They were arguably the two darkest nights in the history of Sheffield and our residents have been re-living them to ensure their experiences are never forgotten.

Local author Neil Anderson is collecting stories for an 80^th anniversary edition of his best-selling ‘Sheffield’s Date With Hitler’ book.

Residents of Broomgrove Nursing Home didn’t even let lockdown get in the way of re-telling their stories – they used Skype.

Resident Ernest Barron, a former director of SWFC, was living in Wadsley Bridge at the time and vividly remembers the devastation following the first night of the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940.

He said: “I still remember walking up Snig Hill and Angel Street and seeing the devastation. The Marples building had been flattened in Fitzalan Square killing scores of people. Walsh’s department store had been destroyed –  only cast iron girders remained erect. The Empire Theatre had a bomb crater on fire outside and it was nothing but devastation on the Moor. I will never forget memory of seeing the body of a man laid on Ecclesall Road.”

The Sheffield Blitz killed and wounded over 2,000 people and made a tenth of the city homeless. It took the city years to recover.

Fellow Broomgrove resident Hugh Bradbury recalls hearing the anti-aircraft fire springing into life. He knew the attack was no false alarm. He was 10-years-old at the time. He watched the stricken city burning from his bedroom in Ecclesfield  and knew of two people that lost their lives.

Donna Pierpoint, manager of Broomgrove Nursing Home, said: “Our residents have lived such long and amazing lives and it’s great when their incredible knowledge can be used in this way. They were only too pleased to get involved.”

The new edition of ‘Sheffield’s Date With Hitler’ will be out to mark the 80^thanniversary of the attacks and be published in the autumn.

Our campaign to have the work of care home nurses, carers and ancillary staff recognized alongside NHS workers has now reached nearly a quarter of a million people. 

Donna Pierpoint, manager of Broomgrove Nursing Home that has worked in health and social care for 26 years, said: “The NHS deserves every ounce of praise they get but I want to remind people that the nurses, carers and ancillary staff in care homes like ours work just as hard and deserve equal thanks.

“We’re turning up for work every day to care for some of the most vulnerable people in society. Few people are more prone to the devastating affects of coronavirus than our residents.”

Nearly two-and-a-half thousand people have now shared Donna Pierpoint’s original Facebook post in support of her campaign. It has now been viewed by nearly a quarter of a million people. 

Broomgrove Nursing Home closed its doors to visitors a few days ago in order to protects its residents.

Donna Pierpoint added: “It broke my heart to see relatives crying when they realised they didn’t know when they were going to see their mums and dads again. But as manager we have to do all we can to keep our residents safe and work within the guidelines we’re given. These are unprecedented times and we’ve had to take unprecedented measures.”

You can join the campaign on Facebook @BroomgroveNursingHome

Broomgrove Nursing Home will be closed to all visitors from this Friday, 20th March, in response to the coronavirus, COVID-19 outbreak. We have taken this action to prevent the potential exposure of the virus to our residents. They are some of the most susceptible to becoming seriously ill and we want to do all we can to prevent the infection from reaching our home. Our priority is, and always will be, the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents, and that of our staff members. We hope you understand that this decision has not been taken lightly. We will still allow visits from medical professionals and deal with emergency situations should they arise. Please be assured that we are taking every necessary step to keep our residents and staff members safe, comfortable and happy, including maintaining our strict health, safety and hand hygiene procedures. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing staff for their support and send love to our residents. Thank you all for your understanding.