Kelham Christmas cheer
News item | December 2011
The annual Kelham Island Museum Victorian Christmas Market was a hit this weekend with over 15,000 people attending over two days.
Christmas shoppers pounded the cobbled museum streets where over 120 stalls sold seasonal goods to suit every pocket. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Sylvia Dunkley opened the market.
Councillor Dunkley said: “The Kelham Island Museum Victorian Christmas Market is one of the highlights of Sheffield’s event calendar. It was a real honour to open this year’s Market. "The entire museum which is such a showcase for Sheffield's industrial heritage was bustling with visitors, shoppers and traders alike."It really was a magical experience and certainly put me in a festive mood."
Museum staff and market traders were dressed in traditional Victorian costumes to bring the magical heritage of Kelham Island Museum to life, helping visitors find the perfect stocking filler or unusual gift.
This year’s event had more stalls than ever before. As well as food, crafts and other wares, visitors were also be entertained with fairground rides and onstage performances from local brass bands and choirs.
Niki Connolly, Events and Marketing Officer at Kelham Island Museum said: “After missing last year due to heavy snowfall I think we all had twice as much fun this year to make up for it. What a wonderful event. We went all out to make this year’s Christmas Market bigger and better than ever before. I hope everyone who visited had as great a time as we did. I know everyone certainly looked like they were having fun!”
The Kelham Island Victorian Christmas Market has been a staple part of the Sheffield events calendar for 20 years now. It attracts thousands of visitors who browse the Dickensian themed market and enjoy the traditional Christmas entertainment.
The museums’ ‘Dickensian’ Living History characters wander the cobbled streets and spread Christmas cheer and many visitors come dressed up in their Victorian best!
Jayne Abdy a stall holder from Wentworth Pewter in Sheffield came dressed in her finest Victorian clothes said: "I love coming to Kelham Island Museum Christmas Market now and we always get dressed up to really get in the spirit of the event. It was a terrible shame that it snowed last year but this year's market has really made up it, we’ve had a fantastic time."
Sheffield most outstanding chamber
News item | November 2011
Sheffield’s Junior Chamber International (JCI) has scooped an amazing nine awards at their annual UK National Convention, including ‘Most Outstanding Chamber’.
Out of a total 18 award categories JCI Sheffield won nine awards, scooping 50% of the total number of awards.
JCI Sheffield will now go ahead to represent the UK at the European JCI awards in Germany next year. The Junior Chamber will be vying to win against European counterparts for six of the nine awards already won.
Kate Senter President of JCI Sheffield said: “Winning one award would be enough but to scoop nine is absolutely amazing! And now to go forward to the JCI European awards … I need to pinch myself.
“2011 has been a great year for JCI Sheffield. These are national awards and the win puts us streets ahead of some of our neighbouring northern cities, all with strong JCI groups, and even ahead of London.
“I’m so proud of the win and, I know I can speak for all of our members when I say that, being awarded the accolade of ‘Most Outstanding Chamber’ really is the icing on the cake. It is testament to all of the hard work that has gone on this year.”
200 young business professionals from across the UK attended the three day event at the Royal Victoria Holiday Inn, Sheffield. A Gala Dinner and national awards ceremony will took place at Kelham Island Museum as part of the weekend event.
Junior Chamber International specialises in the personal development of young business people and professionals in their twenties and thirties by providing networking opportunities, training and social events.
Good things come in three for Ruby Slippers
News item | October 2011
Sheffield’s local economy has been given a boost as three organisations based in the city championed ‘home grown’ talent and appointed a local Sheffield agency to support the delivery of their work.
Sheffield based marketing communications agency Ruby Slippers has been selected to deliver marketing and PR support for three prominent South Yorkshire organisations.
Ruby Slippers, which was launched in 2008, will work with Digital Region Limited, University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.
Digital Region recognised the agency for expertise in delivering brand development and marketing communications support. Ruby Slippers will work with Digital Region to raise the profile of the superfast broadband network, following a competitive tender process.
Jeremy Sheehan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region Limited commented, “The Digital Region network was brought to South Yorkshire to benefit businesses and residents in the region. We are committed to supporting local business and enabling economic growth in South Yorkshire. Ruby Slippers was appointed because they set the benchmark and brought fresh insight into how we will achieve our communications objectives. We are looking forward to working with them going forward.”
