Sheffield pub Blue Ball Inn named as finalist for the ‘Rural Oscars’
A popular Sheffield pub has been named as a finalist in a competition dubbed the ‘Rural Oscars,’ so The Star visited to speak to landlady Emma Shepherd and to find out what makes it so special.
The Blue Ball Inn, Worrall, has reached the final of the Countryside Alliance Awards - just one of four North England finalists in the competition.
I made the journey along the meandering and winding roads from Oughtibridge to the Blue Ball Inn and it was impossible to overlook a large number of homes with placards outside firmly stating, ‘Hands Off Our Greenbelt’. It’s something that the locals are very proud of protecting and maintaining.
As I pulled into the car park and got out of the car, you can’t help but be immediately taken by the view. It is magnificent, as you look out across the undulating landscape unfurling before your very eyes, and it is readily apparent why locals are so intent on protecting the greenery around them from new homes.
Emma came out with a smile to greet me and wasted no time at all in offering to pour me a drink.
She told me about the approach she and her husband Carl ( Blue Ball Inn landlord), have when it comes to ensuring that their pub is not just a great place to drink, but a safe space for people from all walks of life – be they local or otherwise.
“It’s more of a community wet-led sort of pub, so we don’t specialise in food. We focus on beers and good hosting,” Emma explained.
It may only be four-miles north of the city centre but over in this neck of the woods the community definitely bands together. A fact local residents are proud of.
“We look after people that are lonely, isolated, and with dementia. For this we do musical memories every other week. We also cater for Zion church in Oughtibridge, we also do things like raise funds for local charities, host an auction each year – so far, I think we’ve raised around £50,000 for local charities,” Emma said.
Keeping it local is a point that is emphasised by Emma, and perhaps this is why the Blue Ball Inn is adored not just by its locals but also from people further afield, leading to recognition in what has been dubbed the ‘Rural Oscars’.
When I first spoke to Emma on the phone, it was both a surprising and delightful conversation… mainly because she did not know that the Blue Ball Inn was even in the running for the Countryside Alliance Awards, in the category of ‘Best pub in the North of England’.
“It was a complete surprise, we didn’t know that we were nominated in the first place. We also didn’t know that we’d got through to the regional finals. So that was lovely!” she said.
“We’re competing with four other rural pubs across North Yorkshire and Cumbria, so this is the only Sheffield pub that’s been shortlisted, which is brilliant.
“We have lots of countryfolk that come in here, we have the local farrier that comes in. We also have folk who come in after game shooting and beating.”
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish the use of the word ‘we’, often used by Emma in our chat. Is it ‘we’ as in Carl and herself? Or, is it used to reflect the community?
During my time at the Blue Ball Inn it is clear that there is no singular use of ‘I’, everything is done as part of a team, a collective, incorporating the community and intent on nurturing that.
“We also host a local Worrall environmental group, and they specifically look after the green spaces around the village and plant trees, bulbs and so on. We’ve got a lovely herb planter at the front in which we will plant some herbs for the community to use,” Emma explained.
When you think of a traditional pub it is more than just a place to drink, it is a hub and a warm safe space where people can get out of the cold weather, find conversation among many different faces from all walks of life and a place that offers a selection of drinks to satiate each person’s desires in a number of moments. This is something that Emma is keen to emphasise.
“We believe that this space should be for the community, I mean obviously it’s a business but we have space and facilities to accommodate and encourage people to come together,” she said.
As Emma speaks to me, I look around and just observe the clientele either coming into the pub or those who are already here. A fire crackles in the front room adjacent to the bar and a dog lays sleeping while two people enjoy a drink and conversation, meanwhile a man in a suit is seated with a drink maybe after a hard day's work?
Seated at the bar is one of the locals, ‘Nextdoor Paul’ who has his own stool and his drink is being poured for him before he gets a chance to order it.
“It’s a great place for people who live here or those who come from all over. The staff are lovely and they take care of you”, he says to me in between careful sips of his beer.
Each member of the team at the Blue Ball Inn, whether that’s Emma, Carl or the bar staff, knows the regulars and how they like things. It’s both considerate and endearing… it makes you think how important community hubs and establishments such as these are, and they’re dwindling in numbers rapidly both regionally and nationally.
Recognition in the form of awards like the Countryside Alliance finals means a lot to these establishments, it shows that they have had a meaningful impact on their local communities in a number of ways.
If you’ve got a local that stands out, you should definitely support those local businesses because they not only matter but pubs like this genuinely care about putting just as much into the community as they do about putting coin in the tills – or contactless payments in many cases.
The Blue Ball Inn, situated high up the hillside on Haggstone Road, looks down across the village of Worrall over into Oughtibridge and beyond, without the airs and graces of being above, well anyone, and that’s important and reflective of the whole vibe you’ll get here.
Just make that trek uphill, venture inside for a drink or two, get some snacks, and take a seat in the bar or sit outside and take in the view… there are few better ways where you can enjoy a freshly poured cold one.
You can vote for the Blue Ball Inn in the Countryside Alliance Awards here: https://www.countryside-alliance.org/news-content-type/announcing-the-north-of-englands-2026-countryside-alliance-awards-finalists
Voting will close at midnight on Monday, April 6.
Check out the events taking place at the Blue Ball Inn here: https://linktr.ee/blueballworrall
Or, you can follow them on social media:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueballworrall/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueballworrall/
The Blue Ball Inn is located at: 320 Haggstones Rd, Worrall, Sheffield S35 0PD
Contact: 07710 269687.