The Old Grindstone pub to reopen on 25 February

After years of uncertainty, including rumours of closure and demolition, the future of the Old Grindstone public house in Crookes seems safe, at least for the moment.

The owners, Greene King, are refitting the premises with a view to reopening on 25 February. With a banner on the pub promising ‘new food and drinks at great prices’, it seems that a more comprehensive food menu will be a feature of the relaunched pub.

Greene King has also applied for an extension in opening hours to provide alcohol and entertainment from 9am-12 midnight Sunday to Thursday and 9am-1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The application can viewed during office hours at the Licensing Department in the town hall.

The Old Grindstone
The Old Grindstone: due to reopen on 25 February

Missing cat Charlie returns home

We are pleased to report that Charlie, the Dransfield Road cat that went missing on 17 January returned home on Monday demanding food. She is a bit thin and unsettled, but otherwise fine.

Many thanks to all who took the time to look for her.

Charlie the cat
Charlie the cat has returned home

Crosspool crime map published on new police website

A new website has launched that allows people to view crimes reported in their neighbourhood on a online map.

As well as the crime maps, the www.police.uk website also lists the names of local police officers and offers feedback and advice for local residents.

A link to a map centered on Crosspool shops is below, but be warned, the site has been struggling with demand so may not work first time. You can also put in your own postcode for a personalised report.

To protect privacy, individual addresses are not pinpointed on the map. Crimes are mapped to an anonymous point on or near the road where they occurred.

police.uk map centered on Crosspool shops on Sandygate Road

Crosspool crime map
Crosspool crime map

Crosspool Festival 2011: your help wanted

Crosspool’s annual festival returns for a second year in July and the organisers are looking for volunteers to make it the biggest and most successful yet.

Examples of the kind of thing they are looking for are people to get involved with include:

  • offering refreshments
  • selling tickets on the door
  • helping in the week running up to the event getting information out
  • helping with setting up and clearing away the street market

The only thing you need to get involved is a bit of enthusiasm!

If you think you might be able to help then please get in touch with chair of the Festival Committee Frances Eccleston on franceseccleston@live.co.uk.

Even if you can’t spare any time to volunteer, make sure you save some time in your diary to enjoy the festival from 2 to 10 July 2011. Events planned include a street market, open gardens, tours, walks and other evening events throughout the week.

Crosspool Festival 2011

Crosspool Farmer's Market on Selbourne Road
Crosspool Farmer's Market on Selbourne Road at last summer's Crosspool Festival

Sleeping Beauty, the Stephen Hill Youth pantomine

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.

Full information is in the flyer below, along with some photos from past Stephen Hill Youth pantomimes.

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Stephen Hill Youth pantomime Sleeping Beauty
Stephen Hill Youth pantomime Sleeping Beauty, 23-26 February

Bullet points from Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 27 January 2011

Download as a Word document (30KB)

Matters arising & Chairman’s report

Unfortunately due to an unforeseen commitment, Ian was unable to be at Thursday’s meeting and sent his apologies.

In his absence the meeting was left in the capable hands of Roger, Chris and Steve.

  1. The usual spring-flowering bulbs were planted round Crosspool in the autumn of 2010.

Police report & incidents

  1. A new email etc newsletter is being produced by the Broomhill SNA; anyone interested can fill in a Neighbourhood News form & email/send it back to the police. Gary Hizam hopes to have enough forms to include one in the next edition of every Clarion.
  2. Watch out for an illegitimate door-to-door salesman ( – selling sticky tape & pens!); remember to check peoples’ ID.
  3. Recent police monitoring of the Crosspool shops caught a cannabis dealer. Residents are to report any suspicious behaviour to the Broomhill police on 296 4876 or use the 220 2020 number.
  4. There is a new anti-social behaviour car that patrols the streets at night; this can be deployed instantly once a problem is reported.
  5. Scrap-collecting vehicles; the scrap dealers are now targeting houses – eg flat roofs to porches & bay windows. Please report any suspicious van registration numbers for PC Louise Atha’s database.
  6. Vernon Tce in-bound bus –stop. After a meeting with the schools, PTE & police about the unruly behaviour of children waiting to catch a bus into town at the end of the school day, the PTE is considering whether to de-commission this stop during that time.
  7. Levels of crime; burglaries have been low but opportunistic car crime is still happening. (The Broomhill SNA has some packs of internal-use Smartwater still available).

Councillors’ Report (Sylvia Anginotti & Brian Holmes)

  1. Junction of Benty Lane/Manchester Rd/ Stephen Hill; a Highways Officer will survey this shortly.
  2. The crossroads formed by Sandygate Rd. Coldwell Lane and Carsick Hill Rd was the subject of a Tapton School survey, and a request made for a crossing here. This has been turned down.
  3. Pot holes; residents were requested to telephone Streetforce to report these (273 4567) as soon as possible. A large team is going round Sheffield filling them in.
  4. Despite the reduction in the amount of money available from the Government to repair all Sheffield’s roads (and it being 12 months behind schedule), this ‘fence to fence’ initiative will cover footpaths, verges, trees, street lighting & highways – and roads are already being prioritised for this work.

