Race Night at Sandygate on Saturday 24 August

Sandygate polling station
Sandygate will host a race night on Saturday 24 August 2013

Hallam FC are hosting a race night at Sandygate on Saturday 24 August to raise funds for the club.

Admission is £2 and includes a race card and entry to the raffle. Horses will be on sale for £2 and winner gets £10 plus the normal betting on each race.

Doors are 7.30pm with the first race around 8.15pm. Nibbles will be provided and there’ll be music between races and at the interval.

Co-op Travel to close after 12 years in Crosspool

The Co-operative Travel, Crosspool
The Co-operative Travel, CrosspoolCo

The Co-operative Travel in Crosspool is to close its doors for the final time on Thursday 15 August.

The closure is a consequence of the Co-operative Travel Thomas Cook partnership reorganisation.

Sadly, all staff at the Crosspool branch will be made redundant. Customer files will be transferred to the Hillsborough branch.

Broken down precinct bus requires police assistance

A broken down 51 bus blocked Sandygate Road this morning (photo: @Bamforths_xpool)
A broken down 51 bus blocked Sandygate Road this morning (photo: @Bamforths_xpool)

A broken down 51 bus caused minor delays to traffic in Crosspool shopping precinct this morning at around 11am.

The stationary 51 bus blocked Sandygate Road over the zebra crossing near Artisan restaurant, meaning there was only room for vehicles to pass in a single direction at any one time.

Police were on hand around to direct traffic around the bus until it was repaired later in the morning.

Tapton Hill Streets Ahead work hit by delays

Streets Ahead improvements have been delayed in Tapton Hill
Streets Ahead improvements have been delayed in Tapton Hill

Crosspool residents living on Tapton Hill  are receiving notifications from Streets Ahead notifying them of delays to the improvements and new dates for when work will take place.

On Monday 5 August, work commenced a month later than planned on Vernon Terrace, Ryegate Road, Ryegate Crescent and Bosville Road. People living on these streets should have received a letter about this.

Lydgate Lane residents were expecting work to begin at night on 12 and 15 August, but this has been delayed and will instead take place Monday 19 to Friday 23 August 2013 between 7am and 7pm. Cars will be diverted, although access for pedestrians and emergency vehicles will be available at all times.

After a review of road conditions in the area, Cross Lane will now also be resurfaced. Residents will be informed by letter once a date is confirmed.

Underground cabling issues have meant that installation of new street lighting in Tapton Hill will start in November with a projected completion date of January. The heritage lights which are due to be installed in the Broomhill conservation area are on order. Pavements will be resurfaced as street lights are replaced.

Tapton Hill Streets Ahead schedule

Police increasingly concerned for missing Crosspool woman

20130801-215449.jpg

Update 2 August 2013, 1am: Missing 54 year old woman Lilian Rowden has been found safe in Rivelin after an extensive search.

——————————–

Police are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a missing 54-year-old woman from the Crosspool area of Sheffield.

Lilian Margarete Rowden was last seen at 7.30am yesterday morning, Wednesday 31 July, at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital where she works.

Lilian’s vehicle was found around 8.30am this morning at Rivelin Dam and an extensive police search is taking place in the local area.

Lilian is described as white, 5’4” to 5’6” tall, slim build, with brown shoulder-length hair and she speaks with a German accent. She was last seen wearing a black cardigan, white blouse and black trousers.

Anyone with information about Lilian’s whereabouts is urged to call South Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number KX/2269/2013.

Councillor raises concerns over local policing provision with commissioner

One of our councillors, Geoff Smith, has written to Shaun Wright, South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner after concerns over the future of policing in Crosspool were raised at last week’s Crosspool Open Meeting.

Residents voiced concern following the news that our nearest police station on Clarkehouse Road is set to close due to funding cuts, and some well-known local officers could be deployed elsewhere.

The letter is published below. Geoff has promised to share any response he receives.

Date: Friday, 26 July 2013
To: Shaun Wright, Police and Crime Commissioner, South Yorkshire
CC: Chief Constable, David Crompton, Sheffield District Commander, Chief Superintendent David Hartley and South West Inspector Deborah Pickering

Dear Mr Wright

I am one of the councillors for Crookes Ward in Sheffield. I am writing to you to raise concerns which have been expressed by local people and groups about the future of neighbourhood policing in Crookes, Crosspool and Sandygate.

I am writing to you as Police and Crime Commissioner but also copying it to the Chief Constable, David Crompton, Sheffield District Commander, Chief Superintendent David Hartley and the local inspector, Deborah Pickering.

We value our neighbourhood policing. We know who our local PC is and who our local PCSOs are. They attend local meetings regularly, make themselves available on our high streets to listen to local concerns, are known to local traders and community leaders, know the local area well and move quickly to deal with any particular crimes or patterns of anti-social behaviour.

We are not of course one of the higher crime areas in Sheffield but we have problems with burglary from houses, gardens and allotments, car crime, traffic congestion, noise and graffiti. Local people support the police and are reassured by knowing that familiar faces are near at hand and will deal appropriately with problems and keep local people informed.

We are worried that this is going to change for the worse.
The key elements of neighbourhood policing are police officers and PCSOs who have responsibility for a particular neighbourhood, know it well, and are known locally; and that they are based sufficiently near the neighbourhood that they can get to it easily and quickly by various means of transport.

The future of these key elements seems to be in doubt. It appears that a number of PCs and PCSOs might have a responsibility for a much wider area with a dilution of local knowledge and responsibility. Regarding location we are concerned by the proposed closure of the base at Crewe Flats and the possible relocation to Hammerton Road, or even further away at Woodseats.

The local Neighbourhood Watch has organised a petition on the location issue which you should be receiving soon.

I would appreciate it if you would look into these matters and respond. I will be making this letter public and will be making your response public.

Yours sincerely
Councillor Geoff Smith
Councillor for Crookes, Labour Group, Sheffield City Council, Town Hall, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH.
Email: geoff.smith2@sheffield.gov.uk

Cars in Crosspool vandalised

Cars in Crosspool have been vandalised
Cars in Crosspool have been vandalised

Over the last seven days there have been at least three reports of cars being vandalised overnight in the Crosspool area.

Owners of vehicles parked on Cairns Road, Manchester Road and Watt Lane have found their cars with smashed rear/passenger windows and broken wing mirrors.

The police have been informed but do be vigilant and report anything suspicious by calling 101.

Has your car also been vandalised? If so, please comment below.

Dransfield Road children enjoy playing out

Playing out on Dransfield Road
Playing out on Dransfield Road

The top half of Dransfield Road was closed on Friday afternoon to allow children to play out in safety on the street.

Four local mums were successful in their application for Sheffield’s first-ever ‘playing out’ session, which saw the road closed to traffic from the Barholm Road junction upwards, with stewarded access for residents.

Householders on the road were invited to come out to play or pop out just for a chat after school between 4pm and 5.30pm.

Over 30 children from Dransfield Road and neighbouring Barholm Road and Cardoness Drive enjoyed a fantastic afternoon.

One of the mums, Bron Ray, initiated the event after reading about a similar scheme in Bristol which encourages residents to close their roads for an hour or two. The scheme aims to provide local children with a rare opportunity to ride their bikes, kick a football and play chalk games in the street.

The event on Dransfield Road was a huge success and the residents are planning to reapply to the council to secure future Playing Out events for their children.

As one five-year-old said on the day, being allowed to play out on the road was ‘absolutely awesome!’

Video on The Star website: playing out on Dransfield Road

The Playing Out project