The Friends would love to know your opinions on their proposals for improvements at the Skate Park. Click HERE to find out more!
Photo of the month
Congratulations to Neville Wade who wins ‘Photo of the Month’ for July. His photograph of this model ship really captures the movement and elegant lines of the model as it sails across the boating lake in the park.
The photo will remain in the banner of our site until August!
Filed under photographs
Climbing Wall installed
Many of our members will have seen, over the past few years, our Project list for Millhouses Park.
One of the items included has been a Climbing Boulder and we have been badgering the Cliffhanger Team for years for this. It is great that this year the Cliffhanger Team together with Wallclimber have now provided and installed a brand new, high quality, wooden Climbing wall within the children’s playground.
It went in last Friday in time for Cliffhanger and was an immediate success.
Whilst our contribution will be £1k …. the manufacturer, Cliffhanger and Parks and Countryside have contributed far more.
Thanks to those involved from the users of today, tomorrow and many years to come.
Filed under cliffhanger, playground
CLIFFHANGER Duck Race
Duck races now have a new home in Millhouses Park – down the FISH LADDER. The water flow was turned up to full, the ducks released and the race was on!
An exciting time for all this weekend at the Duck Race on the Fish Pass at Cliffhanger.
The Friends group organised and ran a Duck Race with 120 ducks donated to us by the Cliffhanger Team.
We ran free Duck Races on both days from the first race at 12 noon to the last race at 4 pm … 5 races times 120 ducks over two days and 1200 people really enjoyed an old fashioned event run just for the fun of it. Chocolate Medals were awarded to the first 5 ducks over the line and the last duck over the line. As Andy B comments “This is the best bit of Cliffhanger”.
We owe a large thanks to Parks and Countryside Staff for facilitating this event, building such a fantastic feature, supporting our group and bringing various dignitaries to see what we were doing including our three local councillors, Sylvia Dunkley, Mike Reynolds and Keith Hill. Plus all those who helped on the day including our Community Assembly Manager and the Friends who worked so hard to keep everything moving without any hitches.
We all lost count of the positive comments about where we were, what we were doing and the park in general – we really are very lucky to have it.
It is gone 11 pm and we are still only half way through entering up the new members!!!
Filed under cliffhanger, duck race, fish pass, photographs
CLIFFHANGER 2010 Comes to Millhouses Park: 3rd – 4th July
Cliffhanger is one of the UK’s largest outdoor outdoor-pursuits festivals, based in one of Sheffield’s biggest green spaces.We’re pretty sure that it’s actually the UK’s biggest outdoor festival for outdoor folk, with over around 20,000 visitors over the 2 days in 2009.
Legendary mountaineer and rock climber Joe Simpson is patron to Cliffhanger. Joe, who lives in Sheffield and has enjoyed recent further TV success with the film Beckoning Silence, said
‘I am proud to be patron of the Cliffhanger event in my home city. It is really appropriate that Sheffield is hosting such a major event, as it is ideally placed to become the outdoor activities capital of this country, with a significant part of the city being within the Peak District National Park – this country’s most popular national park offering so many outdoor pursuits on the doorstep.
Go to www.cliff-hanger.co.uk for further details!
Please do not forget most of the Park will be shut (except the Cricket Ground) and entry on Saturday and Sunday is by ticket only.
The Friends of Millhouses Park will have a tent alongside the new Rocky Fish Pass and be running free Duck Races throughout the weekend.
Big Prizes for the first 5 past the finishing post (swizzle lolly!) and for the last duck over the line.
We could do with some official “Pokers” with sticks to keep things moving and if anyone can spare an hour or two I can let you have a volunteers wrist-bands which will allow free access.
If we can learn this weekend the dos and don’ts then perhaps next year we can organise a repeat of the traditional Major Duck Race we all remember from years ago.
There is a nice front page and double page spread about our park in the current edition of Active8.
Filed under cliffhanger, duck race, fish pass, sport
Park packed in hot weather
The park has been very busy during the spell of good weather that we have been enjoying. It is great to see so many people enjoying the facilities.
Millhouses park June 2010
Filed under photographs
Bird walk, 24th April
On Saturday 24th April, Pete Brown took a group on the bi-annual Bird Walk round Millhouses Park and Ecclesall Woods.
The start was at 8am on a cold but bright Spring morning and the accompanying photos will give you a flavour of a very pleasant two hours.
31 different birds were noted, a little down as many of the migrating birds had not yet arrived due to the cold NW winds, that had been with us for so long, that also brought the volcanic ash. Vapour trails in the sky were commented upon!
Splash tree planting
Many thanks to those who came down for the Splash tree planting on Friday – sunshine and smiles all round – a feel good occasion.
After five years of pushing, fund raising, consultation and a few tears Splash is due to open in a couple of weeks time and be fully functioning by spring bank holiday.
It is intended to have a celebration occasion to mark the opening of Splash and the Fish Ladder in early June, perhaps combined with our garden plant exchange.
Do not forget the final planting of the Fish Ladder on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 April.
Splash tree planting April 16, 2010
Filed under fish pass, SPLASH project
Fish pass planting
In partnership with Sheffield City Council, Friends of Millhouses Park, River Stewardship Company, Marks and Spencer staff and BTCV we have started the first of two sessions of planting for the new fish pass on 30th and 31st March 2010.
It was a huge success despite two days of atrocious weather, mud that sucked you under if you stood still long enough and bitterly cold winds. We were asked to add 6 volunteers each day and in all 20 FofMP members (plus one chocolate lolly face tiny volunteer) turned up to dig, plant of support – fantastic.
The camaraderie on both days was very good and everyone involved went home with a sense of achievement in a job well done. As you all walk through the park please keep an on it to ensure it all become established. I have more photos so do ask if you would like them.
This is now not just any Fish Pass, this is now a Marks and Spencer Fish Pass!
Filed under fish pass, photographs, river sheaf
Trio magazine article, Easter 2010
Friends of Millhouses Park has an article published in the Easter 2010 issue of Trio magazine.
We’ have updated the local community on the latest issues including the fish pass, the SPLASH project, the sensory garden, the skate park the outdoor gym, the corn mill project and recent problems in the park.
Filed under corn mill project, fish pass, media coverage, outdoor gym, skate park, SPLASH project
Friends of Millhouses Park 