Derby Street rose bed (at the top)

If you live at the top of Derby street, you'll have noticed a new fence being built around the old rose bed. Work started last week and is expected to be done by next week.

This means that it won't be so easy to walk across and the plants will have a better chance to grow.

But that's not all! We're also planning to replant the bed, come springtime (I'm not mad enough to go out there in this snow!).

A few of us from the TARA will be starting with weeding on Wednesday 17th March (11am-12noon) for a short blast. Fancy giving us a hand? Just turn up and help make the area look sweeter!

We'll also talk about what to plant at the annual general meeting over free food and a cuppa the day after, Thursday 18th March, at the Heeley community centre from 7pm. Come and share your ideas!

Annual General Meeting

The next AGM of Heeley Rise TARA is on Thursday 18th March, from 7pm, at the Heeley Community Centre.

Join us for free food and drinks!

We will be deciding on this year's trips and gardening projects.

Please come and support your TARA, your TARA needs YOU!

For details, email celinepagnier@yahoo.co.uk

bulb planting

Last December, a few tenants and residents from Derby street, Derby Terrace and Penns Road put their boots and warm jackets on to dig in some spring bulbs (daffodils and crocus) on the grassed bank up from Jeffery street.




It had only just started snowing and I'm sure we all thought we were mad! But if we hadn't braved the weather, we wouldn't have been able to put anything for flowers to come out in spring. So, it was well worth the effort!



Fingers crossed for spring. Keep an eye out for bulbs to come out in March, we hope that it will make a stunning display that can be seen from Gleadless Road.


If you want to join in future planting, we have a few gardening projects coming up for 2010 and we'd love more of our neighbours to get stuck in!


The brave (or the mad!) team. There was also our youngest volunteer Brendon, 8 years old, who gave us a good hand digging in and putting bulbs in. Well done and thank you Brendon!

Trips to Bridlington and York

Heeley Rise TARA have booked accessible 49 seater coaches, with lift access, to take local tenants and residents to Bridlington Seaside on the 1st of August, and day trip to York on the 29th August. Tickets are per person, per coach trip, and cost £5 for adults, £2.50 for kids.

For info, call the T.A.R.A. Hotline (0114) 258 9706 or visit 174 Derby Street

Tickets can be purchased some evenings around tea time, or sometimes during the day. You are best to telephone Krystyna via the hotline to make arrangements, or try pot luck and visit.

TARA Meeting on the 23rd July

The TARA hasn't met since the AGM in March. One of the reasons was that we discussed having less meetings rather than a meeting each month, but there is a concern and a feeling that the TARA could potentially loose focus. The TARA is therefore meeting on the 23rd July, at 7pm, at the Heeley Community Centre on Gleadless Road. All are welcome to take part.

Avenue of Blossom Trees

Today marked a glorious day for local tenants and residents who turned up in force to plant a long row of crab apple and amelanchier blossom trees along Derby Street. We were even joined by our local PCSO, Cathal Berney, dropping in on his day off, as well as a resident passing through from the Arbourthorne area. The effect of our work today is sure to create a beautful avenue of colourful blossoms along the street each spring, creating an eye catching entrance for visitors passing through the area in years to come.

This work was the culmination of several months of planning starting from when the T.A.R.A. was first formed in March of 2008. Ed Thatcher, Community Forester became involved in our meetings to advise on the varieties we could consider, and after consultation via our tara newsletter as well as a letter from Ed, we decided that November was the right time to go ahead to order our chosen trees and get them planted.

The day arrived, it was both sunny with some blue skies, along with a huge splattering of a cold wind chill. It was the kind of day which meant that if you didn't keep moving you'd quickly get cold. One tenant, Trevor, who is close to reaching his 70th, spent the whole day digging up and planting a number of trees; clearly a fit man who never stopped getting on with life. Carl, who is ex forces, was found recounting his wonderful stories on exercise doing daily marches and digging in trenches chest high every day for 5 days in a row. Fortunately, it was the trees we were digging in, and there were no tenants or residents to fight. Meanhile, Celine our secretary, seemed to be maintaining some sort of aikido stances whilst she was punching in the tree posts with the slammer whilst Krystyna, our Chair, idly watched by, recovering from her last ailments of a difficult bug.

In all, a wonderful day and a feat accomplished, there were a long row of trees in the open grassy area and no longer did Derby Street look bare as you cast your eye up the road. It wasn't hard to imagine how the street will look in years to come when the leaves blossom into wonderful colours of reds, pinks and white.

Christmas Shopping Trip to Lincoln Market

Mark your diaries for Saturday 6th December, as this will be a great opportunity for a shopping trip to Lincoln's Famous Christmas Markets.

