|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Women's Enterprise & Community Hub Manager Kirsty Palmer is currently seeking members for an exciting new network for women in social enterprise. The first meeting will take place in January and the network will offer:
If you'd like to join and be one of the first Brummie women to be involved in this new and exciting female led initiative, please get in touch with Kirsty.
|
|
The CIC (Community
Interest Company) based in Boldmere, at 39 Gate Lane B73 5TR, provides a range
of services including a weekly social club for children with additional needs
at their stimulating hub, an accessible caravan in Wales for families and
individuals and Autism Awareness training.
The third of these,
the Autism Awareness talks, have proved extremely popular with a range of
audiences, including schools, volunteers and even the staff of Cadbury World!
Between January and
March, with Sutton Coldfield Neighbourhood Networking Scheme (NNS) funding, Square
Peg will be providing six of these talks online. Company director Sharon
Needham will lead the sessions, where topics such as the Spectrum, the Triad of
Impairment and Invisible Disability will be discussed with a range of
organisations within the Network.
For more information
on these workshops, keep an eye on the Sutton Coldfield NNS Blog in the coming
weeks:
We would like to thank and celebrate FOLIO and the inspirational amount of effort they have put in to the Telling Sutton’s Stories project, funded by Sutton Coldfield NNS. The project has exceeded all expectations thanks to FOLIO’s hard work and passion.
In 2021 during and after social isolation, residents have
been able to come together, regaining their sense of belonging in the
community, united by the place in which they live. Residents have attended virtual talks about
local history, attended pop up exhibitions where they could access historic
maps and photographs, and even contributed memories and experiences of Sutton
Coldfield to create a song sung together in local woodland around a campfire.
Over the year, the project has engaged with over 650 Sutton
Coldfield residents by hosting an incredible 21 virtual and in-person events. Community
venues have ranged from residential homes to cub scout huts, located from
Banners Gate to Whitehouse Common.
It’s not too late to be part of the project. You can explore other people’s memories, knowledge and experiences of Sutton Coldfield, or contribute your own, on an interactive map at:
The end and new beginningsAgeing Better in Birmingham is in its final few months as the programme is closing down on 31 March 2022. It’s been a fulfilling and enjoyable seven years, and we are proud of what has been accomplished. In this newsletter, we reflect on some of those achievements. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is always difficult saying goodbye, so it is great to know the group is in full swing of organising their annual celebration event, which will take place on 11 February 2022. It will be a chance for people over 50 to get together, meet others, and celebrate the new year together. See the end of this newsletter for more information about ‘Moving Forward Together’. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our Ageing Better Fund is now closed. The micro fund supported 340 grassroots community groups across the city to start new activities for the benefit of socially isolated and lonely over 50s in our city. The Transition Fund and Digital Pilots, set up to continue support for groups during the pandemic, helped people to stay connected through this challenging period. The funds have proven highly successful and supported 417 new activities in total. Richard Green, one of our fund panel members, said: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
“In the very earliest days of Ageing Better, I learned about the negative impact of social isolation on health - the equivalent of smoking twenty cigarettes a day. I firmly believe the Ageing Better in Birmingham programme has improved the health and lives of many of our citizens. Ageing Better funding is just the start. The real legacy will be to keep the activities going for the benefit of all Brummies in the future. Let’s continue to make Birmingham an Age-friendly city.” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Launching our new website!During the last seven years, we have learnt a lot about reducing social isolation for people over 50 in Birmingham, learning that is captured in briefings, reports, images, evaluations and stories. These can continue to inform new activities in our city, big and small. Stories and photos can inspire and narrate the impact the programme has had on the lives of people here. We are launching our new website, a sort of 'mini-site' that will act as a depository for our learning. Our current website will close down next year, but the new mini-site will continue for years to come. It's available from: www.bvsc.org/ageingbetter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As we mentioned earlier, our Age of Experience members are organising a final celebration for people over 50. What has previously been ‘Spring Forward’, is now known as ‘Moving Forward Together’ to reflect the end of the programme, and the start of something new. See below flyer. We hope to see you there! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And with that, the Ageing Better team would like to wish you all a lovely time over the holidays, and a Happy New Year! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Sutton Coldfield branch of the Neighbourhood Network
Scheme (NNS) are looking for groups who provide activities for people aged
between 18 and 49 with additional needs.
Funding, promotional support and help with capacity building
are all available through the NNS. If your organisation requires any of these
services, or if you know of an organisation that may qualify, then please get
in touch with us.
Members of our team will help you fill out a grant form, as
well as offering advice in growing your organisation to reach a wider audience,
helping with the sourcing of volunteers or carers and also by putting you in
touch with people with a vast knowledge of the sector who can work with you.
We have also undergone a process of mapping the area in an
attempt to find any gaps, for example where certain groups are not getting high-quality
provision of activities or perhaps activities that have proved popular
elsewhere but are not available in Sutton Coldfield. If you have any ideas
about gaps in relation to groups or activities then we also implore you to reach
out to us via our email nns@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk
On Thursday 9th December, citizens and assets
flocked to Boldmere Communitea Café to celebrate the hard work and dedication
of all involved in the NNS in the Sutton Coldfield constituency.
The festivities were kicked off in the morning, as Helen
Pearson delighted revellers with some timeless classics from years gone by. Her
rendition of the ever-poignant ‘We’ll Meet Again’ by the legendary Vera Lynn
proved particularly popular, with those present in the café swaying in their
seats and wiping a tear from their eye.
In recent years, the Communitea Café has become an important
part of the furniture on Boldmere’s high street, and on Thursday guests were
treated to wholesome Café favourites such as the classic Full English and a
delicious Three Bean Chilli at a discounted price.
