Sutton Coldfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme: January 2022

Walk On! Boldmere St. Michaels F.C. Flourishing After NNS Funding

Alan Parsons of BSMFC with Suzy Summerfield and Joe Millington from NNS

NNS Sutton Coldfield are proud to have supported Boldmere St Michaels Football Club through our micro grant funding scheme.

On Friday 28^th January, Club President Alan Parsons welcomed our Neighbourhood Networkers to share stories of the fantastic opportunities and activities available to the over 50’s at their impressive Church Road facility. The club has a real community feel and ‘Parso’, as he’s affectionately known, suggested that new members to the Mikes family are always welcome.

The club boasts over 60 teams, across various age groups, genders and abilities. All of this would not be possible without the tireless work ethic and innovative ideas of so many volunteers, as well as the commitment of members, such as the walking football club. This clever variation of the ‘beautiful game’ has taken the population by storm in recent years, and is proving particularly popular with people in the over 50 age group.

At the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground, walking football sessions are held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the club have even sent a side to Mallorca to play in a tournament in recent years. They hope to do so again in May, Covid-19 permitting. The sessions have been praised widely for connecting members of the community and allowing football lovers with mobility issues to continue to enjoy their discipline after they ‘hang up their boots’.

Boldmere St. Michaels also run an over 45’s football session on a Sunday evening during the football season, and a Crown Green Bowls club, which is also situated on their modern complex, during the summer months.

“To get the chance in my mid-sixties to create what we had as young footballers has been fantastic,” one member of the Walking Football Club told us, whilst a local volunteer also spoke fondly of the crucial role Boldmere St. Michaels now plays in his day-to-day life. “With Covid bugging the country, as a single man I was becoming bored and housebound. I had a call asking if I wanted to get out and about and help with a few odd jobs at BSMFC. I have never looked back. I am now an almost daily attendee at the football club helping out in many ways and a keen supporter of the football teams,” he declared.

For more information about Walking Football, Bowling, Volunteering or the Social Club, call 07593 905509.

Conference for the Future of Europe

The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique opportunity for European citizens to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities and make proposals for improving the EU.

The Conference has various components but the digital platform (https://futureu.europa.eu) is the hub of the Conference where people can share their thoughts on Europe and the changes which need to happen.

The Conference focuses on nine thematic categories, one of which is migration.

The successful management of migration through a predictable, balanced and reliable system is one of the top priorities of the EU.

Addressing migration requires a modern European Union migration and asylum system, border management, cooperation with partner countries and fighting migrant smuggling. It also requires the adaptation of measures for the successful integration of migrants into the Member States.

The EU funds several projects to address the challenges of migration and ensure the successful integration of migrants in host societies. The MiCare project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the EU, aims to assist the integration of Third Country Nationals in the EU by focusing on their integration in the labour market. This will be achieved through the creation of a training program for TCNs who wish to work as caregivers for the elderly and people with care needs.

By visiting the Conference platform (https://futureu.europa.eu) you can make your proposal on migration, helping the EU take action around issues of concern for citizens, like for example how the EU can help foster the successful integration of migrants. Specifically, regarding migration, suggestions can be made in one of the following categories: Asylum and Migration, Integrated Border Management, Deepening international cooperation, Legal migration and integration.

Follow the MiCare project on Social Media to receive all of our news and updates: https://www.facebook.com/MiCareProject https://twitter.com/micareproject

Are you over 18 and looking for education, work or training opportunities?

Bespoke employment and training support, through one-to-one appointments and engaging and inspiring courses.

Disability Resource Centre have a project which supports disabled people who are unemployed and looking for work or to attend a course.

The project can help with CV writing, applying for jobs, applying for courses, interview tips, benefit advice, support personal barriers, childcare barriers & anything they need to help with the process.

The person must fit in the following criteria;

Unemployed
18+ years
Lives in Birmingham and Solihull
Has the right to live and work in the UK .
Not supported by any other ESF project.

If you feel you have anyone that visits yourselves who would benefit from this support please email Chloe Westlake on cwestlake@disability.co.uk or telephone 07501957610.

PoliNations a forest garden arts project

An update from Jane O'Brien who is Project Coordinator at an arts organisation called Trigger. Jane wants to inform all Neighbourhood Network Schemes in Birmingham about their project - PoliNations 2022.

A bit about the project: PoliNations is a forest-garden of huge proportions that is coming to Birmingham city centre next year, as part of UNBOXED Festival and Birmingham Festival 2022.

Jane said: "Our project aims to get people to look at the green spaces around them, to celebrate our diverse plant life, and to learn about multicultural Britain.

