In our latest Park Life article, our Operations Manager, Claire Fretwell, reflects on her work supporting and developing a number of community initiatives at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park – working with Park partners, city and regional partners, and local community groups.

This summer marks 20 years since London was awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games—a significant moment in UK sport, shaped by many people including Richard Caborn, former Chair of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, and Sports Minister at the time of the bid.

As Lord Sebastian Coe said, one of the greatest ambitions for London 2012 was to have a lasting legacy for health and wellbeing through the themes of Sport, Community, Economy & Environment. As the only Olympic park ever established outside of a host city, we’re proud to be delivering that legacy and keeping the Olympic flame alive.

After recently celebrating 10 years in my role at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, I’ve been reflecting on the past decade of development and in particular the ‘Community’ legacy theme.

When I joined in May 2015, the Park was in its very early days. The first new development was Oasis Academy Don Valley, opening in September 2015 with just 35 pupils, growing to over 1,200 young people and a focal point for the Darnall community. I’ve been proud to support its journey as Chair of the Academy’s Hub Council, helping to strengthen the links between the school and the wider community.

In 2017, the opening of a 3G pitch and major public realm improvements provided a new green space for communities in the east end of Sheffield. The pitch quickly became a hive of activity – used during the day by Oasis Academy and the University Technical College, and during evenings and weekends by local clubs, leagues and professional teams including Sheffield Eagles Rugby League and Barnsley Women’s Football Club. With the opening of the Steel City Stadium in 2022 we now see a huge range of people both participating and spectating in events throughout the year.

Other initiatives, like our Outdoor City Run Routes and junior parkrun, have helped hundreds of people get moving, enjoy the outdoors, and connect with others. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, we’ve hosted over 200 junior parkruns and our young people have covered a combined distance of over 15,000 km. And our ‘Westfield Health Active Space’, a range of state-of-the-art outdoor exercise equipment, has helped people of all ages and abilities to improve their health and wellbeing.

In 2022, we marked 10 years since London 2012 by creating the ‘Olympic Legacy in Action’ community day in partnership with the National Centre for Sport & Exercise Medicine (Sheffield) and Westfield Health. This annual celebration has gone from strength to strength, growing from 1,000 participants in 2022 to over 3,000 in 2025.

Looking for ways to give back to the community, in 2023 we launched the ‘Sheffield Legacy Fund’, a grant-giving programme supporting projects that promote health, wellbeing, and social inclusion. Backed by proceeds from events and ongoing fundraising efforts, we’ve already awarded nearly £40,000 to over 40 local groups, positively impacting more than 3,000 individuals.

I was proud to have the Sheffield Legacy Fund recognised by Matchroom Charitable Foundation recently, after connecting with them through the Matchroom Boxing events hosted at Canon Medical Arena at the Park. We were delighted to receive a donation of £25,000 from Matchroom Charitable Foundation to support and grow our work with the local community.

This is a great example of how we’re working with others to make a real, tangible difference in the community and to have this backing from Matchroom was a real vote of confidence. Eddie Hearn, Chairman, Matchroom Sport, said: “The Olympic legacy is not just about sport, it’s about communities. What’s happening at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park shows that legacy in action, and we’re proud to support it.”

It’s been an exciting journey developing our community engagement activities over the last 10 years, and I’m proud of the role we’ve played in connecting people to each other, to the Park, and to the opportunities around them.

Pictured: Claire Fretwell and Eddie Hearn, at a Matchroom Boxing Fight Day 5K at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.