Welcome to Darnall Forum's Community Website

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

NEW OPENING TIMES

Please note that, until further notice, our opening times will now be
10 - 4 Monday to Thursday
This change is because of a reduction in our Council funding

Potty in the Park

1 -3 pm Thursday 28 May
in High Hazels Park
Come and plant up hanging baskets to take home for
DARNALL in BLOOM

Do you think it’s time you learned how to use a computer?

Don’t put it off!
Computer Courses start here at Darnall Forum in April 2009.
If you are interested please see the staff and give them your details
or attend the enrolment session 1.00 - 2.30pm on 21 April
These will be 10 week IT courses that will lead to a qualification.
This learning opportunity is provided by Sheffield City Council's Lifelong Learning and Skills' Service

Sunday, 29 March 2009

From 1 April, the Council won't be funding our "community engagement" work

What this means for Darnall:

Darnall Forum staff will be working on short-time until we get more funding and could lose their jobs in November
The Forum offices will be closed on Fridays from April and will only open 10 till 4 Monday to Thursday
The Darnall Carnival will be greatly scaled down compared to last year's event
We will have to spend less time helping people who drop-in for advice in order to meet our other commitments, such as getting people into jobs and training
We may have to leave our current offices at 245 Main Road and find somewhere smaller
This may affect the number of lifelong learning classes we can run
This month's edition will be the last Darnall Herald delivered to your door for the foreseeable future

If you're not happy, send an email or letter to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Paul Scriven (paul.scriven@sheffield.gov.uk) or the Deputy leader, Cllr David Baker (david.baker@sheffield.gov.uk).

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

A Sense of Belonging

Lifelong Learning and Skills and Darnall Forum
present a short course on
A Sense of Belonging
This programme of discussions explores the subject of individual identity in a troubled world
Who are we?
What is a Sheffielder?
How do we get to know each other?
Course details
Starts 18th March for 6 weeks – childcare available
To book a place please contact Darnall Forum
Venue: Darnall Forum
Darnall Learning Centre
245 Main road, Darnall, S9 4QD
Time Wed. 5.00pm-7.00pm
Contacts
Graham Burkin – Tel: 0114 258 6326

Nazia Fazil – Tel: 0114 249 0099

Shabaz Abbas – Tel: 0114 229 6158

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

An Open Letter from Darnall Health Centre

This is an open letter to the people of Darnall and surrounding areas.

The issue of the redevelopment of the Centre of Darnall is currently in the spotlight and as a result of interest from the Ward Brothers / Sheffield City Council, working in tandem, plans have been drawn up to essentially re-establish the Centre as a modern easily accessible environment. (See the plans available on the Sheffield City Council website).

Along with the new Centre for Darnall the Primary Care Trust has proposed to build a new Health Centre for the GPs of the area—this plan was first put forward in 2001 and the PCT have told us throughout that the build would start ‘soon’.The proposed build would be funded via the LIFT Scheme. Since this has the backing of Central Government, all could have gone as planned. However, the administration of the scheme has not gone forward and as a result the news from the organisations involved – that they are now ready, once more, to proceed – is difficult to accept, as its credibility is tainted by the history of this affair.

Set against this background is the fact that the current Health Centre on York Road has been targeted by repeated acts of vandalism and thefts, which have caused thousands of pounds of damage. As a result the police have given a special dispensation to have razor wire fitted around the roof and, with the fence which completes the scene, the Centre is now reminiscent of a prison area.

Plans for a 100 hour pharmacy were put forward to Sheffield City Council for the York Road site and these plans were rejected, due to the fact that the site was deemed ‘unsuitable’.

The case is therefore being made for a move from these unsuitable / unacceptable premises to a more central location in Darnall and to this end the former Wellington site has been retained with a view to a move, (pending suitable planning permission), in the latter part of the year (Plans are available on the Sheffield City Council website.)

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Disasters Emergency Committtee Gaza Appeal

Will you help us to repair shattered lives?

Darnall Forum & Estikutum
ivite you to a FUNDRAISING DINNER
on Tuesday 24 March at 6.30pm
£15 per head (£8.50 goes to DEC for work in Gaza)
3 course halal set menu including soft drinks
vegetrian / special diets available on request
Tickets available from
Darnall Forum on 249 0099
or Estikutum on 244 9199

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How to join in

1) Follow us on Twitter @darnallforum
2) To post a comment, click on the link beneath the post or previous comment to which you want to respond and write your message in the box.
3) Complete the word recognition box, which is designed to stop spam.
4) Then, if you have one, you can enter your Google username and password.
5) Alternatively, you can click 'other' and enter your real name, or a nickname which you would like us to display, or you can click 'anonymous'.
6) Then click 'Publish'. Your message will be sent to us for checking.
7) We will know who you are but, if you have used a nickname or chosen to be anonymous, no one else will know.

How our community team can help

Chris, Nazia and Zahira are the friendly voices on the end of the phone line when you call us and the people who deal with your visits, letters and emails.

They work closely with community groups and individuals who want to make a difference to Darnall. Chris is our Lead Key Support Worker, helping people who are over 18 and currently out of work, to find jobs, education or training through Sheffield CIty Council's Pathway to Success programme.

Zahira is currently covering Nazia's learning Champion role and is the person to contact regarding our education programme.

We also have a team of adult community learning tutors who work closely with us. They help us run courses in IT, ESOL, employment skills, driving theory and other subjects.

If you want help with something which isn't listed here, and you live in Attercliffe, Darnall or Acres Hill, why not give us a ring anyway and we'll try to signpost you to the right place.

More about us

Darnall Forum’s day to day business is managed by a Board of local volunteers. Its vision statement is:

To create a listening space for the community, and
To work in partnership with other agencies and organisations to improve local services and help regenerate Darnall.

The Forum has four part-time staff who with local people to implement a Community Action Plan that was drawn-up after extensive consultation with all sections of the local community. The members of the Forum Board are drawn from the different faith and ethnic groups represented in the area and are elected by the members of the Forum at its AGM.

Darnall Forum is currently funded by Sheffield City Council, the European Social Fund and a small number of charitable trusts.

Darnall Forum also trades under the names D F Enterprise and Darnall Forum Trading, which reopened the community post office in 2010 and ran it for nearly eight years.

The Main Aims of Darnall Forum are:

To create a forum where people can meet to raise issues of local concern, where the agenda is set by local people and where leadership and direction remain with local people.

To work together as women, men, young people, elders, black, white, disabled or able-bodies, of different faiths or none, recognising, respecting and valuing our differences.

To form links with key agencies and local enterprises in order to work in partnership with them, discuss their role in the area and – where necessary – challenge them.

To gather resources to support and deliver initiatives begun and supported by local people.

To ensure that there is a clear and agreed process by which the Forum makes and acts upon its decisions, and to ensure that the Forum Board is accountable to the membership.

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