Other Bodies
in Nether Edge

Parent & Toddler Group

Excerpt from 'EDGE', December 1997/January 1998:-

This Baby & Toddler group meets every Monday and Friday during school term, and occasionally during the holidays. On Monday from 10.00 to 11.30 am (we begin to set up at 9.30 am) and on Friday from 2.00 to 3.30 pm (setting up at 1.30 pm). The charge is £1 per family per session. We are all volunteers together, running the group informally. We rely on those attending to offer help with the setting our toys, tables etc; making and serving drinks; and washing up and clearing away the tables and chairs.

At the end of the session everyone helps to put the toys away into boxes and into the shed outside, and put the tables and chairs onto the stage. Then we all sit down and sing as many songs as time allows.

We hope you feel the group provides a safe, enjoyable and stimulating meeting place for your child/children and for you. Please feel free to comment in our suggestions book on ways in which you think the group can be improved. Also ideas for new toys/equipment are always welcome — do let us know.

Playgroup - St. Andrew's Playgroup no longer operates.

The Playgroup meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am til noon. We provide a variety of activities in a safe and stimulating environment. We do craft activities, painting, baking, imaginative play, singing, storytime and have a good range of equipment for physical play.

The group has been meeting at St Andrew's Hall on St Andrew's Road for many years along with the Baby and Toddler group which meets on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.

At the time of writing (mid-July) we are unsure as to whether we are able to continue to meet there. We are still awaiting a decision from the Church on the future of the Centre. However we do intend to keep running as a group to continue all the hard work and commitment that has been so freely given to making our playgroup a true community asset. We would like to remain in the heart of Nether Edge if possible and have looked at a number of alternative sites. We will keep you informed of our progress.

If you wish to know more about playgroup or wish to come along for a visit please contact our Playgroup Leader on tel: 233 9453.

Scouts, Cubs and Beavers

Meetings: Thursday evenings
Group Scout Leader: Dom Watts, tel. 255 0201

Scouts (including Explorers): Ben Jervis, tel. 07734 053602
Website: 72nd.org.uk

Cubs: Dom Watts, tel. 255 0201
Website: 72nd.org.uk

Beavers: Martyn Askew, tel. 07834 119706

Guides and Brownies

Guides: Mondays: Mavis Paul, tel. 268 3927

Brownies

Mondays: Chris Venables, tel. 255 0805.
Fridays: Tawny Owl, tel. 235 9741

Merlin Theatre & Tintagel House

"Founded in 1969 and built with the proceeds of a private legacy, the Merlin Theatre continues with the help of local trusts and grants. like its predecessor, the Sheffield Educational Settlement and the little Theatre, the work there is inspired by the social ideals of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher and educationalist.

However, at the last estimate, it needs something like £30 thousand a year on top of its present income, if it is to maintain its wonderful range of activities and build up its drama work with children and young people. In an attempt to obtain an assured income the Merlin Theatre has therefore set up the Friends of the Merlin. By becoming a Friend, by paying an annual subscription or by making a donation (either of which can also be covenanted), you will be eligible for a 20% discount of all educational and artistic events for which the staff at Tintagel House are directly responsible. More important, you would be helping the Merlin to survive and grow.

A simple calculation shows that the Merlin needs the equivalent of a thousand annual donations of £30 — or more donations of lesser amount. If you are interested in pursuing this matter, please contact the Friends Membership Secretary at 2 Meadow Bank Road, tel. 255 1638."

Letter received January 2005:-

In the coming months and over the next few years, Tintagel House and the Merlin Theatre will become home to one of the colleges of the Ruskin Mill Education Trust. This Trust offers unique and specialised learning experiences for young people with a range of learning difficulties. The new college (Freeman College) will be on three sites in Sheffield, continuing the rich traditions of community-based theatre and anthroposophical adult education that has taken place here over 30 years. The theatre will also be a home for the college's story-telling curriculum and its special language & communication work. Tintagel House will continue to be the home of the Merlin Kindergarten.

The other two sites of Freeman College in Sheffield will

• house craft workshops associated with the metal industries;
• and enable students to take part in iron age forge work, green woodwork and charcoal making.

Lantern Theatre

Website: www.lantern-theatre.co.uk

The Lantern Theatre, in Kenwood Park Road, Nether Edge, has been the home of the Dilys Guite Players since 1957. They produce some half dozen plays a year, mainly during the autumn and winter months. The plays are of high quality and include a number of World Premieres.

Excerpt from EDGE, July 1999:-

"The Theatre is a Grade 2 listed Building and is a lovely example of a Victorian auditorium. The dressing rooms and wardrobe and scenery store are outside round the back, in the old stables and coach house. The Theatre has served us well over the last 40 years and we are very proud of it, but we feel the advent of the new Millennium is a time to look at changes and improvements. There is no access for wheelchairs in the auditorium and the toilets have not been upgraded since 1957. The furniture, scenery and costumes have outgrown our storage space and the dressing room, up a flight of steps, is not accessible to anyone with physical disabilities -- and a pain in the neck to any actor rushing across the open backyard in inclement weather.

