Changes to our plans!

We’re going to do a quick update here so that you all know what’s going on. There’s more to write, but we’ve just found out that we’ve been successful in getting funding to deliver a playscheme for children locally who are eligible for free school meals (you rock @MarcusRashford!), and we have a lot to sort, very exciting!

Anyway, you will hopefully know that we have been planning for a number of years now (thanks, Covid!) to work with St Mary’s Church on Bearwood Road to renovate and revitalise the much-loved but recently vacant community buildings at the back of the church. We have a finished architectural feasibility study for that now! But unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the church’s control, the Diocese of Birmingham is, for the next couple of years, not able to commit to a long term lease. This caused lots of issues with our latest big funding bid but has ended up in some real positives:

  • Our working relationship with St Mary’s Church is going from strength to strength, just on a more short term basis than originally planned. We are currently working out a 12 month managing agent agreement where Bearwood Community Hub CIC will manage the building and set it up as the Community Bakery, Coworking, Office Space and Venue Hire. we will share the income with St Mary’s, and our income will go directly back into delivering more community initiatives.

  • Our determination to keep going despite the pressures has resulted in us winning funding to be able to deliver a summer playscheme that enables the Community Bakery to happen. Women from our refugee and asylum seeking communities will learn how to bake and run the social enterprise while their children experience fabulous arts and healthy food-related activity on the playscheme. The playscheme will also be open to other children on free school meals twice per week.

  • The support we’ve had from local organisations who want to help us thrive in order to offer great experiences to their service users and participants has been extraordinary. Thank you to Smethwick CAN, Mothership, Holy Trinity Church, St Mary’s Church, Dorothy Parkes Centre, Wild Lives Forest School, New Baby Network, Caretech, SMBC, and more. Many, many individuals have supported us personally during quite a stressful period. You know who you are!

Finally, what has still been happening?

We are SO pleased to announce that we have been successful in securing funding for four summer pilots:

  1. Co-working space at St Mary's (watch this space for booking and pricing information). Register your interest here.

  2. FINALLY we will be able to run the much awaited Bearwood Community Bakery (watch out for the online shop to pre-order your bread)

  3. One summer play scheme specifically for the children of Bearwood Community Bakery participants, who are all local women who have saught sanctuary here.

  4. One summer play scheme for children eligible for free school meals

In the last few months we have also enabled the following with the help of your ideas and voluntary time:

  • Dip into a Book with the Hub

  • Bearwood’s High Street Garden Weedy Wednesdays

  • Nature Playgroup at Bearwood’s High Street Garden

  • Bearwood Business Network

  • ESOL lessons on-site

  • Yoga classes

  • Office space for a local micro organisation

  • Online Community Bakery workshops

  • Online Arts Workshops

  • Trade School Online

  • Support and referrals for individuals and families in need

  • Planning for the Playscheme

  • Funding apps

  • Legal stuff, insurance, food safety training and all that gubbins

  • Employing people

  • Brum YODO bereavement project

  • Online Coffee Mornings

  • Sew & Chat Online

  • Bearwood Tapestry in partnership with project leaders We Are Bearwood.

  • Money advice sessions with Your Money Your Way

And probably more, but we better stop there and let you get back to work or your cuppa!

There’s lots you can do to support us - check out the actions below if you want to see or lead more of the above.

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HELP THE HUB
Support the Hub in 5 easy steps

  1. Follow us, like, share and comment on all of our social media channels

  2. Volunteer to help us clear and clean the whole place on Thursday 15th July (lunch provided!)

  3. Take a 20 second video on why the Hub is important to you! (Send it to hello@bearwood.cc or 07599 595 514)

  4. Attend our events! Maybe start with the Business Network every third Thursday

  5. Tell 5 neighbours about us and get them to sign up to our newsletter