Tag: Rob Gunnell

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NEWS: Erdington Litter Busters receive Lord Mayor Award for cleaning up constituency

Words by Ed King

On Thursday 24 May, Erdington Litter Busters (ELB) received a Lord Mayor’s Award for their services to Erdington.

ELB have been sweeping up the constituency streets since 2018 and currently have a ‘growing community of volunteers’ going out across Erdington on the first Saturday of each month.

The group also look after a 3.5 mile track of canal and run their ‘Adopt a Street’ programme, where individual members litter pick around where they live – the initiative currently has around 200 streets ‘adopted’ across Erdington.

A social group as well and an enterprise, the Erdington Litter Busters also meet for ‘a friendly coffee and chat’ after each monthly litter pick, tend a local allotment together, and can be seen involved in countless other community groups – from street paintings to saving playing fields.

Nominated for the Lord Mayor’s Award by Cllrs Robert Alden and Gareth Moore (Local Conservatives, Erdington) and Cllr Mick Brown (Labour, Gravelly Hill), Erdington Litter Busters were notified of their success in a special letter from the Lord Mayor’s office at the end of April.

One of the last duties before his yearlong term came to an end, Birmingham’s erstwhile Lord Mayor Muhammad Afzal presented two of the ELB founders, Dawn Edwards and Rob Gunnell, with the award in the Council Chamber at the Birmingham Council House in Victoria Square.

Given annually by the exiting Lord Mayor, the awards recognise individuals and organisations who have ‘improved the reputation’ of Birmingham or ‘improved the lives of a great number of people’ in the city.

The nomination criteria highlight the awards will only be given to honour “outstanding achievement or exceptional service to the City and people of Birmingham”.

Joining Dawn and Rob at the awards ceremony were the three local councillors who nominated the group, and who have all put party politics aside for the good of the community and joined the ELB on numerous ‘clean ups’.

Many political wards across Erdington are blighted by roadside rubbish, illegal fly tipping, and waning Council waste disposal services – with virtually every candidate in the recent local elections highlighting the issue on their campaign trail.

After receiving the coveted award, Erdington Litter Busters Dawn Edwards and Rob Gunnell told Erdington Local:

“This was a golden opportunity to receive such a prestigious award on behalf of our ELB team and for the many volunteers who continue to make such a huge difference to where we live.

“It also continues to be a huge privilege to be a part of a community initiative which started out four years ago and has now diversified significantly with other projects in the area.

“We very much appreciated being nominated by local councillors, Mick Brown, Robert Alden and Gareth Moore, who have been supportive from the onset.

“It is our desire to build on our partnership with the City Council in a way which enhances our understanding of their plans and strategies for supporting community groups like ours”

Cllr Robert Alden commented: “We were delighted to jointly nominate Rob and Dawn for the Lord Mayor’s Award and were delighted to be there for the awarding of it. They have both done brilliant work for our area helping to tackle fly tipped rubbish, litter and graffiti.

“All of the litter busters do a wonderful job, and we have and continue to be very happy to support the group in any way we can to help us all show pride in Erdington.”

Cllr Gareth Moore said: “Congratulations to Dawn and Rob for all their brilliant efforts leading Erdington Litter busters. A massive thank you to everyone who also volunteers with the litter busters all your efforts are hugely appreciated.

“We have been delighted to work with all the litter busters over the last few years and look forward to continuing to do so in the years ahead – together we are all making a real difference to our local area.”

Cllr Mick Brown added: “You often hear stories in the media about people who have made a real difference in their communities but never expect to actually meet one; well in Dawn and Rob I have had the privilege of meeting not one but two.

“I never cease to be amazed at not only their commitment to personally making a difference but to their ability to inspire others to want to make difference as well.”

For more on Erdington Litter Busters visit www.erdingtonlitterbusters.com or www.facebook.com/groups/ErdingtonLitterBusters

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NEWS: Erdington open art gallery on Gravelly Hill North – a call out for local creatives

A group of local artists are calling out for Erdington creatives to get involved in a new ‘open art gallery’, which will take over the forgotten fencing at the top of Gravelly Hill North – opposite the petrol station by Six Ways Island.

Wanting to bring bright inspiration to some of Erdington’s neglected spaces, the art collective hope to hang a series of original pieces along the hoarding – creating an outdoor exhibition for everyone to enjoy.

Still at the ideas stage, and working on themes around the four seasons, project coordinators are inviting any local creatives to come to the Secret Art Studio Space (SASS) and get involved.

The group will be meeting at SASS, downstairs at the Central Square Shopping Centre on Erdington High Street, from 7pm to 9:30pm on Wednesday, 6 April.

