Tag: sandygate road

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Hallam Chase 2025

Runners competing in the 2012 Hallam Chase
Runners competing in the Hallam Chase

This Tuesday, 27th May, all eyes will be on Crosspool for the 2025 Hallam Chase.

At the newly adjusted start time of 7:30pm, runners will set off from the Hallam Football/Cricket Club’s Sandygate ground. The challenging route takes them down Den Bank, through the Rivelin Valley, and up to Stannington Church, before retracing the same path back. Covering 3¼ miles with 800 feet of climb, the race promises a true test of endurance.

Organised by Hallamshire Harriers and hosted by the Hallam Cricket Club, the Hallam Chase holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous fell race in the world, with records dating back to 1862. Though it has occasionally been paused due to world wars, diseases, and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is estimated to have been run around 150 times by 2024. Open to male and female runners who are members of a South Yorkshire running club, the event draws 50 to 80 participants each year. Notably, there is no entry on the day.

While originally a 10-mile loop, the race has evolved to a 3.25-mile out-and-back course between the Hallam Cricket Ground and Stannington Church. With its steep climbs and grassy paths, it remains a demanding challenge, suitable only for runners aged 18 and older.

The event follows a handicap system, where slower runners start first, followed by faster competitors, leading to a thrilling finale with multiple runners crossing the finish line together. A dedicated team of around 40 volunteers—many former runners themselves—help make the race possible, providing crucial support to ensure the event’s continued success and fostering the close-knit Hallam Chase community.

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Good Hearted

Thank you for the help and kindness given to Angela Priestley in the Crosspool shopping centre.

Angela will never forget the incredible kindness shown to her by a gentleman and his daughter one afternoon in March whilst in the Crosspool shopping centre.
“What started as a routine shopping trip quickly turned into a distressing ordeal when my mobility scooter suddenly broke down and refused to restart. A wave of panic set in—I was stranded, alone, and completely helpless. My husband was away for the day, and with my multiple sclerosis preventing me from walking unaided, I felt a deep sense of vulnerability.”

Just as fear and frustration threatened to overwhelm me, two kind people appeared. With genuine concern, they asked if I needed help, and from that moment, their compassion turned my day around. Not only did the gentleman kindly drive me home, ensuring I was safe, but his daughter displayed an extraordinary act of generosity—pushing my scooter all the way back to my house. I can only imagine the effort that must have taken, yet she did it without hesitation.”

“I cannot put into words how much their kindness meant to me. It was more than just a helpful gesture—it was a reminder that even in moments of helplessness, there are good-hearted people willing to step in and make a difference. The relief I felt when I realised I wasn’t alone, the gratitude that swelled in my heart as they took action—it is something I will cherish forever.”

“If you happen to read this, please know that you were my heroes that day. Your generosity and selflessness meant everything. Thank you.”

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A New Restaurant Opens in Crosspool

The recently opened “Valencia Restaurant,” located at 34 Sandygate Rd., S10 5RY, adds to the thriving culinary scene in Crosspool. It complements an impressive lineup of local favourites, such as the beloved Papa Ciccio’s restaurant, the Sportsman and Crosspool Tavern pubs, and eateries like Hudson’s Kitchen, Aesthete, and Crosspool Social, all offering delicious meal options.

The kitchen equipment, furniture, and bar area of the former Varanasi restaurant have undergone a complete overhaul. By removing partition walls and upgrading the windows, the dining space has transformed the Valencia Restaurant into a bright, open area. Here, guests can relish a vibrant Mediterranean menu, a long-standing favourite since its debut in 2015 at their much-loved Selsey location.

Opening hours: These times may vary. Call 0114 322 9376 to book a table

– Tuesday–Friday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM 

– Saturday: 2:30 PM–10:30 PM 

– Sunday: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM 

During the day, savour the finest Mediterranean dishes in a warm and inviting setting. When night falls, Valencia evolves into a vibrant hub of tapas, offering the ideal backdrop for memorable gatherings with family and friends. The excitement doesn’t end there! A unique addition is on the way—an exclusive cocktail bar upstairs, designed to host private events and take your evenings to extraordinary new levels.

Why not treat yourself? Grab your family and friends and discover the Valencia experience, delight in exquisite flavours, and embrace the warm hospitality that’s just a visit away.

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Plough Inn’s Demise

Plough Inn

Today 10th January.2023 the demolition of the Plough Inn on Sandygate Road began.

Starting with the toilet block on the west side, the demolition contractors have begun to knock down, what is reputed to be the home of League Football, to make way for a block of houses

Housing Block
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Pop into “Nest” and Say Hi.

