to provide warmth for the snakes to thrive, and we were very happy to find a one actually using this intervention. Although they might seem scary, grass snakes are harmless to humans, non-venomous, and excellent swimmers, growing up to 150cm long! Grass snakes are a protected species, if you see any don't panic but please let us know, you can email us at ecology@sheffield.gov.uk. The 26-27 season is about to kick-off! A big welcome back to our football teams in both adult and junior leagues across the city. We hope you've all had a rested summer and are looking forward to getting back out on the pitches. The rain should help to improve the hard ground conditions we've seen through the summer period, and we'll share any disruption to fixtures through club contacts and on our Facebook page. Bank Holiday fun for allThere's so much happening across our parks this Bank Holiday weekend, you'll be spoilt for choice! The Graves Park Food Festival - Sat 29 to Mon 31 August With new tastes and new experiences, just follow the sights and smells for an awesome weekend in Graves park. In addition to all the culinary delights, expect live music, kids activities, shows and more. Tickets available now!  Watch highlights of The Graves Park Food Festival Cinema Under the Stars - Millhouses Park - Sun 30 August Lumora Experiences bring you a magical outdoor cinema experience under the stars at Millhouse Park, screening the inspiring and award-winning film Queen of Katwe. As well as the film you can enjoy live DJ sets, food stalls, table tennis and face painting. Get your tickets now! Sheffield Fayre - Norfolk Heritage Park - Mon 31 August Our free family day out is back in Norfolk Park bringing all the usual fun, with rides, shows, exhibitions, crafts, games and more - 10:30am-5pm.  Collage of Sheffield Fayre activities Sheffield Fayre is always a family favourite, a last day out together to round off the summer before back to school in September. Tongue Gutter Open Space Family Fun Day - Mon 31 August Get outdoors this bank holiday and and enjoy a few hours of nature-based free fun. Build a bug house, make a hedgehog home, get clued up with a tree talk and help out with a litter pick. Just turn up and join in between 11am-3pm. Coming up in SeptemberArt in the Gardens - Sheffield Botanical Gardens - Sat 5 & Sun 6 September  Sheffield Botanical Gardens is host to Art in the Gardens Discover a vast collection of art and craft from talented artists and makers from across the UK, all set within our beautiful Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Meet the artists, enjoy local food and drink, and find the next piece of art for your collection. A great day out for all the family, with free entry for under-16s. Get your tickets now. Pooches in the Park - Millhouses Park - Sun 13 September Thornberry Animal Sanctuary's joyful celebration of dogs and their people, featuring a packed programme of dog show classes, exciting activities, local stalls, and plenty of opportunities to treat your four-legged friends. Grow Sheffield Round Walk - Meersbrook Park - Sat 19 September A 15mile sponsored walk through Sheffield’s most beautiful parks, woodlands and historic sites to raise vital funds for Grow. Lace up, get outdoors, and help transform young lives one step at a time. Check out the route and sign up. Party in the Park - Chelsea Park - Sun 20 September A huge range of live music, entertainment and activities is on the line up at this year's Party in the Park, closing the Nether Edge Festival for 2026. Come along between 11am-4pm. Heritage Open Days - 11 to 20 September Back for 2026 the Heritage Open Days festival features events and activities across various parks, gardens and cemeteries. All events are free, download the brochure and get planning your history walks and talks. We'd be really grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer our questions. Your comments will help us understand how you feel about our Parks, Woodlands and Green Spaces and how we can improve our services and outdoor spaces in the future. Survey closes on 11 September 2026. Proposals have been outlined for the restoration and refurbishment of the next section of the former Norton Nurseries site back to parkland within Graves Park, and we want to hear your views. The options are based on proposals put forward by the Friends of Graves Park and FoodWorks, plus options that combine elements of both. Survey closes on 20 September 2026. |
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