News: Millmoor talks held over "centre of excellence" idea

Early stage discussions have taken place over the future use of Millmoor, the historic home of Rotherham United that is currently being demolished.

Rothbiz reported first in May that the Ron Hull Group planned to demolish Millmoor with plans explaining the poor condition and the "long term lack of a viable user" of the stadium that last hosted league football almost 20 years ago.

The new owners of CF Booth Ltd, took on the old football ground when it acquired the assets of the historic Rotherham firm that had entered administration. Plans said that "the client does intend to redevelop the site at a future date."

Now, just months on from saving Rotherham United Women Football Club, the new owners there have started discussions regarding big plans for utilising Millmoor in the future.

Local business leaders Phil Smith and Scott Thorpe acquired the club in July when it was just days away from closure following a period of financial uncertainty.

Smith, the founder and former group CEO of Embark Group, and Thorpe of TMG Financial Services, have set out a bold vision to achieve back to back promotions and reach the Barclays Women’s Super League within five years.

With the plans approved for the demolition of Millmoor, talks have taken place about the club creating a sports village at the Masbrough site.

Advertisement
Scott Thorpe, co-owner of Rotherham United Women Football Club, said: "We've had some really positive discussions with the council about the possibility of bringing one of Rotherham's most historic sporting sites back to life as a sports village and centre of excellence.

"And I don't want us to think small.

"Why shouldn't Rotherham become a genuine centre of excellence for girls' and women's football, with facilities that also support schools, other sports and the wider community?

"Imagine a place where a young girl can start playing football, develop through a proper pathway and potentially go all the way, without having to leave the town to find opportunities.

"And imagine bringing a historic sporting site back to life in a way that benefits thousands of people, not just those who turn up to watch 90 minutes of football.

"That's the sort of ambition I think we should have for Rotherham.

"We're at the beginning of those conversations, and there's a huge amount to work through, including funding, feasibility and listening to what the town actually wants.

"But everything starts with an idea and people willing to put the work in."

Rotherham United Women currently play home games at the Rotherham Hospice Community Stadium at Parkgate. Doncaster Rovers Belles were the last team to play at Millmoor in 2025.

With regard to the future of the site, the CF Booth scrap yard was allocated as Industrial & Business Use in the borough's 2018 local plan. The stadium and surrounding area was allocated as a Mixed Use Area appropriate for "business use (excluding offices), housing, residential and non residential institutions and assembly and leisure uses."

Rotherham United Women Football Club website
TMG website

Images: RUFC / RUWFC

Read more...

News: £27.8 billion fund to support next wave of South Yorkshire growth projects

The National Wealth Fund (NWF) has agreed to enter into a strategic partnership with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

The £27.8 billion fund was created by the Government to back regional growth and clean energy.

Four new partnerships have been annpunced that will give more areas direct access to the National Wealth Fund’s investment knowledge, expertise and capital, to help develop and grow project pipelines, attract public and private finance and deliver key infrastructure to support growth and create jobs.

Previous work between the NWF and partners has been to identify and develop investment opportunities in priority areas, including place-based regeneration, transport and clean energy infrastructure. Projects already receiving advisory guidance and support through these partnerships include Clyde Metro in Glasgow City Region, The Sports Quarter in the West Midlands, a new zero-emission bus fleet in Greater Manchester and Mass Transit in West Yorkshire.

The Strategic Partnerships model, provided through the NWF’s Regional Project Accelerator programme, demonstrates the value of deeper, longer-term partnerships with local leaders, bringing the Fund’s expertise together with local knowledge to support projects that can improve local infrastructure, open up development opportunities and help places attract investment. The Fund will continue to explore further opportunities to extend the Strategic Partnerships model to other Mayoral Strategic Authorities and City Regions over time, while continuing to focus support where it can make the greatest impact.

Advertisement
Oliver Holbourn, CEO of the National Wealth Fund, said: “To unlock the UK’s future we need to grow regional economies. This announcement signals our continued commitment to expanding our partnerships with leaders across the UK, providing tailored support based on local needs and opportunities, creating jobs and spreading the lasting benefits of investment to the local communities they serve.”

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “South Yorkshire has always shaped, made and created the things Britain needs to grow and succeed. Today, from the UK’s first Investment Zone and our Don Valley Corridor plan, to being named one of the country’s tech ecosystem’s rising stars, we’re once again putting South Yorkshire at the forefront of Britain’s industrial future.

“With world-leading assets like the AMRC, Boeing and McLaren rooted here, our partnership with the National Wealth Fund will help us go further, faster - backing brilliant businesses, bringing in investment, and creating the industries, technologies and opportunities that will power growth here in South Yorkshire and across the whole country.”

The NWF is not new, because it has taken over many of the functions of the UK Infrastructure Bank. Investments so far have already mobilised over £16bn in private sector financing at the point of investment, leveraging £2.50 for every £1 deployed.