As part of the project, we want community groups of all ages to take part in growing some of the plants for our garden We would send grow packets (with seeds and instructions) out to you in May, and then invite you to join us to plant them in Victoria Square in early September. All the materials will be provided by us, for free, all your group needs is enthusiasm for the project!"

If NNS leads are interested, Jane will send over an expression of interest form to give an idea of numbers of people who might like to join in.

If you have any questions in the meantime, you can email Jane or phone her on the number below.

Jane O’Brien (she/her)

Project Coordinator

0117 2350 365

Holly Bond <holly@triggerstuff.co.uk

PoliNations - An epic city centre forest garden celebrating colour, beauty & natural diversity springing to life in Birmingham and Edinburgh in summer 2022! Commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.

The Hatchling – Our Hatchling dragon will lead an array of cultural celebrations outside Buckingham Palace at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant next summer.

GROW - Part of the British Council’s UK/AUS season - A global conversation about concept touring, using the joint interests in landscape and growing as a core area of exploration.

WithYou - HTN Award Finalists 2021 - A free digital service bringing voice messages and music to hospital patients and care home residents in one playable audio track

Coronavirus Advice for Carers - latest update from Forward Carers

Forward Carers have updated our Coronavirus Advice for Carers page on our website, which includes the following changes:

On Wednesday 22 December, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that high-risk children aged 5-11 should have access to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine.
On December 23, it was announced that where operationally viable, NHS England has requested vaccination centres offer priority access for frontline staff, including unpaid carers and social care staff, which includes access to queue management and priority lines. The Department for Health and Social Care has developed a letter for unpaid carers and frontline social care workers to take to any vaccination site, here is a copy of the letter to take with you http://ow.ly/NcYS50HksQE.
From 11 January in England, people who receive positive lateral flow device test results for Coronavirus will be required to self-isolate immediately and won’t be required to take a confirmatory PCR test. You must still report your result.
From Monday 17 January, people with Coronavirus in England can end their self-isolation after 5 full days, as long as they test negative on day 5 and day 6. Full details can be found on the self-isolation section on this page.
On Wednesday 19 January, the government announced that the measures put in place under Plan B in England will be lifted. The government is no longer asking people to work from home. People should now talk to their employers to agree arrangements to return to the office.
From 20 January: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in secondary school and college classrooms.
From 27 January: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in communal areas of secondary schools, nor for staff in communal areas of primaries.
From 27 January: There is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. The government suggests that you continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet.
From 27 January: Venues and events will no longer be required by law to check visitors’ NHS COVID Pass. Some venues may still choose to run the NHS COVID PASS voluntarily and request it.

FREE Taxi Service to get your vaccine or booster in Birmingham

If you have mobility problems or have financial difficulties paying for transport, you can use the FREE Jab Cab there and back to get your vaccine or booster. When booking a taxi you will need to provide your names, telephone number, address, the vaccine centre you will be going to and the number of passengers.

Booking BirminghamJabCab

Call TOA Taxis Birmingham on 0121 427 8888
Quote reference BirminghamJabCab
Give the 4 digit Pin Number 3995

Note: TOA will provide transport to the closest open walk-in vaccination centre to your home address. Find your local vaccination centre.

FORGET ME NOT SING-ALONG

JOIN US

Sing-along for people with Dementia, other disabilities and anyone else who'd like to come along. 1 hour of fun, singing and socialising.

£5 PER SESSION

(CARERS FREE)

NO BOOKING REQUIRED.

JUST TURN UP

WHEN?

Every Monday at 1:15pm Doors Open 1pm

1 Hour Session

St Johns Centre

Christ The King Church

Warren Farm Road

Kingstanding

B44 0QN

kidz likedanny@blueyonder. co.uk | 07544393523

https://www.facebook.com/Forget-Me-Not-Sing-A-Long-112375976947846/

Dance to Health - Awareness Webinar

Awareness Webinar: Preventing Falls in Older People

February 03 2022

9.45-1045

To get the Zoom link please register here:

https://bit.ly31KdIjX

For further information about Dance to Health please email:

jodiestus@ae-sop.org

Know Your Constituency - Sutton Coldfield

The integration of Third Country Nationals in the Labour Market

According to the Synthesis Report of the European Migration Network, the most common obstacles of EU Member States in the integration of Third-Country Nationals relate to the accreditation of job qualifications and the assessment of their skills, tackling discrimination within the recruitment process and managing varying levels of language skills in integration measures.