As Helen wrapped up her wonderful set to an enthusiastic
round of applause from all corners of the room, attention turned to the
afternoon’s proceedings.
The NNS has been declared a success throughout the city in
the three years since its inception, and Thursday afternoon marked a fitting
celebration of the tireless work that has been done in the Sutton Coldfield
constituency in that time.
The project has aimed to support older people, defined as
those in the 50 and over age group, and people with additional needs between
the ages of 18-49, to live healthy, independent and fulfilling lives by working
with assets and organisations in the Sutton community.
They are known as assets for their invaluable contributions
to the community that they serve, and one such asset Sing Me Sunshine, who use the power of singing to counteract
loneliness and isolation, provided a healthy portion of festive spirit with
some yuletide ditties.
A presentation was then given by
Pete Millington, in which he provided a background of the many successes
experienced in recent years and acknowledged the tremendous efforts put in by
members of the Age Concern and Compass Support teams, the City Council, Birmingham
Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and of course the assets and people of Sutton
Coldfield themselves.
Two key figures in relation to financial support are Matthew
Bick and Quaced Hussain from Birmingham City Council and the pair spoke
passionately of their gratitude to the people who have made both the
partnership and Thursday’s event such a success.
The Showcase concluded with a relaxing ‘Sound Bath’ from
Lynn Kay of Beat It Percussion, which
proved to be a fitting finale to the day’s events. Those in attendance were
transported from the picturesque settings of Boldmere Road to the equally scenic
beaches of the Caribbean through the medium of sound.
The event was enjoyed by many and provided a great
opportunity to celebrate the continued success of the NNS in Sutton Coldfield.
Friday
3rd December, 2021
International
Day of People with Disabilities
2021 IDPWD THEME:
"Fighting for rights in
the post-COVID era"
Today is the annual celebration of IDPWD (International Day of People
with Disabilities) and the theme this year is ‘Fighting for rights in the
post-COVID era.’
In Birmingham, we wish to use the opportunity of
IDPWD to promote the City Council’s new commitment to supporting disabled
people and people with additional needs through the Neighbourhood Network
Scheme (or NNS). During the past 3 years, the cross-city NNS has successfully
developed a network of constituency-based schemes which offer support and
activities to older people (over 50 years old) through grass-roots community
groups and organisations which we call ‘assets’.
But even in the early stages of developing the NNS in
Birmingham, a profound and unprecedented challenge to our initiative came along
in early 2020 with the arrival of the global Covid-19 pandemic and a lockdown
which impacted most notably on the lives of older and disabled people. Rights
and freedoms which have been achieved over many decades were restrained in just
weeks as older and disabled people were quickly identified as being the most
vulnerable to the symptoms of this worrying disease. People found themselves
suddenly shielded in their places of residence, distanced from neighbours,
relatives, friends and carers in order to keep them safe from the virus, yet in
many cases left feeling isolated, lonely and forgotten in their own homes and
care homes.
From the start of Covid-19, the existence of the NNS
network and our cross-city and constituency-based assets made a major
contribution to the lives of older people in the city. Food banks were quickly
established, shopping, PPE and medical supplies delivered, information and
advice provided, online activities created, and friendship and support offered.
Whilst many more structured services struggled to orientate to this escalating
catastrophe, the new NNS meant that the community sector in Birmingham was in a
well-resourced and flexible position to respond.
The wider aim of the NNS is to encourage people to
live their lives in a healthy, independent and fulfilling manner. The
Neighbourhood Network Scheme helps connect people to individuals, groups,
organisations, activities, services and places in their neighbourhoods. During
the past nine months, two of our constituency-based schemes, Sutton Coldfield
and Hodge Hill have been piloting a version of the NNS aimed at people in the
18-49 age group who have ‘additional needs’. This has included the mapping of
groups, organisations, and services (known as assets) which support this
section of Birmingham citizens in the two constituencies. The results of our pilot
projects will be published in April 2022 and, subject to funding, will inform
the roll-out of an NNS network for people with additional needs aged between 18
and 49 across the whole city.
This is a very exciting development and a
fundamental role of the NNS for younger age groups will continue to be the
identification of gaps and provision of support to existing community assets,
as well as developing new ones. If this happens, grants will also be available
to support community assets across the city as they are currently in the Hodge
Hill and Sutton Coldfield Constituencies. Our Small Grants Scheme is
designed to support Assets with funds of up to £10,000, especially those
working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide
range of activities.
The opening up of the NNS to the younger
age group from April 2022 will be a major and important advance for the city,
especially in enhancing the relationship between the community and voluntary
sector and statutory services such as social care and health services. NNS has
seen a fundamental movement towards stronger, user-involved prevention services
where people can now turn for support to local grassroots, in many cases
self-run organisations and co-produced services.
As the IDPWD celebrates the challenges,
barriers, and opportunities for disabled people, in the context of a global
pandemic, here in Birmingham we use this opportunity to plan for the future, to
continue to challenge marginalisation, discrimination, vulnerability and
exploitation but also to build a city with greater access to health and social
care, greater empowerment of citizens and greater cooperation and liaison
between citizens and their community assets in partnership with the providers
of social and health care services.
The time has arrived to learn the lessons
of the past and move forward into a brighter and truly inclusive future.
To find out more about the NNS in Hodge
Hill and Sutton Coldfield please contact:
Sutton Coldfield: nns@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk
Blog: https://suttoncoldfieldnns.blogspot.com/
Hodge Hill: HodgeHillNNS@powher.net
To learn more about the NNS across the city of Birmingham please visit the website:
https://www.bvsc.org/neighbourhood-network-schemes-in-birmingham
Or search for local assets at: https://birmingham.connecttosupport.org/