Newsletter
Community rights providing new opportunities in Birmingham.
More than sixty representatives from local community organisations gathered in Birmingham last week to discuss the latest Community Rights at a Locality event hosted by Birmingham Settlement.
The new Community Rights are part of the Localism Act introduced in 2011 with the aim of devolving more decision making powers from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.
Don Foster MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government was guest speaker at the event entitled ‘Communities Taking Control – Solutions from the frontline’. Other speakers include Steve Wyler, CEO of Locality and Alison Seabrooke, CEO of the Community Development Foundation.
Martin Holcombe, CEO at Birmingham Settlement said, “We had a hugely successful day with input from a wide range of organisations that were able to share their experiences and discuss the challenges they have faced.”
Steve Wyler added, “This was an opportunity to see beyond the legislation and discover how initiatives are actually working at grass roots level. It was inspiring to see how many varied projects are making a real difference in local communities.”
Birmingham Settlement is part of Locality’s West Midlands Regional Action Group and a kickstarter for the national Community Organisers programme.
Aston Telling Tales casting call out.
Together with Women & Theatre and Aston Hall Birmingham Settlement are running Aston Telling Tales, a project to collect and share the stories of people who have lived and worked in Aston.
Women & Theatre are producing a performance to share eight stories, showing the contrast between stories from the 1600s and those from the modern day. For this production Women & Theatre are inviting people who wish to perform in the play to attend a casting callout to show their skills.
If you think you’ve got what it takes attend the casting event on:
Date: Thursday 2nd May 2013
Time: 4:30pm-6:30pm
Where: Stable Cafe, Aston Hall
For further information download the flyer below.
Gastro event at Opus Restaurant.
Opus Restaurant, together with Gastro Card and Kitchen School are holding an event to help raise funds for Birmingham Settlement. The event will take place from 12:30pm on 12th March 2013 at Opus Restaurant. Tickets cost £30 and will include a meal, glass of wine, guest speakers and raffle. So come along and enjoy some great food while also helping to raise funds for Birmingham Settlement.
Click here to download the event flyer, which include event details and menu.
Partnership with barter bay.
barter Bay is a brand new online trading platform that works on the age-old principle of swapping goods in order to acquire something that is needed. The site is easy to use and is an ideal way to give use to an unwanted Christmas gift and replace it with something new. Each trade costs just £1 and there are no hidden costs. Once registered items are listed for trade a search is then made for a suitable swap. Items can be exchanged locally or delivered as appropriate.
Birmingham Settlement’s partnership with barter bay will be launched at a barter bay LIVE evening that will be held at the Centre for the Aston Family on Witton Road on 6th February, starting at 6.00pm. The barter bay LIVE event will bring together barter bay traders and the local community, offering them the opportunity to trade their goods and services during the evening.
Simon Allen, founder of barter bay said, “This is the first collaboration of its kind and I am delighted that we have been able to launch it first in Birmingham with such a well-respected charity. Our barter bay LIVE event is well timed to allow people to exchange all those unwanted Christmas presents and trade them for items that they want.”
Birmingham Settlement’s Chief Executive Martin Holcombe said, “We have embraced this opportunity to work with barter bay and utilise Internet technology to help us develop new and exciting ways of supporting our work. barter bay is different in that it trades services as well as goods and this will allow us to ask people to trade their services to us, for example we currently have a need for legal support and are looking to trade some of our services for this. We also see tremendous opportunity to develop time banking and build a database of services that people are willing to trade.”
The barter bay LIVE event is free to attend but you must register in advance at https://barterbay.uk.com/barter-bay-live.php
For more information about the event please download the flyer below:
Community activities and involvement at our Community Christmas Fun Day!
On Saturday 15th December Birmingham Settlement held a day of fun activities for people from the local community to come and get involved in as the year comes to an end. The day was a fantastic success, with a wide range of activities taking place, including choir singing, drumming, arts and Santa’s grotto.
