Free Social Media Support for Stirchley Community Groups and Volunteers in Stirchley.
Do you want to improve your social media skills? Maybe set up a facebook page or group for your committee? Start a blog for your local History Group? Or learn how to find people like you on Twitter?
We can help you do that at the Stirchley Social Media Surgery.
The surgery is a free and informal way of learning the skills you want and we can tailor support to your needs.
These events will be held at the Cafe P, 1464A Pershore Road Stirchley B30 2NT on:
5.30pm – 7pm Tuesday 28th July 5.30pm – 7pm Tuesday 25th August
Sue Ford looking in the Time Capsule for the first time since it was buried in 1989.
On Thursday 2nd July I met with Sue Ford from St Andrews. St Andrew’s is a Methodist Church on the corner of Pershore Road & Cartland Road. The present building is early 1980s, but there has been a Methodist Church on this site for much longer, which locals affectionately called the old ‘tin taberbacle’.
Methodism has a history of taking action for social justice, advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable in society. The people of St Andrew’s are very actively involved in this, with many working in caring professions – including nursing, teaching, children’s services, environmental and community-focused work. The church also supports organisations like Citizens UK Birmingham, B30 Foodbank and charities such as Action for Children.
Running for almost twenty years, St Andrew’s Community Project worked with Stirchley residents to set up amongst others: a community newspaper called Snooze, developed Stirchley Carnival, campaigned for the building of the old community centre, ran toddlers group and summer holiday playschemes. In 1989 in recognition of the opening of the Community Centre St Andrews created the Time Capsule!
Sue Ford was instrumental in those early years of Stirchley Community Centre. Sue has lived in Stirchley for most of her life. Her parents married during the Second World War and she and her siblings grew up at 1227 Pershore Road; above what was then her uncle’s tailor shop. She remembers the Co-op Christmas grotto as the best in Birmingham. For our meeting Sue brought along the newspaper cutting of when the 1989 time capsule was created.
Sue ran the first play group at what was then the new Community Centre. She also ran Stirchley Opportunity Group, which was made up of at least 50% of children who had a disability- the first of its kind in the city. The Stay and Play toddler group is currently back at St Andrews, awaiting the opening of Stirchley Baths community centre.
Do you recognise anyone?The back of the Playscheme photograph.
Sue was delighted to revisit all the objects St Andrews gathered for the 1989 time capsule, including newspapers commemorating Birmingham’s centenary, a red nose from only the second ever Comic Relief and photos of St Andrews members. One such photograph shows children from St Andrews Playscheme. We would like to recreate this photograph for the new time capsule for Stirchley Baths. If you are in the photo or know those who are please get in touch.
Another Sue who is also a member of St Andrews is Sue Ball. She was the first ever Community Worker and editor of ‘Snooze’. There is a copy of ‘Snooze’ in the 1989 time capsule and you can view the digital archive here.
St Andrews have recently joined twitter and look forward to connecting with local people on-line @standrewsb30
Both the 1989 and 2015 time capsule will be placed under the pool and will be visible through a Perspex window.
If you would like to suggest an item to go into the new 2015 time capsule pop into Stirchley Library between 10am & 1pm on Saturday 11th July. Alternatively email louisedeakin.communityheritage@gmail.com
Are you interested in getting involved in heritage activity for the Stirchley Baths project?Come along to this informal drop-in meeting where you can find out more information about the rewarding volunteer opportunities available, the skills building programme and social events that will be on offer. There are numerous ways to get involved regardless of experience and you will pay an important role in the long term success of the baths.
The evening will also be an informal opportunity to learn more about how you can use social media to support your own community or voluntary activity. Digital experts will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.
In the coming months we’ll be working with Podnosh to deliver a series of Social Media Surgeries to support volunteers involved with the Stirchley Baths project, alongside other local community groups, make better us of Social Media,
These informal session with be held in P Cafe 1464 Pershore Road to begin with and will hopefully move into the Baths as we get progress. Working one one one as far as possible. There’ll be no lectures, just people with knowledge, ideas and a passion to help you make best use of the internet for your group or organisation, Currently sessions are due to run 5:30pm -7pm on the following dates
Kate Andrews is the new heritage officer for the project (we’ll introduce her a bit better very shortly) – she’s looking for your pics and your thoughts on Stirchley Baths – see below
Have you taken any photos of Stirchley Baths during it’s exciting redevelopment? Maybe at one of the community tours, or when walking past the baths? We would love to gather together all of the photographs taken over the last couple of years by the community. Some of the images will be selected to be exhibited on the hoardings around the front of the development over the next few months, or used on our website www.stirchleybaths.org. It doesn’t matter if they were taken on a mobile phone or professional camera, we would like to see all of them!
Please send your photographs via email to kate@kateandrews.me or by using a file sending service such as www.wetransfer.com or www.dropbox.com. To allow us to use the photographs publicly please email us with the following information:
What does the Stirchley Baths redevelopment mean to you? (We may use your quote with your photographs or online)
Do you have the right to share these photographs?
Do you give us permission to use the photographs publicly, including online?
Many thanks and we look forward to seeing your photographs.
Kate
Kate Andrews
Stirchley Baths – Community Heritage Development Officer stirchleybaths.org
