It's been a funny old year. Ending on a significant turning point, or so we hope.
The arrival of our Stoneface Creative Sleeping Giant was a hugely proud moment, that so many of our community came to help build his body was really lovely. We had help with supplies from Chameleon Landscaping, Birley Moor Garden Centre and Hall Seasons Artificial Grass, for which we are very grateful.

We held our summer Fun Day at The Lodge, Church Lane, Hackenthorpe on 17th August. Thank you to Gail Smith for the use of the site. It made such a difference to have normal amenities, like toilets, running water and electricity. If only we had such things at the Spa! It was a great day with lots of visitors. We had children drawing pictures of the Giant and making suggestions for his name. There were various stalls, Belly Dancers, a brilliant young singer, Hollie Rose, and two of the Asda Community Champions charging around as Dinosaurs! 

We held our sixth Heritage Open Days Event. 16 Talks and Tours around 200 visitors. We had camera crews from both the National and Local HODs, filming us, very exciting! Feedback from the event below.

• "The person doing the tour/talk made everything so interesting, she was extremely knowledgeable - everyone on the tour enjoyed it."
• "It was excellent. A very rare opportunity to visit and learn about this precious heritage site. Thank goodness for the volunteers that work to raise awareness (& fight for) this incredible place. I will try to get involved in it's preservation and, fingers crossed, it's restoration. It must not be lost"
• "I really enjoyed the event. The person taking us around was very knowledgeable and passionate about the site"

Our Halloween event was great fun, spooktastic even! Lots of lovely ghoulish people came and it was positively frightful!
If you would like to be part of the team for Halloween next year, it is a huge task preparing for this event, to make it bigger and better we need more people to help, please do get in touch.

 
​ In November, a poll was held of names for the Sleeping Giant that had been     chosen by local children. a very clear winner was the name 'Gruggle' put           forward by Noah, aged 7. Noah came to the Spa with his family to receive a   certificate and prize.

Also in November we hosted Christchurch Hackenthorpe for a short Talk and Tour of the Bath House. Reverend Claire has had a massive impact in her time at the church with her open-minded and inclusive approach. As part of this there is now a 'Blokes Church' with a focus on mental health and wellbeing with Andrew Blench leading occasional Mindfulness Sessions in the Spa grounds. For their visit to the Bath House they invited the Bishop of Sheffield, Pete Wilcox, who certainly seemed to enjoy his time at the Spa. It was a really special event, that we felt privileged to be a part of.
It was also quite a powerful validation of what we have believed for many years, that a restored Birley Spa would be an ideal hub for mental health and wellbeing in a perfect location.

Our last event of the year was our Christmas Event, which we held at The Lodge, with Santas Grotto, various stalls food. Thanks to Gail Smith for the use of the building, Hackenthorpe Youth Club for helping on the day and Willis Marshall for being the biggest Elf (and Snowman) , we've ever seen! Our wonderful Santa was the star of the show, while the Grinch was very naughty! 

Over the last few months we have been working with Andy Kershaw. With his help we have applied to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The application was successful and we will now be known as Birley Spa Preservation Trust, and we are now a registered Charity No. 1211178. This is a massive step forward for us and will mean a huge change in what we are able to do and achieve. We are to host a Launch Event, date tbc, where people can come and meet us and learn about our plans for the future. After 6 turbulent years, we are hopeful that finally we are in a position to make a real difference for Birley Spa and our community. Exciting times ahead! 

On Saturday 25th January we will once again have a table at The Sheffield Heritage Fair, Millennium Galleries, Sheffield. We are there from 10am till 4pm. It's a fantastic event with groups from across the city. Hopefully we will see you there.

​Happy New Year to you all!

It's a while since we've done a blog post. The truth is we haven't had much to say. We still believe change is coming, but it is painfully slow and the building continues to deteriorate.  As we await with interest how these changes will affect us, we carry on as normal with our Volunteer Days and events.

In January we went down to the  Spa to finish packing up the Christmas Trees and decorations for another year. As always, we opened the door to the Plunge Pool, to check that all was okay. The noise that greeted us was shockingly loud, the sound of water roaring, but the pool was empty!
As with every other part of the building, the pool has not been maintained. The pool had a plug with a rubber seal that had perished and failed. It had literally gone down the plug hole, and it's still there.
Once we got over the shock, it was fascinating to see the pool from a whole new perspective. The pool floor is sloping, one side is deeper than the other, and the metal framework on the pool wall, which we had thought was the remains of a ladder, is in fact the remains of a sophisticated sluice. This would have been an efficient device for controlling the flow and depth of the water, as well as for pool maintenance and cleaning.
No depth of water in the pool also meant that when the Environmental Health dept came to take water samples they were able to access them straight from the inlet. The water temperature is 11.3 degrees centigrade. The water does contain coliforms and E-coli, but is well within the acceptable range for  bathing in outdoor waters. The Plunge Pool is an outdoor pool with a building built around it.
We would like to replace the plug as soon as possible, but reinstalling the sluice would be most beneficial in the long term, should we ever get the chance.
​​

We had a stall at the Heritage Fair at the Millennium Gallery on 20th January.
A fantastic event as always. We saw a lot of familiar faces and made plenty of new friends. It is such a great event for meeting other groups, it is a special kind of community, mostly volunteers, who are usually too busy with their own projects to get out and meet others. It's good to know you're not alone in trying to do your best for our heritage.