One of the activities was a performance from members of the Birmingham Ormiston Academy. Through a mixture of music, dance and storytelling they shared the idea that everybody can achieve their dreams and ambitions if they are willing to fight for them.
Service users and members of the public who attended had a great deal of fun and were able to get involved in many of the activites taking places. The day was supported by members of staff, volunteers, trustees and service users who all came together to make the day happen. We hope that everybody who attended enjoyed themselves and thank you for being a part of it!
Check out our album on Flickr for loads of lovely pictures from the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birminghamsettlement/sets/72157632265587491/
Making Moves crafts exhibition.
From 7th-31st January 2013 Birmingham Settlement’s Centre for the Aston Family is hosting part of the Making Moves arts and crafts touring exhibition. The exhibition will showcase a series of contemporary crafts produced by a range of artists and will help participants to share skills and knowledge and learn about new ways of working. Come along to the Centre in January to see all the wonderful crafts produced by these aspiring artists!
Community Christmas Fun Day!
On Saturday 15th December 2012 Birmingham Settlement are holding a Community Christmas Fun Day at the Centre for the Aston Family. The event is designed to be a fun day out for members of the local community in Aston and the surrounding areas – an opportunity for people to come together with other members of the community, get involved in a range of activities, learn about different cultures and have fun! Some of the activities taking place include:
- Santa’s grotto, storytelling and face painting for the children.
- Choir and carol singing.
- Drumming and arts workshops.
- Hand massage and Mehndi hand painting.
- Yoga taster sessions.
- Table tennis tournament.
- Pop up Settlement Shop with a selection of books, toys and clothes from our charity shops.
- Representatives from emergency services will be available to speak to local residents and offer advice.
- Refreshments available.
Our Chief Executive Martin Holcombe said, “Many people have come together to organise and donate both time and prizes to the day. We’re hoping that many families will join us for what promises to be a great day.”
The event will be open from 11am-3pm at the Centre for the Aston Family at 359-361 Witton Road, Aston, B6 6NS. Whether you currently use our services or not you’re welcome to come along, have fun and get involved.
Carol singing at St. George’s Church.
St. George’s Church in Edgbaston (at the junction of Calthorpe, Highfield and Westbourne Roads) are holding two carol services over the coming weeks as follows:
- Light Up The World – Tuesday 4th December 2012 at 6pm.
- Office Carols Service – Thursday 13th December 2012 at 1:15pm-1:45pm.
All are welcome to attend and refreshments and mince pies will be available afterwards! Our Chief Executive Martin Holcombe will be attending to speak about Birmingham Settlement and collections will be made to support our work. This is a great opportunity to attend a fun event while also supporting Birmingham Settlement.
Join us for an evening of live music and comedy!
Join us for an evening of live entertainment in support of Birmingham Settlement. With Foghorn Improv, The Dirty Old Folkers and Naomi Paul we are holding an evening of life comedy and music to help raise funds for the work of Birmingham Settlement. The event will take place from 7:30pm on Saturday 8th December 2012 at Tyseley Community Centre. Tickets cost £7.50 and will include live entertainment and refreshments.
Event link: http://www.facebook.com/events/487640827943403/
Ageing Well Achievement Celebration and ‘Here I Am’ Event Screening.
Back in April 2012 selected Ageing Well members teamed up with a group of younger people to discuss issues that are affecting both old & young and how we can better communicate. The participants took part in a series of seminars and social media workshops, finishing with an intergenerational fashion show.
Ageing Well would like to invite you to its celebration event on Thursday 1st November 2012. The afternoon will start with a buffet lunch and then a film screening of the Here I Am & Lost Links event. We would like you to be part of this celebration by joining us on 1st November from 2:30pm to 5pm. The event will be held at the Centre for the Aston Family.
If you require any support in getting home from the event please let us know as there will be a minibus service available for those most in need.
Please note that there are a limited number of spaces so please book your place by Wednesday 31stth October at 3:00pm. To confirm your seat please contact Abi Shervington, Ageing Well Wellbeing & Activities Co-ordinator on 0121 250 0777.