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Heart of Steel at Meadowhall

Thousands of people are set to join fellow fundraisers and become part of history, by engraving their names on to a 2.4-metre-high steel heart which has been unveiled at Meadowhall. For each engraving that is purchased for a minimum donation of £30, the funds raised will help fund scientific breakthroughs and power our life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

To engrave a name on the Heart of Steel, please follow the link to the British Heart Foundation https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/fundraise/heartofsteel

Visit The Heart of Steel at Meadowhall, now located on The Avenue- Lower Level.

 

Your engraving: how it works

For just £30 you’ll get the name of your choice engraved on a timeless work of art, a digital certificate you can print and personalise straight away and a printed certificate in the post.

 

What is the Heart of Steel?

 

The Heart of Steel is a monumental sculpture in Yorkshire with space to engrave 150,000 names. This is part of the wider Steel Man project, a future landmark which will overlook Sheffield. The Heart will eventually be included inside the 32-metre Steel Man. Or more information on the Steel Man project please follow the link https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/fundraise/heartofsteel/where-it-all-began

As a leading supporter of the Yorkshire community, Meadowhall has placed the Heart of Steel in prime position at the centre of the mall outside H. Samuel – overlooked by a replica statue of The Steel Man.  From here, customers can marvel at the carefully crafted sculpture and recognise a special person in their life by permanently etching their name onto the heart. In doing so, they will also join the thousands of people who have already donated to the project and will now be able to see their touching tributes on the finished sculpture at the centre.

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, has developed a touch screen app so visitors to Meadowhall can learn more about this pioneering project, locate names on the heart and how to make a donation by going online at www.thesteelman.co.uk.

 

Nicola Jones, Fundraising Manager at the BHF added:

“Heart and circulatory disease devastates the lives of millions of families in Yorkshire and all over the UK. That’s why we’re proud that the Heart of Steel project has galvanised people throughout the community to work together to help us beat heartbreak forever. We think it’s fantastic that people can be a part of history by engraving their name, or the name of a loved one, on the Heart of Steel, whilst also helping to fund our vital research into conditions including coronary heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia, and diabetes.”

 

A mother and daughter look up at the heart of steel

 

Steve Mehdi, a former steelworker turned sculptor, is the man behind the project. He said:

 

“The Heart of Steel possesses an emotional strand that reaches across many generations. I have been deeply touched by the people who have donated so far and the stories they have shared. My thanks must go to the companies that have supported the project, the BHF for their tremendous vision, and the tireless effort of countless people who have made the Heart of Steel what it is. I would also like to add a special thanks to Darren Pearce and his Meadowhall team for their unflagging enthusiasm to see the Heart of Steel and The Steel Man installed in Yorkshire’s premier shopping centre. It has been a long-held ambition to see these two sculptures in this amazing space and we look forward to sharing our vision with its visitors.”

 

The Heart of Steel draws on the long heritage of the region’s diverse communities who spent their working lives to create materials and products sold around the world. As an integral part of The Steel Man, the Heart of Steel also highlights the new technologies and specialised manufacturing that has redefined South Yorkshire and the growth of the advanced manufacturing sector.

 

Darren Pearce, Centre Director for Meadowhall, said:

“The Heart of Steel is an incredibly moving monument, and its emotional value will only increase as the names of those we cherish, admire, and remember make their mark. Forged in Sheffield steel by the Yorkshire community, the sculpture utilises the region’s rich heritage to create something incredibly special for its future – not only in terms of The Steel Man sculpture it will support, but for the millions of lives it will change through the funds generated for British Heart Foundation too. As a company that’s operated at the heart of Sheffield for almost 30 years, it’s truly an honour to host it here in our mall.”

 

The project has seen businesses from across the region come together to support and celebrate the Yorkshire community. With unique super alloys provided by Maher Ltd, cutting-edge portable laser units created by Pryor and scanning technologies offered by Performance Engineered Solutions, the project benefited from a wealth of local knowledge and expertise. Doncasters Bramah has also been heavily involved in the fabrication of the Heart of Steel, as well as many other areas of its development. In addition, The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, has developed a touch screen app so visitors to Meadowhall can locate their engravings easier.