Everyone is welcome – regardless of age stage, or art experience – and refreshments will be provided.

The group have been running series of ‘artist conversations’ at SASS, meeting on weekly basis with anyone who has a passion and interest in art.

The Gravelly Hill North ‘open art gallery’ is another chance for likeminded creatives to come together and bring a glorious splash of colour to Erdington’s streets and public spaces.

One of the local artists behind the project, Rob Gunnell, told Erdington Local:

“A few months ago, a group of artists in our area (myself, Angie, Jin, and Kaz) got together to identify any residents who have a flair/interest in the visual arts – to give Erdington a lift in terms of colour, vision, and in communicating something about the characteristics and heart of where we live.

“Calling the initiative ‘artists conversations’, we have now met several times and what is emerging are ideas around how we can support existing art projects and at some point organise exhibitions using shop fronts in Erdington, and in the longer term having an ‘art trail’.

“There is now an exciting opportunity for those of you who are creative (note you don’t need to be artists) to get involved in painting a large fence on Gravelly Hill North which lends itself to the concept of an ‘open gallery’.

“Based on the four seasons, we would like this space in the first place to reflect the beauty of the changing landscapes, and to promote opportunities for people to share how they feel about living in Erdington.”

For more information please email [email protected]

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NEWS: From Slade Road to Six Ways, Erdington Litter Busters organise a Community Clean Up on Saturday 25th July

Words by Jobe Baker-Sullivan / Pics supplied by Erdington Litter Busters – all taken before the coronavirus crisis and when social distancing was required

Donning high vis jackets, brandishing litter picks and black bin bags, Erdington Litter Busters are a group of volunteers that work as a team to clean up Erdington – meeting regularly at the YMCA’s Eden Café on Reservoir Road before launching into their designated areas.

On Saturday 25th July, Erdington Litter Busters will once again mobalise their members for a widespread Community Clean Up – clearing the rubbish and litter that clutter up the streets and green spaces across Erdington.

New recruits are also welcome, with Erdington Litter Busters issuing a call across the community for volunteers to pitch in and help with the Clean Up initiative. All the relevant tools of the litter picking trade will be provided, with organisers offering advice on what to wear and how to stay safe.

The group was founded in June 2018 by Erdington resident Rob Gunnell. “To be honest with you at the start of it was just me and my wife Jan,” tells Rob, “we unofficially adopted our street.”

Rob invited others to join in and go onto other streets that needed sanitary attention, although the help wasn’t always reciprocated: “When we first started it was really frustrating. It felt a bit like Groundhog Day. You’d clean a street and it would just get messy again.”

This lack of progress didn’t dampen the spirits, and Rob’s can-do attitude quickly attracted others to join in a fortnightly litter pick: “There is a core group of us of approximately 8-10 people. But on the 11th July, we had 27 people!”. Erdington Litter Busters also boasts about 300 members on their Facebook group, at the time of writing.

Outside of the fortnightly litter buster outing, individuals in the group have ‘adopted a street’, some adopting areas of a canal or park, vigilantly and regularly picking up litter in their designated places. Members post this, often along with ‘before-and-after’ photos on the Erdington Litter Busters Facebook group and are praised and encouraged by other members when they do.

Having grown immensely, Erdington Litter Busters were successful with a funding application though  Near Neighbours in September 2018. “It was fantastic. It gave us the impetus to get off the ground”. The group was even praised by a member of the House of Lords – Rob Gunnell gave a speech to the Viscount Younger of Leckie when he visited the YMCA in Erdington.

Rob also points towards the other social benefits of the group. “It’s not just about picking up litter. It’s about raising spirits,” he comments. “What I’ve found with the litter busters is the best thing is the coffee and cake!”

“It’s a great advert for Erdington, to Birmingham and the rest of the country” praises Robert Alden, councillor for Erdington and a regular litter buster. When asked about other litter picking groups in the city, Councillor Alden says: “There are groups that go out all across the city, but nothing to the scale, with the longevity of the Erdington Litter Busters.”

The group are continuing in a post-COVID world with what Rob is calling, “guerrilla gardening.” Using their mutual community resources, Erdington Litter Butters are adopting public planters, untamed and uncared for in the community to bring more life, colour and greenery to Erdington.

“There are 16 planters on Holy Lane/Woodacre Road,” explains Rob, “we planted wildflowers in there.” They even have a plan “to link it with local schools and local residents. We want them to ‘adopt a planter.”

