Sheffield heatwave: Free drinks, mystery donation and other random acts of kindess as city swelters

Sheffielders have lived up to their tag as the UK’s friendliest city, with numerous acts of generosity towards not just friends and family but complete strangers helping see us through the unprecedented hot spell.

In Norfolk Park, Christopher Walker filled a tub with bottles of cold water and invited people to help themselves – he even changed the water and ice every hour to ensure the drinks remained cool.

His kindess was repaid when a stranger left a £20 note in the tub – money he said he would use to buy more water and other drinks to add to the tub on Tuesday and help people keep hydrated in the heat.

One woman commented: “There are still some lovely people around, one good turn deserves another God bless you.”

Crookes Social Club opened its doors early to help people cool down by taking advantage of its air conditioning, with tea and coffee making facilities on hand for everyone to use before the bar opened at 6pm and free WiFi available too.

Over at Sheffield Cathedral, visitors were also offered free water and even sun cream to help them stay safe.

Sheffield Children's Hospital showed its appreciation to its hard-working staff by teaming up with ice cream van operators to provide free ice creams for employees on Monday.

Several other employers also displayed their compassionate side, including bosses at the Kelham Island bar and restaurant Church – Temple of Fun, who closed their kitchen because they felt it was too hot to work in there, and the owners of Marmadukes, who shut their Cambridge Street site for the same reason.

These are just a few examples of the random acts of kindness we’ve enjoyed hearing about during the heatwave. If you want to give anyone else a shout-out, email [email protected],