New web platform keeps Sheffield's arts and culture sector open during coronavirus lockdown

20th May 2020

The University of Sheffield has partnered with Sheffield City Council to launch a new online platform to keep the city’s vibrant arts and cultural sector open during the coronavirus lockdown.

• University of Sheffield and Sheffield City Council partner with Our Favourite Places to launch Sheffield Culture Hub
• New web platform launched to host arts and cultural online events as well as other activities from around the city during the coronavirus lockdown
• As a civic anchor institution, the University is supporting the regional response to the Covid-19 challenge by ensuring cultural and creative sectors, healthcare services and industry partners across the Sheffield City Region are supported.

The University of Sheffield has partnered with Sheffield City Council to launch a new online platform to keep the city’s vibrant arts and cultural sector open during the coronavirus lockdown.

Developed and hosted by Our Favourite Places (OFP), the Sheffield Culture Hub allows events in the city to be accessed for the first time through one digital route, providing visitors with a one-stop online arts and cultural events guide.

Many events in Sheffield have already made the move to online delivery due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The new hub will help make these events accessible to more people as well as provide a platform for smaller events and cultural groups that don’t have access to digital delivery systems.

The initiative is part of the University's commitment to supporting economic and social recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of City and Culture at the University of Sheffield, said: “Sheffield is a city where there is always something going on. We wanted to show the audiences of Sheffield that despite the current situation there are still amazing cultural events to immerse yourself in – whether it's a classical music concert, poetry reading or film screening.

“The University is very proud to be supporting the Sheffield Culture Hub in partnership with Sheffield City Council and OFP as it is an excellent way of showing the people of Sheffield, prospective students and visitors what the cultural scene is like here and that the ‘virtual doors’ are still open to our great city.”

To date, more than 80 different pieces of content can be accessed on the website – ranging from music performances and theatre workshops, to documentaries and browsable museum collections. The website will continue to be updated while the current Covid-19 situation is affecting physical events.

Upcoming events and activities available on the hub include:

• Music in the Round (15-16 May 2020) – more than a dozen specially curated performances, talks and family events including Dr Fay Hield from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Music.
• Museums Sheffield – uncover stories from the collections at Graves Gallery, Millennium Gallery and Weston Park Museum through online tours.
• Medical Research Council (MRC) Festival of Medical Research (29 May – 5 June 2020) – join the University of Sheffield online to find out how Sheffield’s leading medical scientists, including researchers from the University’s Healthy Lifespan Institute and Neuroscience Institute, are working to help us all live longer, healthier lives.
• Sheffield Theatres – the joy of storytelling and theatre-making is available to school children through downloadable activity sheets from Sheffield Theatres’ Storyframe activities.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, staff and students from across the University of Sheffield have been working to mitigate its effects on society with a rapid response through crucial research and innovation, local and global collaborations and practical support for the community.

As a civic anchor institution, the University is supporting the regional response to the Covid-19 challenge by ensuring healthcare services, cultural and creative sectors and industry partners across the Sheffield City Region are supported.

Find out more about how the University is supporting the regional, national and global effort

To explore the Sheffield Culture Hub, visit: www.sheffieldculturehub.co.uk