A couple of years ago we decided that major building and re-furbishment were needed to keep the Theatre moving forward, and to allow more access for the disabled. We had to think and plan very carefully as the building is listed and we are very limited for space. We eventually came up with a set of plans that enclose the area at the rear of the Theatre and provide disabled access to the auditorium, stage and dressing rooms. These plans were passed by the Council and are on display in the foyer.

The cost of this work is going to be about £170,000 and we are in the process of sending in a bid to The Lottery. We shall probably have to contribute about £45,000 and at the moment we are trying very hard to raise funds, as we feel that this work is essential to the continued growth of the Theatre.

We hope that the local community will help us in our efforts by watching out for fund raising events and supporting them as much as they can; and any sponsorship or ideas you can come up with would be gratefully received. We feel that the Theatre belongs as much to Nether Edge as to the Dilys Guite Players. For this reason we are encouraging local people to hire the Theatre. It can be used for parties, conferences and meetings as well as theatrical events.

We are always pleased to welcome new members and the theatre is open for anyone to visit and look around on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 pm. Please support your local Theatre. For more information please call at the Theatre or phone Keith and Jenny Derbyshire on 255 1961."

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Nether Edge Bowling Club

Website: http://www.nedgebc.co.uk/

As the following article illustrates, the Club is the oldest crown-green bowling club in Sheffield. The secretary of the Club can be contacted on tel.281 9803.

Excerpt from EDGE article by John Rutherford, August/September 2000:-

"When I first walked up the steps to the Club I didn’t believe that such an oasis existed in Nether Edge. The size of the green, the well-kept gardens, the elegance of the old building and the friendliness of the members, all made me feel at home. So it didn’t take long before I caught the bowling bug!

The club house was built in 1867 as a single storey building expressly for the use of members — gentlemen only — and in 1875 there were structural alterations to accommodate two billiard tables on the first floor. In 1899 electric light was introduced to the billiards room (and you can almost picture the atmosphere of the gaslit room if you enter without turning on the present lights). With the vaulted ceiling, horsehair and leather seating you would be walking into a time warp. It’s easy to picture the "gentlemen" in their tweed suits using the ivory billiard balls.

In 1901 the Club acquired the freehold for the princely sum of £57.10s, not a bad deal for a total area of 4700 sq.yds! I dread to think what it would cost nowadays. Central heating was installed ten years later, a third table established in the billiards room in 1934 and a "gentlemen’s bar" (now the ‘back bar’) as recently as 1950. Just 8 years after formation, a liquor cellar was built and the path surrounding the green was asphalted. The Minute Books record that a telephone was installed in 1894.

In 1902 a new licensing Act allowed the Club to remain open from 8 am to 2.30 the next morning: the Steward’s life must have been hard, so it was minuted that "the Steward be allowed 5/- a week for a servant." Among the Club’s minutes are such observations that "one dozen metal spitoons be provided", that "rifle practice be not allowed on the premises" and that "suggestions for a wireless set for news are not considered advisable". Who said these were the good old days?"

Sheffield Bridge Club

Website: http://www.sheffieldbridgeclub.net/sbchome.shtml

The Club was opened in 1936 and, despite a chequered history, has a thriving membership of both established players and beginners. Beginners lessons and improver sessions are arranged two or three times a week. Partners can be provided.

Contact telephone no: 255 0844 (Ann, the resident stewardess).

Archer Lane Allotment and Home Garden Society

Excerpt from EDGE article by brian Tweedale, August/September 2000:-

"Our Society will be holding the first of its two annual flower, vegetable and home produce shows on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September 2000. Judging for the show, which is open to Society members only, will take place on the Saturday in the Society’s trading hut situated on Archer Road. The show will open to the general public on the following day from 10 am onwards, when the prizes will be given out and the produce sold off by auction. If you fancy your skills in the garden or the kitchen and would like to participate in this lively and friendly event, there is still time to join the Society. The annual membership fee is £1. Application forms and details of other Society activities are available from the trading hut every Sunday between 10 am and 12.30 pm. Whether you want to exhibit the products of your own labour or simply admire the work of others, this is an event to pencil in your diary."

Brentwood Tennis Club

Website: http://www.brentwoodtennisclub.co.uk

Please contact the Club Secretary, Ann Bonnell, tel. 01246 410 560
or call in at the Club on any Tuesday evening after 6.30 pm.

Nether Edge Club

Website: www.netheredgeclub.co.uk
2, Moncrieffe Road
Sheffield
S1 1HR
Telephone Number: 0114 2550675

"The club began life back in 1928 as the Nether Edge Liberal Reform Club. It relinquished its political affiliations a number of years ago and is now known simply as the Nether Edge Club. We have a snooker team which competes in one of the Sheffield leagues and the fishermen of the Nether Edge fishing club use us as a base for regular meetings. In 2008, we were able to persuade Gosha, (who many will know from the Polish ex-servicemens club) to become our manager and in 2009, a major refurbishment has left us in a position to continue the club's traditions. We are open from 8pm to 11pm Tuesday to Saturday and Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1pm to 4pm and are always ready to welcome new members."

