A crucial General Election is taking place on 12th December 2019. Moseley Forum are therefore co-hosting a local hustings event with Kings Heath Residents’ Forum at the All Services Club on Church Road on 27th November 2019 from 7:30pm.
The Women’s Enterprise Hub, Sparkbrook is delighted to share that our annual open day for 2019 will be hosting a Winter and Christmas Fayre, showcasing local female entrepreneurs and their unique and lovely products and services.
WM Police have published this warning about thefts from motor vehicles.
Joint Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath East and Balsall Heath West Ward Forum Meeting Agenda for 13th November 2019.
We have an update on the proposals from John Newson of Balsall Heath is Our Planet.
There are lots of craft workshops happening at The Old Print Works coming up. Perfect for making Christmas gifts – or just a special something for yourself!
Have a look at the Daily Thread page to find out what they are up to on their weekly sessions. On 5th December they will be joined by Helen from Bead Me Astray, who will be helping you make a Christmas decoration or a coaster from beads.
Metallix’s Mel Berman (in 3F3 off the Upper Gallery) is putting on a range of workshops on a number of dates including embossed pewter notebook/box workshops and decorative letter and bookmark workshops. Further details here.
The GAP Arts project are celebrating their 10th birthday with a whole range of activities in The GAP and The Mix Café on Saturday 16th November from 11am until after midnight. Please check here for details.
Sundragon Community Pottery have a wide range of pottery classes starting in November. Details on their website. The pottery is in the rear of the building by the access to the back yard.
Tell us what you think about The Old Print Works… whether you have visited us or not!
Hazelle Stage School is now enrolling new students for the Season 2019/20.
Join Birmingham historical novelist and biographer, Fiona Joseph, for a hands-on Creative Writing session around the theme of how Birmingham’s people gained and used the vote from 1918 onwards. Hosted by The People’s Heritage Co-operative as part of their project ‘Represent’.
This month read more about history walking tours around the area, more about the Lost Children project and an exciting new heritage project about the history of Birmingham’s first nightclub for the LGBTQ community, Nightingales.
We have been successful in starting and supporting a number of Business Watch schemes in Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook but we need more.
By creating a Business Watch scheme in your area, you can help reduce ASB, crime and create a more positive community environment for you to live and work in.
If you would like to know more about starting a Business Watch scheme, then please contact our team email at: sparkbrook@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk
Regards,
Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Team
The public meeting at The Old Print Works on 22 October was strongly critical of the Transport for West Midlands proposals, which we had described to us, to narrow the foot ways, take down the line of trees and fit in another lane of traffic through the centre of Balsall Heath. This seems quite against the core aim of the Neighbourhood Plan to strengthen our local centre.
Many ways to make the existing road function more efficiently can be identified, reducing the delays to buses, but this should make the widening unnecessary, it was argued. People want the rail station reopened, rather than the road widened. The full text of the discussion can be had from me John Newson bhiop[at]jericho.org.uk.
Residents have organised a meeting in Tindal Street on 27 Oct. because many people do not know about this scheme and did not get the city council’s letter about the scheme, or could not read it in English.
A petition is being started by Birmingham Friends of the Earth, in favour of a better bus service, but against the road widening,
People have asked for, and have got, an extension until 22nd November for public consultation. Only online responses will be taken, through the BeHeard website. You can say which aspects of the scheme you like, or don’t like.
Now Birmingham City Council is to put forward, at the end of November, their big plan to reduce car travel into the city centre, as part of progressing towrads a zero carbon city in Birmingham Transport Plan 2031.
What is the effect of fitting in another lane of traffic, here ?
As part of our commitment to increase physical activity opportunities for all pupils and to spotlight ‘girls PE and School Sport. Many of the pupils involved in the Wildcats club on Thursday evenings, had never attended a school or community based sports club before.
Inspired by Janika Patel, a female football coach from Sporting Elite and Mr Rose coach and Learning Mentor, pupils took part in a range of activities to develop their footballing skills and social skills.
Girls from a neighbouring school – Nelson Mandela Primary- also joined the Clifton girls, to give the sessions a real community feel, meaning that 25-30 girls regularly attended the club from May to October.
Sporting Elite director declared;
‘Sporting Elite are delighted to be working on the Clifton Wildcats sessions, engaging girls in the community to play the game they love and keep active.’
Clifton Primary have always championed the important role physical activity and club membership play in enabling children to develop their physical and emotional well-being. Wildcat co-ordinator, Owen Lamprey emphasised the role this new club plays in this:
‘Clifton have always provided opportunities for pupils to develop their physical literacy and play a range of sports, inside and out of the curriculum. This year we decided to focus on improving these opportunities for Girls and pupils with SEND. Wildcats is a key driver in this and allows girls who have never played football before to play in a safe and welcoming environment. It is also vital moving forward as part of the school’s response to the Government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan and the Obesity
Strategy.’
The school has plans to widen the scope though, by training parents and volunteers to become part of the coaching team, enabling even more girls to take part in regular football. We have just won our first match 5-1! Other Birmingham-based Wildcat clubs have been contacted to set up more
competitive matches and Clifton have already started talking to Crusaders FC and Armada FC to enable girls who want to further their skills, to join an FA affiliated club. This is part of a long term approach to make the sessions and the love of football more sustainable.
Clifton Wildcats is now up and running again and we are welcoming new members, on Thursdays at Clifton Primary School.
It has been an amazing half term for PE and School Sport at Clifton Primary School. We have celebrated winning regional awards for our commitment to keeping children active, been broadcast on ITV and now have our very own World Champion!
Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are the statutory body that bring together local partners to solve shared issues around: Crime and Disorder, Anti-Social Behaviour, Drug and Alcohol misuse, and Reoffending.