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Issue 1156
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Local News
11th March 2021
www.looklocal.org.uk
Town funding of £24 Million approved Transformative investment plans for Stocksbridge have been approved by the Government, with over £24million of funding set to be delivered to the town.
The announcement was made as part of the last week's Budget, when Chancellor Rishi Sunak gave the go ahead to the Stockbridge Town Deal. It will fund a comprehensive package of measures to level up the town and surrounding area and deliver new opportunities for local people. In particular it focuses on improving local connectivity, supporting healthier lifestyles, opening up access to education and training, and promoting sustainability. A Town Investment Plan was created by the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board based on a public consultation that took place last autumn. The
Board brought together members from the local community, businesses, elected representatives, and local authorities. It is co-chaired by the MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, Miriam Cates, and Mark Dransfield, the managing director of Dransfield Properties Ltd, working alongside a team from Sheffield City Council. Among the projects that will now receive funding are a new post-16 education hub at Stocksbridge High School, redevelopment of public spaces on Manchester Road, new sports facilities at Oxley Park, improvements to walking and cycling trails along the Little Don River, in-
vestment in Stocksbridge Community Leisure Centre, and a new local bus network to serve Stocksbridge, Deepcar, and surrounding villages.
importantly it gives us the chance to build a better future for the whole community.
It is anticipated that the investment will help to attract new jobs and businesses to the town, with some of the money being spent on providing new commercial and community space on the site of the current library.
"I would like to thank everyone who has been part of the Town Deal project and has helped to achieve this fantastic result. We must now focus on delivering a programme that can be truly transformative for Stocksbridge, Deepcar, and the surrounding area.
Commenting on the announcement, Miriam Cates MP said "I'm absolutely delighted that the Chancellor has approved our Town Deal. This is a major investment and clear vote of confidence in our area. Most
"The Town Deal offers the targeted investment that Stocksbridge so desperately needs. It will regenerate our local economy, upskill our workforce and provide the conditions to grow for the future."
Mark Dransfield said: "Stocksbridge has often felt like a forgotten part of the wider region so to achieve this level of funding for the town is absolutely great news and testament to the hard work and determination of all the board members, as well as the team of officers at Sheffield City Council. "Everyone has worked hard through an incredibly tough year to deliver a bid which will bring a real transformation to our community and we look forward now to working on the next stage and making our towns fund projects a reality."
From Couch to 5K and beyond for Home Runners Louise and Jason JUST a few weeks ago they were couch to 5K novices…but now Louise Fieldsend and partner Jason Williams are heading for the full marathon as they join the St Luke’s Hospice Home Run. Home Run is the charity’s March virtual fundraising event, which sees participants running just 13 miles to help raise the vital funds that will help St Luke’s continue caring for hundreds of people across Sheffield, in their own homes. Regular runners are going the full distance in one run, while others are spreading the distance over a few days. And having only taken up running back in the autumn, that’s exactly what Deepcar based Louise and Jason are doing. But with a schedule of three sessions per week - all of them in excess of two miles - they are in line to run way past the 13 mile target and head instead towards a fill marathon distance.
“Jason has done running on and off most of his life but not to any serious extent for more than a decade,” said Louise, a project coordinator with Westfield Health. “And I’ve not done any running since I was at school and I’ll be 44 this year so that’s a long time ago. “We’ve done a lot of walking since lockdown though and when a few of the people at Westfield said they’d started the Couch to 5K, we decided we’d try it too because it just felt like we needed a new health challenge.” The couple following the Couch to 5K app’s advice on mixing walking and running but were soon up to being able to run for 10 minutes at a time. And when they heard about the St Luke’s Home Run, they decided to put their new found running skills to good use. “My grandad passed away at St Luke’s 30 years ago and I know a lot of people, like most people in Sheffield do, who have been sup-
ported by the St Luke’s services,” said Louise. “It’s a fantastic cause and it’s giving us that little bit of a push to keep us running. “I know it’s only supposed to be 13 miles but I feel confident that by the end of March we’ll have done the equivalent of a full marathon - and we’ve always passed our original target of £250 so we’re very happy.” To support Louise and Jason’ Home Run visit www.justgiving. com/fundraising/louise-v-fieldsend For full details of how to join the St Luke’s Home Run simply visit www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/support/home-run
