Local dancers to perform at Sheffield City Hall

Playing Mary Poppins is Alicia Smith who was born and bred in Crosspool
Playing Mary Poppins is Alicia Smith who was born and bred in Crosspool

Dancers from the June D Gill School of Dance will be performing the Poppins at Sheffield City Hall in June.

Playing Mary Poppins is Alicia Smith was born and bred in Crosspool and attends Tapton school.

Tickets are on sale now for the shows on 25 and 26 June. There’s also a Supercalafragalistic Children’s Disco on Saturday 7 May.

The group meets locally and hosts events at Stephen Hill Church in Crosspool.

Poppins – Facebook event

Does your Crosspool group want to take part in this year’s scarecrow competition?

Wish you were here by the Thompson family of Coldwell Lane
Last year’s winner: Wish you were here by the Thompson family of Coldwell Lane

This year’s Crosspool Festival scarecrow competition has a new category which is open to all groups who work with children in Crosspool.

Do you run a scouting group, playgroup or sports club? Are you a pre-school worker, child minder or junior church leader?

Whatever the group we would love you to enter a scarecrow in our 2016 competition. This year the theme is Carnival and Olympics so there are lots of possibilities for crows.

The scarecrows need to be displayed in Crosspool throughout the festival week in a place visible from the roadside.

This is a great way for your group to be involved in the local community as well as being fantastic publicity for your group.

Entry is just £3 and there will be prizes! Please contact the competitionorganisers for more details on beckiegreenuk@yahoo.co.uk.

View last year’s scarescow competition winners

Next Open Meeting moved to Friday 6 May

Crosspool Forum Open MeetingCrosspool Forum Open Meeting
Crosspool Forum Open Meeting

The next Crosspool Forum Open Meeting will take place on Friday 6 May, starting 7pm at St Columba’s church.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday 5 May but has been moved due to the local election taking place that day.

Preview of 2016 Crosspool Festival: your garden wanted!

The confirmed dates for the 2016 festival are Friday 24 June-3 July, with the Summer Fayre scheduled for Saturday 2 July.

Here’s an update on this year’s festival from the organising committee:

This summer we have entitled the festival Carnival a summer party with great activities happening on the streets to coincide with this year’s Olympics in Brazil, the queen’s 90th celebrations and more besides.

We hope it will be a colourful and exciting week for the community to get out and about, meet the neighbours, make new friends and try new activities.

Open Gardens

Crosspool Open Gardens 2011
Crosspool Open Gardens

Some of the old favourites return such as Open Gardens. Why not share your garden this year? No one expects an immaculate garden, but we all enjoy looking at what each one of us has been doing on our patch.

It’s a great way to be motivated to tidy up your garden and a good time to invite the neighbours round to share a hobby or a fabulous view over a cuppa. And you can make a bob or two for your favourite charity as all proceeds will go to the charities of your choice.

So whatever the size and maturity of your garden, whether you are a beginner or have been opening your garden for many years, if you would like to join the gardeners open day, please get in touch. We will need your name and details by Friday 18 March 2016 in order to prepare the brochure for printing.

Gardeners’ community

Talking about all things in the garden, we would love to hear from you if you would enjoy some sort of gardeners’ community to be formed. We are thinking of gathering together like minded people to enjoy a natter, a helping hand or a word of advice a couple of times a year

If you would like to be involved in this in any way, or have thoughts about how such a group could be helpful within the community, please get in touch.

Scarecrow competition

Also coming again is the popular scarecrow competition. Entry forms will go out through the schools and will also be available from the shops at £3/entry. Scarecrows will be on show all week and will be judged by local sculptor, Noel Lockley. Prizes will be awarded to the best scarecrow makers in recognition of their ingenuity and creativity.

The competition theme is Carnival and Olympics to fit in with the festival theme, so bright and colourful like the amazing costumes some of the carnival goers wear, fantastical animals, sportsmen or something completely different – have fun with that! For further details please contact beckiegreenuk@yahoo.co.uk.

