'Children's hospital and charity are two of finest jewels in Sheffield's crown'

Graves ParkThis park in the south west of Sheffield holds a very dear place in my heart. It’s always been a favourite place of mine, however since becoming a grandmother it has become even more special as a place where I regularly take my granddaughter Olivia.

It’s an amazing asset to the city, especially for families and children, and we’re lucky to have it at our disposal. We love to visit the animal farm and see all the goats, pigs, and sheep up close and to feed the ducks on the big, beautiful lake. Not to mention the expanse of wide-open fields to play on and Olivia’s favourite, the playground! Always finished with a drink and a snack at the café.DressmakingThis is an old passion of mine which I never have time for as modern life is so busy! However, I was able to resurrect this old love over lockdown and it’s been a joy to rediscover. There are some brilliant shops in the city where you can find beautiful, quality materials to make something gorgeous, there is nothing quite like being able to see and feel the fabric first-hand.

Some favourites are Fine Fabrics on Hillsborough Road which is a local institution, and also Annie’s on Abbeydale Road.Dog walking in the PeaksHow lucky we are to be in the ‘The Outdoor City’ and have such easy access to one of the most beautiful national parks in the country. Having sadly lost our Border Collie after 14.5 years, we now regularly take our children’s dogs, Minnie the Yorkshire terrier, Buddy the handsome black labrador and Rex the white labrador (who is the youngest, but the biggest and the softest) out to experience the stunning landscape of the Peak District. There is so many great places to choose from whether it’s a bit of an uphill walk to an edge, some shelter amongst the woods or a circular walk around the reservoirs.

Afterwards I’m not sure who is more tired, me or them!Live music sceneBefore lockdown I used to love regularly going to our city’s venues to watch rock gigs, or the theatre to catch a musical. Of course, we haven’t been able to partake over the past 18 months, but it’s been brilliant seeing venues open up again and people start to enjoy live music once again. Sheffield has some amazing, iconic venues such as The Leadmill which I have a few gigs lined up for, and I’m really excited to get back in there.Sheffield Children’s HospitalThe Children’s Hospital and its accompanying charity The Children’s Hospital Charity are two of the finest jewels in Sheffield’s crown and I hope we never take for granted how lucky we are to have them within the city.

City Estates and West One Student Accommodation are long supporters of the Children’s, and we try to do everything we can in terms of fundraising and raising awareness. We recently sponsored a bear as part of the brilliant ‘Bears of Sheffield’ trail. We have also sponsored a large snowflake as part of their sponsor a snowflake campaign since 2016, and this year is no different! We are so excited to see our snowflake light up and shine brightly on the side of the Children’s Hospital this Christmas- and we urge other business across Sheffield and South Yorkshire to join in and do the same!

Food shopping and cooking

This may be last on this particular list of favourite things, however anyone who knows me would say it’s definitely first! I don’t eat out a lot (when we do, Cuore Siciliano in Crosspool gets our vote!) so I love to cook for friends and family whenever I can. At any given time there is enough food in the house to serve up a banquet!

Sheffield is fortunate to have a number of independent places to pick up some delicious food whether you are in the city centre, around Sharrow Vale Road or the number of markets dotted around the city all filled with tasty fresh produce!