The Regional Project Accelerator also offers project advisory support, focused on a number of regionally significant projects across the UK, and lending - low cost, flexible lending, directly to local government at gilts +40bps, to support regionally significant projects.

National Wealth Fund website

Images: JPG

Read more...

News: AMRC marks 25 years with ambition to quadruple industrial impact

Engineers and researchers are used to focusing on precious substances like titanium and carbon fibre, but now the focus for University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is silver, as it celebrates 25 years of supporting UK manufacturers.

Founded in 2001 by the University of Sheffield and Boeing on the site of the former Orgreave Colliery in Rotherham, the AMRC is a model for collaborative research and is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult supporting hundreds of private sector partners.

Marking the silver anniversary of its opening, the centre has refocused its strategy, prioritising the high-growth aerospace, defence and nuclear energy sectors and setting a bold ambition to quadruple its economic impact over the next decade.

It all started when Professor Keith Ridgway of the University of Sheffield worked with businessman Adrian Allen from Technicut on a project with Boeing. It became the first tenant of the now world-renowned Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.

The AMRC was set up to build a bridge between the research happening in university labs and the practical needs of production lines. It has since become a global model for how research-led innovation can regenerate communities and use advanced manufacturing as an economic engine to create wealth and jobs.

Having created new centres in Rotherham, including the start-of-the-art AMRC Training Centre, the AMRC expanded over the Parkway onto the site of the former Sheffield airport, developing its own "Innovation District" with buildings such as Factory 2050, which opened in 2015.

Having started with just a team of eight, the centre now has more than 570 highly qualified researchers and engineers working on the manufacturing needs of the future, from composites to castings, additive manufacturing to machining.

The innovation-led impact has already helped attract £350m inward investment and more than 2,500 manufacturing jobs into the South Yorkshire manufacturing cluster. Further recent investments include McLaren Automotive’s announcement of a £40m expansion of its composites technology centre, creating 300 jobs, and a £19m investment by Rolls-Royce into its Advanced Blade Casting Facility, both located on the AMP in Rotherham.

Advertisement
Professor Ben Morgan is chief executive officer at the AMRC and is leading the centre in its refreshed strategy, which is aligned to national priorities set out in the government’s industrial strategy.

He said: “For 25 years, our mission has been to take high-risk R&D off industry’s shoulders so manufacturers can start, scale, and stay in the UK.

“As industrial and national priorities shift, we are putting our technical capabilities squarely behind aerospace, defence, and nuclear and clean energy.

“Our goal for the next decade is to quadruple our historical impact. We aren't just doing research - we are driving up shop-floor production rates, shortening technology adoption cycles and ensuring critical supply chains remain firmly anchored in the UK.”

Katherine Bennett CBE, chief executive officer of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, added: “Throughout my career in aerospace, I have seen first-hand the reputation the AMRC has built for turning world-class research into real-world impact through close collaboration between industry, academia and government, from South Yorkshire to the North West and Wales.”

Looking ahead, the AMRC is leading a groundbeaking research programme Composites at Speed and SCale (COMPASS) with a new innovation facility in Sheffield that is home to Boeing’s largest research and development projects in the world. AMRC experts are also working on small modular reactor (SMR) development supporting Rolls-Royce SMR.

Lane Ballard, chief technology officer for Boeing, said: “Twenty-five years ago Boeing jointly established the AMRC alongside the University of Sheffield. We have never looked back.

"This year, we began the latest chapter of our partnership with the opening of the COMPASS facility, home to Boeing’s largest global R&D project, IHSS. The foundation of advanced manufacturing lies in fusing quality research, skills and supply chains.

"We are proud of what our teams continue to create in partnership in South Yorkshire.”

Alan Pardoe, senior manager for manufacturing capability delivery at Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “The AMRC has played a leading role in advancing UK manufacturing over the past 25 years.

“Through its unique and collaborative approach with British industry, it has helped turn ambition into reality - developing the skills, technologies and expertise required for long-term, sustainable success.”

AMRC website

Images: AMRC

Read more...

News: Rotherham hosts first halal food bazaar

Visit Rotherham reports on the new multimillion pound markets development in Rotherham town centre hosting its first new market since the first stage of redevelopment works completed - a halal food bazaar.

The Rotherham Bazaar, held each Thursday has also made the move to the redeveloped site at the same time as operator, Rotherham Council, made the decision to move the Monday and Friday general market from the street onto the public space around the Rotherham Market Hall.

As part of the £46.844m project, a new public realm area has been created between the market building and Eastwood Lane and the college campus.

It is not yet known if the general outdoor market on a Saturday, Tuesday street market, Wednesday Antiques & bric-a-brac market, will follow.

At the end of September, a new halal food bazaar took place in the new public realm area, reports Visit Rotherham.

