Sheffield city centre to be transformed into an outdoor adventure playground

One of the UK’s biggest outdoors festivals which is organised by Sheffield City Council is back in Sheffield from Saturday and Sunday July 9-10 and for the first time will be held across various locations in the heart of the city.

Sheffield is the UK’s leading destination for people seeking outdoor adventure, city culture and rural escapes and relocating the festival to the centre of The Outdoor City brings that all together on one stage.

Councillor Leigh Bramall, deputy leader at Sheffield City Council said: “We are thrilled to bring Reward Health Cliffhanger to the city centre. The festival already attracts thousands of outdoors enthusiasts from all over the UK and now we have the opportunity to showcase the very best of The Outdoor City at this event.

“Sheffield is the perfect playground for lovers of outdoor adventure and the perfect host for Cliffhanger, we sit within the Peak District and have an abundance of parks, woodlands and green spaces right on our doorstep and this has driven a strong outdoor economy in the city. Moving the festival to the city centre creates further opportunities for businesses to tap in to that and reap the benefits of an event of this scale, and makes it more accessible for all those who want to attend.

“And this year we are able to host the event free of charge which will attract even more people to try something new, show off their skills and, for some, take their first steps to leading more active lifestyles and adventurous hobbies.”

Cliffhanger, formerly held at Millhouses Park and now in its 10th year is one of the most anticipated events on the UK outdoors calendar.

Events and activities will be spread across various locations such as the Peace Gardens, Barkers Pool and Devonshire Green, with dedicated areas for cycling, running and climbing. Devonshire Green will play host to the highlight of the weekend, the British Mountaineering Council’s British Bouldering Championships where the nation’s strongest climbers will battle it out, scaling a gigantic wall the size of three double decker buses, to reach the top spot.

The move to the city centre is possible thanks to support from the Sheffield Business Improvement District (BID). Diane Jarvis, BID Manager said: “Cliffhanger has developed into one of Sheffield’s most outstanding and unique events. Sheffield BID is delighted to be able to enhance this major event and to help grow an already strong fixture in the events calendar. It’s fantastic that the BID’s investment can bring Cliffhanger into the city centre to really drive the benefits for our businesses and city centre users. It’s particularly important that the city centre is a part of The Outdoor City experience.

“The BID’s Busier programme is about enhancing the city centre’s image as a vibrant destination, boosting visitor numbers and driving economic growth. Cliffhanger can deliver on all three of these outcomes.”

Reward Health are also back for 2016, continuing their headline sponsorship for the second year. Sheffield-based Reward Health provide five star rated health and life insurance cover that encourages people to live active and healthy lifestyles and rewards them for doing so. They share the core values of Cliffhanger, making them the perfect event partner.

Marie Broadhurst, marketing manager at Reward Health said: “We are very happy to be back at Cliffhanger this year and are excitedly planning some inclusive family fun activities around three hubs in the city centre. It’s a great opportunity to help inspire the people of Sheffield and beyond to lead active and healthy lifestyles.”

Sheffield Hallam University, are also sponsoring the event, Maxine Gregory, chair of the Outdoor Recreation Research Group (ORRG) at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “We are proud to sponsor this year’s Cliffhanger festival and be involved in such an amazing celebration of the unique outdoor activities our city has to offer.”

Also sponsoring this year’s event, Pentagon Jeep will appear at all three activity zones with surprises in store, more will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Cliffhanger also moves to a new online home this year, with all event information available on a dedicated section of The Outdoor City website at theoutdoorcity.co.uk/all/cliffhanger. The website already serves as a one-stop-shop for all things outdoors in Sheffield and the surrounding areas, and now it’s the place to go for all things Cliffhanger.

Plans, events and activities for this year’s event are still being finalised. Opportunities are still available for sponsors, exhibitors and stall holders – if you and your business want to be involved in this year’s event contact Julie Wilson at [email protected] to be part of Cliffhanger’s brand new adventure in the city centre.

Further announcements and event information will be added to The Outdoor City website and shared through Facebook at facebook.com/theoutdoorcity and Twitter @theoutdoorcity over the next few weeks.