Darnall Carnival was Buzzing on Saturday

Darnall Carnival saw its biggest crowds for many years on Saturday afternoon. Pictured are (left to right) Sylvia Hamilton, Chair of Darnall Forum, Nazia Fazil from Darnall Forum who was funded by British Land to organise the event, and Paul Campbell Chair of the Friends of High Hazels Park who raised the money for the Carnival with support from Awards for All, Sheffield Town Trust, the J G Graves Charitable Trust and the Darnall Area Trust Fund.

Darnall Carnival Has Returned!

'Darnall Carnival has returned,' says Nazia Fazil, who works for Darnall Forum in Sheffield. She has been funded by British Land, the joint owners of Meadowhall and one of the main catalysts of the redevelopment of the Lower Don Valley, to help the Friends of High Hazels Park bring Darnall Carnival back to High Hazels Park, after an interval of 15 months. It will be happening on Saturday 21September from 12 till 5.

'We organised a similar event in 2012,' says Nazia, 'But it was more about information and advice, and showery weather put a damper on some of the more fun things that we tried to do.' This year the Friends of High Hazels Park have stepped in to ensure that a traditional carnival will be held once more, thanks to generous grants from Awards For All, Sheffield Town Trust, J G Graves Charitable Trust and the Darnall Area Trust Fund. 

'The Friends of High Hazels Park have done all the fundraising,' says Nazia, 'And we have provided administrative support to bring in all the entertainment and activities. It is taking place a bit later this year because both organisations were just too busy to do anything about it until the start of the summer.'

'There are going to be some information stalls, but the 2013 Carnival will really be a chance to have fun,' she says, 'Because The Friends of High Hazels Park are dedicated to getting local people to come and enjoy their local park. It's a wonderful place to go for fresh air and to do all the things that you can't do cooped up in a tiny house.'

Entertainment this year will include popular Bhangra acts Nafees, Sama Blake, Deen Janjua, AK 1 and Sajaad. There will also be a fairground, children's rides, circus workshops, food and craft stalls.

ENDS

Darnall Forum AGM & Darnall Herald

DARNALL FORUM ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND A CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER AT 6.30PM (Venue to be confirmed)

If you live or work in Darnall you are entitled to come to our annual general meeting where we elect the trustees of the charity. Darnall Forum owns Darnall Post Office and runs a number of projects to help regenerate Darnall and support local residents.

This is also a chance to ask any questions you might have about your neighbourhood or the services the Council and other agencies provide.

How do you feel about the proposal to close some of the City’s libraries or ask the community to run them?

ADULT COMMUNITY LEARNING AT DARNALL FORUM

Once again we are running adult community learning courses in Darnall.

Our entry level ESOL classes are now full but we hope to be able to offer ESOL Level 1 and 2. Let us know if you have passed Entry Level 3 or Level 1 and would like to study the next level with us in Darnall.

Our IT courses in a range of subjects at Levels 1 and 2, including wordprocessing, spreadsheets and desktop publishing are recruiting now. Hurry to get a place.

Basic Help for Jobseekers

Each Wednesday from 9.30 till 11.30 we run sessions for people who are looking for work. The programme we offer lasts for five weeks and during that time we will help you to:

1.   improve your CV

2.   open an email account, or use your existing email account, so that you can manage your CV and send it to employers

3.   register on the government’s Universal Jobmatch website

4.   search for jobs on the Internet

5.   improve your job applications and covering letters

6.   improve your interview skills

You can join the programme by coming along on a Wednesday at 9.30, but we only have space for eight learners at a time.

If you already have a CV please bring it with you. If you have a copy of your CV on-line please send it to yourself in an email before you come to your first session or you can bring it with you on a memory stick if you have no alternative.

Basic Help for Jobseekers in Slovakian

For the next few weeks we are still able to offer the same course to people in Slovak. Join the class NOW while this is still available. If you already have a CV – in English or Slovak – please bring it with you. If you have a copy of your CV on-line please send it to yourself in an email before you come to your first session or you can bring it with you on a memory stick if you have no alternative.

Please note that places on our employment course will go quickly. Please call at Darnall Forum to reserve your place.

This programme and some of our other sessions for jobseekers are funded by the European Social Fund as part of its mission to invest in jobs and skills for European citizens.

NEWS ABOUT DARNALL POST OFFICE

We are still waiting for planning permission to install our new ATM machine. Once we have that we will be expanding our other services to include car tax or vehicle licensing. The branch will close for a short period during the makeover. Staff will let you know, up to four weeks before, when these changes are going to happen.

All of our usual services will continue to be available alongside the new ones after the refit:

·     Saving and borrowing

·     Insurance

·     Banking and payments

·     Travel money

·     Letters and parcels

·     Phones and internet

·     Forms and documents

We will also be opening for longer on Saturdays.

Who to contact for more information

Please contact Nazia on 0114 249 0099 or email Nazia@darnall.org.uk for more details about the carnival or anything else in this newsletter. Or you can also follow us on Twitter at #darnallforum

If you have an idea, vision or concern, or just want someone to listen to what you have to say about your community, why not contact our community organisers:

·     Zahira Naz on 07860 526602

·     Nagina Hussain on 07860 526601

COMMUNITY FIRST

There is still some Community First funding available for this year. Applications must be submitted by Friday 11 October.

Community First is an £80 million Government Funded initiative managed by the Community Development Foundation to help local communities come together to identify their local priorities, plan for the future, and develop grassroots activity. The programme is being managed in Darnall by a community panel supported by Darnall Forum and Tinsley Forum.

PRAISE OR BLAME… Who would you like to thank for what’s happening in Darnall, or who would you like to blame? Post your response on our blog but please note that we cannot publish anonymous posts.

Darnall Carnival: The Lowdown

Darnall Carnival will now take place on Saturday 21 September

The date for Darnall Carnival has now been fixed. It is Saturday 21 September. Watch this space for further details. There will be live music, including leading Bhangra bands, market stalls, children's rides, fairground rides, performance artists, information stalls, hot food stalls, and much much more.

Our sponsors include Awards for All, British Land & Meadowhall, Darnall Area Trust Fund and the Sheffield Town Trust.