We put in an application to the Ward Pot for a contribution towards the cost of the Stoneface Creative Sleeping Giant, and were very pleased, and grateful, indeed to receive £2000 towards the £5000 we need. The current total is just under £3000, but we have a couple of events coming up, to help reach our target. 
On Saturday 8th June, the Hawk & Dove are hosting a live band, The 21st Amendment, with Pie and Pea supper. Tickets are £10 with funds raised going towards, the Giants head, we have already paid for his feet. Please come along if you can, it will be a great night!
​Further events will be announced soon.

With regard to the building and its future, these are very interesting times. There has been a noticeable shift in attitudes within the council, the support from the Local Area Committee in particular, has been very gratefully received.
In March the council announced they had developed a new Community Buildings Policy and they were working with Community Groups to hand suitable buildings over, through a Community Asset Transfer, to groups equipped to take them on and to help other groups achieve that status. The scheme is to be piloted in South East Sheffield and includes a list of historical buildings, (not necessarily heritage buildings, more buildings that have been in limbo for some considerable time). Birley Spa is on that list! However, although the policy acknowledges that the council has adopted the Heritage Strategy, drawn up by Joined Up Heritage, it sadly does not acknowledge the issues around Heritage buildings that have been allowed to deteriorate in the way that the Spa has. We have met with the Director of Operational Services and explained our position. We were hoping for a Community Asset Transfer in 2019, when the building could have been brought back to limited use within 6 months. That speed of turnaround is impossible now. 
We have been told that the policy is a work in progress and certain details may be subject to change. We are due to have a meeting with the Executive Director of Neighbourhoods and the Director of Operational Services in early August. 
As we await this next meeting we are working to strengthen our organisation and its structure, we have some wonderful new Trustees, bringing fresh skills, experience and enthusiasm to the team. We will make a formal announcement about this when all the details are finalised.
Thank you to all who continue to support us. We wouldn't have got this far without you!

As the year draws to a close we take a look back on what we've achieved over the last 12 months.
We had stalls at the Heritage Fair in the Millennium Gallery in January, Frecheville Carnival in June and Beighton Gala in July.
We gave History Talks in Todwick, Norton, Crystal Peaks and Frecheville Library, with Todwick and Mosborough History Groups coming to the Spa for a Tour.
Our events over the year, Easter, Heritage Open Days, Halloween and Christmas, all well attended with great feedback from our visitors.
As part of the NHLF funding through Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust we have held Coppicing Workshops with Adrian, a Dawn Chorus Bird Walk with Jim Clarke and Photography Workshops with Alex Hyde. There are more activities in the pipeline. 
In time for Heritage Open Days we worked with SCCT to produce booklets on the History of the Spa, and there are leaflets currently in production.

Work, by Sheffield Countryside Conservation Trust, has started on the pond restoration with silt clearance near the outflow from the stream to the pond. A gabion wall is due to be installed soon. The weather has not been kind to us, the phenomenal rainfall we have experienced has slowed down the work and created additional problems with a large hole having appeared at the bottom of the pond caused by the excess water eroding the bank. Hopefully this will be resolved in the new year. 

Our fantastic volunteers have been working away on our gardening sessions through the seasons, we are so grateful for their help. We just wish there were more of them so we could make a bigger difference.

In August we welcomed Scowerdons Youth Club to Birley Spa. We had a great time doing a Bug Hunt. Leading on from this the children carved pumpkins for our Halloween event and decorated Christmas trees for our Grotto. Thank you so much to Amanda Adlington for making this happen, it was a very important step for us. 
As a group, we have long wanted to create a project that would engage our children and grandchildren, to give them a sense of ownership and belonging, to what is , their Birley Spa. As we have been building relationships with Scowerdons Youth Club and Birley Spa Primary Academy, we now think the time is right to bring this project to life. Following consultations with Parks and Countryside Dept, and Stoneface Creative, we are delighted to announce that we have permission to have a Sleeping Giant in the Spa grounds. We hope to involve local schoolchildren and youth club members with the naming of our Giant and creating his 'body'. We have submitted an application to the Ward Pot for partial funding, if successful, this will be a major boost to our fundraiser, but we will still need to raise the rest. 
All donations will be gratefully received.

As for our aims for the building , progress over the year, has been mixed. Following our email to Kate Josephs, Chief Executive, SCC we were referred to an officer from the Local Area Committee, the head of Housing and the Heritage Champion, Councillor Janet Ridler. 
Our newest group member Maria has submitted a provisional business plan for the Spa, we hope to meet with Janet to go through it in the New Year.
We have had several meetings with our MP Clive Betts, who has been supportive throughout, he is keen to see our plans being allowed to progress. We have also met with the South East Liberal Democrats, who were very supportive. Although not represented in our Ward, we believe that the importance of the Spa and its future, transcends ward and party political boundaries. We believe that this Grade 2 Listed Victorian Bath House, is of national importance, and should be treated as such. And, let's face it, we need all the support we can get!

The Bath House was subjected to a period of vandalism and anti social behaviour earlier this year which left us feeling  hopeless and made us realise that the current situation, being in perpetual limbo, cannot continue. The building continues to be allowed to deteriorate and we are powerless to stop it.
We have put on our events this year, trying to build a bigger experience than the previous years, but it's been very hard. We desperately need more people to get involved. The events are so well attended, it would be heartbreaking to have to scale them back, but we may have no choice. 

We have almost 2,700 followers on Facebook, with interest from various parts of the globe, along with our Instagram followers and those who happen on our website, there must be some who would like to be more involved? If so, step up and come get your hands dirty, literally or figuratively. Birley Spa needs you. We need you.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and thank you for your continued support.

Let's make 2024 the year the Giant, that is Birley Spa, wakes up!


​

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.

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!

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.