The ‘Richmond Park & Birklands Residents Community Centre’ in Sheffield had become empty and unused over the pandemic, so when Steven Gayle joined Great Places as Community Partnerships Manager in October 2022, he made it his mission to reinstate it as the thriving community facility it once was.
Flash forward to late August, and it’s fair to say job well done, with a Family Fun Day to celebrate its reopening and to boost engagement with the variety of activities and support on offer at the centre since earlier this year. This was much needed, given the high number of both children and elderly residents in the area, many of them living in our properties.
The Fun Day was well attended, with the face painting and bouncy castle proving to be a hit with the kids – and the parents! The day was also attended by our Director of Neighbourhoods, Simon Robinson, as well as our Executive Director of Customer Services, Guy Cresswell, who very kindly contributed to the tombola prizes.
There was also food, games, arts and crafts, and the opportunity for customers to give some feedback on how the centre has developed so far, which will be taken into account going forward this Autumn.
At the Fun Day, we caught up with Steven to discuss the hard work that went into bringing the centre back to life, the variety of weekly activities on offer at the moment and plans for the future.
The football sessions, ‘Kicks’, run at the centre every Thursday by Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, was funded by our Greater Together Foundation Resilience Fund, which you can read about here.
A huge thank you to Steven and everyone involved in organising the Fun Day – it was clearly enjoyed by everyone there!
