AGM

The Darnall Forum AGM will be at Darnall Post Office on Tuesday 25 September at 6pm.

New Opening Hours For Our Community Office

The official opening hours for our community office have, for a long time, been 10am till 4pm, Monday to Thursday, except for adult community learning classes or meetings arranged by prior appointment, which sometimes start at 9.30.

However, for most of last year we have managed to open on Fridays as well. From 3 September 2012 we will be reverting to opening Monday to Thursday only. This is because of cuts to our funding.

The post office is unaffected and will still open at 9am Monday to Saturday, closing at 12.30pm on Saturdays and at 5.30pm on weekdays.

Darnall Community Pride

Volunteers working for the Darnall Community Pride project have engaged with 295 people at six venues (including the post office twice) to find out their views and help them take action to improve our neighbourhood: 106 people at the information day, 92 at the post office and 66 at the Staniforth Neighbourhood Centre and smaller numbers elsewhere. The project also produced posters, leaflets and banners, and volunteers are going to attend two school assemblies.

Information & Family Fun Day A Success

Visitors were determined to enjoy themselves at our Information and Family Fun Event despite the unsettled weather

Despite a slow start and heavy showers about 4,000 people attended our Information and Family Fun Day in High Hazels Park this afternoon. The rain prevented the children's rides from putting in an appearance, but nothing could stop the music! The weather certainly didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the young people who crowded round the stage to see Bhangra stars Mumzy, Junaid Kaiden, Tasha Tah and Roach Killa. There was also lots of information to be had.  The event was funded by Awards For All, British Land and the Darnall Area Trust Fund.

Information & Family Fun Day

Darnall Post Office Wins Best Agency Branch Award for 2012

Darnall Post Office, which is run by Darnall Forum, has won a prestigious sales award from the Post Office Network. Darnall Post Office was declared the winner for 2012 in the Best Agency Branch category at an award ceremony held at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane.

Subpostmaster Neil Bishop cutting a congratulations cake outside Darnall Post Office while post office manager Gillian Jackson holds the cake and chair of Darnall Forum Sylvia Hamilton looks on.

The post office in Darnall only reopened in August 2010, with financial help from local councillors and the Key Fund Yorkshire. The post office in Darnall had been closed for almost a year prior to this before it reopened.

Neil Bishop, the subpostmaster for Darnall Post Office, said: 'We're delighted to have won this major award. It's a recognition of the tremendous work done by our staff and the warm welcome they give to our customers.'

Manager Gillian Jackson, who attended the award ceremony with her colleague Donna Coleman, said: 'It was really exciting. We were shaking when we went up to collect the award.'

Chair of the Forum Sylvia Hamilton said, 'We still need more local people to come and make use of our award winning services if we're to ensure that there is always going to be a post office in Darnall. At least customers are assured of a really high standard of service.'

Darnall Post Office Nominated for Prestigious Award

Darnall Post Office, which we reopened in October 2010  with help from the City Council and The Key Fund, has been nominated for a prestigious sales award by Post Office Ltd, which runs the national post office network.

'The nomination is for increasing sales of post office products in a "small post office". A "small post office" means a post office in a suburb or village, rather than a main post office in a town or city centre.

Neil Bishop, the chief executive of Darnall Forum, said: 'This is a great tribute to our staff, who work very hard and have a reputation for being friendly and helpful to our customers.'

The award ceremony will take place at the Hilton Hotel on Park lane in London on Saturday 16 June. Post office manager Gillian Jackson, who will be representing Darnall Post Office at the awards, said: 'I'm really look forward to it! There's going to be a champagne reception and a banquet, and - of course - there's always a chance that we might find we've won the award.'

Neil said: 'We want to thank our customers for their support. Without them we wouldn't be in the running for the award. We like to provide a warm welcome for all  our customers whatever their requirements - whether it's buying telephone top-ups and paying bills or getting cash out of their account, or posting lots of parcels and small passports, or using passport check and send, or buying travel insurance and foreign currency, or sending priority mail and buying stamps, or opening a new savings account or buying Premium Bonds, we're always here to help.'

