I am currently writing Sheffield short stories based purely on the people that I see around the city.  At the moment, I am posting the first lines on Twitter (http://twitter.com/TalesofSteel), although I hope to start publishing the stories onto a blog in the next week or so.

Celebrating British textile fashion heritage i.e. manufacturing, purpose, trading and impact, cleaning and care, preservation, evolution and how this has inspired today’s designers/makers.

Please add “TV Sheffield” to the big ideas list.

A broadcast TV Channel for the Sheffield region would be an ideal platform for championing the Cultural accomplishments of Sheffield. 

TV Sheffield could provide a large screen with rolling content throughout the ‘City of Culture’ year promoting the efforts of everyone. It could also produce quality broadcast ready footage for national broadcasters - futher enhancing the PR exposure of Sheffield. 

We’ve set up the TV Sheffield website to help coordinate the creative and technical industries that could come together to make this a reality. Please join and contribute.

e. Andy Moore

Heeley City Farm:  www.heeleyfarm.org.uk

We already offer a wide range of cultural, community and community access activities.

As well as a four acre inner city farm, farm animals, small animals house, gardens, polythene tunnels, wildlife areas, play area we are home to South Yorkshire Energy Centre, the popular Farm Kitchen café and an Iron Age Roundhouse.

We have an annual programme of festivals, events, shows, fayres and carnivals. We run courses and masterclasses in heritage crafts, horticulture and sustainable energy.

We work daily with adults with learning difficulties, young people, NEETs, unemployed adults and older people and everyone else in the community

We manage Meersbrook Park Walled Garden (www.meersbrookpark.co.uk), Firth Park Community Allotment and Wortley Hall Walled Garden (www.organickitchengarden.co.uk)

We are are keen to be part of the Sheffield City of Culture bid.  

My first proposal is that a summer event is held whereby all of Sheffields parks and green spaces are given over to the public to use as they see fit. This could include hosting of  events such as plays or competitions or setting up stalls for sale of local produce. I believe this proposal could encourage celebration of the distinctive attributes of each of Sheffields wards and hence the distinctive nature of Sheffield. The celebration of its green spaces could also be tied into celebration of the natural environment and Sheffields title as Europes greenest city. Educational events about green issues could be held in the parks concurrently. To tie the events and green spaces together and taking account of the topography of Sheffield, kite flying and fireworks displays could be proposed. 

My second proposal is for a series of free plays to be held in Sheffields theatre complex written and starring people from all over Sheffield. This I beleive would celebrate the divirsity of Sheffield and the platform that art and particularly theatre, can provide as a means of expression.      

Concord has two youth music performance groups and a Ceremonial Fanfare Team - the latter very suitable for appearances and presentations to attract the attention of an audience or to mark a significant moment in your ceremonies.

See pictures and more details on : www.concord.org.uk

Tel : 0114 2491460

email  :  rcs@concord.org.uk

How about we make our city nice and cozy with a bit of Guerilla Knitting http://www.flickr.com/groups/guerilla-knitting/pool/page5/

What about allowing Gate Crasher to re-open in Sheffield, a younger outlook on the issue of culture?

Sheffield Arts Prize : It would be great to have an Open Arts Prize and competition that can be used to attract an high calibre of art to the city once a year and really drive up the quality of art and artists coming to Sheffield…

1. Establish a prize fund of £50-100k: The fund should be bolstered and supported by larger private sector businesses eg DLA, Irwin Mitchell etc. Ernst and Young do a lot of this on London on a bigger scale.  It would be a great opportunity to get the local companies used to supporting the arts with sponsorship like this….
2. National and International call for entries across a number of arts disciplines, Painting, Sculpture, Digital Art, Photography. Top prize £10-15k for each…
3. The top entries and prize winners would exhibit across the city galleries for 2-3 months… Graves, Millennium, Site, Western Park etc

How about a ‘Cans Festival’ (similar to the one in leake street, london).