Regeneration
Royston is a former farming village with a proud industrial heritage and a thriving local business community. Its industrial peak came with the development of a canal, a railway, a colliery, a clay works and a coke works.
The former coke works has a new purpose as Rabbit Ings Country Park. It has walking and cycling trails, a recreational area and an employment zone. You can see the Flame Flower around Royston. This motif brings together a flame in remembrance of the coke works and a flower, a symbol of regeneration.
Royston boasts a host of independent businesses, from hardware and auto parts traders to salons, fashion shops and cafes. The town’s pride in nature is epitomised by the efforts of the likes of Royston Green Spaces Group and recent successes in Barnsley in Bloom.
As well as Rabbit Ings, Royston has a spacious and beautiful central park and is a gateway to the Trans Pennine Trail. Famous names linked to the town include racing cyclist Harry “Shake” Earnshaw, comedian Charlie Williams, football player and manager Ernie Morgan, Yorkshire cricketer Norman Yardley, and mountaineer Andy Cave.
What we've done
Find out more about what progress has been made across Royston.
Shopfront grant scheme
This grant scheme was a successful initiative to enhance the attractiveness of Royston's town centre. It offered grants of up to £4,000 to eligible businesses to improve their shopfronts, signage, lighting, and security.
A total of 35 businesses successfully applied for and received the grant.
We invested £124,656 from our Principal Towns and Local Centre programme budget, with businesses contributing a total of £67,208 in their own shops and premises.
The scheme helped to create a more attractive and welcoming town centre. It also supported local businesses and employment.
Public realm improvements
The Principal Towns programme has also funded improvements to enhance Royston's public spaces.
These included:
- Replacing the Royston Park sign and improving the fencing, gates, and archway at the high street entrances to the park.
- Improving the cherry tree planter on the high street, which adds a touch of colour and nature to the town centre.
- Replacing an old community partnership sign with a new one that reflects the current branding and vision of Royston.
These improvements also helped to create a more attractive and inviting environment for people to enjoy.
What we’re going to do next
A Town Investment Plan has been drawn up with input from local residents, businesses and councillors. Further projects will be developed in consultation with local people.
More about Royston
Royston Library
Royston Library has recently undergone a major makeover to turn it into a modern and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy. The transformation included an enhanced children’s area and more comfortable seating.
The library also boasts a new local history wall showcasing the rich heritage of Royston. This includes sign from the old Royston railway signal box that has been restored and is on loan from Barnsley Museums.
Find out more about Royston Library and the facilities it offers.
Rabbit Ings
Rabbit Ings is a country park on the site of the former colliery yard and spoil heap of the Monkton Colliery and the Royston Drift Mine, which closed in 1989.
The 64-hectare site is home to a haven for nature - including newts, snakes and herons. It also has a network of footpaths and cycle tracks offering stunning views. There are also community sports pitches at the site, which is owned by the Land Trust.
The site takes its name from the prominent image of a rabbit carved into the hillside, which can be seen from miles away. The rabbit was created with help from almost 200 local school pupils.
Royston Park
Royston Park is in the centre of the village. It has bowling greens and a pavilion, a children’s play area and multi-use games area, skate park, bandstand a sports pavilion.
Find out more about the park’s facilities and opening times.
Support for businesses
A range of support is available to businesses in the local area. This includes support and advice for those looking to start their own business.
Find out more from:
Building your skills
Skills and employability support
Get involved in your community
Get to know some of the dedicated individuals and groups contributing to the community's well-being.
Royston Good Food Pantry
The Royston Good Food Pantry opened in October at Manor Court Community Centre to help people to access quality food no matter their budget.
The pantry is the first of its kind for the borough, made possible by the volunteers at Royston Friends Association. It was supported by Barnsley Council and funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
Its open every Monday from 10am until 1pm, offering good quality food to the local community at discounted prices.
Food suppliers offer surplus food which would have otherwise gone to waste. Money made through food sales is used to cover the pantry’s running costs, including buying varied good food to choose from.
Volunteering opportunities
You can find volunteering opportunities on the Barnsley CVS website, or contact your local area team.
Find out more about how to get started as a volunteer.
We post photos of people taking part in projects like community clean-ups and bulb-planting, as well as upcoming activities you could get involved with. For more details, email southareateam@barnsley.gov.uk.
Organising your own events
We like to hear your ideas about how to improve where you live. You might even find other like-minded people in your area who'd be happy to get together to make improvements.
You can also apply for funding through your ward alliance for a project. You'll need to show that it meets the local priorities for your area.
Your Area Team
Our Area Teams are at the heart of their communities, organising, supporting and promoting local events and helping people access council services and advice.
You can follow Barnsley North East Area Team, which serves Royston, on Facebook.
Keeping your neighbourhood safe
Your local policing team
The Barnsley North East neighbourhood policing team is responsible for crime prevention and community safety in Royston.
You can meet the team, get in touch and find details of Police and Communities Together (PACT) meetings on the neighbourhood policing team webpage.
Report crime and anti-social via the South Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101. Dial 999 in an emergency.
Neighbourhood wardens
Our neighbourhood wardens are working hard in our communities to combat environmental crime and anti-social behaviour, but they rely on your help and support.
I’d like to be kept informed
We send updates by email to those who have asked to be kept informed. If you would like to receive regular updates about what's going in your community, sign up to our newsletter.