Post from Robin Wood re: City Culture Strategy

> On monday I attended an open consultation on Sheffields Culture
> strategy and the bid for UK city of culture 2013.
>
> The event started with 30 minutes of open microphone when everyone
> present stood up and said what they wanted included in the new strategy.
> can you believe 25 minutes talk about Sheffield's culture without
> mentioning steel or cutlery?
>
> I said my piece and will follow up in writing to try to ensure these
> are included in the draft strategy. 2013 is the centenary of Harry
> Brearly's discovery of stainless, was it the same year he had it made
> into cutlery at Portland? We should publicise that.
>
> Robin

New Portland Works Website

There is a new website for information on Portland Works here: http://www.portlandworks.co.uk/

This blog will still run in parallel to it...

Galvanised Festival- Portland Works...

Hello,

If anyone wants to visit Portland Works the Galvanised Festival is next Wednesday afternoon... You need to book in: 0114 2734427

Letter in Sheffield Telegraph

I wrote this letter to the Sheffield Telegraph last week when I first heard about Portland Works. Since then I've found out a lot more and I'd like to help with the Campaign. The letter is printed in the 26 November issue - here's the text for those of you unlucky enough to live out Sheffield!

Dear Editor

I was privileged last week to visit Portland Works on Randall Street, as part Sheffield's splendid 'Galvanised' Festival. Few of us in Sheffield perhaps realise what an extraordinary place this is, one of a few surviving complexes of workshops near the city centre which is still. unbelievably, occupied by traditional craftsmen and manufacturers of tools, still in business doing things the way that made Sheffield famous. To see steel being forged, ground and polished into fine and useful tools, and to see the work of a master knife maker, made me proud to live in Sheffield. To see a gentleman, Ray I believe he's called, forging steel as he has done for his working life of sixty years is humbling.

Despite the building's appearance - it seems at first sight to be in advanced decay - it is almost fully occupied by working craftspeople, as well as representatives of a more recent industry, rock bands, who use the space for rehearsals. Having now experienced the sounds of a spring forge at full throttle, I'd say they were well matched.

This is living heritage, not a museum or polished up piece of preserved past. Such a place ought to be treasured by the City, the skills of its occupants valued and perhaps passed on to a new generation through training schemes, and the entire works earmarked for much needed maintenance, possibly even with public funding, to ensure the continuation of these fine and useful commercial activities. I was stunned to hear that plans are well advanced to clear out the existing occupants and convert the building - grade 2* listed - into FLATS. Obviously the existing businesses would be incompatible with residential use. Equally obvious is that some of these businesses may not survive the move. Readers may recall seeing something about this last February.

We have lost so many of these places, many due to disuse and the collapse of manufacturing in Sheffield. Most have been demolished, some have survived to become offices and, yes, flats. And they make very nice flats too I'm sure. But here we are in 2009 and here's a bit of the 19th century still doing what it was built for. This is not sentimentality, this is ensuring the survival of essential skills in manufacturing and providing futures for younger people in our traditional industries and crafts.

I now find the planning application is in again, with a deadline of 10 December, City reference 08/01850/FUL. Is anyone out there doing anything about this? If so can I join you? And if not can we start doing something very soon?

Article on Portland Works

http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/new-planning-application-for-portland-works/

New Planning Application for Portland Works!

A new planning application for Portland Works (reference 08/01850/FUL) was validated yesterday by the Council's Planning department and the consultation period runs from now until 10th December.

The application can be found on the Council's website here:

http://planning.sheffield.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=JYUXQGNYFY000

Please pass this information on to anyone else who is involved,

Thanks,

Neil Piper

petition led by sheffield city council...

We are calling on the Government to step up support for South Yorkshire manufacturing in a bid to save what is ultimately the heart of the UK’s industry.

We want to work with South Yorkshire industries and neighbouring authorities to launch a campaign to lobby Government for more support.

We want people to sign our petition in support and show us where they agree with us so we can show Government how much this means to the people of Sheffield.
We are campaigning on the following:

The Government should work and invest with the manufacturing industry to ensure that the industries such as steel making can be ready when the economy improves.

We want more Government-backed training and apprenticeships in the skills that industry needs to keep it ahead of other nations.

We want the Government to do more, including getting help on research and development to prevent manufacturing jobs from going abroad.

We need a simplified research and development tax system that provides genuine incentives for manufacturing companies looking to grow and become more competitive.
If you agree with these points please sign our petition on the No 10 website.

Galvanised Festival- Portland Works...

Please come down to the Galvanised Festval at Portland Works, which is running for the following three Wednesdays, the 18th, 25th Novemeber and the 2nd December between 12-2pm...

For more details please contact Andrew Cole at Wigful Tools on 0114 2725681 or email info@wigfulltools.co.uk