The Rose Garden Café Partnership
Who are we?
The Rose Garden Café Partnership is made up of representatives from the Friends of Graves Park, Save the Rose Garden Café Campaign, Sheffield City Council and Chris Hallam is our independent chair.
Photo of the Rose Garden Café Partnership stood outside the café and the partner logos.
Why is there a Rose Garden Café Partnership?
Following a 15-month campaign by local people to save the Rose Garden Café after it was closed in 2022 on safety grounds, the council proposed to work in partnership with the community to restore and refurbish the café. The role ofContinue reading
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An evening in the cafe with Blues and Jazz Band DORA AND THE EXPLORERS!
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE: https://shorturl.at/qIlZE
Come and join us for an unmissable performance at Rose Garden Cafe from 7-piece jazz and blues ensemble Dora and the Explorers.
Your toes will be tapping as you sit at a table with friends eating, drinking and listening to this wonderful live music.
This amazing evening with Dora and the Explorers will be a relaxed and entertaining experience with two sets all in aid of the restoration and refurbishment of the Cafe.Tickets include a selection of Duke's delicious homemade pie and peas delivered to your table.
Tickets cost £20 per person and are listed by pie choice so that we know ahead of schedule what to cook!
The venue will open at 6.45pm and the first performance will start about 7pm.
Drinks will be on sale at the venue, including soft drinks and alcoholic choices.
So why not grab your friends, have fun and feel great about helping to support the continued efforts to make sure the cafe remains an improved community asset for the next 100 years!
We have a maximum 100 tickets available for the night - please do not bring additional people with you unless they have a ticket. Children of the age 12+ are welcome (must have a ticket)!
This event is being sponsored by Dukes in the Park who are kindly donating their time, all the food at cost and opening up the venue for us on the evening. Dora and the Explorers are donating their time and talent.
If you have any questions please contact rosegardencafeappeal@gmail.com or phone us on 07395 023887.
We now know the renovation costs and whilst we don't expect to raise all the required funds through fundraising, every little we raise goes directly towards the refurbishment and helps in further funding bids.
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Rose Garden IPA Launched!
We are really excited to announce the launch of the Rose Garden IPA!
Thanks to the Little Mesters Brewing company we now have our own Rose Garden Cafe branded IPA on sale!
For every can sold, just over £1 will go towards the Restoration appeal (all profits are donated).
Cans are on sale for £4.50 each, available at Norfolk Park Cafe and on the following dates in the Rose Garden Cafe:
- 29th November
- 6th December
- 13th December
- 20th December
- 27th December
You can also email rosegardencafeappeal@gmail.com to place an order!
They make a wonderful Christmas present and people who have already purchased tell me its delicious! (Im not an IPA drinker myself!)
So why not support us by popping in to the Cafe and purchasing yourself a can or two!
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Rose Garden Christmas Craft stall raises and amazing £900
Thank you to everyone who braved the weather on the 15th November to visit our Craft Stall in the Rose Garden Cafe.
We managed to raise just over £900 towards the restoration appeal which is a fantastic amount given the circumstances!
Huge thanks to all who bought something from us, to everyone who donated items and to all our wonderful volunteers who manned the stalls. You are all wonderful and we appreciate everybody's support so much!
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Pre-Christmas Craft Stall
November 15th - 10-4pm in the CafeOur next Fundraising event is in November!We know it’s a bit early to mention the “C” word, but it’s fast approaching and we want to give you the chance to get prepped early!So our Christmas Craft stall is returning early this year, we’ll be in the cafe selling gorgeous craft items kindly donated by our supporters onPlease come along and see if we have any perfect stocking fillers for you, all in aid of raising money for the restoration appeal.
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Isabel Blincow Art Work Fundraising Auction!
The amazing Isabel Blincow MBE has created and donated a unique original painting of the Rose Garden Café, to help us raise funds for the Rose Garden Café Renovation Project. The amazing picture (shown below) is being Auctioned at Sheffield Auction Gallery with the selling fees being wavered in support of the campaign. Isabel has also donated two textile works of art for the auction (also shown below).
Isabel Blincow’s painting goes under the hammer on:
26th September at 10am
You can view the catalogue and bid online at www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com on the day, or visit in person at the Sheffield Auction Gallery which is at Windsor Road, Sheffield, S8 8UB.
This is an amazing opportunity to own an original artwork by a renowned Sheffield artist - so make sure to get your bids in on the day!
With huge thanks to the amazing Isabel Blincow and Sheffield Auction Gallery for their support and generosity. And to Julie, Steve and Caroline from our fundraising group for organising this!
