Gathering Ground launched in Hillsborough Park

An exciting new range of community facilities has today been unveiled in Hillsborough Park, bringing together creative, artistic, educational, and leisure activities on a single site.

Gathering Ground is an innovative and collaborative project comprising the Bradbury Makers’ Shed, which backs onto the park’s Walled Garden; the existing Pavilion; and the Depot Bakery café, which opened in the Coach House last week.

Age UK Sheffield has brought the facilities together in a £1 million, Lottery-funded project, and is working in partnership with Sheffield-based community arts organisation RivelinCo to develop an intergenerational creative activity and event programme which will include woodwork, printmaking, theatre, music and dance, arts and crafts, gardening, creative writing, a choir, a cinema club and a repair shop.

Age UK Sheffield Chief Executive, Steve Chu, said: “Gathering Ground will be for everyone, with groups and activities to appeal to the entire family. Older people are our priority - the core activity programme will appeal to over-50s, and be dementia-friendly and accessible to all. But we want this programme to bring people of all ages together in an intergenerational approach, making the most of our refurbished facilities and the park’s natural environment.”

RivelinCo's Director Linda Bloomfield, said: “We're delighted to be partnering with Age UK Sheffield to deliver the creative programme at Gathering Ground, a one-of-a-kind new activity and wellbeing centre for our community in Hillsborough and beyond. We've been busy building the opening programme with our team of brilliant artists and facilitators, after several months' community consultation to find out what local people wanted to see happen in their neighbourhood. Activities and events will be affordable, accessible, led by artists and for all ages - we can't wait to share them with you.”

Taster sessions will take place in April and May, ahead of a full programme from June onwards. For more details, e-mail: info@gatheringground.uk.

The facilities are also now available for community and private bookings. E-mail: bookings@gatheringground.uk.

Sessions will be bookable using www.gatheringground.uk.

To volunteer at Gathering Ground, e-mail: enquiries@ageuksheffield.org.uk.

Alternatively, for more details on any Gathering Ground issue, talk to one of our team at the site.

For more information about RivelinCo: https://www.rivelinco.org