 

From the contribution of super alloys to the lasering of names, many local companies have come together to help bring the Heart of Steel to life. Information on their involvement can be found below:

 

  • The smart app used by visitors to find names engraved on the Heart of Steel has been created by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. With more than 100 industrial partners ranging from global giants like Boeing and Rolls Royce to smaller companies, the AMRC specialises in carrying out world-leading research into advanced machining, manufacturing, and materials to help businesses become more competitive. The AMRC is a founding member of The Steel Man project and continues to offer high level expertise and practical help to the project, having already machined a three-metre model of The Steel Man, and a smaller 3D printed version.

 

  • Pryor has been at the heart of manufacturing in Sheffield since 1849. So, when sculptor Steve Mehdi asked the team to join the Heart of Steel project, all parties agreed it was the perfect partnership. Adapting its Portable Laser Marking system, designed for the automotive and aerospace industries, Pryor is permanently marking the 136 curved panels of the Heart of Steel with the names of over 150,000 donors. Pryor’s software quickly imports the names and records the location they are marked, so that donors can find them on the Heart of Steel.

 

  • For the past four years Leeds law firm 3volution has been supporting Steve Mehdi, the sculptor behind the Heart of Steel, in his bid to create The Steel Man as a Yorkshire monument on the hillside opposite Meadowhall.  Throughout the project, 3volution has provided legal advice including trademark support free of charge.

 

  • Founded in 1932, Maher Limited is a Sheffield-based stockholder and processor of high strength, high performance alloys including nickel alloys, copper alloys, titanium, and other special grades.  Specialising in the supply and processing of high integrity alloys, Maher Ltd contributed to The Steel Heart project by donating the raw material, a super alloy known as Inconel. At the centre of the super alloy heart sits a two-metre-long special steel spine, around which the Inconel panels are attached. Having extensive experience with such materials, Maher Ltd was able to supply materials and machine the spine. The technical skills required for this are normally applied for machined nickel alloy parts for the oil and gas, aerospace, power generation or naval and marine industries.

 

  • The fabrication of the Heart of Steel has taken place at Doncasters Bramah, a state-of-the-art aerospace facility based in Halfway, Sheffield with 263 employees. Founded in 1778, Doncasters Bramah is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the world and has 25 sites worldwide. A volunteer team of 14 staff has worked many evenings and weekends over a seven-month period to make the vision of the Heart of Steel a reality. The fabrication of the Heart of Steel offered the opportunity to showcase the plant’s many manufacturing processes outside of their usual order book of engine components and civil exhausts, including precision CAD/CAM modelling, laser cutting, sheet metal work and welding.

 

  • Performance Engineered Solutions (PES) Ltd is a high-performance engineering design services business, based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield. The company’s pedigree is born out of Formula One but today it delivers high quality and technologically advanced engineering design and product optimisation solutions for clients from many sectors. PES has had a long involvement with The Steel Man and the Heart of Steel projects, with Managing Director Mike Maddock a trustee of the charity for a number of years. PES used its 3D scanning expertise to scan the original model of the heart and map future versions.

 

  • Other supporting companies for the Heart of Steel include: AESSEAL PLC; Axis Architecture Limited; Besq Film; Born + Raised; Billington PLC; Bramwell Relocation; Constant Security Services Ltd; CS Electrical; FCC Environment; Harworth Group PLC; IFM Insurance; Mayflower Engineering Ltd; Mott MacDonald; Newburgh Engineering; Pagets; Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council; SH Structures Ltd; Sheffield Hallam University; Steelphalt Ltd.

 

Support our cause

 

Engraving a name on the Heart of Steel will help fund scientific breakthroughs and power our life saving research into heart and circulatory diseases. Thank you! https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/fundraise/heartofsteel

A person looks at their phone next to the heart of steel

 

Watch The Video 

Behind the scenes footage of the installation of the Heart of Steel at Meadowhall

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