Seats to the coach will cost £5 for TARA levy payers, and £10 for non-TARA levy payers. You can purchase your tickets by popping to 174 Derby Street most evenings at around tea time. Alternatively, contact us on the TARA telephone number and leave a message if you need to make alternative arrangements.

The coach will leave the junction of Derby Street/Lichford Road at 8:30am on Saturday 6th December, returning at an agreed time with the group in the afternoon. Few spaces available so do come and get your tickets.

We're off to Scarborough

How would you like to go and dip your feet in the sea, visit the lifeboat station, gather seashells on the seashore or just relax in a pub looking out to the North Sea? Well, the newly-formed Heeley Rise TARA is organizing its first trip this Summer for tenants and residents.

A coach is booked to Scarborough from 8:30am for Saturday 2nd August, leaving the junction of Derby Street and Lichford Road. Price is £7.50 per person, with tickets for under 18’s at £5 for one or two for £7.50. No unaccompanied children under the age of 18 please! For people who do not pay a weekly levy, the cost is £10 per seat booked.

Unfortunately, we cannot give a refund if you cancel or do not turn up on the day! You can pay at the any of the meetings on Thursday 19th June or 17th July taking place at the Heeley Community Centre, from 7.30pm; or come to the Secretary, Céline, at 252 Derby Street on Thursday 26th June between 8-9pm.

If our first trip is a success, we’ll organize another one for Christmas Shopping! What about the bright lights of London? To book your place, please complete the slip below to book as places are limited to 51 people.

Dial 101 for nuisance

There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with nuisance and anti-social behaviour from people around you. The most convenient way to report incidents is by dialing 101. Doing this is not only good for you, it’s also good for your neighbours who just might be suffering in silence. It’s a service provided by the Council who work closely with the Police to prevent nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

Perfect Blossoms

We’re sure you’ll agree that in many places around the Heeley Common area there are some lovely trees that blossom with pink and white leaves at this time of year. We found that the only place that’s missing such blossoms are Derby Street.

We met up with Moira Walker of the Trees and Woodlands section to get us thinking about planting some new trees in this area. Moira has suggested that we could have as many as 30 to 50 trees all along and around Derby Street. With your views and some planning, we could have the chosen trees planted as early as this coming Autumn.

We would like you to have your say in choosing the variety and colour of trees we should go for, do you prefer white, pink, ornamental apples, or something else? We would like you to have a think about the suggestions, and if you can, go and visit the trees in the local area to decide for yourself. To help you make some choices, we have provided a list of trees and the places where they are situated.

If access is a problem, then don’t worry, as we will invite Moira to our general meeting in June/July to bring lots of photos s for everyone to choose the perfect blossom trees for Derby Street.

Where you will find them!

• Amelanchier Trees on Edenhall Road
• Mulberry Trees on Richards Road
• Prunus Pandora on the top of Erskine Road
• Ornamental Blossoms on Myrtle Road
  

Who are we?

The TARA is made up of a small group of volunteers who have formed the first committee. More importantly though, every tenant and resident who is a member of the TARA has an important role to play by taking part in activities and helping to make decisions about our area. The Chair simply makes sure the meetings run well and that everyone has an equal say, whilst the secretary does the running around dealing with the donkey work. The treasurer, well, he looks after our money, and as for the rest of the committee, they keep us all on our toes.

It's all go..!!

Life is going to get much more exciting in the coming months for people living around the Heeley Common area. This is because the all new TARA has just been set up by a group of volunteer committee members. We’re tenants and residents just like you who live locally and who are already buzzing with ideas to make it a better place for everyone to live.

Although it used to be called the Heeley Common TARA, we thought the new name of Heeley Rise would give us a fresh start. It represents the rise up to the top of the hill with its glorious views all around. We decided to get going because we knew there were things we can do to make life better for us all.

To help us achieve this, we would like people to get involved. We want to hear your thoughts and ideas, and start to do good things with your levy money from Sheffield Homes. Did you know that when you add up all the 10p’s that you pay each week into the tenants levy, it all adds up to £1,617.20 each year, and that’s without the grant money we can claim.

To do things right, we have to make sure we represent your views! We have to bring tenants and residents together by doing a regular newsletter and getting people involved in activities, such as tree planting, trips out and anything else that people think of.

We will be campaigning as a local group around issues to do with housing, anti-social behaviour, crime and activities, all helping to bring the whole community together. We are a small group of volunteers and we will struggle to do new things without your help. So why not come along, get involved and get your views heard? Together, we can all make our area in Heeley a better place to live.