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General Cemetery

Excerpt from 'EDGE', February 2000:-

"The cemetery’s illustrious history during the 19th century is now well documented by the Friends of the General Cemetery, and it is expected that a book will be published this year detailing its history, along with many illustrations. Its 20th century history is in contrast very patchy, and what we know about its situation before the Friends set up in 1989 makes sorry reading. This seems an appropriate opportunity to review its history of the century just past, and we’d like to take this opportunity to ask if anyone can add to what we know, with descriptions of your memories of the site before the Friends established. Please get writing or just give us a ring with your memories!

When the century turned the General Cemetery Company (instigators and commercial owners of the cemetery from 1836) was still doing well. Business was profitable, and, as for the whole of the cemetery’s existence, plots continued to be sold ‘in perpetuity’, that is to say, for all time. The problem with this was that the cemetery profits largely went into the pockets of the shareholders, not into the long term maintenance of the site. The consequence of this was that the cemetery was beginning to suffer. Even before the end of the Great War, the company was looking at ways to find more burial space: the cemetery was more or less full!

A scheme was drawn up to add a new set of catacombs on the right, in the slope of the side of the main path, as you walk up the hill from the gatehouse at the bottom of the site. The scheme was in fact never carried out, though the reasons for this are not documented. Perhaps the company was beginning to realise the awful truth: the number of burials was dropping rapidly, and a new form of burial was taking over: cremation. There was a sea change of attitude to death ritual following the First World War. The pomp and ceremony of death was quickly abandoned as the ghastliness of the numbers of young people dying hit home. The General Cemetery became unfashionable and in addition did not cater for the burial of cremated remains. However, there are many monuments to victims of the Great War, including several who died, like Ernest Shuttleworth, on the first day of the battle of the Somme. A curiosity is the monument to Alice Robert "whose kindness and hospitality to them during the Great War will always be gratefully remembered by her Australian nephews". Does anyone have any clues about this story?

Far fewer burials took place in the period between the First and Second World Wars, but the Company attempted to revamp its image and create more opportunities for burials in a scheme for its centenary celebrations in 1936. This scheme was to add a concrete wall and balustrade above the existing two curving tiers of catacombs, and add a new set of 32 vaults in the space above, knocking through the arches of the catacombs below..."

If you have any interesting information about the cemetery, would like to help on the site, or simply join the Friends and receive our newsletter, please contact the Friends on 279 8402 or email sgct@gencem.org.

Traditional Heritage Museum 605 Ecclesall Road (old Methodist Church Hall) At the museum we are building two rooms -- a parlour and a kitchen/scullery typical of the 1920-1940 period and we are needing a number of household items of the period (or older) to furnish them. If you would like to donate any of the items listed below please contact Malcolm Weston on 255 3661 to arrange for collection. (We are able to repair and renovate most items so they don't need to be in perfect condition.) kitchen bric-a-brac -- iron cookware pot -- sink -- iron gas ring -- pegged rug -- hearth plate -- mesh fireguard -- metal fender irons -- coal scuttle or box -- iron kettle -- kitchen light shade -- light bowl with chains -- brass 'dome' switches -- period crockery -- small sideboard -- scrubbed pine kitchen table -- kitchen chairs -- wooden stool -- framed pictures/photographs -- music box -- mantlepiece ornaments -- letter rack -- spill holder -- rexine- or moquette-covered easy chair -- crystal set and earphones -- mantle clock -- vases -- iron-framed single bed -- wireless set with wooden case For further details contact 222 6296.

Community Police

The Sharrow & South West Sheffield Safer Neighbourhood Area (SNA) is the responsibility of Inspector Craig Patchett and consists of two Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs): Sharrow/Highfield and Sharrowvale/Ecclesall/Dore/Totley. Each team consists of Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (P.C.S.Os), a Children's and Young Person's Officer, a Sheffield City Council Safer Neighbourhood Officer and a dedicated CID team working alongside them.

The SNTs provide communities with a dedicated team of staff who are visible, accessible and known to the local community.

They work closely with partner agencies( statutory and voluntary) and the local community to tackle crime and disorder concerns and deal with issues identified within the neighbourhood.

PC Duncan Cadman and PCSOs Sarah Hague and Martin Green are our local officers.They can be consulted over all matters concerned with security or nuisance at Woodseats on 296 3184 or 296 3187, by email at, for example, duncan.cadman@southyorks.pnn.police.uk and via the Police Central Switchboard 220 2020.

The main remit of the Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), based at Meersbrook Police Station on Chesterfield Road is:

• antisocial behaviour
• youth nuisance
• problem parking
• low-level crime
• litter nuisance, vandalism, graffiti etc.

Remember: Dial 999 if in fear of imminent crime or a crime has occurred;
2 20 20 20 for suspicious behaviour;
101 for nuisance behaviour including graffiti.