What did the Council ever do for me?

One of our key campaigns aims to tackle the 'what did the Romans ever do for us' syndrome.

 

All too often people simply aren't aware of the huge range of services that we provide.  Most people are under the impression that councils do little more than empty bins and sweep the streets.

 

In actual fact, we provide over 400 different services every day.

 

In the latest part of the campaign, you can see Liz Hammond from Sharrow riding her bike in Whitely Woods.  Her first step towards being able to ride a bike began with one of our free cycling lessons.  We offer Sheffield residents a free learn to ride lesson through our accredited cycling instructors, Pedal Ready.

 

In addition to the free lessons for beginners, we also offer guidance, help and information for all levels of cyclists about cycle routes in Sheffield, groups you can join that go out on cycle rides, useful equipment and much more.

 

You can find out more about cycling in Sheffield, including the free cycling lessons we offer, in our cycling section.

 

In the sixth advertisement, Jenny and Stephen Hall from Bradway are pictured in a local restaurant, Thyme Cafe in Broomhill.  They are helping to highlight the work of the Council's environmental health officers.  They inspect food establishments in the city to check that their kitchens are clean and that they handle and store food safely and properly.  And that means we can go out to eat with confidence.  You can see how well a restaurant or cafe has scored in their inspection by looking at Scores on the Doors.

 

You can read all about the other work that the Environmental Health Service carries out, such as pest control, tackling land, noise and air pollution, investigating infectious diseases and food poisoning cases and finding unwanted dogs new homes, help to ensure workplaces are safe and healthy, and more, in the environmental health section.

 

In the fifth advertisment, Charlotte Hollingworth, age five from Ecclesall, was pictured playing with her wooden train set.  She helped to remind us all of the good work Trading Standards do, to make sure that the children's toys we buy are safe for them to play with and will last far beyond Christmas.

 

Her mum Emma was really keen to take part in the campaign and she was really proud to see the posters of her daughter all over the city.

 

In the fourth advertisement of the series, Lynne and Keith Fairweather featured on their big day when they got married at Sheffield Town Hall.  They chose the Town Hall for their wedding because it's a beautiful grade I listed building, and because the nearby Peace Gardens are a lovely backdrop for wedding photos.

 

Lynne and Keith used two Sheffield City Council services for their wedding - the Register Office and the Town Hall events service.  The function rooms in the Town Hall can be booked for private functions such as weddings, receptions, banquets, conferences, meetings and more.

 

Joe from Burngreave was shown in the third advertisment playing his cello, which he has learned how to play thanks to the Sheffield Music Service, another Council service.

 

The second advertisement featured Adam and his son Morien.  Adam loves to listen to his son reading.  They visit the Children's Library in the Central Library regularly to browse and borrow books and other goodies.  Libraries are a very popular Council service. 

 

The first advertisement pictured Naomi from Handsworth.  This part of the campaign was about the fact that we make sure she doesn't get half measures at the petrol station, thanks to Trading Standards - another Council service. 

 

More advertisements are planned to highlight other vital services that we provide, including environmental health, parks, physical activity and many more.

 

You can also find out more about what the Council does for you in a guide we have produced as part of this campaign.  It has been distributed to homes across the city, and it's also available here on the Council guide webpage.

 

 

Future advertisements in this series will focus on the Archives service (researching family trees or finding long lost relatives) and our free home insulation scheme.  We're looking for local people to feature in these advertisements.

 

Have you ever traced your family tree using the Council's Archives service?  Or have you or a friend or family member taken up our offer of free home insulation?

 

If you think you fit the bill, or know someone who does, and would be willing to feature in a future campaign advertisement, please contact the Communications Service on (0114) 203 9082.

 

Your face could be famous around the city!  We look forward to hearing from you.