Sheffield Hallam opens campus up to local charities and community groups as part of commitment to region

27th September 2022

Sheffield Hallam University has opened its campus to local charities and voluntary organisations to offer free space to those working to support communities across South Yorkshire.

Community organisations and charities can access space for events and workshops during weekday evenings as part of a new Sheffield Hallam University Campus Space Offer for Voluntary and Charitable Groups.

The project is being run by Sheffield Hallam in partnership with Voluntary Action Sheffield with groups able to hold one-off events or make regular bookings.

It is part of Sheffield Hallam’s Civic University Agreement, a set of commitments aimed at addressing key regional challenges around the economy, health, education, regeneration, and our communities to improve the lives of people living in South Yorkshire.

Richard Calvert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Local voluntary organisations and charities are the lifeblood of our communities, playing a crucial role in supporting people across our region. We already work closely with many such groups, but we want to further strengthen our support by enabling them to use campus space free or at cost.”

Organisations working with children, refugees and the Roma community are among those who have already accessed the free space.

One of the first groups to hold an event at the University through the project was Care for Young People’s Future alongside RTransform, a project aimed at transforming educational systems for Roma women and girls. They held an education conference in the University’s Charles Street building.

Terezia Rostas, Roma education consultant and advocate, said: “Sheffield Hallam University has given our Roma women and teenage girls the opportunity to feel that they belong to this world, this space and that they we are not invisible, that our voice and our dreams matter too for the society.

“I believe that universities should continue to work together and closer with hard or difficult to reach communities and we should help each other in achieving our dreams; to live in a society where we feel we belong to and we value everyone’s heritage and background.

“If educational institutions want to play part of social change, they should come to people more and the inspiration to change will happen.”

The project is only available to small local organisations. Find out more about the eligibility criteria or to book space on the University’s campus through the project.