Oldham stone specialists Maysand are on track to complete the restoration of Sheffield\'s grade II listed Cholera Monument by the New Year, thanks to a successful local partnership and a grant of more than £250,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Rivelin gritstone Cholera Monument commemorates 402 people who died in Sheffield, including the Master Cutler of the time, during the national cholera epidemic of 1832.

The monument was originally designed by Sheffield architect M E Hadfield in its own grounds near Clay Wood. It was paid for by public subscription.

The monument was smashed by lightening in the storms of 1990, losing much of its height. Since then, the pieces have been kept in storage. Now all the parts have been brought back to the site to be faithfully restored.

The stonework is being cleaned and repaired. Rivelin gritstone no longer being available, repairs necessary are being carried out in Catcastle Buff sandstone from Dunhouse.

A new stainless steel core is being installed inside the monument to join the stone sections together to reinstate it to its full height.

Three statues, symbolising faith, hope and charity, will be repaired using Hartham Park Bath stone from Hanson Bath & Portland and reinstated. A cross will also return to grace the top of the monument, but this time it will be aluminium so it can act as a lightening conductor.

After its restoration, the Cholera monument will be lit at night and the grounds surrounding the monument will also be restored with new planting and seating and a new surface to the main path.

New interpretation material focusing on local people\'s memories and sense of place will be installed to highlight the monument\'s importance to local history. The monument\'s restoration links in with the revival of open spaces in Norfolk Park and Manor and Castle and the medieval estates of the Shrewsbury and Norfolk families.

The partnership for the restoration are: Jim Hurley of Sheffield Interior Solutions, the Friends of the Cholera Monument Grounds, Sheffield Wildlife Trust, Manor and Castle Development Trust and Sheffield City Council. Private companies, including Ancon Building Products, who are sponsoring all the stainless steel fittings, are also supporting the project.

Sue France, Green Estate Director for Sheffield Wildlife Trust, said: "The open spaces of this part of the city have not been in a great state for the last few years and we\'ve been working with Manor & Castle Development Trust and the Council to improve them. This is one of the most historically interesting and important areas of the city. The parks and open spaces we have today, and the wildlife they contain, are closely bound up with their rich histories and with the lives of local people, past and present."