SARA Unwin, co-manager of the Galvanize Sheffield festival, remarks that only five years ago, many ordinary Sheffield folk would have found it hard to take the notion of the Steel City as a tourist destination seriously.

But here she is, surrounded by a small flock of Sheffield artists, librarians and urban explorers, ready to set out on one of the Galvanize festival's 'Metal Walks'.

Around her in Sheaf Square, students and visitors from Africa and the Far East are having their photographs taken next to the weirs and lakes of the station forecourt.

Sara's colleague, Emma Paragreen, explains the nature of the Cutting Edge sculpture, how it represents a blade and the forging of hot metal to cold metal, how it's 81 metres long and 80 tonnes in weight, and how it's partly designed to screen the arriving tourists from the thundering traffic on the A61. (Richard Hawley's fond description of the artwork as the largest urinal in Europe is not discussed).

The Metal Walkers dip their fingers in the civic waterfall and observe the water is warmer than one might imagine, given the necessity this Sunday afternoon of wearing thermals and layered headgear.

And we move on to the design of civic litter bins, by Jeremy and Brian Asquith.

"I think this is a great idea," says Chris Brailsford. "I've been to a tour of Magna, too, and I'm really enjoying it."

The Galvanize Sheffield festival is now in its second year and has gathered funding to continue as an annual festival for three years at least, following support from Sheffield council, the city's museums, the Assay Office, Hallam University, a host of artists and arts bodies and Sheffield Cathedral, amongst others.

"There are 50 public events and 30 venues around the area, from Barnsley to Nottingham and even Chatsworth," says Emma Paragreen.

The idea, say Sara and Emma, is to promote the Sheffield area as a centre of design and innovation in metalworking. "Despite what some people think, people from this city still have the skills needed in this industry. Workers from the shop floor are still around."

The walk takes in the Andrew Motion steel cast poem and the Brian Asquith sculpture on the side of Hallam University building – the latter rescued from a scrap yard by chance after its commissioning bank had accidentally thrown it out during a refurbishment.

Emma notes that the small metal circles on Howard Street's black seating blocks will eventually house commemorative plaques to the likes of Benjamin Huntsman and Harry Brearley.

We troop round the backstreets of the Cultural Industries Quarter as Emma and Sara tell us of the new silversmiths and artists and craftspeople in residence and the Gordon Ramsay approved restaurant and the various Henderson's Relish accessories in production.

And all of this in an area that saw metal craftspeople at work over the last 250 to 300 years, says Emma.

We even discover modern metal antiques, built and cast in earlier ages of optimism, now brought back into Sheffield's tourism offering – HUBS, the building formerly known as the National Centre for Popular Music, or the Four Saucepans (the colloquial name is not mentioned) and the Heavy Plant sculpture by David Kemp in the middle of Sheffield Science Park, now covered in light weeds.

After a number of nearby listed buildings had been noted, one metal walker observed that the Kemp sculpture should be on the Art at Risk register. Another marvelled: "All these places you walk past and never knew were there."

Which is partly the point of Galvanize Sheffield: "Some people think the metal industry has passed away but there are lots of technical advances happening in this city," says Sara Unwin.

She notes the involvement of both Sheffield universities in metalworking and metal engineering and the willingness of companies to return to apprenticeships – which are already happening, she says.

The new Sheffield Thwitel knife, for example, designed by Sheffield scientists as a non-bending knife for use by chefs, made in Rotherham, and which will probably find its way to discerning kitchens before too long – after first being mentioned centuries ago by Chaucer.

"As we go on we want to get more involved in education, and to involve schools and sixth form colleagues," says Sara.

"Some people think the new metalwork is just jewellery and things like that but we're talking large scale buildings, we're talking litter bins, we're talking large scale public art commissions, not just necklaces and rings," says Emma.

There is a real optimism in the metal industry, she adds, recession or no recession.

"We've got to look to the future."

And after a brief survey of the metal art and public sculptures in the Millennium Galleries, we end up in the Winter Garden where we meet 'Hoody' and the White Rose sculpture by Japanese artist Junko Mori.

"I'd say the future is very bright," says Sara Unwin. "In this industry, Sheffield is the place to be."

The Galvanize Sheffield festival continues until December 14. Tel: 2814049; see www.galvanizesheffield.com



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