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Erdington Fire Service will be coming to the Summer Fun Day on Erdington High Street this Saturday (26 July), giving locals a chance to meet the team and explore a real-life working fire engine.
A crew from Erdington Fire Station, situated on the corner of Orphanage Road and Edwards Road, will be driving the fire engine onto the High Street for 2pm.
Parked up alongside B&M Superstore, children and families attending the Summer Fun Day event will be invited climb aboard and explore the fully kitted emergency response vehicle.
Fire crew will also be offering helpful advice and guidance around issues including fire safety and safer driving. The team will also be offering support around water safety – as concerns over children and young people plating around open water are heightened in the summer months.
A spokesperson from Erdington Fire Station confirmed: “[Erdington Fire Service] will be attending in the afternoon from about 2pm.
“We will be showing children around the appliance (fire engine) and giving out advice around home fire safety, safer driving and water safety.”
Erdington Business Improvement District (BID) is organising it’s second Summer Fun Day event on Erdington High Street – running from 12noon until 4pm on Saturday 26 July.
The event is part of a wider year long programme of activity in the Town Centre, in line with the Erdington BID’s LOVE YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY campaign.
Completely free to attend, the Summer Fun Day will offer free games and activities for children – alongside a range of stands and stalls from local groups and services.
Young people will be able to get their face painted free of charge, with free arts and crafts sessions also being run by local creative group Arts All Over the Place.
Inclusive sports charity Make A Change will also be running games that people of all physical abilities can enjoy, including wheelchair basketball and soft play archery – helping to promote inclusivity through sport and encourage physical activity.
There will also be a free bouncy castle for young people to enjoy, with event staff on hand to keep all the activities safe and make sure everyone gets a go. Very small children will be able to enjoy the front space of the bouncy castle, under supervision of a parent or carer.
The Summer Fun Day will also have a series of tabletop displays and stalls from local community groups, engaging with local people and letting them know about the community activities and services in their area.
Attending the Summer Fun Day on Saturday 26 July will be Erdington Litter Busters, Short Heath Fields Trust, Erdington Lunar Society, Erdington Local, and members of the Erdington local police force.
There will also be displays from POMOC – a local charity that represents Erdington’s Eastern European community, and Incredible Surplus – offering some free food and snacks, as part of their mission to challenge food waste.
Then, once the outdoor activity has finished at 4pm, there will be a special free live music event held inside Oikos Café – as New Zealand blues rockers Lazy Fifty will be performing live, as part of the citywide Blues and Jazz Festival.
Taking inspiration from the stalwarts of 70’s British rock such as Black Sabbath and Led Zepplin, the Lazy Fifty gig will be completely free to attend – with tickets allocated at the door at Oikos on a first come first served basis.
Erdington BID is organising a yearlong programme of events and activities as part of its LOVE YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY campaign, encouraging people to celebrate the positives of the Town Centre and to and support local business on and around the High Street.
A spokesperson from Erdington BID told: “The first Summer Fun Day in June was a really lovely day, with a great atmosphere and lots of fun for local families and children.
“We’re excited to be back on the High Street for another free and family focused event on Saturday 26 July – and hope to see lots of smiling faces again. And a few painted like tigers and butterflies.”
They added: “Erdington High Street, as with High Streets across the country, has seen businesses rise and fall over recent years – with both shoppers and retailers moving online.
“But the community spirit is as strong as it has ever been, and the BID events are all about breathing life back into our Town Centre.”
The first Summer Fun Day was held in June, with another free event planned for Erdington High Street on Saturday 23 August.
Erdington BID is supported by local businesses and retailers, raising extra money for the Town Centre through from community events and fundraising.
PICTURE GALLERY: Games and activities at Erdington BID’s first Summer Fun Day / Photographs by Selina Gooden and Darren Dodd
For more information about the LOVE YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY campaign, or any events and activities in the Town Centre, please email Erdington BID at: [email protected]
For more information on Erdington BID visit www.erdingtonhighstreet.co.uk
