Category: COMMUNITY ANCHORS

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Ladders of Opportunity bursary sees applications surge, empowering Erdington’s youth

Words and pics supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

Ladders of Opportunity second round recipients at BMet Erdington Skills Centre, Edwards Rd / Pic supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

The Ladders of Opportunity Bursary, established in memory of Erdington MP Jack Dromey and Councillor Penny Holbrook, has achieved remarkable success in its second round of funding.

The initiative, aimed at supporting young residents living in the Erdington Constituency, saw applications triple from the first round, demonstrating its growing impact and importance in the community.

For both rounds, a total of £20,000 was awarded to 23 young individuals across the Erdington Constituency, each receiving up to £1,000 to support their career aspirations. The bursary recipients represent a diverse range of career paths, including aspiring pharmacists, dentists, teachers, nurses, youth workers, solicitors, midwives, and mechanical engineers.

In addition to financial assistance, the bursary programme offers vital mentorship and coaching opportunities. These connections with experienced professionals provide invaluable guidance for the recipients’ personal and professional development and can provide excellent insight into future careers.

The bursary is a collaborative effort, generously funded by dedicated partners including Witton Lodge Community Association, IM Properties, BMet College, The Pioneer Group, and Urban Devotion. This partnership exemplifies commitment to nurturing local talent, working together to create a brighter future for young people across Erdington.

Ladders of Opportunity sign identifying project partners / Pic supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

A special event, hosted at BMet Erdington Skills Centre brought together the successful applicants and guests, alongside the panel and community leaders, including Perry Common Councillor Jilly Bermingham. The gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of these inspiring young individuals and hear about their plans for the future.

Afzal Hussain, Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association, expressed his enthusiasm for the inaugural Ladders of Opportunity bursary programme, which has distributed £20,000 to promising young individuals across the Erdington Constituency.

He told: “Congratulations to all the recipients whose determination to achieving their goals have earned them this well-deserved recognition and support. The standard of applications has been exceptional and it’s an absolute pleasure to see these aspiring young people embrace this opportunity.”

(l-r) Linda Hines MBE from Witton Lodge Community Association and Ladders of Opportunity second round recipient Anisha Begum Mukhta / Pic supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

Recognising the success of the programme and the pressing needs within the community, Afzal, emphasised the importance of expanding this initiative. He added: “Our aim is to increase the funding for 2025 by bringing on board new partners who share our passion and vision for supporting young people and education.

“We are hopeful this proactive approach will ensure that more young individuals realise their potential and contribute positively to their community, reinforcing the idea that investing in youth is an investment in the future of Erdington, and the city as a whole.”

(l-r) Kerry Amory from IM Properties and Ladders of Opportunity second round recipient Ellie Turner / Pic supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

By seeking new partnerships, the programme aims to secure additional resources that will enable even more young people in Erdington to benefit from financial support and mentorship opportunities.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: 5 Tips for an eco-friendly Christmas!

Words and graphic supplied by Witton Lodge Community Association

Every year in the UK, a staggering 8 million real Christmas trees are tossed aside, contributing approximately 12,000 tonnes of waste to our landfills. This Christmas, we wanted to provide some eco-friendly tips for disposing your Christmas tree which are guaranteed to put you on Santa’s nice list!

Number One – Re-using your Artificial Trees
Artificial trees are made from a combination of materials and therefore cannot be recycled. Re- use your artificial trees as long as you can!

Number Two – Re-planting Trees
Mark out the area where the tree’s roots will spread, adding an extra 1–2 ft. Dig a hole that’s 2–3 times the width of the tree’s root ball and 1–2 in less deep than the height of the root ball. Please be aware that Christmas trees grow to an average 1 foot in height per year but this can vary from with different types.

Number Three – Recycling Trees
Trees can also be disposed of at any of the city’s five Household Recycling Centres:
• Sutton Coldfield, B75 7BB
• Perry Barr, B42 2TU
• Castle Bromwich, B35 7AG
• Tyseley, B11 2BA
• Kings Norton B30 3JT

Number Four – Recycling Real Trees
Birmingham City Council offers a free Christmas tree recycling service from December 26 to January 31, trees can be dropped off at parks across Birmingham from 9AM – 4PM. The nearest drop off point for Erdington residents is: Sutton Park, Visitor Centre, adjacent to Town Gate, B74 2YT.

Volunteers on the Treecycling campaign with Birmingham Hospice

Number Five – Christmas Tree Collection – Birmingham Hospice
The Birmingham Hospice has organised a Christmas tree recycling programme called Tree- cycling. On the 11th and 12th of January, Birmingham Hospice’s volunteers will collect and recycle Christmas trees in return for a donation.

They will be covering the following postcodes: B13, B14, B15, B17, B26, B27, B28, B29, B30, B31, B32, B38, B90, B91, B92.

