Green Team Newsletter: Spring 2025
Hi all,
A warm welcome to Sheffield United Community Foundation’s 1st Green Team newsletter! Since kicking off our Nature Based Blades programme just over a year ago, sustainability has been growing throughout the Foundation.
So, we thought we’d compile exciting updates and opportunities from the world of Sheffield United, sport and sustainability! We hope this will be a chance for you to find out about all of the initiatives and developments we’re making to be a more sustainable, nature-friendly and low-impact organisation.
In this newsletter you’ll find:
👨💼 New Sustainability Trustee
👩🌾 Green Space Regeneration Near Bramall Lane
🌼 Wildflowers in Shoreham Street Car Park
💧🌳 Foundation Staff Walk and Water
🌳 Fundraising for Street Trees
❓ Climate Change – Football Fans Survey
🎾 LTA Tennis X Pledgeball
⚽ Go Green for UEFA Women’s Euros 2025
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
UTB 🔴⚪
Flora Medford, Sustainability Officer
Green Team Updates
👨💼 Jonathan Wragg joins as Sustainability Trustee
“Becoming a trustee of the Foundation brings together two lifelong passions — being a Blade and making a positive difference in Sheffield. I’m proud to help shape the future of our community through a club that means so much to me.” — Jonathan Wragg
With a career dedicated to sustainability and social impact, Jonathan brings a wealth of experience and a deep-rooted connection to the Foundation. Welcome to the team!
👩🌾 Green Space Regeneration Near Bramall Lane
Nether Edge and Sharrow Sustainable Transformation (NESST) have been continuing their incredible work to make the areas around Bramall Lane more wildlife friendly. With funding from Grow Wild and Sheffield United Community Foundation, we have transformed a forgotten, overgrown patch green space into a wildlife haven, with nectar-rich plants and log piles for insects. A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers that gave up their time to come and help out!
🌼 Wildflowers in Shoreham Street Car Park
On Friday 14th March, with the support of some industrious E-Sports students, we spent the day planting native wildflowers on a long strip of land in our Shoreham Street car park. Not only will this make the area more beautiful, but it will also play an important role providing nectar for pollinators and contributing to the biodiversity of the local area. The flowers have already started to blossom and the seed bank will improve year on year, meaning even more variety!
💧🌳 Foundation Staff Walk and Water
For National Walking Month, staff at Sheffield United Community Foundation took the opportunity to get out in the sun and water some thirsty young trees planted by NESST. During the warmer days, why not get out and water your local street trees? In particularly dry weather, each tree will need two watering cans to give it the best chance to thrive!
Opportunities
🌳 Fundraising for Street Trees
Over the past few years, NESST has fundraised for 82 street trees in the canopy-deprived streets of Highfield and Lowfield. NESST has been further successful in applying for another grant. This time it’s the “A Tree for Everyone” Grant from the South Yorkshire Mayor. They’re £100 away from their target of £3,150 for nine new street trees. If you are able, please donate as little or as much as you can here.
❓Climate Change – Football Fans Survey
What do football fans really think about sustainability?
A group of professional players from Football for Futures’ Climate Champions community with Common Goal have come together to find out — by creating this fan-focused sustainability survey.
“The idea was born during our recent session on ‘Understanding Impact’, where the players explored what impact really means, how to measure it, and how to build it into their own climate action.”
Have your say!
🎾LTA Tennis X Pledgeball
Calling all Tennis fans! The LTA Pledgeball League is back.
🎾 Choose your local tennis venue
🌍 Make eco-friendly pledges
🥇 Help them climb the LTA Pledgeball League
➡️ Pledge now: https://pledgeball.org/lta
⚽ 4 Ways Fans can go Green for UEFA Women’s Euros 2025
If you’re lucky enough to be going to Switzerland for the UEFA Women’s Euros, or just want to see what they’re doing to be more environmentally-friendly, have a read here.