This week the “Nest” coffee shop in Crosspool is celebrating its 7th anniversary of serving customers coffee roasted in Sheffield, “Teapigs” speciality teas, homemade cakes & lite bites, and would love you to pop in and say hi.

Over the past seven years, the “Nest” has hosted acoustic nights, gin-tasting evenings various community events, and provided takeaways through Covid times.

Glynne and the team are looking forward to the next exciting year and would like to say “Thank You” to all their customers, both past and present, and wish everyone a “”Happy New Year”.

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Heart of Crosspool

“love”

Spreading the love since 2018!
The Ivy Heart of Crosspool currently displays “love” in lights! “Happy Valentine’s”

Scott Barton, the original person to shape the Ivy Heart on the wall of the Hallam football/cricket club wall on Sandygate Road said, “Having driven past the ivy more than once, it struck me that with a bit of trimming it could be turned into a heart. I roped in my pal, Ian Knowles who lives nearby, and did the original trim on Christmas Eve 2018, in the hope that it would make people smile.”

Hearts of Crosspool

When, on Valentine’s night 2019, it was all lit up with red lights, Jenny Hill and her hubby noticed the Ivy Heart and thought how lovely it looked and stopped to take a photo. Then through the pandemic lockdowns, thinking it really needed some love, Jenny contacted Scott, and they set about sprucing it up, giving it some new lights and a positive “Chin up!!

Since then Jenny, joined by her very creative friend Jo and her mum Anne, have had such fun creating every one of the twelve-plus seasonal heart changes they have fashioned up to now.

Jenny, Jo & Anne, love looking after the ivy heart and really appreciate all the wonderful Compliments, Thumbs-ups, Hoots and Smiles people give as they go past!

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Has The Plough pub been purchased as a development opportunity?

The Plough, Sandygate Road
The Plough, Sandygate Road

An update from The Plough pub campaign team:

As you all know, we lodged our bid with Enterprise on August 17 and had some discussions with them after that date.

We were informed that a ‘significantly’ higher bid had been made and that it was from someone who wished to continue to operate the Plough as a pub. We took this information from Enterprise in good faith.

Since then, it has been very difficult to obtain any further information about the potential buyer but we have picked up a number of disturbing rumours suggesting that the pub has been purchased as a development opportunity.

We understand that a residential development of the site might be attempted in the guise of reopening the Plough as a bistro for a short period time but with the long term aim of redeveloping the whole site at the expense of the pub.

We remain committed to protecting the Plough as an Asset of Community Value and will campaign against any proposed change of use or any backdoor attempt to redevelop the site. The current ACV runs until 2020 at which time we can reapply for listing for another five years.

We did anticipate that when dealing with Enterprise, things are not always as they seem, and it may be we are in for another hard fought planning campaign.

We are keen to get the message out there to any potential developers – beware of the power of our local community!

Peter
The Plough Community Benefit Society

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The Plough on Sandygate Road to reopen as a pub

The Save The Plough campaign group have announced that their bid to buy The Plough has been beaten by a higher offer from another party that wishes to reopen the pub:

The Plough, Sandygate Road
The Plough, Sandygate Road

We submitted our bid to the agents last week. Our bid was based on a professional valuation of £435,000 which also included the third car park adjacent to the sports ground.

We were informed by the agents that the third car park had now been taken out of the sale but we stood by our bid.

In discussions with both the agents and Enterprise Inns this week, we were asked if we could increase our bid to match one which was ‘significantly’ higher than ours. We did not want to get drawn into a bidding war and restated that our bid was a fair and reasonable offer.

It seems that Enterprise Inns will go with the higher offer. We do not know who the other bidder is but Enterprise did say it was someone who wants to reopen the pub and it is someone with a track record in the industry.

Despite the fact that we now seem to have reached the end of the road for our project, we would like to thank everyone who has supported the campaign and those who pledged to invest in a community pub. Local people have shown great support for the Plough and we think that this has persuaded other investors that it can be a viable pub and a great local.

Obviously, there is some disappointment in that we might not meet our aim of reopening the Plough as a community run pub but we feel that we can all be proud of what we achieved. When our campaign began in June 2016, our original campaign slogan was ‘Save the Plough’ and it looks like we have done that. If we had not successfully campaigned against Sainsbury’s application for change of the use, the pub would have been lost forever.

During the course of our campaign, it has become clear that there is tremendous community spirit in Crosspool and it would be great if that community spirit could be channeled into other local projects – any ideas?

Once again, we would like to thank everyone for their support throughout a long and challenging campaign and, whenever we had a low point as a campaign group, the support of the community always got us through.

Regards

Peter
(The Plough Community Campaign)