At 6.30am, January 21, the sixth form geography department set off on the 153-mile journey to South Yorkshire. The first site of Mr. Wallace’s I-spy tour began before even getting off the bus, as we drove through Gleadless valley estate—one of the most deprived areas of the city which is about to be part of a £92 million regeneration scheme.
We saw many of the sites that we had been learning about in the regeneration topic, including The Supertram, a £240 million crucial regeneration scheme which has become vital to making Sheffield the most sustainable city in the UK.
We arrived at Park Hill Flats. Park Hill Flats has become a key aspect of our geography course and, much like the residents, we have fallen in love with the second biggest Grade 2 listed building in Europe.
At 2 o’clock we found our seats in the vibrant Crucible theatre to watch a love letter to Sheffield, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” based on music by Richard Hawley and produced by Chris Bush. We followed the stories of three generations over the course of six decades and saw first-hand the power of community and identity. We left Sheffield through the Winter Gardens and finished the day at Mr Wallace’s beloved Bramall Lane. Thank you to Mr Wallace, Mr Calderbank and Miss Jones for such a fab day!