Community action/Sheffield
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Sheffield.
News
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Co-ops looking to change the world, town by town, thenews.coop (Nov 03, 2025)
- New Sheffield ad ban shows how councils can act on harmful advertising, adfreecities.org.uk (Mar 19, 2024)
- What if we stopped treating social care like a service? A small village community in Yorkshire showed me another way, theconversation.com (Aug 20, 2026)
- West Yorkshire moor brought under community ownership, thenews.coop (Oct 30, 2025) — Bridestones Moor, near Todmorden, will be managed by a CIC led by local ecologists, naturalists and residents
- Campaign launched to buy waterfall beauty spot, BBC News (Jul 17, 2025) — Campaigners say the community is ready to take responsibility for the future of the ancient woodland and waterfall
- Severe drought declared in six areas of England as reservoirs run low, theguardian.com (Oct 15, 2026)
- Ardingly Reservoir falls below 20% as drought persists, BBC News (Oct 14, 2026)
- A growing movement for perennials could play a key role in future food security, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (Oct 08, 2026) — In the wake of this summer’s drought and rising energy costs, there is renewed interest in perennial crops
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces, theguardian.com (Sep 09, 2026) — The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
- We’re the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question, Emmanuel Grégoire, Giuseppe Sala and Kate Gallego, theguardian.com (Sep 07, 2026) — Our three cities are learning from each other about how to protect residents. These climate policies are also public health measures
- Hunter Valley community group wins landmark high court climate change case over coalmine, theguardian.com (Oct 07, 2026) — Ruling on Mount Pleasant coalmine shows ‘we cannot continue to dig up coal … and pretend the consequences have nothing to do with us’, group says
- Citizens need to power Europe's future, demnext.substack.com (Oct 02, 2026) — The EU can enable new democratic institutions: in European countries; with a European Citizens’ Assembly as a 4th branch of government, and by legally enforcing the Global Citizens’ Assembly on AI, Claudia Chwalisz and Another Democratic Future
- Fifty Billion Seedlings: Can Ethiopia Replant Its Ravaged Forests?, e360.yale.edu (Oct 01, 2026)
Networks and sustainability initiatives
[edit | edit source]- Opus independents, not-for-profit social enterprise based in Sheffield. "We work with citizens, communities, neighbourhoods, business, voluntary groups, cities, campaigns, research institutions, infrastructure organisations and governments to address the entangled ecological, social, economic, political and cultural crisis we collectively face.", added 18:06, 18 July 2023 (UTC)
- Transition Sheffield - May 2016: Transition Sheffield has closed down but the websites have been archived
Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Community action/United Kingdom/Cycling activism, Community action/South East England/Saving water / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
UK and international events
[edit | edit source]UK events
Oct 1 - 7, 2026 (Thu - Wed) — National Vegetarian Week, discover delicious dishes and see how a veggie diet is a great choice for the planet, nationalvegetarianweek.org- Oct 04, 2026 (Sun) — Homeless Sunday, housingjustice.org.uk
- Oct 18, 2026 (Sun) — Church Action on Poverty Sunday, taking place each year on the Sunday closest to the International Day for the Eradication on Poverty, church-poverty.org.uk
Global or international events
- Oct 01, 2026 (Thu) — World Vegetarian Day, Oct 1 each year, bringing awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, worldvegetarianday.navs-online.org
- Oct 02, 2026 (Fri) — International Day of Non-Violence, observed each year on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, un.org
- Oct 07, 2026 (Wed) — World Day for Decent Work, October 7 is the World Day for Decent Work, ituc-csi.org
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Mental Health Day, Oct 10, annually, wmhdofficial.com
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Homeless Day, Oct 10 each year, drawing attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, worldhomelessday.org
- Oct 10, 2026 (Sat) — World Migratory Bird Day, worldmigratorybirdday.org
- Oct 13, 2026 (Tue) — International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Oct 13, annually, promoting a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including prevention, mitigation, and preparedness, un.org
- Oct 16, 2026 (Fri) — World Food Day, celebrated every year around the world on 16 October, often with a focus on food security, fao.org
- Oct 17, 2026 (Sat) — International Repair Day, annual celebration for everyone who makes repair happen in their communities around the world. "Repair for Everyone"., openrepair.org
- Oct 17, 2026 (Sat) — International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Oct 17 each year, honouring victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear, with participation by the poorest of people an important aspect of the observance of the Day, un.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Sheffield video
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Community involvement