Book your collection with Birmingham Hospice today by clicking HERE.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

 

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Looking back and facing forward with Witton Lodge Community Association

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association

Witton Lodge Community Association Chief Officer Afsal Hussain on Erdington High Street / Pic by Ed King

(Ed’s note – this column was written for the Erdington Local printed edition and first published on 15.11.24)

Every year, Remembrance Weekend pulls us into a shared pause, as we honour the sacrifice of those who stood in harm’s way for the sake of our tomorrow. It is a time when history reminds us of the profound cost of freedom and the resilience of the human spirit. We remember them. Always.

I had the privilege of attending a remembrance service alongside veterans, communities, and dignitaries, where we gathered to pay our respects. And in remembering them, we renew a promise: to cherish the peace they fought for and to strive for a world where such sacrifices are no longer necessary.

The Autumn 2024 budget gave us a sense of direction and priorities of this new government. Whilst there were some welcome measures, such as investing in our public services, increasing the national living wage, and the earnings threshold for carer’s allowance; the wider economic environment remains challenging.

Locally, the Council’s financial position, unfortunately places further strain on community and youth services, and we will be redoubling our efforts through local and city-wide partnerships, such as B:CAN to work together to minimise the impact of cuts and provide alternative ways of delivering services that are community led.

The Ladders of Opportunity Bursary is just one example how we can invest in future generations. This fantastic initiative, is dedicated to supporting the youth of Erdington with funding and mentorship, helping them achieve their dreams.

I recently had the immense pleasure of meeting the young people who were awarded the bursary. The room was filled with ambition and energy, with aspirations that spanned a wide range of careers and enterprises.

A big thank you to our generous funders: BMet, IM Properties, The Pioneer Group, Urban Devotion and Witton Lodge Community Association. For the year ahead we will be seeking additional partners to expand the fund, levelling the playing field, and supporting more young people who haven’t always had the best start in life.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Making plans for our next 20 years on the Vale

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group & Compass Support

(Ed’s note – this column was written for the Erdington Local printed edition and first published on 15.11.24)

Towards the end of the summer, we asked our residents, stakeholders and members of the wider community to tell us what the most important services are that we provide and what makes a great landlord.

You responded to that call, and we have received lots of interesting feedback from across the community.

You told us that CCTV and The Sanctuary are the most important services that we provide In Castle Vale, promoting community safety and enabling residents through a range of employment, family, youth and health and wellbeing support services.

Our tenants told us that safe and well-maintained homes were most important to them, followed closely by good communication and customer service.

I’m not sharing this because these themes are new to us, or unexpected. We have made the decision to invest in CCTV and services for residents as well as a range of improvements in the fabric of our homes over the life of our last corporate plan because we knew then that these things are important.

However, all the feedback that we’ve received will be used to shape our next corporate plan that will set the direction for our business until 2030.

We will be renewing our focus on great customer service, improving communication and our digital platforms and continuing to invest in the homes and services that you’ve told us matter most to you.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme – supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Young people of Erdington’s hopes and dreams

Words by Steph Porter / Pic supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham (UDB)

Volunteers with Urban Devotion Birmingham

(Ed’s note – this column was written for the Erdington Local printed edition and first published on 15.11.24)

What did you used to want to be when you were older?

As a child, I wanted to be a teacher. Then, I wanted to be a stage manager in a theatre. Next, a social worker. Now, I’m a youth worker.

In 2023, The Prince’s Trust released new research on young people and aspirations, stating that since 2021, 57% of young people have lowered their long-term aspirations. A mind blowing and heart-breaking statistic suggesting another impact of COVID-19, the cost-of-living crisis and other experiences on young people today. But why do these correlate?

I wonder if, for young people, the priorities have changed. Their dream jobs become insignificant in light of looking after their family, their mental health, and experiencing life in the present when so many aspects of their worlds have changed so drastically in the last five years.

At UDB, we are all about helping the young people of Erdington to hope and dream again. The first step to envisioning your future is knowing you have a voice in it, believing that you were created for something more than your current context.

Our youth volunteer program seeks to do this by giving opportunities to young people to grow and develop their skills by working with children and helping run events in their local area.

The program also includes leadership development and one-on-one mentoring, enabling the young people to discover more about themselves and in turn, discover more about their future.

If you’re passionate about helping young people to dream again, please get in touch.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: The Underground – a safe space for Perry Common youth

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

Urban Devotion Birmingham youth worker at The Undergroud, St Martain’s Church, Perry Common

Since 2004, The Underground has been a safe, welcoming space for young people in Perry Common to socialise, make friends, and engage with the UDB team.

Located beneath St Martin’s Church on Witton Lodge Road, the space is used by Oscott Academy during school hours, while UDB hosts various youth activities in the evenings. Young people can grab a toastie, play in the sports hall or hang out in our youth space.

We spoke to some regular attendees, asking why they come to The Underground and what they enjoy about it. Their answers varied: “To make new friends,” “It gives me something to do,” and “It makes me feel safe.”

They enjoy the food, toasties, sports, and the chance to “see some friends every week.” One young person shared how the space has “helped with my self-control” and how UDB is always there to support them when they feel sad or angry.

