Historic Sheffield community centre which was birthplace of Scouts in the city needs your help

One of Sheffield’s oldest community centres, which housed the city's first Scout troop and hosted soldiers during both world wars, needs your help to fix its roof.
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Croft House Centre, tucked away on Garden Street in the city centre, has been running since 1902 and is still used by around 400 people a week – for everything from Flamenco dancing to martial arts.

But the distinctive building is showing its age and around £6,000 is needed to repair the roof and ensure it can continue to serve Sheffield for generations to come.

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Roger Steele outside Croft House Centre in SheffieldRoger Steele outside Croft House Centre in Sheffield
Roger Steele outside Croft House Centre in Sheffield
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Centre manager Roger Steele said: “The centre’s got a long history and it’s still very well used by lots of different groups, but the building dates back to 1846 and needs a fair amount of maintenance.

“We need to raise this money to repair the roof and keep it watertight for many years to come so the centre can continue to provide a space for the community to use.”

Mr Steele added that the centre, which is open seven days a week, receives no external funding and relies on donations and rental income to keep running.

Croft House Settlement, as it was previously known, opened in October 1902 and initially included a gym, snooker tables and reading room, along with a hall for meetings, lectures and other events. It hosted a soup kitchen and ran activities for poor children.

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It has been used by numerous groups over the years and today houses a day care centre for adults with learning difficulties, a youth marching band and Bollywood, Mambo, Flamenco and African dance classes, among other activities.

Mr Steele said: “The centre’s been well known to many thousands of local people continuously since 1902. We know this because we receive many visits and calls from those who ‘used to come here when I was a lad’ for boxing, weightlifting, soccer, youth clubs, etc.

“The building holds many great memories for many local people and we are appealing to those who may fondly remember their times here to help out with a small donation towards the costs of these repairs.”

Anyone who can help is asked to send their donation to Croft House Centre, Garden Street, Sheffield S1 4BJ, to email [email protected] or call 0114 249 1460.