Well dressing

Another great activity that is now established is the well dressing. In case some of you don’t know what this is, a well dressing is the unique Derbyshire tradition of elaborate pictures made for the most part of individual flower petals pressed onto clay covered boards which seems to date from Victorian times to celebrate the blessing of water in any given village.

Why do it in Crosspool? It is a great opportunity to be creative with flowers and to celebrate life itself in our community. So if you are looking for a new venture, why not try your hand at this old craft? The team is looking for new helpers. Instructions given, so no need for previous experience. Just a few hours the week before the festival is needed to be involved in this. If you want further information, get in touch.

Other events and activities

We are also looking for a few more volunteers to help with a new history activity, a new photo competition and general helpful bits and pieces. No previous experience necessary. If you think you could spare a few hours to help or would like further information, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Contact Lindsey on lindseybeagles@gmail.com or phone 0114 230 1041.

Crosspool Writers Group starts in March

Nest, Crosspool
Nest, Crosspool is the venue for Crosspool Writers Group

A new monthly evening group for local writers starts next month.

Crosspool Writers Group will meet in Nest cafe, the newly re-opened coffee shop in the precinct. The idea is to share each other’s writing – all varieties, from autobiography to science fiction – and to give and receive feedback in a constructive and supportive environment.

The first meeting is on Wednesday 9 March, 6-8pm. It is free to attend – tea and coffee will be on sale.

For more information contact wendy.bradley.42@gmail.com or call in at Nest.

First aid training and singing sessions at Tapton Congregational Church

Tapton Congregational Church on Manchester Road is hosting two upcoming events.

First Aid Training Friday 26 February, 10.30am

A short course by St John’s Ambulance providing Basic First Aid advice. The cost is £30 to non-church members. Contact Darryl Lomas 0114 230 8191/ Mobile: 07971 408809 to reserve a place.

Just Come and Sing 10.30am-12.30pm, Saturday 30 April

Everyone welcome whatever your singing prowess or otherwise, just come along to the church.

Tapton Hill Congregational Church, Crosspool
Tapton Hill Congregational Church, Crosspool

Tickets available for Crosspool The Little Mermaid panto next week

You’re invited to come and support the young people of Crosspool as they perform the 48th annual youth pantomime at Stephen Hill Church next week, The Little Mermaid.

The show promises to be perfect half term holiday fun and includes lots of traditional pantomime laughs – custard pies, comedy sketches, singing, dancing and plenty of audience participation. This is your chance to support the fantastic effort put in by the young people living in and around Crosspool.

Tickets are still available for the Wednesday night show (10 Feb), Thursday night show (11 Feb) and Friday night show (12 Feb) – curtain up at 7.30pm!

Tickets are £5 (£4 for those aged 11 and below) and are available online or from or Bob Hodges on 0114 2303 207.

The Little Mermaid poster
The Little Mermaid poster

Items wanted for Crosspool Summer Fayre

Books wanted for Crosspool Summer Fayre
Donations wanted for Crosspool Summer Fair

Do you have any unwanted prizes, gifts or bric-a-brac that might be suitable for the Crosspool Forum Summer Fayre tombola or one of the stalls?

If so, please get in touch on g.m.drinkwater@btinternet.com. We can collect if necessary, or they can be dropped off locally.

The dates for the 2016 festival are Friday 24 June-3 July, with the Summer Fayre scheduled for Saturday 2 July.

National Libraries Day 2016 at Broomhill Community Library

Broomhill library
Broomhill library

Broomhill Community Library will be celebrating National Library Day on Saturday 6 February 2016 with a series of events.

Come along between 10.30am and 4pm to join in celebrations – admission is free:

  • all day: cake stall, refreshments, book stall, Friends of Botanical Gardens stall, Rhyme & Reason books, Children’s activities – face painting, crafts
  • at 11am and 2pm: Berlie Doherty (8-12 year olds); Alan Brown (4 – 7 year olds); Jill Sinclair – illustrated talk on ‘Rediscovering the library garden’.
  • 2.30pm: Ken Thompson – Gardening question time.

Broomhill Community Library