The integration of Third Country Nationals in the labour market plays a key role in their successful integration in the host country. The implementation of successful integration policies by Member States will support wider labour migration policies, including specific measures in many EU counties to attract Third-Country Nationals to help with labour shortages and skills gaps.

Based on the aforementioned needs, the MiCare project aims to assist the integration of Third Country Nationals in the EU by focusing on the their integration in the labour market, as finding a job is fundamental to becoming part of the host country’s economic and social life.

According to the European Migration Network Synthesis Report on Satisfying Labour Demand through migration, in all Member States specific sectors and occupations have labour/skills shortages, among which lies the health care domain.

More specifically, the demands in caregivers are increasing in Europe as European societies are ageing. This imbalance between demand and supply, leads to shortages in nurses and other professional care providers. In order to achieve a better match between the skills and demands in the EU’s labour markets, the MiCare project, with the involvement of seven partners from six European Countries, will develop an intensive training program for migrants wishing to work as caregivers for elder people and people with special needs.

The training program aims in benefitting the migrant worker, facilitating the TCNs integration in the local society and the EU labour market, and the EU destination countries, as labour shortages in skilled health care workforce will be covered.

Learn more about the MiCare project: https://www.facebook.com/MiCareProject https://twitter.com/micareproject

Read the Synthesis Report of the European Migration Network (EMN) here: https://bit.ly/3iWT3NV

Cofton Park Teams Up With Netflix For CALM Bench

Photo from Netflix

Article by Joe Millington

The Birmingham location for a new bench inspired by hit Netflix series ‘Afterlife’ has been announced.

The third season of the show was released to critical acclaim last week, and writer, director and leading actor Ricky Gervais has teamed up with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Netflix to unveil 25 new benches in parks around the country.

In Birmingham, Cofton Park in Northfield was selected. Gervais’ character Tony finds himself navigating grief and depression throughout the series, and park benches were a focal point for the fictional writer’s story.

In walking his trusty dog Brandy and conversing with other characters who have experienced loss, Tony is able to reflect and learn to live without his beloved wife.

Netflix announced on Wednesday that, in a campaign with the charity CALM, they would be donating 25 benches to local Councils around the UK, in order to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

Many well-known locations including Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath, London and Stanley Park, Liverpool, were picked out, and in the Second City, it was Cofton Park that was selected.

Each bench has a QR code linking information and services from CALM and are inscribed with the iconic quote “Hope is Everything”, from the show.

On the project Gervais said: “We hope the benches will create a lasting legacy for After Life, as well as become a place for people to visit, and we are thrilled to be associated with Calm and the great work they do.”

This is a poignant reminder of the importance of talking to others, reaching out to your friends and family, and also the therapeutic role of fresh air and natural beauty.

Whilst Cofton Park is the recipient of this scheme, this constituency is also blessed with scenic green spaces, such as Sutton Park, with many areas for people to explore and help clear their minds.

If you or someone you know needs help or someone to talk to:

Call Samaritans 24-hour hotline at 116 123

Call National Suicide Prevention hotline UK 24-hour hotline at 0800 689 5652

Call Birmingham Mind 24-hour hotline at 0121 262 3555

Household Support Fund open for applications

Support is available to households in Birmingham over the winter using funding from the government’s Household Support Fund.

You can see further information on the announcement about the Household Support Fund on the GOV.UK website https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-500m-support-for-vulnerable-households-over-winter

Support for Households

The Household Support Fund is now live and receiving applications. In order to access the fund, you must be referred to the fund by a professional in your local area.

Each area has a voluntary sector Locality Lead and staff from a range of services. If you wish to access this fund, you can contact your Locality Lead now to discuss your support requirements.

Please see our list of the ten Locality Leads:

Edgbaston

householdsupport@gatewayfs.org

0121 456 7821

Erdington

Support for Families ErdingtonFamilies@compass-support.org.uk

0121 748 8199

Erdington Support for Adults contactus@compass-support.org.uk

Chantelle.Holmes@wittonlodge.org.uk 0121 748 0891

or 0121 827 6295

Hall Green

Household.Support@GreenSquareAccord.co.uk

07855 409 582

Hodge Hill

EarlyHelp-Hodgehill@family-action.org.uk

07816 086 607

Ladywood

childrenandfamilies@bsettlement.org.uk

07764 977 636

Northfield

info@northfieldcommunity.org

0121 411 2157

Perry Bar

PerrybarrEHnetwork@spurgeons.org

0121 752 1900

Selly Oak

StaceySeaman@malachict.co.uk

07544 655537

Sutton Coldfield -

Support for Adults

info@ageconcernbirmingham.org.uk

0212 362 3650

Sutton Coldfield -

Support for Families

SuttonEHnetwork@spurgeons.org

0121 752 1860

Yardley

EarlyHelpYardley@barnardos.org.uk

0121 289 4875

Join the Sutton Coldfield MS Society!

