Tag: Suzanne Carter

Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum, 11th March: working on a heritage activity plan for Stirchley Baths

As part of the second-stage Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid for the Stirchley Baths project, Suzanne Carter from the Birmingham Conservation Trust is putting together a plan of activities and events focused on the history of the building.

A successful bid – as well as seeing the building transformed into a community hub – will also provide funds for the heritage activity plan. The building will not be a swimming pool but we need to keep its history and heritage alive for current and future generations of Stirchley people.

One idea discussed at the Neighbourhood Forum on 11th March at Stirchley Community Church was a Stirchley History Group. There was a really good group discussion, after a presentation by Suzanne, where people considered how a History Group could work and the wealth of community groups in the village and wider partners who could be involved.

Would you like to be involved in a Stirchley History Group? What other heritage activities would you like to see as part of the Stirchley Baths project? Please email stirchleybaths@gmail.com – pop it on our Facebook page here or tell us on Twitter using @stirchleybaths or #stirchleybaths

Many people at the Neighbourhood Forum also added their hands to the community art challenge that is designed to show the Heritage Lottery Fund the support in Stirchley for the baths project. The hands – complete with messages of support – will be displayed around Stirchley Baths on Saturday 6th April. Lots more information and how you can get involved HERE.

Community Stakeholder Meeting Notes – part 1

Where:  Stirchley Community Centre.

When: 6.30pm – Feb 13th 2013.

Part one was general update before part two – an exercise for the activity plan.   These are rough notes from the first part of the meeting:

The group introduced themselves – some key facts reported by Karen Cheney

Planning application for the bath’s development will go to the Birmingham City Council planning ctte on 7th March

Next for the Heritage Lottery Fund is the second stage bid – which will also require an activity plan, covering activity which will support the heritage side of the work during the build and afterwards.  Suzanne Carter from Birmingham Conservation Trust will work with Chris Rice from Birmingham Museums Trust to create the plan.

It was reported that the stage two bid needs item to be as strong as possible – so currently aiming for June to submit the bid.

Suzanne Carter explained:

Activity plan is a report which covers all the activity that the Heritage Lottery Fund which isn’t building work.  It’s the work that involves people in history and heritage.  Suzanne will be talking to lots of people in the community to help her create the planning and is focused on what people can learn about the history of the baths – how to bring it alive.  It can also involve plans to train people in conservation skills and hands on experience of heritage work.  this will also focus on how people get involved in making decisions about heritage in the area.

3 important roles for the plan

  • to demonstrate that local people love the building and want it back in some form of use
  • demonstrates that people are interested
  • demonstrate that there is an interest in developing the heritage plan.

Nick Booth outlined the use of this new website to capture news of the project,  stories from the baths and the community centre and how people are getting involved with the activity plan.

Chris Rice said  that the reason the project got a stage one HLF bid was because of local people’s enthusiasm and ‘agitation’.  A successful stage two bid is not a given – so the work and enthusiasm from here on in really helps the bid for the money for construction.

A discussion about timing – including frustration/argument about delays.  A further point made about how long the preparation for the project has gone on –  and how important that stage two of HLF bid will provide the money to get the work started.  When was it actually closed: 5th March 1988 –  so 25 years since it was closed, with 12 years of planning to get something to this stage.

A query about finding archives from the central library on the history of the baths – might that be found in Birmingham Central Library or  Cadbury Archives or Worcester?

7.15 pm onto Part two, Suzanne Carter led on ideas for the activity plan… (see separate notes)