The Rotherham Bazaar launched in 2013 in the old outdoor covered market and is held every Thursday. Taking place on what was historically the quietest shopping day of the week, an outside operator was brought in by Rotherham Council as a response to the message that customers wanted new shopping experiences to be introduced to the town.

Since its launch, the Rotherham Bazaar has held a number of special market days around Eid and made the move to the main streets in the town when demolition work began on the outdoor covered market.

Advertisement
Promoted by the same operator, the halal food bazaar takes place on the last Saturday of every month.

Halal Food Council USA explains that halal food is a fundamental aspect of Islamic dietary laws and plays a crucial role in the lives of Muslims around the world. The term “halal” refers to anything that is permissible according to Islamic law, and this includes not only what is lawful but also what is wholesome and good. Understanding the basics of halal food is not only important for Muslims but also for anyone interested in diverse culinary traditions and global food culture.

The first event on September 26 included stalls selling nuts, olives, fruit & veg, specialist teas, iced drinks, fresh jalebi (a popular, spiral-shaped deep-fried sweet soaked in sugar syrup), sweets, waffles and other desserts.

The next event is scheduled for Saturday October 24.

Rotherham's outdoor markets relocated from the outdoor covered market at the Drummond Street site to Effingham Street in 2023 as regeneration work progressed.

As part of the redevelopment scheme, traders from the old indoor market have moved temporarily into the New Market Hall until the work on the indoor market is complete (previously scheduled for Autumn 2027). When these traders move back into their revamped home, street traders are due to make use of the new Market Hall.

Rotherham Bazaar facebook page
Rotherham Markets website

Images: Rotherham Bazaar / Facebook

Read more...

News: Are The Reytons readying a return to Rotherham and Clifton Park in 2027?

Paperwork has been submitted for a possible repeat of The Reytons’ homecoming gig in Rotherham, reports Visit Rotherham.

The concert held in the summer of 2024 drew thousands of attendees from across the nation, with some travelling from as far as Glasgow and Southampton. It marked the largest outdoor music event ever held at Clifton Park on the edge of Rotherham town centre, attracting around 20,00 people.

The connection to the borough has grown since then with the fourth album, called A Love Letter to a Broken Town, described by the down-to-earth indie rock band as being "for the community, the roots and the towns that made us..."

With press and launch events taking place in Rotherham town centre earlier this year, including a signing event and shop on Forge Island, a celebration was also held in All Saints' Square when the album was announced as reaching no. 1 in the official chart.

Now, Visit Rotherham has revealed that promoters have submitted a licence application that would enable them to hold large scale events in Clifton Park in July 2027.

The application to Rotherham Council is from Communion ONE Ltd, the company created when FKP Scorpio and Communion Presents merged in 2024. FKP Scorpio was the promoter that worked on the previous Reytons event in Rotherham and Communion ONE currently promotes events for the band.

The application is time limited for July 9 to 11 2027 and seeks to allow three outdoor music concerts to be provided in the park during this period.

If approved, the licence would enable the provision of live and recorded music outdoors on Friday July 9 and Saturday July 10 between 2:00pm and 10:30pm, and on Sunday July 11 2027 between 2:00pm and 10:00pm.

Alcohol would be allowed to be on sale between 12 noon and 11:00pm on the Friday and Saturday, and between 12 noon and 10:30pm on the Sunday.

Advertisement
Mirroring the layout for the 2024 gig, the stage is set to be situated on the extended car park area off Doncaster Road, with bars, toilets, food areas, backstage and medical tents all enclosed in a "steelshield."

The perimeter is again shown around the car park, along the tree line on Middle Lane, along a tree-lined avenue towards the museum, across the field towards the fun park and back along the path opposite the play area. Plans show two customer entrances and exits - one opposite the fun park and one in the field that backs onto Clifton Grove.

The similar 2024 application allowed for two gigs, where in reality, only one took place.

Local businesses and accommodation providers are likely to welcome the news. A study was commissioned and Sheffield Hallam University revealed that the event contributed an impressive £1m to Rotherham’s economy and £1.36m benefit for South Yorkshire.

The journey to Clifton Park for The Reytons began with 350 people at Plug (now Network) in Sheffield, via The Leadmill, O2 Academy, the fruit and veg aisle at Rotherham Tesco Extra, and Magna in Rotherham (the 4,500 capacity 2022 gig which sold out in ten hours), before reaching the 12,500 capacity Utilita Arena in Sheffield in 2023.

Since the Rotherham event in 2024, the band has played at massive European festivals and Wembley Arena, with a show scheduled for the end of this month at Manchester's Co-op Live, the UK's largest entertainment arena. A world tour in 2026/27 takes in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, France, Belgium and Spain.

The Reytons website

Images: The Reytons / Communion ONE

Read more...