Local Projects, Initiatives and Social Enterprises

These are some of the local groups, initiatives and social enterprises that are working to create more sustainable communities in Sheffield. We’ve placed them in sections as follows:

This list began as nominations for Sheffield’s 2012 Transition Awards.
Please contact Susannah (susannah @ transitionsheffield.org.uk) to nominate additions.
You can also search further afield on the international Transition Network website for projects and initiatives.

Energy and Environment

South Yorkshire Energy Centre (SYEC)
Educating children and adults about sustainability, and helping to alleviate fuel poverty
Sheffield Renewables
Taking real action to generate renewable electricity and raise awareness about renewables
River Stewardship Company
Improving Sheffield’s waterways, and involving young people, volunteers and the community.
Sheffield Green Party
Providing a strong green voice on the council, working to find more sustainable alternatives for communities e.g. making local roads safer

Reuse and recycling

Sheffield Freegle
Ensuring reusable goods are kept out of landfill, and helping those in poverty to get items that they otherwise couldn’t afford
St Mary’s Vintage Craft Market
Encouraging local crafts people, artists and vintage purveyors in recycling goods within the city
Rainbow’s End
Charity Shop which recycles lots of reusable stuff and is building community at the same time
Green Estate
Making lovely green waste compost and employing lots of people
Recycle Bikes
An independent, not for profit bike project based in Heeley
Refab Space
Finding new ways to intelligently re-use out of date computer technology
Reclaim
Providing support for adults with learning disabilities in connection with a project which sorts plastics, cans and textiles for recycling.
Emmaus Sheffield
A safe place for homeless people to regain dignity by selling recycled household goods and offering additional services for homes and businesses.

Transport

Pedal Ready
Building confidence for cyclists and thereby making a real zero-carbon transport alternative
Sheffield Friday Night Ride
Getting people cycling and out of their cars
Cycle Sheffield
Promoting fun, safe, sustainable transport, with safer, less polluted streets
COMAC Bike Project
Promoting cycling and sharing a sense of ‘community’ for people with little support

Wellbeing

Home Instead
Providing carers who help elderly or disabled remain at home rather than be placed in institutions
Your Good Mourning
Offering support for people facing or in bereavement and raising money for related charities
Lane End Farm in Abney
Providing opportunities for connection, activities and development for disabled and disadvantaged young people
SAGE Greenfingers
Working with and inviting people with mental health issues to join in horticultural activities.
St Wilfred’s Centre
Improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people, and providing learning opportunities
e.g. on their allotment project.
Green Triangle
Neighbourhood group coming together as a community through practical social projects, e.g. insulation, planting, sharing, and street parties.
Cathedral Archer Project
Providing homeless people with a breakfast and lunch as well as daytime activities, shower and clothes washing facilities etc.
South Yorkshire Housing Association
Helped to combat fuel poverty by installing PV panels on a lot of their social housing, providing tenants with free electricity when the PV panels generate.
Sheffield Homes
Providing affordable council housing insulated to current standards
Share Psychotherapy
Offering psychotherapy services to everyone through a charitable funding model.
Sheffield Healthy Walks
Organising easy walks through parks and green spaces to help people increase their fitness levels.
Sheffield Ramblers
Provide a varied programme of walks in the Peak District and other directions from Sheffield, and most walks can be reached by public transport.
Sheffield Family Cycling
Monthly free, informal social Sunday family cycle rides from Sheffield

Livelihoods

Regather
Pioneering new ways of co-operative working for a more local, low carbon, and resilient economy.
Portland Works
A local community enterprise that’s saving jobs and skills and keeping part of Sheffield’s architectural heritage alive
Heeley Development Trust
Undertaking sustainable development of Ann’s Grove School, providing digital support for excluded local residents, and managed workspaces for other food, energy and transport projects
Buster’s Coffee Co
Creating employment for people who are severely disadvantaged in the labour market and delivering fairtrade supplies for retail or wholesale outlets.
Sheffield Social Enterprise Network
Promoting the growth of community businesses and wealth-generating community development.
Sheffield Climate Alliance
Campaigned for Sheffield Council to support the ‘10,000 climate jobs for Sheffield’ campaign.

Wealth

Positive Money Sheffield
Campaigning for monetary reform and an end to debt slavery.
Sheffield Credit Union
A savings and loan co-operative, campaigning and providing people with access to fair financial services.
Step Change
Supporting people in financial difficulties to create and follow realistic plans to get themselves out of debt.

Governance

Sheffield Green Party
Providing a strong green voice on the council, working to find more sustainable alternatives for communities e.g. making local roads safer
Step Change
Supporting people in financial difficulties to create and follow realistic plans to get themselves out of debt.

