Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and (hopefully) a fantastic 2021

 Hello everyone

This year has been a very difficult year for us all.  We have all had to deal with Covid-19 and the restrictions and issues that this terrible virus has brought.  The Forum has had a change in staff, with Neil Bishop moving onto pastures and myself joining the Forum in late July as the new manager but also as the Lead Key Support Worker on our employability support programme,

We continue to wish Nazia a full recovery from her illness our thanks to Zahira for stepping into the role as Learning Champion.  My thanks also to all of the tutors that are providing our educational classes, and even though this year has seen some massive changes to the way we deliver our courses, we are still running them.

My special thanks go to Zahira, for all her hard work, dedication and passion that she has for the community of Darnall in organising all the physical aspects of our Covid Response work.  Everything from the food, health and well-being and children's activity packs, of which well over a thousand have been distributed, to the organisation of the Santa's Grotto and the Community Hero's hampers.

I must also mention and give thanks to all of the volunteers who have supported her in completing this work as she would not have been able to it without their generosity and of course we cannot forget the generous donations of items for the packs we have given out, donated local community members, South Yorkshire Police, Caroline- the Community Champion at Catcliffe Morrison's, Radio Hallam South Yorkshire Community Foundation and Sheffield City Council and the Local Councillor's Ward Pot.

My thanks also go to the many organisations within Darnall that I have had the pleasure of working with over the past few months.  If the Covid situation has taught us anything, it is that communities can work together.  Hopefully, you will have received your copy of The Community Connector newsletter that many organisations in Darnall have worked together on.  We need to ensure that as much as we can, we take this community spirit forward into the next year.  Covid is still going to have a massive impact on us for months to come, but it has not and should not stop us from working together more to make our community a brighter place to live, learn, work and play.

I would like to thank our Trustee's who play a vital role in the ongoing life of the forum and offer this invitation to people within our community who would like to become a trustee to get in touch with me in the new year.

But for now, from the Trustee's, Zahira and myself, may you all have a wonderful Christmas time and a fantastic 2021.

Who has been your 2020 hero

 A couple of weeks ago we announced that we had 100 hampers to give away to people within the community who had made a difference in other people's lives or in the life of our community.  We received many more nominations than we had hampers, which shows how much of a well loved community we do live and work in.  Here are some of the recipients and some of the hard work completed by our volunteers sand Zahira

Santa's Grotto

 Much fun was had by all when Santa popped into his local Grotto.  Lots of presents handed out to Children and Adults alike.

Christmas Carols

 Our good friends at St Albans Church have sent the following invitation to you all

Community Connector

 

Hi all

You should have or will be receiving a copy of the new Community Connector newsletter which has been been written and produced by a combination of local organisations specifically for the Darnall Ward.  There is lots of information, things to do, good news stories and lots more within these exciting pages.  If you wish to contribute to further newsletters then use the contact details within the newsletter. 

If you wish to access a copy of the newsletter electronically, you can use the link below:

Newsletter

 

Community Connector

 

A group of local organisations in the Darnall ward have been working in partnership on a newsletter for the benefit of the whole community. If you live in Attercliffe, Darnall, Tinsley and Handsworth, watch out for the first edition of The Community Connector arriving soon! We have come together on planning, writing and editing this newsletter so that we can share useful information and good new stories, and help people connect to what is happening in their local area. #CommunityConnector

 

The Big Bike Revival

Our good friend, Claire Fretwell from Olympic Legacy Park has informed us of a fantastic opportunity for you to get your bicycles checked out with a free maintenance check.  This is happening on the 18th and 19th December at the Yorkshire Electric Scooter Company, next to the Old Library on Leeds Road, Sheffield, S9 3TY.

Covid-19 restrictions are in place and drop off times are 08.30am, 10.00am, 12.00pm and 02.00pm each day, with bikes that require maintenance being picked up later in the day.

You must book a time slot prior to the event by contacting Claire

claire.fretwell@olympiclegacypark.co.uk or 01142619604 

Christmas Hampers

 There is still time to nominate someone special to receive one of our 100 Christmas Hampers in time for Christmas.

SANTA IS COMING TO DARNALL

Santa is coming to Darnall on the 21st December.  Free Admission and every child receives a present.

Strict Covid-19 measures are in place and will be followed on arrival and pre-booking is required.

 

'Food bank'

 As manager of the Darnall Forum, I would like to say a massive thank you to all who have helped, over the past few months and especially last week, with the donations and distribution of the food, health and well-being and children's activity packs.

My thanks also go to Zahira, who has worked tirelessly in the organising of this project.  What this has shown is that as a community we can work together.  There have been volunteers from over 18 different organisations involved in the packing and distribution of these much needed packs, which is absolutely fantastic.

Once again a massive well done to all involved and we hope that we can continue to provide support to our everyone who is in need during this time.

