The snowboarders fighting to bring back ski slopes

A group of snowboarders hoping to see Sheffield's ski slopes back in action have produced a film showcasing the site.

Sheffield Ski Village in Neepsend, which produced some of Great Britain's most successful Winter Olympians, closed after it was destroyed by fire in April 2012.

Winter sports fans hoping to return to the artificial slopes will premiere their film Revive Sheffield Ski Village at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival on Friday.

Revive group founder Pete Shipston said: "We want to show anyone who can make things happen that there are a group here who care and want snow sports back in Sheffield."

In 2017, Sheffield City Council announced that leisure company Extreme would redevelop the site as an extreme sports centre, but the work never materialised.

In recent years the New Zealand firm Skyline Lounge has also expressed an interest in developing the land with a zipline, luge ride and gondola lift among the ideas suggested.

The council confirmed last year it had received £19.4m in Levelling Up funding to improve access to the site and enable any development with Skyline to progress.

The Revive group now wants to ensure that the Skyline team include a ski slope as part of their plans.

"We need to get the vibe back here. There's been so many near misses over the years. Something surely must happen now," said Mr Shipston.

The group were inspired to make the film after heavy snowfall in Sheffield last year.

Mr Shipston said: "If the council aren't sure what it might look like we wanted to come here with our boards and physically show them.

"That footage is in the film."

Tim Justice is the chairman of the Sheffield Sharks Ski Club, who trained at the ski village but now travel to facilities in Swadlincote.

He said: "This was the home of six Olympians and other world-class skiers.

"We were a club run by volunteers to give local children an opportunity to do a sport that for many had been unaffordable.

"It would be my dream to bring that back."

In his professional capacity as an architect, Mr Justice is also working with Skyline as it develops a similar leisure facility in Swansea.

He said: "Swansea City Council and the Welsh government were eager to attract investment and were quick on the draw.

"The path was slightly smoother there - they now have planning permission."

Mr Justice said Skyline would be "monitoring" developments in Sheffield.

"It needs a lot of cleaning up, he said.

"I think Skyline will need assurance that this will be an accessible and viable site."

The BBC has approached Skyline for a comment.

Sheffield City Council confirmed "planning work is progressing" and it would provide more information in the coming weeks.

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