Parkwood Springs is described as a country paRk in the city offering an array of amazing, natural, wild space on the edge of the city centre.
The park overlooks the centre of Sheffield and is more well known as the site of the old Ski Village. But for those who have ever visited will know that it offers unobstructed views across the city as well as offering plenty of trails and routes to explore on foot or on a bike and you can meander between Kelham Island and head along to Wardsend Cemetery and Herries Road to Shirecliffe.
Neil Schofield of Friends of Parkwood Springs goes on to say that “It’s remarkable that in inner city Sheffield we’ve got this big area of green space as big as Hyde Park in London, with fantastic views and countryside that you could expect to see in the middle of the Peak District”
The Friends of Parkwood Springs have been working hard to raise the awareness of the site with support from the Parks and Countryside team at Sheffield City Council.
One way in which they have done this that since 2007 is that they have hosted an annual lantern festival within the park. The event is aimed at encouraging people in the community to come out of their homes and celebrate with their families and make use and raise awareness of this spectacular inner city greenspace.
This years event took place on Saturday October 16 and included Lantern-making, circus skills workshops, treasure hunts, live music and a fire juggler as night fell. The event saw children from nearby schools, Scout and Guide groups and people from churches and community groups carry their home made paper lanterns up to the hilltop from the playing fields off Cooks Wood Road.
The event saw over 380 people carrying animal lanterns joined by the Sheffield Samba Band to wander noisily up through the wooded slopes to the hilltop above Sheffield.
Jon Dallow, Woodlands Manager at Sheffield City Council describes the annual event as ‘a magical evening, with a cracking view and a safe warm community glow’
The park still faces challenges to attract people to the site, with people having no idea where it is, however due to the hard work of the Friends of Group and stakeholders in the city the tide is slowly starting to change.
Earlier in the day the park attracted 1,000 visitors to the school cross country event and there is a constant stream of dog walkers, football players and teams having a kickabout and mountain bikers making use of the routes and trails running between the trees.
It is far from a hidden gem with its position overlooking the city, but one that is well worth exploring.
For more information on the park and upcoming events head over to www.parkwood-springs.org.uk or to visit and explore for yourself, you can find parking off Cooks Wood Road (postcode - S3 9AA)