Thanks

Chris

Day 3

 

Day 3 - Over 60 food packs distributed. A massive thank you to Gillian and the residents of Carlton Road, Hillsborough for organising the street collection and donating tonnes of food items. Also we would like to praise Diane Latifa Haimeed and Fir Vale CC  for their kind gestures at the outset of our project. We appreciate each and everyone of you. 

 Thank you to Syd’s Fitness Centre, for collecting donations and delivering food parcels. We would like to share our gratitude to all businesses The Rhubarb Shed Cafe, The Handsworth Inn residents and charities that have worked collaboratively with us in Sheffield this week to make sure no child went hungry. Sharing is caring ❤️ Darnall Forum

Christmas Shopping online - help us raise funds

 Hiya

Don't forget that Darnall Forum is working in Partnership with Give as You Live to raise funds for the work that the Forum does.  

If you are thinking of shopping online, then go to the 'Give as you Live' and register for your free account.  You will be asked what charity you want to support and we would appreciate you selecting Darnall Forum (other charities are available to support through 'Give as You Live').

Select from the numerous stores that are available and shop as you normally would.  'Give as You Live' then gives us a percentage of your shop total, without it costing you anything!

Thanks

Chris

DAY 2

Day 2 - A further 75 food and activity packs delivered. Successful trips to The Handsworth Inn  and The Rhubarb Shed Cafe.  Thank you for for your hospitality and the cupcakes. They tasted amazing. We appreciate you joining forces ❤️. 

 

A massive thank you to Fiona Spotswood and her team who have been giving out fresh fruit and vegetables to local families since July.  They have been running Best Start Communities Count Project in Sheffield. This is a city-wide programme aimed at giving young families from areas with greatest need a better start in life.

Message from Zahira, who is co-ordinating our food bank

 

As winter approaches, the effects of Coronavirus continue to trap people in poverty. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network are forecast to provide a  staggering six emergency food parcels every minute. This cannot be right.

 In my interview this morning on the Toby Foster show I highlighted the importance of providing food packs to struggling families and how it’s never the child’s fault. I shared that Darnall Forum will strive to ensure no family goes to sleep on a empty stomach.

A massive thank you to Community champion Morrisons Meadowhead, Lucy Gibson and the staff at Morrisons for their extremely generous donation. We could not do this without your amazing support. 

Thank you to Sheffield Libraries, Archives & Information for donating children books. The smiles on the young people’s face shows the difference we are collectively making to their lives.

Thank you to our local MP Clive Betts for the food donations and attending to support our initiatives.

Thank you to Natasha Iqbal for baking chocolate brownies and providing desserts for our volunteers.

 A big Thank You to Kinder Kalsi  Gina Kalsi, Adeel Kahn Yasmeen Ali Ana Yousaf Farha Iqbal Sohail Mumtaz Zee Zaman Syd Khaan Manuch Manuch Hadis Lk for helping with packing and delivering food parcels and children’s activity packs. Over 150 packs were made today. We have a great team and will continue to support the most vulnerable in our communities. We are always here to help ❤️

Pathway 2 Success - Employment support programme

 Hi

If you are currently out of work and need one-to-one support then  the Pathway 2 Success programme is for you.  This is a totally free service for people living in S9.  If you are interested, click on the link below and complete the form and I will get back to you. (Copy and paste the link into your browser)

https://forms.gle/SdrWAGyGUTHV6jtg9

Thanks

Chris

End Child Poverty

 

Are you currently unemployed/economically inactive and looking for work?

Don't forget that Darnall Forum are part of Sheffield City Council's 'Opportunity Sheffield's' Pathway2Success programme.

Our Lead Key Support Worker, Chris, is on hand to help guide you into finding education, training and employment opportunities, so why not contact him on 07888135429/chris@darnall.org.uk 

You must be over the age of 18 and either be claiming unemployment benefit or be economically inactive.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions some of the support Chris provides will be completed by telephone or online. 

Annual General Meeting 2020

 The Trustee's at Darnall Forum invite you to the Annual General Meeting, which this year will be held via Zoom.

It will take place on Tuesday 27th October 2020 at 1.00pm and is a ticketed event.  Tickets are free and can be obtained by using the following link.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/darnall-forum-agm-2020-tickets-124677139681

If anyone is interested in becoming a trustee of the Forum, please email chris@darnall.org.uk who will send you an information pack.  

Thank you

Help us raise funds for Free

 Want to help us raise even more for FREE? Well, now you can just by shopping via Give as you Live Online!

When you shop at over 4,000 top stores including John Lewis & Partners, Expedia and Marks & Spencer via Give as you Live Online, they'll turn a percentage of your spend into free funds for us! 

Simply sign up, search for the retailer and start shopping. It's that simple!