Sheffield Hospitals Charity has also appointed Ruby Slippers to develop a strategic marketing campaign that will raise awareness of how leaving money to the charity in a will can have long lasting benefits, by helping to improve the care, treatment and overall experience of patients who use NHS services in Sheffield.
Ruby Slippers will also work with the University of Sheffield to deliver PR support and communicate the services and facilities offered by the department of Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) at the University.
Nichola Atherton, Managing Director of Ruby Slippers Ltd said, “I’m delighted that Ruby Slippers has won the new contracts, it is an exciting time and we are growing fast. It’s also encouraging that organisations in South Yorkshire are looking at local talent to fulfil their needs. We are an experienced agency and proud of our Sheffield roots, so it’s great to help raise the profile of local organisations. This can only be a good thing for us and the city.”
JCI SHEFFIELD... THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT
News item | Oct 2011
Sheffield’s young entrepreneurs just got better connected, and now they’re going global.
The team at JCI Sheffield have created the first interactive Junior Chamber International app in the world and have been approached to roll it out across the globe.
The JCI Sheffield app helps members interact better, enabling them to access details and booking for events, training activities, maps and also connect to other JCI members and groups.
The team created the app over two months and have carried out trials to test the technology and have now launched it to members in Sheffield. The app is available to download from itunes and the Android Market by searching ‘JCI Sheffield’.
Since the launch JCI Sheffield has been approached by the international board of directors of JCI, a worldwide organisation based in the USA, to roll out the app to members across the world.
A team of six members from JCI Sheffield will now go to the JCI World Congress meeting in Brussels to launch the app and deliver demonstrations to thousands of members from across the world.
Kate Senter, Internal Communications Manager at Sheffield based Irwin Mitchell and President of JCI Sheffield said: “To engage properly with new and existing members of JCI Sheffield it is important to put ourselves in their shoes, and most importantly to use the communications methods that they are using.
"The app allows us to provide up to date information that is easily accessed by members via their smart phones. We see it as a really useful CRM and development tool. The fact that JCI want to take the app global is credit to the forward thinking of the Sheffield team. Yet another accolade for the city … another ‘Made in Sheffield’.”
The app has been developed with the support of John Phillips from Seams Ltd and Richard Wright, Chief Executive at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce (a JCI Sheffield Patron). Both offered support to the JCI Sheffield team and helped them to access Business Link reserve funding to scope out the project and build the application.
Richard Wright, Executive Director at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce said: “It is very important to help and support young business professionals to fulfil their potential. The team at JCI Sheffield have delivered something original that highlights to the rest of the business community just what can be achieved through creative thinking, vision and determination. “Sheffield is now going to be represented on a world scale and that is all thanks to JCI Sheffield.”
JCI specialises in the personal development of young business people and professionals in their 20’s and 30’s by providing networking opportunities, professional training and social events.
Further details about JCI Sheffield can be found at www.jcisheffield.co.uk or email jcisheffield@googlemail.com
Sheffield schools speed up learning thanks to Digital Region
News item | Oct 2011
Sheffield schools are getting better connected. Over 160 schools across the city are looking forward to connecting to the superfast broadband network.
Over 65,000 Sheffield school children will soon benefit from the best broadband speeds available, giving children and teacher’s superfast access to the Internet and web based learning materials.
Access to Digital Regions superfast broadband network allows Sheffield schools to jump ahead of the curve and take advantage of next generation teaching applications.
Sheffield City Council has signed up to the Digital Region network in a deal worth over £1million. Sheffield’s five year deal means that all four local councils in South Yorkshire are now in the process of moving their communications networks to the Digital Region network.
Connecting all of the schools will take less than a year to complete and is expected to generate £193,000 of cost saving for the city’s schools over a three year period (with the option for schools to extend to five years giving a total saving of over £545,000).
Dave Dickinson, Deputy Head teacher at Southey Green School in Sheffield that recently moved to the Digital Region network, commented,
“Our students are taking full advantage of increased internet performance now that the school has access to superfast broadband from Digital Region. We immediately experienced significant benefits, as the Digital Region network is a stable and reliable platform that aids learning. Students can access the internet quickly and engage in media rich work that is far more advanced than our old system could support.
“The transition to Digital Region was fast and efficient and we immediately noticed the benefits of the greater bandwidth and the much improved reliability that the network offers.”