We believe it’s vital to offer young people safe, drop-in activities where they can feel relaxed, heard, and have fun.

We all crave spaces where we feel we can belong, and we feel privileged to be able to provide those spaces to many young people throughout Erdington.

Our sessions at The Underground are open to different age groups:

  • Mondays from 3:15pm-4:30pm for school years 3-6
  • Mondays from 5:00pm-6:00pm for school years 7-9
  • Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:00pm for school years 9-13

For more details and to see where else we run drop-ins check out our QR code (above).

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Supporting the UK Clean Growth Strategy with homes on Castle Vale

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group & Compass Support

Simon Wilson – CEO The Pioneer Group / Supplied by The Pioneer Group

This year we’re working to deliver some important projects here on the Vale. They will support us to continue to deliver on our original promise to provide high-quality affordable housing and making lives and communities better.

As many of you will already be aware, we’re in the middle of a programme of work to replace windows and doors in many of our homes. These upgrades will make our homes warmer and more energy efficient for our residents but they’re also part of a much larger project.

Through the UK Clean Growth Strategy, the government has set a target for all social housing providers to get a minimum rating of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C for rented properties by 2035.

An EPC generally measures how energy efficient your home is, and this is an important to step to making all homes ‘net zero carbon’ by 2050.

We have also got funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to continue this work.

We have now adopted the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing which is a framework to help us measure our success in this area.

To find out more about our work to make our homes more sustainable you can read our first Environmental and Social Governance report on our website.

One final note to say that it’s really important that we have up to date contact details for residents, if yours have changed, please let us know!

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

 The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme – supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Hope flourishes through community action: transforming lives together

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association

During the summer, we were delighted to welcome the local community and stakeholders to the former Erdington Baths, to take a peek inside and see first-hand the ambitious plans to transform it into an Enterprise Hub, breathing fresh life into this iconic, much-loved local building and inspiring the next generation of creators, makers and innovators.

The creation of the pocket park marks the first ‘visible’ step in this journey. Residents that have already seen the new park have commented how it has already changed the look and feel of the building and surrounding area.

A huge thanks to local residents and groups that have actively volunteered to not only shape plans but also helped to build and maintain the pocket park.

At Witton Lodge Community Association, we know that when local residents share their insights and experiences it leads to a deeper understanding of the issues and opportunities. And their active engagement leads to better decisions, and a genuine sense of ownership and pride in local projects services.

One way that you can influence what happens in your neighbourhood is to join Community Voice, a new influential forum that invites people of all ages, ethnicities and abilities from North Birmingham to share their lived experiences and discuss the issues that matter most.

Founded by Witton Lodge Community Association and developed by local residents, this initiative aims to enhance community life and improve service delivery by focusing on the needs and voices of the people.

To make your voice heard and be part of the decision-making process for your community contact us on 0121 382 1930 or email [email protected]

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

 

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: From CVCHA to The Pioneer Group with quality housing always at heart

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group & Compass Support

Since we took management of our Castle Vale properties from the Housing Action Trust we’ve been known by many names.

Although the change to The Pioneer Group was relatively recent, some of our colleagues joined us when we were known as CVCHA or CVCH and they continue to provide high quality and safe housing for Castle Vale residents.

You may not know this, but the decision to change our name to The Pioneer Group was taken to support our mission to grow our business and continue to support our communities.

Under both the last and newly elected Governments, there’s an expectation that housing organisations don’t just manage social and affordable homes but continue to grow and build new, much needed affordable homes.

It is this ambition to grow and unite our partner organisations with one brand that fuelled this change to The Pioneer Group.

We’ve recently rejoined PlaceShapers, an organisation that supports community focused housing organisations.

They were excited to hear that we have our own charitable arm, Compass Support providing a range of services to residents and our own football stadium!

Together, We Are Pioneer and we’ll continue to shape our services around your feedback and to provide safe, affordable accommodation for Castle Vale.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme – supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: A privilege to partner with schools across Erdington

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

UDB has always partnered with local schools. We see, now more than ever, how stretched teachers and school staff are – trying to give their best with limited resources and recognition. If you are one of those people – thank you for all you are doing!

By my rough calculations, once a young person reaches the end of their education at the age of 18, they have spent the equivalent of two full years in school. That’s a lot of time. The opportunity schools have to support, shape and nurture the lives of the children and young people who attend them is huge!

We are privileged to be able to join schools in this opportunity wherever we can, always with a heart to connect with and support children and young people in Erdington.

As we look forward to a new academic year, we will once again be in some of our Erdington Primary and Secondary schools. If you see one of our team in your school then please come over and say hi – we love to hear from you!

We know that the start of the academic year can bring up a range of different feelings; expectations can seem higher, you have to get back into the term-time rhythm, you can be both excited and nervous about seeing people.

We are here to listen and support you as you transition back – just come along to one of our drop-ins for a chat; you can find the details on our website.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.