We’re shifting our focus at OFP.

Access to culture is important, so we want to continue to provide a platform for Sheffield’s arts and culture community at this time of social distancing.

For now, our What’s On calendar will be focused on promoting virtual events. We’ll also share ideas for ways you can support and engage with the city’s arts and heritage organisations, festivals, independent venues and businesses, artists and makers, from a distance.

There are many important hubs for solidarity in Sheffield, including:

• Voluntary Action Sheffield, who have posted a call for volunteers
• Sheffield Mutual Aid, a network of localised community support groups
• food banks; check with your local food bank what items are needed most

If you can afford to, here are some ways you can financially support Sheffield’s independent and creative community:

• where available, buy vouchers and memberships for independent venues, shops, cafes, restaurants, and other businesses (see our Where to Go pages for some of our favourite independently-run places)
• order products directly from local artists, makers and independent retailers (see our Meet the Locals pages for profiles on a number of Sheffield's creative folk)
• many festivals and arts organisations are also registered charities, so make an online donation
• check whether your local cafe or grocery is offering a delivery service and, if so, use it
• donate to the South Yorkshire Creatives Covid-19 Hardship Fund set up by theatre producer Linda Bloomfield

And showing your love for people/places in their social media comments/ratings is free!

Resources for the creative community and cultural industry:

• Arts Council England is adapting its support for funded organisations and has announced grants to compensate artists and freelancers for lost earnings
• COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources is compiled by US-based artists but has some great advice for all freelance artists, designers, producers, musicians, filmmakers, writers, etc. as well as links to UK-specific resources

Get in touch!

We want to to hear from you if:

• you’re holding a virtual event or livestream
• you’d like to share ways that people can support your arts/culture/heritage organisation or independent business in Sheffield
• you have suggestions of useful resources for the arts and culture community during this challenging time

hello@ourfaveplaces.co.uk

We’re holding a virtual Photomarathon this weekend. We’re working on other online ideas too – feel free to let us know what you’d like to see from us over the coming months!

We’ll look after each other.