Get started today! https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/darnall-forum/1121396/0?utm_source=charitytoolkit&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=CTJoinLink

Community Education

 We are looking forward to welcoming learners back into the Forums classes soon.  As you can imagine, our first priority is keeping our staff and learners safe during the pandemic.

We have introduced social distancing measures and other Covid-19 prevention methods in order to keep everyone safe.  This means that there are some changes in timetabling our classes including staggard start times and reduced learner numbers in each session.  We will also be making use of technology and offering some of our sessions online where appropriate.

Please bear with us as we make these changes following both national and local guidelines.  We are working closely with Sheffield City Council and our staff to ensure lessons can take place.

When our timetable is finalised we will publicise it on the bog and through social media.

Pathway To Success

Our new lead Key Support Worker has a new mobile phone number.  Call him on  07888135429 to discuss how the Pathway to Success programme could help you into work, education or training.  You can also email him: chris@darnall.org.uk

Pathway to Success with Opportunity Sheffield & Darnall Forum

More donations for Covid-19

Our community development worker, Zahira Naz, and our trustees, want to say a big thank you to the Chair of Firvale Childrens Centre, Diane Latifa Haimeed,a team for their very generous donation of food, hygiene products and children's resources for families across the Darnall Ward. We are so grateful for all your support  Our chair, Mothiur Rahman, is pictured helping to get the donations ready for distribution. We are also being funded by our local councillors, by the Noel Buxton Trust and the Human Relief Foundation. #COVID19

Covid-19 Support

On-going support as we come out of lockdown

During the Covid-19 Pandemic we know it’s been really tough for local people so Darnall Forum are pleased to be able to offer a home support service for essential needs, which include food or well-being packs, Foodbank vouchers, children's activity packs, well-being calls by phone or social media; medication collections. 

We are able to do this thanks to the generous support of the local ward councillors and the Noel Buxton Trust.

For more information please contact

Zahira Naz on 07983702870

A big thankyou to Cafe Nero & Iceland

A big thankyou to Cafe Nero and Iceland for their recent food donations to help vulnerable and isolated residents of Darnall who are struggling to get the food they need during the current Coronavirus lockdown!

Announcement from Sheffield City Council

Adult learning provision suspended In light of the government announcement yesterday, 18 March 2020, and with further guidance from the Secretary of State for Education, all adult learning provision will close temporarily from close of play Friday 20 March 2020.  We are monitoring the situation daily and cannot give any definitive timeline for when normal services will resume. I realise that this will be concerning for those that have examinations coming up over the next two weeks, and these will have to be postponed at this time.  The government has indicated they will make further announcements regarding this in the coming days, and we will await this guidance to make any further decisions concerning examinations and achievement of qualifications. We understand how disappointing this will be for all our learners, and we are busy working to look for ways of keeping in touch with them, so their progress is disrupted as little as possible.  Please encourage all learners to check our social media pages, and the Council website for any further updates and information. As our partners, I also realise that this will be a concerning time for you and your staff, and I can assure you that we are working to try and resolve any immediate issues or concerns you may have.  We will stay in contact and update you as soon as we can, please continue to follow the guidance for COVID-19, and check our social media and the Council website for further updates and information.

A New Informal Group to Help Isolated People with Their Shopping

CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19 PANDEMIC-Related community message from "Darnall Forum" particularly for the residents of Darnall - Tinsley - Little Dale - and surrounding areas

During these  difficult times we need to protect, look after and look out for the most vulnerable members in our communities. 

If you or someone else might need help with shopping or support with daily chores outside the house whilst self-isolating, please don't hesitate to get a message across to us at the Darnall Forum. We will do all we can to assist and help. 

Please contact us by email at darnallforum @ gmail.com (no gaps). 

If no one gets back to you within 48 hours please send a text to 07816042234

Update from the Friends of High Hazels Park

In view of the Coronavirus situation,we are postponing our AGM until further notice.

Friends of High Hazels Park

International Women's Day, Tomorrow, 12-3pm at Starworks, Darnall Road

Creative call out to Darnall 💥

Who would like to attend a Free 2 hour art workshop at Church of Christ in Darnall? 

Ignite Imaginations are running a creative consultation research project in Darnall looking into what creative activities. people enjoy in the area and also what they would like to see more of.

Be part of this exciting opportunity, working with two professional artists offering a wide choice of art activities.

 

Church of Christ are hosting an adult workshop in March.

For further details contact Sue at Church of Christ : 07706466342

Public Meeting Called by Darnall Football Academy

Darnall Football Academy has asked us to advertise a public meeting with local Councillors and Clive Betts MP to ask for an increase in funding to restore youth facilities in Darnall. For anyone who would like to attend, it is taking place at Star Works on Friday 7th February at 7.00pm