Saturday 21 January at Fox Lane Recreation Ground, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Denise Fox put on her gloves and wellies to join her ward colleagues Councillor Karen McGowan and Bryan Lodge along with Councillor Mary Lea, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure, forestry staff, members of Hollinsend Methodist Cricket Club and the community to plant over 150 trees.
In partnership with the Trees for Cities organisation, 7,500 trees will be planted in the south-east of the city. Trees being planted include a mix of native woodland species, including English Oak, Hazel, Field Maple, Spindle, Hawthorn and Blackthorn.
This tree planting will encourage wildlife and provide residents with opportunities to connect with nature. Sheffield is the greenest city in Britain where people can do a wide variety of outdoor activities such as walking, jogging and ride their bikes.
Birley Community Primary school children will also be involved in a separate planting session on Wednesday 25 January.
Birley ward councillors would like to thanks all the volunteers for their participation and the Community Forestry Manager at Sheffield City Council for organising the events.
I have lived on Fox Lane for 30 years and have seen many changes including new houses Care home ,road paths , i love taking my dogs fore walks on the old Frecheville school fields and craggs meeting other dog walkers and people just out enjoying the beautiful surroundings.But i am sadden by the dumping and litter dropping ie,plastic bottles ,pizza boxes,tin cans etc.The most annoying thing is the off road bikers and road bikers taking short c uts across to Basegreen turfing up the football pitches and turning them into mud baths ,i have confronted these people and all myself and other resedents have recieved is threats and verbal abuse ,planting trees is a great idea but how are they going to be protected from the bikers? Yours Mr.B.P.SIDDALL,Concerned resident .
Dear Mr Siddall
Thank you for contact your Birley Ward Councillors. I totally agree with your comments. On Saturday 10 February we are holding a litter pick due to concerns by local residents on the litter in Jaunty Park at the entrance at the bottom on Longstone Crescent. We are hoping to be joined by residents from the area, the fire cadets, police and pupils from The Birley Academy. I have also put an article below from the police which shows the work they have been doing in tackling off – road bikes and provides details of how to report this. This will help protect our trees and make our community a better place to live for everyone.
Motorcycle Team Tackling Off-Roaders
A dedicated police team tackling off-road bikers across Sheffield has revealed its first wave of results and is urging people to continue with their support.
Information received from the public since the dedicated approach was introduced in August 2017 has helped put illegal motorcyclists before the courts and reduce the danger and nuisance posed by those flouting the law.
Inspector Jason Booth, said: “After listening to members of the public and key stakeholders at community meetings, we were able to identify an emerging trend involving the use of illegal motorbikes across the city. People were reporting similar experiences and problems in a number of neighbourhoods, which we used to plot the bikers movements and stop them in their tracks.”
“We’ve seized motorbikes, reported individuals on summons and arrested those suspected of criminality, thanks largely to feedback from the public.”
A specially trained team of officers on off-road motorbikes has been deployed to hot-spots in order to prevent anti-social behaviour and deal with the underlying criminality that is commonly facilitated through the use of motorbikes.
Insp Booth added: “We have our suspicions that some of the stolen bikes have been used in crimes such as burglary and drug dealing. Police bikers and dogs have been able to apprehend those riding illegally and bring them to justice. People should be reassured that criminal, reckless and irresponsible actions will not be tolerated.”
August 2017 saw 331 calls made to 101 by Sheffield residents wanting to report illegal bike-related incidents. That figure dropped to 152 in September, 169 incidents in October and 85 in November 2017.
64 riders have been stopped and issued with formal written warnings under the Police Reform Act for riding motorcycles in an anti-social manner e.g. in parks.
• 17 motorbikes have been seized after being ridden in an anti-social manner.
• 17 motorbikes have been seized for having no insurance.
• 19 stolen vehicles have been recovered, mostly motorbikes.
• 10 people have been reported on summons to appear at court for various riding offences.
• Six riders have been arrested on suspicion of offences, including burglary and theft, possession of drugs and handling stolen goods.
South Yorkshire Police is working with Sheffield City Council, housing providers and the community to look at long term solutions to the problem of off-road biking, including prevention and education.
Insp Booth added: “Our team is passionate about making Sheffield a safer place but we need your continued support to do so.”
Call 101 if you wish to report a problem or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Alternatively you can email:
http://www.reportingcrime.uk/SYPincidentreport
or http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org
You can follow our off-road bike team on social media:
Twitter: @OffRoadBikeTeam
Facebook: SYP Off Road Team