Bleak Hill Park

October 2, 2024October 2, 2024

NEWS: “The goodwill is disappearing fast” as local community group chases council over rubbish in Bleak Hill Park

Words by Ed King / Pics by Ed King and Short Heath Fields Trust

Abandoned tents and rubbish on Bleak Hil Park / Short Heath Fields Trust

A prominent local community group has warned Birmingham City Council (BCC) “the goodwill is disappearing fast” after weeks of chasing a response over dangerous debris and hard rubbish left in Bleak Hill Park by squatters.

Initially reported in late August by Short Heath Fields Trust (SHFT) and Friends of Bleak Hill Park (FoBHP) up to four tents had been found on Bleak Hill Park – accumulating significant rubbish, akin to fly tipping.

Alongside the abandoned tents, the people who had set up camp on the green space – used regularly by local children and dogwalkers – left behind waste including sodden mattresses, old clothes, and even a microwave.

SHTF and FoBHP further reported “drug paraphernalia left in the bushes” where one tent had been pitched, proposing a hazard to any rubbish removal without proper equipment in case of discarded needles or items that could carry possible infection.

Alongside seeking help from BCC over the clearing the refuse, SHFT reached out to the people camping in the park and contacted StreetLink on their behalf – a charity which connects people sleeping rough to support agencies and services.

In a strongly worded series of emails to the BCC Parks Department and several members of the council, SHFT Secretary, Paul Smith, challenged the “total lack of response” from Stockland Green Ward Councillors Jane Jones (Labour) and Amar Khan (Labour) – the elected officials responsible for the area.

Having initially been told the debris would be cleared by 28 August, after the BCC Parks Department raised an official incident report, Mr Smith continued to ask for the agreed help but found “the level of inactivity and lack of communication [from Birmingham City Council] increasingly frustrating”.

Short Heath Fields Trust logo

Mr Smith did receive some support from Councillor Robert Alden (Erdington Ward, Conservative) who is technically not responsible for Bleak Hill Park but referred the issue on to the Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Majid Mahmood (Bromford and Hodge Hill Ward, Labour).

In the final email dated 21 September, Mr Smith, who is involved in other local community groups that help support Erdington’s green spaces and keep the streets clean, continued: “There are many proactive community volunteer groups operating in Erdington, who regularly pick up the slack when Birmingham City Council let its constituents down. but just occasionally we ask for your help.

“If we all ignored the issues we find in our communities, as you have done in this case, Erdington would be in a far poorer state.”

He added: “I sometimes feel it is only the commitment of hardworking community groups that is keeping Erdington afloat, but goodwill and hard work will only go so far.”

Save Short Heath Playing Fields campaign / Ed King

At the time of writing this article, the rubbish remains on Bleak Hill Park and no members of Short Heath Fields Trust or Friends of Bleak Hill Park have received any further communication from anyone at Birmingham City Council – nearly two months after it was initially raised.

Short Heath Fields Trust became invested in the upkeep of both Short Heath Fields and Bleak Hill Park after having successfully fought a council plan to build an 84 strong housing estate on the beloved green space.

Since stopping the development, SHFT have organised a series of well attended community events on the parkland – alongside organising regular maintenance of the grass and shrubs, and planting new trees with the Woodlands Trust.

The Trust also build a community Covid memorial by the pathway that connects Short Heath Road to Marsh Lane and are an active community group well known by the surrounding ward councillors and BCC Parks Department.

Short Heath Fields Trust Covid memeorial on Bleak Hil Park / Ed King

After being contacted by SHFT about the issue, Erdington Local reached out to both Jane Jones (Stockland Green Ward, Labour) and Cllr Amar Khan (Stockland Green Ward, Labour) for comment.

Cllr Jones responded: “I personally missed the emails from Mr Smith while on holiday in August and so did Councillor Khan who was out of the country with his family.

“After I had read the first two emails the gentlemen had departed the park (so we were told) and I admit that removing the rubbish was not my priority at that time as I had hundreds of emails to action.

“As councillors we receive many many emails on a daily basis and after a holiday the number was substantial.”

She added: “My concern is for the gentlemen having to live in tents in the park along with the many homeless individuals on a nightly basis sleeping in doorways in the City Centre.

“Homelessness is a major crisis in the UK and urgent action is required as successive governments have failed to undertake the mass house building of social housing to help remedy the current housing catastrophe.

“Councillor Khan and I will work with the appropriate Cabinet Members to resolve the issue that has angered Mr Smith and apologise to him for our poor response to date.

“We will also visit the gentlemen who currently reside in the park to obtain their back story and see what help can be undertaken on their behalf.”

For more on Short Heath Fields Trust visit www.shortheathfieldstrust.godaddysites.com

February 22, 2023

NEWS: Community up in arms after “hurtful and ugly” vandalism destroys Covid memorial on Bleak Hill Park

Words & pics by Ed King

Local residents and community campaigners are up in arms after a “hurtful and ugly” act of vandalism recently destroyed a Covid memorial garden in Bleak Hill Park.