ENDS

Public Meeting about the new Health Centre in Darnall

at

Staniforth Neighbourhood Centre

(on Staniforth Road, diagonally opposite the Bangla Bazaaar, on the corner of Ouseburn Croft)

5.15pm arrival for a 5.30pm start

on Tuesday 15^th May 2012

Ian Atkinson from the Primary Care Trust and

Neil Charlesworth from Community 1^st (the contractors) will be available to answer your questions about the new health centre. 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get an update on the project, find out what services will be delivered and share your views about the future of the new health.

Things to consider:

1. What services would you like to see on offer?
2. What healthy lifestyle activities could run from the centre?
3. How can the centre become a focal point for family health in Darnall?
4. When will the building be open to the public?
5. How can the community have a say in the running and delivery of the centre?
6. What will be available for young people / families / older people / BME communities?
7. How will the centre ensure it responds to the health needs of the community?

Light refreshments on arrival. We look forward to seeing you there.

Lucy & Neil

Lucy Melleney

Development Manager, Darnall Well Being

Neil Bishop

Manager, Darnall Forum

Smartening Up The Neighbourhood

On Tuesday 10 April at 11am a group of volunteers sponsored by Marks & Spencer will be doing a litter pick and tidy up on the green space opposite Shirland Court. We invite you to come and help us smarten up your neighbourhood. Tools, equipment and wild flower seeds will be provided for us to use. 

Sponsored by Your Marks & Spencer

Delivered by the River Stewardship Company & Groundwork Sheffield

Choosing a name for the new health centre

NHS Sheffield is inviting the residents of Darnall to suggest a name for their new Health Centre. They have suggested one of the following

• Main Road Health Centre 
• Darnall Primary Care Centre
• High Hazels Health Centre

But other suggestions are also welcome. 

Darnall Well Being has suggested that it should be called a Healthy Living Centre, because it won't just be a place where we go when we have a problem with our health.

Please send your comments and suggestions to emma.reeve@nhs.net no later than Wednesday 11 April.

The final decision will rest with NHS Sheffield.

Work at Darnall Neighbourhood Park

Work is about to be carried out on Darnall Neighbourhood Park, off Greenland Close and Greenland View, next to the cemetary - http://g.co/maps/xebge  

Last year, The Friends of Darnall Neighbourhood Park were successful in securing funding to remove some of the mounds surrounding the new multi use games area on Darnall Neighbourhood Park through the Living Streets programme. The group have long felt that the mounds obstruct views across the site and that local people do not feel safe walking through the park at night.

Streetforce will be starting next week and aim to complete the work in three weeks. There will be machinery and excavated material on site during this time. Please take extra care and keep away from the work areas. The multi use games area will remain open during this time unless a risk to safety becomes evident.

Please contact Chris Roebuck if there are any problems during this time on 0114 205 3772
or by email: christopher.roebuck@sheffield.gov.uk

There is one week to go until the first deadline for Community First grants

• The deadline for this round is Friday 2^nd March 2012.

• You can apply for amounts of £500 to £2500

• You apply directly to your local ward panel using a simple application form, the panels are being run by local volunteers and they will make the first funding decisions by the end of March.

• All requests for funding must be matched by volunteer hours, gifts in kind, cash donations or another funding stream.

• The application form is online at http://www.dfenterprise.org.uk/

The current priorities for the Darnall Panel are:

1. Safer & Stronger Communities
2. Children & Young People
3. Improving Health & Well-Being
4. Environment
5. Increasing Employability Skills & Reducing Poverty

Your application should explain how you will help to meet these priorities. Your group will also need its own bank account and, preferably, a constitution or set of rules governing the way it works. The staff at Darnall or Tinsley Forum can help you to put this together if necessary.

