Heritage project to celebrate city's showpeople

The history of a family of travelling showpeople who have run funfairs in Sheffield for eight generations is to be documented.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has agreed a £120,000 grant for a two-year project which will collect memories, photos, and memorabilia to research the legacy of the amusements in the city.

The Showmen of Sheffield will result in a documentary about the Pullen/Pullin family, commemorative book, exhibitions and a range of creative workshops and activities for children.

Jon Pullin of Pullin's Amusements said: "We can finally tell the story of our family and the wider travelling showmen community in the way it deserves to be told."

The project will see the Pullin family work alongside volunteers, schools, and heritage groups to tell their story.

The family has been involved in the amusements industry for more than 100 years, with the tradition being passed down from generation to generation. During that time the spelling of the family surname changed from Pullen to Pullin.

"Our family has spent generations bringing enjoyment to Sheffield's parks, but this project is about far more than us.

"It's about the people who visited the fairs, worked on them, grew up with them and made lifelong memories there," Jon Pullin said.

The material collected will contribute to a new Pullin Family Collection within the National Fairground and Circus Archive at the University of Sheffield.

The project will focus on the preservation of traditional fairground crafts, such as the intricately hand-painted rides.

Two 1950s children's rides will be restored, giving the public a chance to learn about the specialist hand painting skills which are at risk of disappearing.

Helen Featherstone, director of the north of England at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "We're thrilled to be supporting the Showmen of Sheffield project.

"Travelling fairgrounds will have brought joy to many over the years, so it is fantastic that this project will record that heritage for future generations and preserve traditional fairground crafts such as the instantly recognisable hand-painting we see when the fair comes to town."

Earlier this year, Jon Pullin's Amusements lost a bid to remain in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield, after more than four decades of operations there.

Joe Pullin, 31, hopes the project will help the family secure a new site in the city.

"It might just take us six months to a year to find a new site and get re-established, but we will return and it will be what people enjoy," he said.

"I grew up spending most of my time in the parks doing fairgrounds and galas. My family's been doing this in Sheffield for nearly 200 years. I've heard so many stories over the years of various situations and hi-jinks that people have gotten into."

The Showmen of Sheffield project aims to make sure the histories of these unique travelling fairground communities are preserved for future generations.

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