The team at the Sutton Coldfield MS Society are here for you and new members are always welcome!

If you or someone you know has Multiple Sclerosis and would like to join the group and meet people with shared experiences, then get in touch with Lyndsay.Smith@mssociety.org.uk via email or drop in to Clifton Road Youth Centre, Sutton Coldfield, B73 6EB. They will be in every Monday between 10:30 am and 14:00, except for Bank Holidays, and are there for a cuppa and a chat to provide guidance, support and friendship.

Keep your eyes peeled, too, for some exciting developments and activities that will be coming out of the group in the coming months. You will not want to miss it!

The group are also looking for volunteers. Whether you want to help with sessions, or can assist the team in Sutton Coldfield with promotional work on social media then please feel free to email Lyndsay or attend a drop in session at Clifton Road.

For further information visit:

www.suttoncoldfieldms.co.uk

Adult Autism Support Hodge Hill

Good afternoon all,

I just wanted to make you aware of a much needed project that was funded through our HHNNS pilot fund. Resources for Autism have put together a pilot 8 week course aimed at independent adults, 19-35 years, with a diagnosis of Autism.

If you know of anyone across Hodge Hill that would benefit from this free service, please check out the attached poster and get in touch with Laki or Jayne who I have copied into this email.

Kind regards

Natalie Swain

Neighbourhood Network Scheme Development Worker

Email:HodgeHillNNS@pohwer.net / N.Swain@pohwer.net

Telephone: 0121 726 8577 / 07970 311 957 / 0300 456 2370

Website: www.pohwer.net/hodge-hill-neighbourhood-network-scheme-nns

NNS Additional Needs Project - We Need Your Feedback!

The Neighbourhood Network Scheme (NNS) has been up and running for three years in Sutton Coldfield, and in that time the local community and its assets have been at the centre of all the good work in the constituency.

One particular success has been the additional needs pilot. Whilst the NNS has targeted provision of activities and facilities for people who are over-65 at a city-wide level, in both Sutton and Hodge Hill this has been extended to adults with additional needs.

Additional needs refers to anyone who needs support and assistance with things like access, communication, care needs, independent living, mobility and health, including people who identify as disabled people.

At the Sutton Coldfield NNS, we would love to hear from those who have received funding or other support through the Scheme, and from those who have not too, to find out more about the experiences of people with additional needs in the community and what we can offer to continue what has proved to be a successful project thus far.

This includes gaps which people may find, such as a club or activity that they would like to be a part of which is currently unavailable, or if people feel the current provision for certain groups is not yet fully developed. We will use your views to continue to mould our citizen-driven project, as we continue to work alongside other community support service.

Your feedback is absolutely crucial to future work of the NNS and a questionnaire, where your responses can be given in confidence, is available to fill out. This questionnaire includes a box at the end for you to provide, in as much detail as you like, your thoughts on anything relating to your past experiences in the community or developments that you wish to see be made in the future.

Whilst this questionnaire is focused on the experiences of people who live, work or attend a club in Sutton Coldfield, any feedback could also prove critical to shaping support throughout the city if, as expected, the pilot is extended beyond this constituency and Hodge Hill.

We are extremely grateful for your time and effort in filling out the questionnaire, which can be found here:

NNS Additional Needs Questionnaire

NNS Grants Supporting Older People in Sutton

Seniors Club Punjabi

Sutton Coldfield NNS has supported Seniors Club Punjabi to expand their service provision to three days per week and develop new groups and activities. This has provided an inclusive service for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to participate in groups where they have real cultural connections and similar interests and hobbies. One of the sessions, includes an inter-generational group, which has proven to be very positive in lifting the spirit of their senior members and cross learning for the younger generation. All sessions are varied and provide stimulating activities to improve participants' emotional and physical well-being with sessions as varied as tai chi, yoga, traditional singing, poetry, health discussions, recipe sharing and walking.

“I was so isolated and suffered from depression and various health problems. Since attending Senior Punjab group, I feel a great sense of purpose and my overall health has improved! I really look forward to the sessions each week!”

Phone:- 07307 691 822

Website:- https://www.facebook.com/SikhsofSuttonColdfield

Successful Ageing Workshops

“I have learnt so much by attending these classes and my mental health has significantly improved. I am able to recognise when I’m feeling low and negative and quickly bring myself to positive mind set.”

