I was fortunate enough to be awarded this Community Celebration Event a long time ago & have had various ideas about where & how to hold it over the past two years or so. In the end I decided that I wanted to share it with as many of my geocaching friends as I could & being as how the majority seem to come from in & around Sheffield, I decided to dust off my passport & apply for a visa to hold the event across the border!
Situated in the heart of the city in a pedestrianised area, Sheffield Winter Gardens were officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 22nd May 2003 after Pringle Richards Sharratt won the commission to design the building in a 1995 competition. It is thought to be the largest urban glasshouse in Europe, measuring 70m in length & 22m in height & holds more than 2,500 plants. The wood used in construction is larch, which requires no preservatives. It was sourced from sustainable forests & the wood will turn silvery-grey in colour with age.
Sheffield Winter Gardens are free to enter & offer a light & airy venue where hopefully the transmission of any germs will be minimised. In addition, if the weather is suitable, we may well be able to spill out into the open air in Millenium Square. I have chosen a time later in the day so that you'll be able to appreciate the Christmas lights in the city. There ought to be plenty of Christmas atmosphere around with the opportunity for anyone to do a bit of shopping nearby, should they so wish. There are also lots of caches dotted around within easy walking distance.
Sheffield offers excellent public transport links if you are traveling from further afield whilst there are plenty of local buses & the tram which stop nearby. Parking is far less restricted on Sundays in Sheffield, so there should be plenty of free spaces if you are driving. I am hoping that there will be a celebratory cake but please feel free to bring any other refreshments. There are also multiple food outlets close to the venue to provide food & drink & plenty of seating around.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it, whether it be for the duration or just to pop in & say hello. Of course, anyone is welcome to come along to join in as I have always found us to be a very friendly bunch! The building is wheelchair accessible but unfortunately dogs are not permitted.
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Community Celebration Events - 2020
This Event is part of a limited release of Community Celebration Events to celebrate 20 years of geocaching. Geocachers hosted events between May 2, 2020 and December 31, 2022. Learn more about Community Celebration Events on the Geocaching Blog.