Treasurer’s Report & Crosspool Festival etc

The treasurer reported that the Crosspool Forum has 1 bank balance of £2430, having paid for last summer’s floral displays. The 2011 Crosspool Festival will of ahead again, starting on 2nd July with the Open Gardens, a ‘Crosspool’s got Talent’ show, a streetmarket (3rd), art exhibition (4th onwards), local walks, kids’ treasure hunt, folk evening, ceilidh, Summer Fayre at Coldwell Lane, and then ending with a Sunday open air service at Lydgate Green. Any ideas, art works for the exhibition and offers of help for the Festival and Fayre warmly welcomed.

Crosspool Harvest Project

After a difficult winter the Harvest organizers now have 20 families, both Lydgate Schools, and the Council on board. They hope to find a piece of suitable land, or several smaller sites, on which to start their small-scale, local food-growing cooperative. Please see crosspoolharvest.org.uk for further information.

AOB

  1. Tree removal on Den Bank – these were apparently diseased, but will be replaced.
  2. Ditto Stephen Drive – although one area appears to have been asphalted over!
  3. ‘Twenty is Plenty’ campaign; the decision whether our local streets should be a max. of 20mph has been delegated to the SWCA. Anyone wishing to see a particular street part of this should contact the Forum or their Councillors.
  4. Dog waste bins; there appears to be a problem with non-collecting of their pets’ waste again! The Council is hoping to order 100 more bins, but as these cost about £400 p.a. each this might need to wait.
  5. Council heavy pruning & clearing of the bench-area at the top of Stephen Hill. There was a suggestion the Forum might ‘adopt’ this bit if green space (like it has done of Hagg Copse).
  6. ‘Dig for Charity’ – a local King Edwards’ pupil, Alicia Cannon (12) is running a project selling 5 packets of veg seeds for £2.50 – profits to Weston Park Hospital. Please see her website digforcharity.co.uk for further details.

Next Open Meeting will be on Monday 9th May 2011, at St Columba’s, 7pm

Agenda for Crosspool Forum Open Meeting, Thursday 27 January 2011

You are invited to Crosspool Forum’s Open Meeting tomorrow night at St Columba’s Church. It starts at 7pm.

A provisional agenda is below. Come along to give your concerns on local issues to local councillors, the police and council officials.

Open Meeting, Thursday 27 January 2011: provisional agenda

27 January 2011, 7pm

  1. Chairman’s welcome
  2. Introduction of top table
  3. Apologies for absence
  4. Minutes of last meeting to be approved
  5. Matters arising
  6. Chairman’s report
  7. Police Liaison
    In Louise’s absence, PCSO Garry Hizam will give an update on policing in the area
  8. Guest: Cllr. Brian Holmes (Community Assembly)
    Also hoping to attend: Sylvia Anginotti, John Boyden, Community cohesion Manager
  9. Festival/Fayre report
  10. Planning and highways
    Benty Lane/Stephen Hill junction (Sylvia has arranged for engineers to survey possibilities)
  11. Questions and answer session with councillors
  12. A.O.B

Download provisional agenda 26 January 2011 Open Meeting (Word document, 37KB)

Manchester Road electronic speed signs return

This week the speed indication displays returned to Manchester Road.

As well as showing drivers how fast they are going, the signs also display a happy face for vehicles travelling under the speed limit and a sad face for those exceeding it.

The idea is that they slow cars down by making drivers aware when they are driving at unsafe speeds. The speed limit for this stretch of road is 30mph.

Two speed indication displays were installed in a similar location last summer for a few weeks. We’ll report back anything we hear about the data collected.

Background information about Manchester Road speed signs

Manchester Road speed signs return
The electronic speed signs on Manchester Road have returned

Crosspool Coffee Shop closes: property to be sold as a house

The coffee shop situated on the plot between Manchester Road and Lydgate Lane has now closed.

An application to change the use so it could become a house was accepted by the council last year. The two-bedroomed property been put on the market for £264,950 and now includes planning consent for a drive.

Former Crosspool coffee shop, 315 Lydgate Lane property on rightmove.co.uk

Crosspool coffee shop, 315 Lydgate Lane
The former Crosspool coffee shop at 315 Lydgate Lane: now being sold as a house

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday player named new Hallam FC manager

Hallam FC have appointed former Sheffield Wednesday player Julian Watts as their new manager following last week’s 4-2 home defeat against Liversedge.

Watts replaces outgoing manager Kenny Geelan and takes charge of the Countrymen who are currently propping up the Northern Counties East League Premier Division with just 10 points from 21 games.

His first match in charge is on Saturday 29 January at Sandygate against Selby Town 5 Feburary at Sandygate against Thackley.

Official Hallam FC website

NCEL results, fixtures and tables