Successful Ageing Project was funded through the NNS small grants, to support the mental health and emotional well-being of citizens. Two online workshops were facilitated, including one in community languages and they can be delivered in the community- face to face!

The sessions focus on early prevention of mental health and on grass root issues around daily self-care. They provide techniques such as recognising symptoms of stress, yoga, mindfulness, managing health problems and building resilience.

Phone:- 07515 737 805

Our Place Advice Service

Our Place is a service offering free advice and guidance, by appointment, on a wide range of matters including:

• Benefit checks, claims and appeals

• Housing issues

• Employment/Unemployment matters

Their support is delivered by trained volunteers and professional partner agencies including solicitors and finance / debt advisors.

Phone: 0121 354 4080

Email: adviceservice@ourplacesupport.org

Website: https://www.ourplacesupport.org/advice-service/

Hoarding and Self-Neglect

Two Projects in Birmingham

Hoarding and self-neglect have caused challenges for local authorities for many years, which was why the Prevention and Communities grants were committed to look at how to address this. Both Clouds End CIC – the UK’s first social enterprise for people who hoard – and Compass Support have been funded to look at this issue and help citizens who have hoarding behaviours. The extension of the funding through to 2023 has been very fortuitous as both of these issues are now increasing greatly post Covid-19. Hoarding behaviour affected 2-5% of the population, and although new figures have not been collated post pandemic, everyone is recording a greater demand for support, cleaning and clearing, often to allow carers to access homes safely.

Chaos to Order

Clouds End CIC is running a mentoring project, training groups of social work students who are interested in learning more and specialising in working with people who hoard. It can also help with extras needed such as skips, cleaning and clearing and telephone counselling. It has smashed all expectations in the past two years, working with over 250 citizens. It has created the Hoarding Charter, a city pledge to agree to work in a supportive and compassionate way with citizens who have this issue, to launch in 2022.

Support in Sutton and Erdington

Clouds End has collaborated with Compass Support who have responded to the issue of hoarding with a specific project in the Reddicap & Castle Vale wards of the city. As well as offering practical information and support to people who live with hoarding behaviour, Compass Support coordinates a regular Hoarding Multi Agency Pathway Meeting. These aim to improve communication between workers, maximise the use of existing resources, and develop best practice and creative ways to engage with citizens who hoard. The Multi Agency Meetings are open to workers from all sectors, who cover the Sutton Coldfield & Erdington area. Social Worker, Lucy Munro, who attends the meetings regularly, says:

“We all have different inputs to someone’s life and bring different perspectives to the meeting. I have found the meetings to be eye opening and invaluable because of this. Working in a hospital team, especially during Covid, and going to the meetings to support patients living with hoarding have meant safer discharges home and better outcomes for the citizens.”

Cloud’s End:

Email:- help@cloudsend.org.uk

Website:- https://www.facebook.com/CloudsEndCIC

Compass Support:

Email:- Hilary.tomlinson@compass-support.org.uk

Website: https://www.compass-support.org.uk/our-services/hoarding/

Connect and Create - Birmingham's Arts & Health Network Event Number 4

Midlands Arts Centre

MAC, Cannon Hill Park

Birmingham B12 9QH

10-4 Friday 20th May 2022

For anyone working in the health and social care sector in Birmingham looking to enhance their knowledge of arts activities which deliver social care outcomes.

Anyone working in the arts sector in Birmingham looking to enhance their social prescribing knowledge, contacts and arts & health good practice.

Connect with: artists; activities; conversations, ideas; people; spaces; taster sessions; venue tours.

Create new contacts; skills; experiences; knowledge; networks; friendships; ideas; passions; partnerships.

To book:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/228837908347

For more information email:

Artsandhealth@birmingham.gov.uk

Workshop - A Roadmap to greater inclusion for adults with additional needs

Audio version of Age Concern's heritage book now available

Many of the chapters from a book of local memories published by Age Concern Birmingham and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund are now available online as audio tracks.

I REMEMBER WHEN - West Midlands Heritage Memories was edited by Peter Millington who also reads each section and chapter on the recordings.

Pete said "we felt that it was important to create an audio version of our book, not just to make it accessible to people with sight loss and reading difficulties, but also to add the entertaining dynamic of the audio format. Just sit back and enjoy hearing these amazing stories from local people".

The tracks have been uploaded to Pete's SoundCloud account and are completely free to listen to online or to download in MP3 format.

https://soundcloud.com/pete-millington

Each track is followed by details of how to purchase the printed version of the book, with all sale proceeds directly supporting the work of Age Concern Birmingham who are based in Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield.