Anticipation is building and the final preparations are being made for Crosspool’s second festival, which starts on Saturday.
The week is packed with events for all the family. It includes a street market, art show
talent show, comedy night, craft, dancing, a fun run, a picnic, gardening events and of course the big Summer Fayre on Saturday 9 July.
Browse our Crosspool Festival 2011 page to read details of the events and download a copy of the programme so you can plan your week in full.
Craft Angels on Sandygate Road (0114 266 7339) is handling all ticket sales for this year’s festival.
In the latest in this series of occasional interviews with local residents, we meet local magician Dan Ellis.
How long have you lived in Crosspool and what do you like about it?
I’ve lived in Crosspool for my whole life which is 18 years. It close to everything that I need. School was only a five minute walk, grab a bit of lunch from the shops and its only 15 minutes on the bus away from the city centre.
How did you get into being a magician? Are you in the Magic Circle?
I get asked this a lot and my honest answer is I have no idea how I got into it. My granddad was a magician but he died when I was young and I don’t really remember him. I think most boys get a magic set for Christmas when their little and most of them grow out of it. I guess I didn’t! I am a member of the Sheffield Magic Circle.
What does this involve doing day to day?
Being a magician isn’t as glamorous as it might sound. Day to day I just meet people, make phone calls, send emails and letters to get myself more gigs. When I do perform I do mainly close-up magic which is the sort of stuff you might see the likes of David Blaine doing on TV. I do magic right under people’s noses so there are no boxes or glamorous assistants to hide behind; it’s just me having fun with my audience.
Has being an magician given you the opportunity to tour and travel?
I’ve done shows up and down the country but a majority of my work is local. It is yet to take me abroad but hopefully it won’t be too long. Magic is the sort that thing that come across well in any language so I hope it can take me all over the world in the future.
Crosspool magician Dan Ellis
What sort of performances to do do for events, parties or corporate dos? If people are interested in booking you, how can they get in touch?
Like I said I’m mainly a close-up magician meaning I do magic for small groups of people at parties, weddings and corporate events. I mix and mingle with guests and perform magic right under their noses.
Magic is a great ice breaker which is why I think corporate events and weddings are very good venues for it. Often there are groups of people who have never met before and my magic creates a talking point for people. It also helps create a great atmosphere which fits in with parties and weddings really well.
If people are interested in booking me they can check out my website which is www.citymagicians.com or give me a call on 07976 300898 and I’d be happy to chat even its just about what its like to be a magician.
If you could do one thing to make Crosspool better, what would it be?
I can’t really think if anything I would change in Crosspool apart from maybe having a magic shop here but that would probably put me out of a job if everyone could do it! I think that things like the Crosspool Festival and the summer fare are really great things for the community and I think that Crosspool should have more of these things.
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Two local residents, both producers and directors of the Crosspool Theatre Group, have formed an experimental, weekly Glee Club event to offer youngsters the opportunity to act, sing and dance to their favourite music with professional tuition and supervision.
Helen Marshall-Serrano, now a drama teacher at Firth Park school, is an experienced actress and dancer. Helen has appeared in the past, on numerous off-Broadway musicals in the United States. Paul Heatley, her partner is a professional singer and also a supply teacher at the same school.
The objective of the Glee Club, the format of which is loosely based on the popular TV show, is to provide the perfect opportunity for 7-13 year olds to make new, like minded friends and have fun , whilst improving potential performance skills and self-esteem. Helen comments: “Developing these skills will help the young people in later life, whichever occupational path they eventually choose to take.”
Glee Club workshops are held weekly at King Edwards’s lower school every Saturday between 11am and 12.30pm. A fee of £5 per session is charged.
Helen and Paul are both experienced professionals and are both fully CRB checked and accredited.
For further information email hms65@live.co.uk or call Paul on 07786 026721.
Crosspool mobile library: the service is to be cut
In a bid to save £1.4 million from the budget, Sheffield City Council is to drastically cut back its mobile library service.
Currently the mobile library makes weekly visits in Crosspool to Benty Lane and Watt Lane (twice), plus monthly visits to Moorbank Road Flats and Tapton Hill Road.
Under the new proposals, the Crosspool service will be reduced to a single weekly visit to Watt Lane and a monthly visit to Moorbank Road Flats.
Do you want to be part of the Crosspool Festival art show and have your work on display at St Columba’s church in July?
The organisers are appealing for artists who live in the Crosspool area or are involved in the Crosspool community to submit work for the show.
If you are interested in taking part, please contact Margaret Townrow on 0114 230 1098 or towniesrm@talktalk.net, or Judith Hanson on 0114 268 1505 or hasseandjudith@btinternet.com with your name and telephone number.
They will need details of your paintings by 11 June.
Tapton Hill Church is hosting a Spring Fayre on Saturday 9 April. It starts at 2pm and there are stalls and refreshments. Everyone is welcome.
Running both Saturday and Sunday is a Hallam Art Group exhibition. It takes place in Hallam Community Hall on Hallam Grange Crescent and is open 10am-5pm.
This year’s Stephen Hill Youth pantomime is Sleeping Beauty. It runs from Wednesday 23 February to Saturday 26 February. Tickets, at £4 or £3 for under-12s are available from Bob Hodges on 0114 230 3207.
We meet Judith Hanson, author of two local history books about Crosspool and secretary of Hallam Art Group.
Her first book, Images of England: Crosspool, contains photos and text exploring the suburb’s development over time.
Follow-up title Crosspool Through Time features many more contrasting images of Crosspool.
How long have you lived in Crosspool and what do you like about the suburb?
I have lived in Crosspool since 1979. I am originally from Hunters Bar but have also lived in Bingley, London, Cyprus and Sweden. I like Crosspool as it is so close to open countryside, it is a very friendly community and a very pleasant place to live.
Tell us about your 2003 book on Crosspool. What made you decide to write it?
My first book came about through my being a bit of an amateur artist; I am secretary of Hallam Art Group. I wanted to paint pictures of the pubs in Crosspool and it was about the time that the King’s Head was to be demolished.
I worked in the post office and asked several people if they had photos of the King’s Head in its prime – to paint from. I realised that we were losing our local History and it needed to be recorded.
I had bought the Tempus Publishing book on Ecclesall so I wrote to them and asked if a book on Crosspool was in the pipeline. They said “No, how about doing one”. So I did.
How did you go about researching the content for your books? Was it hard work?
Because I worked in the post office and knew so many people I managed to acquire a lot of info and photos. Sadly some of these original photos have already been lost on the deaths of their owners.
My first book took over my life for several months and apart from talking to people, visiting them and listening to their stories I did a lot of research in the Local Studies Library.
The first book must have sold quite well, as you produced a follow-up book in 2010. How is the second book different?
For my second book, which I said I would never do, I also took a lot of photographs. The second book shows contrasting views of now and then.
A lot of my original contributors were no longer around so I had quite a difficult job finding new photos and of course I no longer had my contacts through the post office.
Do you have plans or material for any further books about Crosspool?
I have no plans for a future book but I am sure there is scope for someone else to take up the mantle. I wish there were some books on Fulwood and Broomhill too! 
I did do one more project. I was asked after my first book if I would do some guided walks which I declined.
However, I did do a guided walk booklet which was sold at GT News. The proceeds went towards a new bench in Lydgate Green at the bottom of Lydgate Hall Crescent.
If you’re struggling for a Christmas gift idea, then have you considered Judith’s books? They are available to buy from local shops, direct from the author or online:
1. From local shops: both books are available at GT News and Crosspool Through Time is also available at Craft Angels.
2. Direct from the author: signed copies can be purchased from Judith at 25 Lydgate Hall Crescent, Sheffield S10 5NE.
Crosspool News - crosspool.info 