GROWING GREENHILL (OUR GREENHILL)
On behalf of the local businesses, in the spring of 2023, local organisation ‘Greener Greenhill’ put together a bid to Sheffield City Council’s Economic Recovery Fund to ‘boost the local high street’ in Greenhill. Views and ideas were sought from shop-front businesses in the preparation of this. The bid which was successful and we received funding of £50k in November 2023.
The project was called ‘Growing Greenhill’ and there were three main strands, which all received around a third of the available funds. A project manager (Joy Arnott) was employed for equivalent 3 days a month for a year. Alongside this, many tasks were carried out by the volunteer team from the Greener Greenhill network and the Greener Greenhill organisation received a management fee for coordination.
Marketing
We wanted more local people to be more aware of the great range and depth of businesses in Greenhill and to encourage people to support their local businesses. At the same time, we wanted to create a shared identity across the businesses.
· At the very beginning of the process, we set up a loyalty scheme for the businesses to run through January & February 2024 with the majority of businesses signing up to participate and many residents engaged.
· We commissioned marketing consultants to speak with local people and business owners to establish what they think the strengths of the area were.
· These consultants proposed the slogan ‘Our Greenhill’ since this reflected the overwhelming responses from residents. They then created the green/white logo which has subsequently been used on branding on banners, leaflets, window stickers and social media.
· We created and had installed banners at each of the main entrances into the village and around the roundabout.
· We put together a directory of all local businesses which was distributed to 5,000 homes across Greenhill through the August library newsletter. This directory was also printed as a stand-alone leaflet available from local outlets.
· We placed a double page promotional piece into November’s Active8 which was distributed to 15,500 homes across the wider S8 area. Other articles related to the planting and the art work have also featured in the editorial sections of Active8, having been submitted by the local team.
· We developed a Facebook page from an existing, but closing, Greenhill Community account and have posted regularly about the businesses and organisations together with any local events, and shared local businesses own posts. The list of Facebook followers has increased by nearly 400 and currently stands at 1837. An Instagram account was also set up in late 2024.
· A late addition to the project plan was being able to allocate funding to create an ‘Our Greenhill’ sign on the library wall facing up Reney Road which also denotes the space behind the library as our ‘Market Place’
Planting
The project aimed to make the central business area a place where people wanted to ‘linger for longer.’ As an environmental group leading the bid, Greener Greenhill were responding to residents expressed wishes that the centre of the neighbourhood be ‘greener’. In particular we were keen to improve the amenity grass on the roundabout and the library lawn for people and nature.
· Trees could not be planted on the roundabout, so we developed three large flower beds which were sown with native perennial meadow flowers under the guidance of a commissioned local landscape gardener. Bulbs were then planted to flower in the spring.
· Under the direction of our landscape designer, volunteers also created three beds on the library lawn which were planted with multi-stemmed hazels and perennial meadow flowers and subsequently spring bulbs.
· The third element was the creation, installation and planting of three bespoke planters in the main business area which were planted with edible plants such as herbs and low growing fruits. Residents were encouraged to pick and eat this produce.
· All sowing, planting and maintenance has been done by volunteers from the Greener Greenhill network and will continue to be so.
· Waymarker posts were also put in three green space locations to encourage people to walk to the shops, with a QR code linking to information about the Greenhill shops and businesses. In March 2025 an additional waymarker post was installed on the edge of the library lawn which provides latitude/longitude for the heart of Greenhill.
Art work
Some iconic art work to mark Greenhill out as somewhere special was a key part of the original bid. It was also hoped that, alongside the planting, this would encourage people to ‘linger for longer’ and visit more shops and businesses, more often.
· The original plan was for a single piece of sculpture which would create an impact for people walking and driving through Greenhill. After a tendering process, various ideas were explored but after many months the final designs for a sculpture on the roundabout fell through due to escalating costs.
· We sought permission from BT to paint some of their communication boxes and this was granted so in autumn 2024 we commissioned a local artist, Emma Barnsley, to paint two boxes overlooking the roundabout with creatures native to the UK. Children were involved in selecting the creatures to be featured and these proved very popular. When the original sculpture project folded, we were able to commission Emma to paint a further four boxes and also a wall mural. The new boxes have been similarly well received and the mural (opposite the pharmacy door) will be completed very soon.
· To maintain an element of sculpture in the final offer, we commissioned scrap metal artist Jason Heppenstall to make a series of bespoke sculptures of native insects to be placed in the beds on the library lawn. Jason created and installed nine sculptures across the three beds which have also been extremely well received.
· Children have enjoyed exploring the insect sculpture trail and in response to parents’ requests, the project was also able to fund a playground children’s activity behind the library which, to reflect the overall theme, is an insect trail and hopscotch.
· Additional Christmas Lights were installed where it was possible on Bocking Lane and the lights for the trees on Westwick Crescent were replaced. The lights and brackets purchased remain with the businesses and are available for use in future years.
Across the 18 months that the project has been running, we have taken many photos. A selection of these can be seen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/F3t26n1XH9be5RtG7.
As we come to the end of the project, we hope that we have in some small way been successful in boosting Greenhill as a great place to live and do business and we thank business owners and residents alike for their support and encouragement.
We also thank Sheffield City Council for giving us this opportunity and the specific ERF team for their regular support and advice. Our Greenhill project was just part of a much wider initiative, with some bigger and some smaller projects and all had their own unique blend of activities. To see a short round-up of all the projects involved this year see https://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/business/economic-recovery-fund/. Greenhill features quite a bit!
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