The Balsall Heathan community newspaper is the longest standing publication of its kind in Birmingham. It was established in 1973 and is still published on a monthly basis. The newspaper began its history through a campaign to save a local nursery and proved to be such a hit, that it continues to this day. It’s a great read!
The Heathan provides a mouthpiece for interested groups, local residents and individuals and actively promotes local interest and pride in the local community of Balsall Heath.
You can contact the Heathan via email: balsall.heathan@stpaulstrust.org.uk
Telephone: 0121 464 4376 or Fax: 0121 464 2555
Then let us know! We welcome articles, photo’s and letters. The deadline for submitting text for the next issue is advertised in the What’s On section of the website.
Telling Tales
A joint venture between Business in the Community and Park Hill School is helping to promote reading at an early age. Members of the local business community visited the school to share their favourite book with year 5 children during the first visit. The school which was recently judged to be ‘good’ by Ofsted hopes the new initiative will see local business people read with the children on a regular basis.
Whoosh Bang
Residents at the ‘Carnival of Light’ event earlier this month enjoyed a sparkling time at a firework display arranged by the Balsall Heath Carnival Committee. The glittering display of flashes and bright lights formed the finale to an evening of Carnival fun at St. Paul’s Venture, Malvern Street.
Twenty20 Vision at Warwickshire Cricket Club
Once again Local Leagues Ltd were able to make dreams come true for local cricketers playing in the Local Leagues’ Cricket League by staging the semis and finals of the annual Twenty20 competition at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Nelson Mandela School Wins Heart of England in Bloom Award
Nelson Mandela School pupils and staff received high praise for their outstanding efforts in this year’s Balsall Heath Britain in Bloom entry. The special award was presented at this year’s awards ceremony held at the All Saints Church Centre in Kings Heath.
Brum To Brazil In Calthorpe Park
As part of the Olympics festivities Calthorpe Park played host to a cultural celebration to help welcome the Olympic torch as it passed through Birmingham on its 8000 mile relay.
Royal Celebration
A special Jubilee lunch for local residents, hosted by the Kings Christian Centre, proved a huge success despite the weather. In spite of a deluge of rain and having to relocate the festivities indoors the celebrations resulted in smiling faces everywhere.
Homer Street Clean Parade!
Children from Homer Street were keen to share their views on rubbish with the wider local community when they held a special parade recently.
Writers of the future
Gifted and Talented Children from primary schools throughout Balsall Heath have been selected to take part in the ‘Able Writers’ programme. Hosted by Heath Mount Primary School and devised by the school’s Inclusion Manager Angela Mitchell, the programme consists of three one day workshops where the pupils meet guest authors and take part in practical activities devised to challenge their skills and imaginations.
Double Celebration
Christmas came early for staff at the Balsall Heath Children’s Centre recently when they achieved an ‘Outstanding’ classification following a full Ofsted inspection. The awarding of Ofsted’s highest accolade came as a fantastic beginning to this year’s celebrations of the 10th anniversary for the purpose built Sure Start Centre.
Pensioners Christmas Dinner
Stanhope Hall held its annual Pensioners Christmas Dinner earlier this month with over 40 guests enjoying a special three course feast.
ANAWIM Celebrates Silver Jubilee
An organisation that began life through three nuns befriending prostitutes in the hope of offering the women help and friendship has celebrated its 25th anniversary.
The annual Balsall Heath entry in the national Britain in Bloom competition produced a much-deserved Silver Gilt award for this year’s entry. Every year a section of Balsall Heath’s community provides the judges with a stunning display of creativity and colour. This year was no exception and provided a further example of why Balsall Heath leads the way in community participation. This year the seven streets area became the main focus for the team based at Balsall Heath Forum.
Big Clean Up
Residents in and around Homer Street in Balsall Heath saw a green army of children tackling two issues close to their hearts this August following a call to arms by local residents Christina Pinero Maese and her husband Louie. As part of a Balsall Heath wide aim to tackle the issue of litter the group were one of the first to make use of the ‘Big Tidy Up’ initiative, a national campaign set up and run by Keep Britain Tidy.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Every year the Balsall Heath Carnival attracts thousands and this year was no exception. The procession this year welcomed a new addition in the form of Nelson Mandela School who brought over 160 children to join Clifton School making this year’s walking procession the biggest ever.
Stop The Drop
by Peter Cole
Representatives from organisations based in Balsall Heath met at a special emergency meeting recently as part of a new drive to tackle the antisocial act of littering. Complaints about the increase in the amount of litter that can be seen on the streets and in the parks of Balsall Heath have been steadily increasing in recent months.
Moseley Road Methodist Church Closes
A special Commemorative reunion was held recently at the Moseley Road Methodist Church as its congregation prepared to close the church down following a final act of worship at the church on 15th May. The site has been home to a Methodist Church since 1872 and the current building was built to replace the original church which was destroyed due to bomb damage in 1940.
Big Dave’s Buddies
For the last ten years Dave Gauder known more commonly as Big Dave by school pupils throughout the country has been giving anti-bullying talks and passing on useful advice and guidance. Along with his talks and as part of his campaign Big Dave demonstrates how belief in your self can help individuals achieve their goals and his visits often involve him pulling a double decker bus.
Alien Invasion?
by Peter Cole
The redevelopment of Warwickshire Cricket Club has long been a contentious issue for its neighbours. At a cost of £32 million of which £20 million, was borrowed from Birmingham City Council, the development has long had its opponents. With the recent completion of the ground’s 160ft floodlights, the number of critics has increased.
