Quality Of Life
South Yorkshire provides a dynamic and economically vibrant environment for 21st century business. But, of course, there is more to life than work and the region also offers superb opportunities to enjoy a high quality of life.
Sports and Leisure Facilities
Not only does South Yorkshire have the usual football, rugby and golf activities found throughout the country, but, unlike the rest of the UK, the districts of this region can deliver something a bit different from the typical British sporting activities and facilities.
- The Don Valley Athletic Stadium was built for the World Student Games in 1991
- Ponds Forge, with its Olympic-sized swimming pool, is the most advanced aquatics centre in the UK
- The Sheffield Ski Village houses the largest artificial ski resort in Europe
- Doncaster Racecourse is a national fixture on the horse racing circuit, and is home to the world-famous, classic St Leger race
- The area is home to no less than five football league teams
- Sheffield has hosted the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre every year since 1977
Doncaster Lakeside is a constantly evolving 300 acre site, containing the Dome leisure complex, the Doncaster Bowl, Warner Village cinema and many restaurants and bars.
Barnsley offers a range of sports and leisure facilities and is especially proud of its Metrodome Leisure Complex, which offers a wide range of indoor, wet and dry sports.
Retail Therapy
Meadowhall, with its distinctive green domes, is more than one of Europe’s largest shopping centres, it is an icon and made a brief cameo appearance in the blockbuster film ‘The Full Monty’. Under its roof there are 270 shops, a multi-screen cinema, restaurants, cafes and bars. Elsewhere, specialist boutiques offer the latest in designer fashions.
The renowned Barnsley Markets are located in the heart of Barnsley Town Centre and feature over 300 stalls offering a wide variety of goods and fresh produce in both indoor and open spaces.
A flagship project within the £380 million Remaking Barnsley regeneration programme, the new Barnsley Markets will deliver a world class development. The purpose of the new development is to provide an exciting and contemporary shopping environment, which harmonises with the existing retail area of the town.
All these elements combine to make South Yorkshire a vibrant and forward-thinking place in which to work and live.
Culture
South Yorkshire is rich in culture. Each of the four districts offers a unique cultural experience and their close proximity to each other makes them easy to explore.
- Cultural stimulation is on offer all year round at Sheffield Theatres, the largest regional theatre complex outside London.
- The innovative Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham is the UK’s first science adventure centre; a spectacular exploration of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Power, held in an impressive refurbished steel factory
- Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries, opened in April 2001, is a beacon for the progressive, dynamic region. The Gallery has hosted major exhibitions from the Tate in London
- Sheffield is also home to the Winter Gardens – one of the largest temperate glasshouses in a European city centre, with plants and flowers from around the globe. The City, the urban heart of South Yorkshire, lies on the doorstep of the beautiful and dramatic Peak District National Park and is of one of the greenest cities in Europe. Its many parks and open spaces include the 19-acre Botanical Gardens
- South Yorkshire boasts impressive country parks and grade 1 listed buildings including the 750 acre Rother Valley Country Park, Cusworth Hall Country Park, with its elegant listed buildings, and the beautiful and unique Wentworth Castle Gardens
- South Yorkshire has some of the UK’s most fascinating and well-preserved historical buildings, including Doncaster’s Conisbrough Castle and Mansion House, Barnsley’s Cannon Hall and Rotherham’s 12th Century Roche Abbey
