Architect and blogger Joe Holyoak has pulled together a conference to consider the future of the city centre 20 years after the Highbury Conference took a whole range of radical decisions for Birmingham. The flyer is here and a booking form (£40 for the day including lunch) for April 14th is here.
Joe and I [...]

A short film introducing the work being done in Kingstanding by residents trying to tackle the connection between crime and grime. It was shot for a residents conference in The Hague at the end of this week. No intended to be comprehensive, more a way of allowing [...]

The photo of Katie Derham swaddled in bank notes is from the flickr part of the promotional package for the People’s £50 million. In the next two weeks the whole nation will be invited to vote on which of 4 communal projects should win £50 million from the Big Lottery fund.

I want the Black [...]

Christmas MarketBlogged with FlockTags: birminghamuk

PC Bernie Flynn has been working with young people in Quinton in Birmingham consistently since 2001, merging policing with youth work. For him finding the right people for the job and giving them time to show respect and earn respect is at the heart of good community policing. Anti social behaviour in and around [...]

 

 Quinzone podcast on the Grassroots Channel [8:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Refurbishing allotments used as a fly tipping ground and making the plots available for schools is one of the best uses I’ve come across for the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Of course NRF was never about things the council should do (like maintain allotments), but at least this £39,000 spend has the potential to [...]

 

 Neville Lilley on Allotments [7:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the 1989’s Birmingham’s leaders gathered at Highbury Hall in Moseley for a summit meeting. It was the second time such a gathering had happened and Highbury 2 spawned the idea to break the concrete collar which was stranggling the growth of the city centre.

With the ring road down it is 2007 and Stef [...]

Congratulations to the following for helping Beth Kanter raise university fees for two Cambodian Students:

Shirley Williams
Michael David Pick
Preetam Rai
Wiebke Herding
Peter Cranstone
Polly Thompson
Nicholas Booth
Fernanda Ibarra
Britt Bravo
Kelley-sue LeBlanc
Laura Whitehead
Allyson Lazar
CindyAE
Andre Carothers
John Powers
Neesha Rahim
Anal Bhattacharya
Steve Bridger
Lloyd Davis
Donna Callejon
Chris Brogan
Anonymous
Joyce Bettencourt
Erin Vest
Philip C Campbell
Jane E Quigley [...]