Consultation Success at Tindal School Shapes Early Years Outside Area
Foundation stage children at Tindal School have a new outside learning environment following the redevelopment of part of the schools site. Consultations with parents, pupils, governors and staff over a six-month period resulted in the school setting aside funding for the exciting project to go ahead. Now the once overgrown and underused resource is a major attraction for the whole school providing a host of fun and exciting learning opportunities.
Triumph for Stanhope at healthcare awards
Stanhope Women’s Group has been awarded a ‘Community Champion’ award for their work in creating a thriving community group in Highgate.
The award was presented to them at a ceremony organised by Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust (HoBtPCT), which celebrates the achievements of staff and local residents, in recognition of their hard work and dedication to the local community.
Happy Birthday to St. Paul’s Trust
To help celebrate the 30th Birthday of St. Paul’s Community Development Trust schools throughout the area this month have been helping to fill a huge birthday card with signatures.
Success At Tindal
An Ofsted inspection at Tindal Primary School just prior to the summer took the school out of the ‘improve’ category and lifted them to satisfactory. All of this was achieved through a commitment to improve the schools standing. The efforts of parents, teachers, pupils, staff and partner organisations resulted in inspectors stating that; “This is a satisfactory school where the head teacher and staff work hard to drive improvement…”
Islamic Help Celebrate Eid
Representatives of Islamic Help from Sultan Bahu Mosque helped bring Eid cheer to elderly residents throughout Balsall Heath this autumn. Over 100 food hampers consisting of basic necessities such as fruit, vegetables, juices, tea bags, coffee, sugar, energy saver light bulbs, beans and a lot more and funded through the Mosques congregation were put together by members of the Tyga Youth Group.
OFFICERS ON A DRIVE TO REDUCE MOTORING OFFENCES
A police crackdown on drivers breaking the law in Balsall Heath, Sparkhill and Sparkbrook has been hailed a success by both officers and members of the local community.
A Bite to Eat
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the owners of the Al Barakah Lebanese Bakery at the corner of Edward Road and Mary Street are truly flattered. In the three months since the family run business opened its doors for the first time there have been at least two other local businesses attempting to emulate their success.
What A Good Read!
Both staff and children from Park Hill School celebrated World Book Day by dressing up as characters from their favourite children’s books with prizes being offered for the most inventive costumes. Throughout the week there were activities to encourage enjoyment in reading such as the ‘Match the teacher to their favourite book’ competition, the ‘Get caught reading’ raffle, buddying up of older children with younger children to read, school governors coming into read with children and class teachers reading to different classes.
Africa Week
Djembe drums were beaten, rhythmic steps were danced and melodic voices were heard during the educational week that took place at Heath Mount Primary.
In The Park
After Dark
This year’s In The Park After Dark (ITPAD) event in March was the most successful so far, with Balsall Heath Park seeing its fourth “late winter” celebration organised by its active Friends group. Since 2007 the event has developed and expanded to include a number of separate strands.
New for 2010 was the illuminated, animated robot (also the Friends committee chair) who acted as a master-of-ceremonies for the evening, letting people know when and where activities were taking place. This was a rather busy task, with a lot to pack into the evening.
International Women’s Week
The 13th March marked the official date for International Women’s Day celebrations in Balsall Heath. It was a time to celebrate the considerable role that women have played, and continue to play, in shaping history.
A Visit From Over Seas
A group of policy-makers from Germany visited St Martin’s Youth and Community Centre, to gain an understanding of the youth service within the Highgate area.
Eggstra, Eggstra, Read all About It!
By Ian Eggwards
On the run up to Easter, children at Jakeman Nursery took part in an eggciting competition to decorate an egg or an Easter Bonnet.
The event was organised by Yesmean Akthar of the Friends of Jakeman, who egged the children on to use their skills to produce a piece of artwork or a craft. Over 140 budding young artists and their parents produced some eggstremely creative pieces.
Not Just Cricket
Warwickshire County Cricket Club moved a step closer to beginning work on their redevelopment of the cricket ground following approval from Birmingham planners recently.
Biggest Walking Bus
Children and staff at Ladypool School attempted to get into the Guinness Book Of Records recently by taking part in the world’s biggest walking bus.
Seeing The Wood
For The Trees
A one off taster session for a forest school initiative, which took place last year during a summer playscheme, has become a runaway success. Forest School leader Gareth Burt who devised the scheme now runs the project for several schools in the area.
Around The World
In 5 Days
by Ashley Chander
An international fair at Park Hill School was the culmination of a weeklong series of culturally focused activities. Parents and staff gave children the flavours and excitement to be found through exploring the cultural diversity within their own school. The final day provided everyone with a round trip ticket to fun activities and a taste of the culinary delights experienced throughout the week.
Britain in Bloom 2009
The organising group for the Balsall Heath ‘in bloom’ project began their work in the autumn of last year and decided to concentrate on three main themes, firstly to try and raise funding though sponsorship to help with purchasing better quality products and plants, secondly to involve all the schools in the project and lastly to focus on a much smaller judging route.
HAT TRICK FOR BALSALL HEATH
Britain In Bloom 2009 resulted in being a bumper year for Balsall Heath.
Two pupils, Rukhsar and Akhsar from Tindal Primary School returned from the Britain In Bloom presentation ceremony in Pershore with a Silver Gilt award, a major improvement on last year’s Silver award
Tel: 0121 464 4376 administration@stpaulstrust.org.uk
St. Paul's Community Development Trust
Hertford Street
Balsall Heath
B12 8NJ
Registered in England & Wales: 1429707
Charity No: 508943