Heartwarming community response after Manor Fields Park fire

The Green Estate CIC has been touched by the heart-warming response from our local community after a fire damaged around a third of Manor Fields Park on the evening of Thursday 13 August.

Local residents, community groups and wider partners sent many messages of concern and support to The Green Estate CIC, who manage the park, with large numbers of people asking how they could help.

Roz Davies, The Green Estate’s CEO, said: “The response from the community has been incredible. The many offers of support and assistance is testament to how much people love and want to care for the green space in Manor Castle ward.

“Manor Fields Park is a national demonstrator of urban resilience. With its sustainable urban drainage systems, Pictorial Meadows and naturalistic design, it has achieved twelve years of the Green Flag Award. We will work with our local communities, Sheffield City Council and partners like MASKK and the Friends of Manor Fields Park to renew the area of the park that has been damaged. It will recover.”

Whilst large swathes of grassland, scrub and trees were damaged, thankfully South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were able to contain the fire so that it did not spread to houses or infrastructure, meaning no people were injured. Many of the trees are likely to recover, along with all the grassland and scrub, but its destruction has revealed historic litter, and so this was the focus of the Community Clean-up, which took place on Thursday 20 August.

Around 100 people, including adults and children, arrived at the park at 4:30pm to help, with many of them expressing their love for the park.

Nick, who has lived near the park for around three years, said: “I come here quite a bit. As an artist I find the trees here inspiring and it’s amazing how much wildlife there is. To see it like this is heartbreaking. I felt compelled to help.”

Local resident Hazel said: “This place is my sanctuary, so when I heard the news, I cried! It was always going to be on my to-do-list to come.”

Another volunteer, Janet, said: “The wildflowers here are lovely. There is also a lovely community around here and I wanted to show my support”.

Louise Haigh MP visited The Green Estate and Manor Fields Park on Friday 21 August after she heard the news. She commented: “Thank you for inviting me and my team to your brilliant and inspiring park and to see your work. I am sorry it is in such difficult circumstances, but the community response has been amazing.”

The Green Estate will keep a watchful eye on the damaged areas over the coming weeks to see how the flora and fauna recover and then make a plan for what other interventions might be needed to bring it back to its former glory.

The Green Estate would like to thank everyone who has sent their love and support and to all those who got involved in the clear up. If you’d like to find out more about volunteering opportunities, please email [email protected].