You can read more about this fantastic opportunity here: https://www.thestar.co.uk/community/renowned-local-artist-donates-painting-for-auction-to-help-save-rose-garden-cafe-5252057?r=2345
Isabel Blincow Painting of the Rose Garden Cafe that is being auctioned.
1 of the Textile works donated by Isabel also available for auction
#2 Textile works donated by Isabel for the auction -
Graves Park Summer Holiday Family Treasure Trail
If you're doing childcare over the summer holidays and are having one of those days where you just haven't planned anything and then get antsy - then we might have just the thing!Local, cheap, outdoors and fun for the whole family! The Graves Park Summer Holiday Family Treasure Trail!The Treasure Trail will run from 24th July - 31st August and you can pick up the trail and answer sheet from the Rose Garden cafe for just £2 per sheet.Children will get a sticker for completing the trail, and you can enter a competition to win a voucher for the Cafe!All proceeds will go towards the restoration appeal.
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Fundraising Quiz Raises over £1,000 for the Restoration fund
Last Friday we held a "Fun Fundraising Quiz" in the Rose Garden Cafe, kindly sponsored by Dukes in the Park.
Thanks to the ticket sales, bar sales and donations on the night, we managed to raise an incredible £1,173.80 for the Restoration Appeal.
We would like to say a HUGE thank you to all the attendees on the evening, to all our prize donators, to Dukes in the Park for their delicious pies & staffing the event for the evening and to all the members of the fundraising team for their time and effort in organising the event.
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Join us for the Easter Fayre!
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Dukes Hot Drinks Donations
Big thank you to Dukes for continuing to donate 10p from every tea / coffee sold to the Save the Rose Garden Refurbishment Fund. Since the reopening of the internal seating on August 7th 2024, 19,248 hot drinks have been sold! That is £1,924.82 donated to the restoration!
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Latest plans for the Rose Garden Cafe restoration and refurbishment
Following the public consultation last year, we invited people to meet the project architect, Chris Hill from Wainwrights and to see the latest design scheme for the cafe, costed at £2.6m. Many thanks to all those that joined us and asked questions. Click here to see the latest architectural drawings.
‘We feel that we have incorporated many of the ideas from the public consultation into the design scheme’ says Chris Hallam, Independent Chair of the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership. “The plans include repairs to the front wall, new roof covering, new windows and patio doors, the renovation of the clock tower along with improved toilets and access. ‘There will also be a new kitchen and extended exterior seating areas’. ‘Graves is Sheffield’s largest park and it’s only right that we have sought to increase access, participation and inclusion in our design scheme’. ‘The design proposals also include for increased community use and hire which was ranked the number one priority out of the consultation’, adds Chris.
‘The reaction to our plans was really positive and encouraging. We hope people liked what what we have produced and the challenge now is to secure the funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sources to secure its future for the next 100 years’, concludes Chris.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Fran Belbin and Richard Williams, the Chair of the council’s Charity Trusts Sub-Committee along with other local councillors.
End of Year Statement from our Independent Chair 2025
“I would like to extend enormous thanks to every single person who has donated so far to our campaign, it really does have an influence. Once again, the people of the city have shown how proud they are of our heritage and how much they are prepared to support this cause.”
“The Partnership has had an extremely busy and productive year in 2025. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such a willing and capable group of volunteers and professionals that make up our group.”
“Whether this be in terms of Grant applications, expertly martialled by Caroline Dewar, fundraising under the creative eyes of Liz Hnat and Andy Kershaw and our wider fundraising team, events in the park generously supported by Catherine Mcdougall and Simon Ross, the huge support of Julie Collins and her team at Dukes, the heritage walks led by David Hartlebury, the operation and maintenance of the café today led by Nathan Rodgers or the design of the restored Café itself led by Rebecca Nixon, Chris Hill and Alan Nock we have in each group a mixture of partnership members, professionals and other committed volunteers. It really does show what can be achieved when people work towards a common cause.”
“Next year will see us look to get planning approval as we corral the funds to get started on the building work! Personally, I can’t wait to see what we can achieve!"
Chris Hallam - Save the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership Independent Chair
Who's Listening
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Friends of Graves Park, Save the Rose Garden Café Campaign, Sheffield City Council and Chris Hallam, independent chair
Latest Architectural Plans for the Rose Garden Cafe
Public Consultation Results Infographic
Photos
Ideas Consultation Boards designed by Newfield School
Young people from Newfield School created designs and questions for the restoration and future use of the Rose Garden Café, which were shared via ideas boards in the café. The public were able to share ideas and answers to the questions on the boards. The boards were documented daily and feedback will be collated to compliment the survey responses.
Photos of students designing boards and finished boards in café.