I'm doing my PPL training at Sheffield, and I only really started because as h-r said, the area is poorly served for GA, especially to the west where the Pennines start. I don't have a lot of spare time and can't justify a 2-hour round trip drive on top of my flying time.
Not sure what can be done though - a few private pilots don't make much of a lobbying group, and planning permission for Finningley was the death-knell for any commercial operations from Sheffield
- Michael