Redevelopment of Land at Infield Lane

There will be a consultation event from 6 till 8pm on Wednesday 22 February from 10 till 12 noon on Saturday 25 February at the Church of Christ Station Road so that local residents can comment on proposals to redevelop land at Infield Lane in Darnall for a mix of different types of houses and a number of small business units. The consultation will be a drop-in session where the developers can hear from residents about their views, and where residents can ask questions. It is being organised by the development company, DLP Planning of 11 Paradise Square in Sheffield. They have prepared a questionnaire which can also be completed on line at http://www.dlpconsultants.co.uk/question.php

Valentine's Day

Why not visit our post office to see our wide range of Valentine gifts and cards?

We also offer 

• passport check and send
• foreign currency
• travel insurance
• home, car and business insurance
• moneygrams
• parcelforce guaranteed next-day delivery
• the full range of parcel and postal services
• stamps
• cards, stationery, toys and confectionery

Community First Programme: Neighbourhood Matched Fund

Community First is a funding programme from the Office of Civil Society. 

£30 Million is now available nationwide  to fund community projects in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country. 

Community First Neighbourhood Matched Fund is an initiative that provides local communities with the means to address their own priorities. Communities will set up local panels in each eligible ward, which will decide upon projects for funding in their area. 

It is a matched fund programme, which means that every £1 provided in funding must be matched by a similar amount of in-kind donations (this means donations of cash, services, free products or volunteer time).

The East Community Assembly Area has £339,100 in total with £56,240 to be allocated by 31^st March 2012. If your group is in the Arbourthorne, Darnall, Manor Castle or Richmond ward and you are interested in applying for a grant of between £250 and £2500, contact the East Community Assembly Team on 0114 2735708 or communityassemblyeast@sheffield.gov.uk to find out more.

Please Join us for a Community Meeting on Wednesday 25 January at 7pm

We’ll Discuss Parking Problems Caused By Tenants of Davy Markham and the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ Campaign for Staniforth Road

Please join us for a community meeting with your three local councillors on Wednesday 25 January at 7pm at Darnall Forum, next-door to the post office. The meeting will report on the progress that has been made in tackling on-street parking by tenants of the Davy Markham office block at 722 Prince of Wales Road.

The meeting will also consider proposal to create a Twenty’s Plenty zone in the streets around Staniforth Road. Darnall has historically been a neighbourhood where there was a higher than average number of road accidents involving children. Twenty’s Plenty is an initiative which is designed to make local streets a safer place for children to play, run errands and visit their friends and family.
 

There will also be a chance to raise any other issues which you are concerned about.

Clover Group Patient Group

The Clover Group of GPs is setting up a Patient Group. They say: 

We want our patients to be consulted on the way we run our services. This will enable us to look at how we can play a bigger role in creating a healthier community.

 If you're a patient, it’s up to you how involved you want to be. You can become:
• A full member. This will involve attending occasional meetings and providing feedback.
• A virtual member. The Clover Group will email or post you information for you to give them your opinions.
 

The Clover Group says: 

We value your input
We’re proud of our practice but know it can be even better with your help.

 For more information please contact Anna on
0845 121 4313 or at anna.majchrzak@nhs.net

Meeting about fire station closure, Thursday 12 January at 7pm

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR), Darnall Forum and the East Community Assembly have work together to arrange a public meeting for residents in the Darnall area about the proposals to cut management and administration costs for the Fire Service by a quarter. The proposals include a new full-time fire station near to the Sheffield Parkway, to replace Darnall and Mansfield Road fire stations in Sheffield, and the meeting will give local residents a chance to comment and ask questions.

The meeting will be held at The Church of Christ, Station Road,  Darnall, Sheffield S9 4JT, on Thursday 12th January 2012, at 7.00pm.

The proposals currently out to consultation, together with other internal staffing changes, will save around £4million per year following a one-off investment of £3.65million, including two new fire stations.

The public consultation document, and related business cases, can be viewed on the Service’s website, www.syfire.gov.uk.

To make their views known, residents can either attend the meeting or
• Write to: Public consultation, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, 197
Eyre Street, Sheffield, S1 3FG
• E-mail: serviceplan@syfire.gov.uk
• Twitter: @syfr
• Facebook: South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue