Sheffield Castlegate Festival hit by 'rule of six' and goes online only

Activities planned for a festival this weekend celebrating the historic centre of Sheffield have been hit by the coronavirus ‘rule of six’.
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Castlegate Festival will continue with virtual activities that can be accessed online from Saturday, September 19.

The event, which is organised by the Castlegate Partnership, aims to celebrate the past, present and future of Sheffield’s oldest quarter, which is undergoing regeneration.

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Despite the lockdown, the area has still seen much progress to celebrate this year, say organisers.

Castlegate in Sheffield city centre, pictured in FebruaryCastlegate in Sheffield city centre, pictured in February
Castlegate in Sheffield city centre, pictured in February

This includes the completion of the second phase of the Grey to Green environment scheme, vacant buildings and upper floors refurbished for apartments, a growing circuit of cafes and bars, the success of Kollider/Kommune in the old Angel Street Co-op as a social focus and workplace, the new Ding Junhui Snooker Academy, Skate England’s new street skating course and work about to start on the regeneration of the Old Town Hall.

Elements of the festival which were cancelled include guided tours of the site of Sheffield Castle and the Castlegate is Quay street festival.

A series of virtual tours of sites and buildings in Castlegate which are not open to the public will still allow people to explore hidden historic gems and workplaces. These are being run in conjunction with Heritage Open Days.

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The virtual tours include a trip to see the Medieval arches of Lady’s Bridge and Wicker Tilt via canoe and the Old Town Hall’s Georgian and Victorian courtrooms, judge’s rooms, cells and 1950s extensions.

Another video explores the Terminal Warehouse, whose Georgian canal architecture and machinery have been converted to design studios and living spaces.

Another video looks at Sheffield Castle including the hidden River Sheaf, castle remains, recent archaeology and a look back at city fairs and music halls.

There is a walkabout with the designers of Grey to Green and Love Square and river sculptor Daniel Bustamente talks about his unique installations in the Don at Blonk Street.

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The full virtual programme will be available at sheffield.gov.uk/castlegatefestival from Saturday.

The Marioland street skating installation on Exchange Street will still open on Saturday and a fortnightly flower market, the Pollen Market, will launch on Castlegate on Sunday, September 27.

Coun Mazher Iqbal, Sheffield Council cabinet member for business and investment, said: “I feel for the businesses and partners in Castlegate who have been working so hard in the last few months to celebrate the many positive developments in Castlegate. However, public safety must be our priority at this time. Our Castlegate team will continue to offer support and promotion of the regeneration vision we share.”

Martin McKervey, Castlegate Partnership chairman, said: “Although we can’t currently promote social gatherings in the quarter, we do urge people to enjoy the virtual tours we will be offering online, or follow the self-guided walk in safe groups to see how the area has begun to change and to visit some of its new attractions as they open.

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“To support this, we will be publishing a new online guide to the quarter to help people explore. Notwithstanding the present challenges presented by Covid-19, everyone involved with Castlegate has demonstrated huge energy and commitment in driving forward this historical and important part of our city, we thank them all for their work and efforts.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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