Education

Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham
Have a busy community outreach programme, especially in Sheffield’s primary schools.
Charnock Hall Primary School
Pupils are growing veg
Freeman College
Educating young people who might otherwise be excluded so that they can instead be a part of the bigger community.
Heeley City Farm
Promoting sustainable living by showing kids where their food comes from and how renewable energy works.
Ecclesall Woods Sawmill
Providing educational benefits for the local community whilst maintaining the semi-natural ancient woodland.
Meersbrook Walled Garden Outdoor Playgroup
Giving city kids space and time to enjoy the change of seasons and growing of a harvest.
South Yorkshire Forest Partnership
Involving local people in community events, e.g. tree plantings, the Wood Fair and green health activities.
Friends of Lynwood Gardens
Developing an educational nature reserve, reviving traditional crafts, and encouraging artists and musicians to create community events.
Access Space
Helps people to get started with computers and work on their own projects, using and creating second-hand computers and open source software, in a supportive community.
Women’s Construction Centre
Encouraging women who wish to learn skills not traditionally associated with women.
Sheffield Engineers without Borders
University students undertaking practical projects to demonstrate how engineering can improve lives and enhance human capacities.
Whirlow Hall Farm
An educational trust working with inner city children and young people with special needs,
allowing them to find out where food comes from.

Food growing

Grow Sheffield
Organising creative events and skill sharing (e.g. allotment soup and grafting workshop), transporting locally produced food on a locally made tricycle.
Abundance
Harvesting unwanted fruit and distributing it to those in need, and so helping to change the way people think about food and community.
Allotments
All the allotments are keeping gardening know-how alive and demonstrating that it is possible to grow your own vegetables, herbs, etc.
Hazelhurst CSA
Community Supported Agriculture project which is sharing skills, producing a local veg box, and using organic growing techniques to capture carbon.
Hanover Tara
Organising a small community allotment to promote more self-reliance and sustainability
2 Troughs Allotments
Hosting a variety of local groups, – from children and families to people with troubled lives – and multiskilling, not just growing food.
Green City Action
Supporting people to learn growing skills e.g. through a ‘School for Vegetables’ project, and providing a toolbank for tool sharing.
LEAF Sheffield Allotments
Enhances young people’s self-esteem as well as teaching food-growing skills and creating an extended community on the allotments.
Grow St Marys
Have set up a fantastic food growing garden with very few resources and have a diverse range of groups using it.
THeM Diggers
Transition Heeley-Meersbrook community allotment group with members from around the city working to grow, learn and share.
Trade Base
Providing opportunities for local people, including those with mental health issues and learning difficulties, to grow their own food.

Food outlets

Beanies / Cat Lane
Working cooperatively to make and distribute local food
Incredible Nutshell
Re-opening a brilliant health food shop with lots of organic, fairtrade products.
Just natural 
Promoting/selling local food and drink, keeping local farming and other businesses alive
Showroom
Have an allotment on the roof, and harvest herbs and veg for their restaurant.
Blue Moon Cafe
A great range of vegetarian food, plus a great hub in which all sorts of community groups meet up
Fusion Café
Cooking wonderful tasty food from good sources
Jubilee Food Bank
Providing short-term emergency food to families across Sheffield
Fir Vale Food Bank
Providing food for for low income or destitute individuals/households. Much food comes via FairShare who accept donations from individuals and waste food from companies.
Sheffield Castle Food Bank
Providing for local vulnerable residents in the area with staple foods, fruit and veg plus a weekly breakfast club with cooked meals.
Grace Food Bank Sheffield
Provide meals and enough food for a day for everyone in each low income household or destitute person that calls in.
S6 Food Bank
Provide food for three days for people identified as in need. Also run a rural delivery service, for clients who can’t afford to get to a foodbank.
Brungreave Food Bank
People identified as being in need can receive non-perishable, in-date food donated by schools, churches, businesses and individuals.
Parson Cross/Mount Tabor Food Bank
Food donated by individuals and local churches is offered (through referrals from the local GP or Advice Centre) to families and individuals in times of crisis.
Seven Hills Bakery
Artisan food bakery based in Sharrowvale serving all those interested in organic, hand-made locally produced bread and confectionery
Forge Bakehouse
Community-focus artisan bakery based in Abbeydale Rd. with baking on site, commitment to low-energy and low-impact transport and wonderful bread
School of Artisan Food
Providing sustainable short courses in food, enterprise and hospitality. Their students have been setting up in Sheffield and further afield.
Zed Wholefood
Selling locally produced and organic produce in Nether Edge
Lembas
Providing wholesale specialty organic, vegetarian and organic wholefoods to retailers and individuals
Sharrow Marrow
Selling local and organic vegetables and produce

Cultural

Sheffield Samba Band
Cheering people up and supporting good causes
Assist
Supporting destitute asylum seekers and bringing communities together in a way that transforms lives
Creative Arts Steering Team (CAST)
Facilitating/promoting art for mental well being, promoting the artwork of mental health service users and helping people towards employment.
Sheffield Live
Local community radio station and upcoming community TV channel, providing an opportunity for a voice to a wide range of communities, languages and cultures that enrich our city
Creative Action Network
Bringing creativity to the streets of Sheffield and beyond with the Sharrow Lantern Festival and more.
Sharrow Pie Experiment
Providing a space to bring people together so that imaginative projects can be born
Hagglers’s Corner
A creative community in Sharrow, of makers, doers, and supportive groups.
The Riverside
Using their profits to support the arts and creative projects unique to Sheffield.
Moss valley market garden
Growing great veg, flowers and herbs, whilst regenerating healthy soil and hosting community events to connect people to the land.
Now Then
Supporting Sheffield’s economy by providing a platform for independent art, trade, music, writing and local news.
Sheffield Libraries
Doing amazing community work, supporting sustainability through book loaning, sharing knowledge, and hosting community workshops.

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