Canon’s Sheffield arena partnership brings health and employment benefits to the local community

Canon Medical Systems UK works closely with local organisations with the aim of creating lasting value, supporting employment, boosting local economies and making a difference where it matters most. “For us, ESG [environmental, social and governance] is not a requirement to be met, but a responsibility we embrace,” the company says.

In 2018, Canon Medical joined forces with the Sheffield Sharks professional basketball team to fund RESPECT, a community initiative to encourage good citizenship with primary and secondary school children. The partnership has grown to encompass Sheffield’s women’s basketball team, the Sheffield Hatters. In 2023, this partnership extended to the construction of an arena with partners Park Community Arena and The LivingCare Group. The combined multipurpose community sports facility and medical diagnostic centre is intended to tackle health and social inequality head on, and create social value in the community.

Bringing essential diagnostics, such as MRI, ultrasound, CT and x-ray, closer to the community was a key driver when designing the arena, which offers a welcoming, relaxed environment.

Since its opening, the diagnostic suite has delivered more than 140 prostate biopsies for the NHS, with training on how to complete a lower risk method provided to local NHS radiologists to improve future patient outcomes.

Another aim of the arena is to encourage healthy lifestyles and establish a place for youth programmes. Today, nearly 1,000 young netball and basketball players use the courts. It is also home to the RESPECT programmes, including citizenship workshops and sports sessions designed to lift young people out of a cycle of negative behaviours by involving them in sports and exercise, using professional male and female basketball players as role models.

Canon Medical and Sheffield Sharks are together piloting the Sheffield Sharks Youth Ambassador Scheme, offering two students who graduated the RESPECT TOO programme access to business mentoring, careers guidance and work experience at the arena.

The LivingCare Healthcare Employers Skills Academy was launched in 2023, giving students from a local college hands-on experience and insights into healthcare careers. Healthcare assistant Jenna Roberts is currently studying to become a radiographer. She said: “Getting hands-on experience with the equipment within the diagnostic suite is extremely beneficial while I study. I feel extremely lucky and am excited to accelerate my career in radiography.”
Canon Medical Systems UK MD Mark Hitchman commented: “When we first opened Canon Medical Arena, we couldn’t have imagined just how impactful it would be within the local community. Addressing inequality within the Sheffield region and paving the way for a more preventative approach to healthcare has always been a key driving force in this project.”

Lead picture: the arena is a multi-purpose sports facility and integrated medical diagnostic centre.

Read this report on page 16 of the August 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.