Fly tipping and litter is a serious environmental hazard and a huge cost to the city, with Birmingham City Council spending £14.2 million on street cleaning in 2018/19. Yet, so many public streets, including many alleys and areas in Erdington go uncleaned. Unfazed, Rob says: “They haven’t got enough staff anyway the council, so we thought just get on with it”.

The next Community Clean Up is being organised for Saturday 25th July, beginning at 10am and finishing at 11:30am – when the group will stay and socialise. Erdington Litter Busters calling for more volunteers to help to deep clean parts of Slade Road and all its side streets, something welcomed by local residents.

“We’re really privileged to have Erdington Litter Busters leading and coordinating this Saturday,” tells Kamleish Parfect from the Stockland Green Action Group – who have been campaigning against illegal fly tipping in the area.

“Please come down and support. Paul and John (Erdington Litter Busters) have been amazing, we really need someone with a big van or digger to move some of these discarded sofas and mattresses.”

If you want to join the Erdington Litter Busters on their Community Clean Up this Saturday, you can meet the members at 10am on Saturday 25th July, at the Stockland Café on Slade Rd – or at the Eden Café on Reservoir Road.

High Vis jackets, litter picks, and bags will all be provided – organisers suggest to bring a safe pair of gloves and sensible shoes.

To find out more about Erdington Litter Busters, visit www.sites.google.com/view/erdington-litter-busters

Or to find Erdington Litter Busters on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/groups/ErdingtonLitterBusters

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NEWS: Lights, Camera, Action: Erdington Arts Forum bring ‘BBC broadcast quality production’ to their Evening of Creativity events

Words by Jobe Baker-Sullivan / Pics by Ed King

The Evening of Creativity (EoC) is a fixture in Erdington’s cultural diary that brings artists from many different backgrounds to the fore, all in the name of encouraging local talent.

The event, organised by the Erdington Arts Forum, moved exclusively online during lockdown – with thousands of regular viewers tuning in each month.

One silver-lining about the shift was that the production quality of the filmed EoC events increased drastically, thanks to the input of technician Paul Withers.

Regular live streaming has further encouraged a new audience for EoC events, bringing even more positive attention to Erdington’s lively art scene.

On the 17th July, at 7:30pm, the Evening of Creativity will be broadcast from the Erdington Arts Forum Facebook page – to watch the event’s live stream, visit: www.facebook.com/ErdingtonArts

Acts will include live music performances from Tarju Le’Sano and Chris Tye, as presented by Birmingham Review, as well as music from EoC regular Ilias Lintzos. There will also be spoken word by Sami Saunders, artwork by Angela Chapman and Rob Gunnell, and animation from Andy Spencer.

Paul Withers has an impressive pedigree of working in television as a camera operator, sound recordist, editor, and broadcast engineer. His credits include BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Sky Sports, and the History Channel to name but a few: ”I love helping great ideas come to life. I’ve worked in theatre, television, radio, and corporate communications for all of my working life – in the UK, Europe, Africa and Australia.”

Paul joined the collective at SASS (Secret Arts Space Studios) earlier this year, using the Erdington based creative hub as his Midlands base of operations. However, his association with the area goes back further: “I have a strong affinity with Erdington, working on films and plays based around the prestigious Rookery House back in the early noughties. To work with the Erdington Arts Forum is a great joy.”

Paul was first involved with the Evening of Creativity by editing the April show, initially consisting of pre-recorded content including music, art, poetry, and interviews. At many regular gig nights around the country, musicians and artists have had to ‘make do’ with live streaming to social media via mobile phones as a way of keeping their content relevant during COVID-19’s lockdown.

The first ‘live’ broadcast EoC show was held at the Oikos Café in June, in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown – using the venue’s in house production unit to film live, alongside broadcasting pre-recorded material.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with the high standards of programming at the Evening of Creativity,” comments James Kennedy, a regular EoC viewer and co-ordinator for Selly Oak Arts Forum. “It brings a diverse range of communities together in a celebration of arts, music and performance.”

Paul now commands an impressive, portable broadcast unit consisting three professional cameras, monitors, vision mixers, and sound engineering equipment – allowing the Erdington Arts Forum to regularly add BBC broadcast quality production to their EoC events.

“From selfie-mode using a Samsung to a multi-camera, high quality production studio – Paul has added significant value to the Evening of Creativity events,” says Jobe Sullivan, coordinator of the Erdington Arts Forum. “He brings everything you need, and, spares – allowing us to give the musicians and artists involved a fully professional showreel. It’s been a huge step forward for the events.”

To find out more about and Erdington Arts Forum and their regular Evening of Creativity events, and to watch this month’s event at 7:30pm on Friday 1tth June, visit www.facebook.com/CAFEartsforum