According to Short Heath Fields Trust (SHFT), the action group that fundraised and built the Covid memorial, vandals snapped in half the ornamental cherry trees that stood centre place in the garden – before using the wooden stakes to try and smash the sign welcoming people to the site.

Away from the memorial garden, which is situated along the path cutting through the park from Short Heath Road to Marsh Lane, vandals also damaged a bin for dog mess SHFT had also installed.

Short Heath Fields Trust began building the Covid memorial garden on Bleak Hill Park after having plans approved by Birmingham City Council in March 2021 and securing funding from the National Lottery.

400 trees were further donated by the Woodland Trust, as part of their ‘Free Trees for Schools and Communities’ initiative.

Around 6000 bulbs have also been plated at the Bleak Hill Park Covid memorial, including British bluebells, snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils.

However, the community led project has seen challenges since the start – including plants being stolen, and the accidental destruction of 200 trees when ‘Council error’ mowed them down during routine park maintenance.

Local residents have also reported significant litter at the site, including broken booze bottles and drinks cans scattered around the two benches made especially from environmentally friendly recycled plastics.

A spokesperson form SHFT told Erdington Local: “This is a heartbreaking moment for the Trust and its members, many of whom have worked hard on this project.

“The community turned out in all weathers to make this a peaceful but engaging part of the park and a fitting memorial for Erdington people lost to Covid 19.

“This project has hit obstacles at every stage, including the Council mowing down the sapling trees in the area they told us to plant, to the plants being stolen. But this is by far the most hurtful and ugly.

“Local tempers are running high, and people are extremely disgusted at the mindless vandalism and destruction of the ornamental cherry trees in the memorial site and the dog mess bin further in the park.

“Locals are asking questions like ‘why?’ and ‘what possesses anyone to think this is OK?’”

But despite the cruel attack, which has brought widespread condemnation of those responsible, the local community are committed to rebuilding the Covid memorial garden and breathing new life into the project.

One of the four cherry tress remained untouched by the vandals, which residents and campaigners now see as a sign of hope for the community led Covid memorial garden.

A spokesperson for Short Heath Fields Trust added: “One tree remains, but that tree represents the hope and belief that we as a community will overcome and win against the adversity that stands in our way.

“The community will always win.”

For more on Short Heath Fields Trust visit www.shortheathfieldstrust.godaddysites.com/

December 10, 2021

NEWS: Memorial Christmas tree planted outside EF Edwards on Gravelly Hill

Words & pics by Ed King

A memorial Christmas tree has been planed in the front garden of EF Edwards on Gravelly Hill, in an act of remembrance for local people who have lost loved ones.

The long serving Erdington funeral directors, which has been helping local families through difficult times since 1966, are inviting people to decorate the tree with special silver star decorations – each carrying the names of departed friends and family members.

There is no charge, and the person being remembered with a star on the memorial tree did not need to be laid to rest by EF Edwards.

“We’d like to support the whole community and everyone who may be dealing with grief,” explained EF Edwards Funeral Manger, Lisa Hodge.

“The stars on the tree can help people, especially at this time of year, remember their loved ones and do something a bit more proactive. It can give people who are grieving something to focus on.

“It’s important to acknowledge that grief is a natural process and people have different ways in which they greave and how they get through that process – if we can do something that makes that a little bit easier then that’s what we’re here to do.”

Before Covid, EF Edwards would hold an annual memorial service at St Michael’s Church in Boldmere and display a memorial tree inside their Erdington based funeral home.

But due to the widespread impact of coronavirus and other illnesses, this year EF Edwards are reaching out to the wider community and planting a permanent memorial tree in their front garden.

“We always did a yearly memorial service around this time of year,” continued Lisa, “where we invited people to send in stars with the names of their loved ones which we would place on a tree within the branch.

“This year we want to extend that to the wider community and offer more people the chance to remember their loved ones, by putting stars on a tree outside at the front.

“The fact that it’s a tree that will remain here permanently will give back to both the community and the environment. It gives people the opportunity to pay their respects to friends, family, and loved ones they have lost – no matter how long ago it was.

“We’d like people to come back year after year in remembrance too, as the tree will keep growing and be a permanent fixture on our front garden.”

The perennial winter fir was donated by Short Heath Fields Trust, who are themselves in the process of building a Covid memorial woodland on Bleak Hill Park.

Estelle Murphy from Short Heath Trust delivered and planted the tree at EF Edwards on Thursday 9 December.

Outside of her role with the Trust, Estelle also works in palliative and end of life care and helps people come to terms with grief in her professional world.

Estelle told Erdington Local: “We were contacted by Lisa at EF Edwards and given the fact we’re in the process of building a living memorial for Covid we were more than happy to jump in and help.

“It’s important that people have time to heal, and everybody does it differently.

“The impact on a community from organisations like EF Edwards is vastly important; it’s where the community come when they need help in finding somewhere for their loved ones to be.

“It’s about finding somewhere they can remember their loved ones; funeral homes like EF Edwards are the bridge between the two.”

If you would like to have a loved on remembered on the memorial tree, contact EF Edwards on 0121 373 0300 or click here to visit their website.