[edit | edit source]- Cooperation Sheffield, "The core of our strategy is People's Assemblies", added 22:00, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
- It's Our City Sheffield, added 10:44, 10 March 2020 (UTC)
Food activism
[edit | edit source]- ShefFood, Sheffield's food partnership. Cross sector partnership including community organisations. added 12:06, 5 October 2021 (UTC)
- Food Hall, food reclaimed, city centre
- Grow Sheffield
- Heeley City Farm
- Lower Walkley Community Group
- The Real Junk Food Project Sheffield, non-profit social enterprise saving food from being wasted and making it available to the people of Sheffield
- Sheffield Organic Growers, cluster of independent organic growers, based on a 12-acre site in Moss Valley on the edge of Sheffield
Community energy
[edit | edit source]Towards sustainable economies
[edit | edit source]Regather, trading cooperative based in the Little Sheffield
Community resources
[edit | edit source]Citizens data initiative
- Sheffield City Council Open Data, added 16:11, 23 April 2021 (UTC)
Arts, sport and culture
[edit | edit source]Sustainable transport activism
[edit | edit source]The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (S&SY) is a system of navigable inland waterways (canals and canalised rivers) in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Chiefly based on the River Don, it runs for a length of 43 miles (69 km) and has 29 locks. It connects Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster with the River Trent at Keadby and (via the New Junction Canal) the Aire and Calder Navigation. W
Wikipedia: Supertram (Sheffield)
Cycling activism
[edit | edit source]For cycling, although hilly, Sheffield is compact and has few major trunk roads. It is on the Trans-Pennine Trail, a National Cycle Network route running from West to East from Southport in Merseyside to Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire and North to South from Leeds in West Yorkshire to Chesterfield in Derbyshire. There are many cycle routes going along country paths in the woods surrounding the city. W
Open spaces
[edit | edit source]Sixty-one per cent of Sheffield's entire area is green space, and a third of the city lies within the Peak District national park. There are more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens in the city, which is estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees. W
Maps
- A Greenground Map of Sheffield, theoutdoorcity.co.uk, added 16:37, 23 July 2021 (UTC)
The Peace Gardens are an inner city square in Sheffield, England. The Gardens themselves front onto Sheffield's gothic town hall, not to be confused with Sheffield City Hall (a concert venue), or the Sheffield Old Town Hall.
News archive
[edit | edit source]- What are the neighbourhoods of Sheffield and why are they crucial to the city's emerging future? We're finding out, nowthenmagazine.com (Nov 23, 2023)
- Sheffield’s Opus Network is the very ideal of a CAN - making media, doing business and connecting to a planet of ideas, The Daily Alternative (Jul 13, 2023)
- An ordinary hope helping to power communities across Britain, ucl.ac.uk (May 23, 2023)
- Fringe Farming Report Reveals Green Recovery Potential, ShefFood (Mar 18, 2022)
"I wanted ordinary citizens to feel like they owned the chamber". A mindful review of ex-Mayor of Sheffield Magic Magid's The Art of Disruption, Mar 26, 2021...thealternative.org.uk
- Urban land could grow fruit and veg for 15 percent of the population...sheffield.ac.uk, Mar 17, 2020
- A new approach to Sheffield's street trees, Dec 13, 2018...@Sheffield Newsroom, Sheffield City Council
- Urban Agriculture in Little Sheffield, Mar 22, 2017...reconomy.org
Sheffield is on a quest to be the fairest city of them all – here's how it's doing, May 9, 2016...@ConversationUK
- Death of the high street? Rise of the DIY grassroots community venue... February 6, 2016...citygirl92blog.wordpress.com
- Sheffield: The beauty of small in a region getting bigger, December 10, 2015...sheffield.newstartmag.co.uk
- University of Sheffield Commits to Divest £39m From Fossil Fuels, November 30, 2015...blog.peopleandplanet.org
- Foundations for a fairer city, September 30, 2014...livingwithrats.blogspot.co.uk
- Hundreds Get On Their Bikes to Demand #Space4Cycling in Sheffield, May 20, 2014...Great Gas Beetle
News sources
- Now Then, a magazine for Sheffield. Independent, award-winning citizen journalism since 2008, added 18:08, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
About Sheffield
[edit | edit source]Past events
- Sheffield Environment Weeks
- Mar 27 - 28, 2019, Wed - Thu Feeling Good in a Green City festival
- Feb 16, 2017, The Platform - 'Sheffield Re-imagined 2017: A Manifesto for a Better Sheffield
- May 24 - 26, 2014, Sheffield Food Festival
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. The population of the City of Sheffield is 584,853 (mid-2019 est.) Sheffield is the second-largest city in the Yorkshire and the Humber region and the third-largest English district by population. The metropolitan population of The city of Sheffield is 1,569,000.
The city is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines, and the valleys of the River Don and its four tributaries. W
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Phil Green (2014–2026). "Community action/Sheffield". Appropedia. Retrieved October 18, 2026. |