Ideas

Coseley’s Covid-19 community response – Insights from residents, groups, organisations and workers

Helena Norman Big Local, Big Local Plan, community activities, Core Group, Ideas, Supporting our local groups , , , , , , 0 Comment

Have you noticed or heard about any of the following, or other changes to the way that people in Coseley work and live during the pandemic? Here are some of the general things we’ve noticed happening in Coseley and surrounding areas:

  • More people taking an interest in growing
  • The value of a neighbourly chat over the fence 
  • An increase in acts of kindness for vulnerable neighbours 
  • An increased appreciation for open spaces
  • People started slowing down and embracing nature
  • People discovering new places on daily walks 
  • People reviewing unnecessary spending, exploring simple ways to entertain at home
  • Older people using technology to connect with loved ones and to find old friends 
  • People cycling, running or walking to places instead of using their car
  • People using local businesses more for essential supplies

In September 2020, residents, groups, organisations and workers in Coseley came together to discuss and gather insights from the response to the pandemic, and generate learning to inform the Big Local delivery. Here are some of the things people said:

Observations of ways local residents, groups, organisations or workers in Coseley supported people in communities to stay connected and well during lockdown:

  • New groups emerged to take action and to help other people access services. Local residents responded to the pandemic by setting up community support networks on social media, including Facebook pages ‘Here to Help’ and ‘Born and Bred’ sharing local information and advice. Next Door was set up for Roseville (Nextdoor is the neighbourhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services.)
  • The work of the JST Community Connectors, supporting residents with family living far away, and the efforts of local groups and residents supporting local isolated people.
  • Collaborative working with groups and organisations, Just Straight Talk, Coseley Food Bank, residential homes (Willowfields and Jack Newall Court) Dudley CVS, Integrated Plus, and external funders, helped Big Local workers to meet the challenges of the pandemic and reach more vulnerable people in Coseley. Big Local Community Connectors also teamed up with local community groups using communication tool, Whatsapp, to maintain connection. 
  • Local groups, including Coseley Food Bank, found it good to interact with more people and support people in need with food supplies and shopping. Families were also supported with bespoke food bank parcels if there were particular dietary needs.
  • Older residents used social media to connect people together to improve local green spaces. An 82 year old man who wanted to look after his wife’s grave used Facebook to call out for help to improve the churchyard, and to let them know when he’d be there if they wanted to help or simply have a chat. A section of the churchyard has now been transformed.
  • Helping people to stay connected using tablets funded by Big Local resulted in people making new connections and reconnecting with old friends. The reach and value for money of this project investment was recognised.
  • The pandemic made people look out for their neighbours more than ever before. People were looking after their neighbours despite having to self isolate. This included small acts of kindness to new neighbours who were new to the area, signposted to useful local information. This helped to bring people together.
  • Volunteers in Coseley have gone further than simply doing people’s shopping, going the extra mile to respond to other needs including tackling loneliness by befriending, connecting to others or supporting people with IT.  
  • Groups have received funding from Big Local during the pandemic. The Coseley Station gardeners, have maintained Coseley stations platform garden throughout lockdown. The team have received £500 of Big Local funding to continue to improve the green space. Local group, New Hope Church, received funding from Big Local for Baby Bank, to connect with and provide essential supplies for families.
  • Some restrictions have been lifted but people are still restricted in what they can do and Government guidelines change on a daily basis. The pandemic isn’t over.
  • There are barriers for people with technology. Some people are without I.T. equipment, have low confidence in using new technology or poor wifi, meaning that some people were not able to connect in virtual ways.
  • Local groups recognised the need for venue improvements during the pandemic, for example, 1st Coseley Scouts have found the motivation to make improvements to the scout hut.
  • Big Local Community Connectors joined virtual meetings delivered by Local Trust to connect and take part in conversations with other Big Local areas. It was noted that other Big Local areas faced similar challenges and emerging themes.
  • Big Local workers found that many people wanted to continue to volunteer and support vulnerable people in the community when the Covid-19 Support Network ended.

What stands out about how Big Local funded work adapted in approach to continue to support and connect local people during lockdown? i.e. what did we change?  

  • Using new technology to connect including Zoom; Christ Church used Zoom every day for prayer.
  • Big Local Community workers have adapted the way they work with virtual interactions, including telephone calls, video calls and Zoom gatherings to keep people connected.
  • Responding to people’s needs to meet physically as lockdown measures eased, providing opportunities to get involved in safe outdoor gardening activities.
  • Work during the pandemic adapted to the situation, projects would be different going forwards in recovery, and must be looked at accordingly.
  • The quick turnaround of funding from Big Local, e.g. to fund the baby bank at New Hope Baptist Church; helped to set people free to do what’s needed.
  • Immediate reaction from local groups at the start of the pandemic and preparation of local groups ahead of lockdown.
  • Bringing in outside funding to trial activities to connect people in different ways, including, fish and chip suppers, online Coseley Community Cinema.

How might any of these changes inform future delivery against Big Local plan priorities?

  • Intense levels of activity during lockdown can’t be sustained, but perhaps there will be more effective ways of responding to things – shown by how swiftly responses were developed.
  • Coseley’s community centre’s and buildings can no longer be used in the same way. Groups and venues of all sizes are now looking at ways to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose, and are ready for use when restrictions are lifted. The Big Local group recognises that groups and venues will experience new challenges and need support in ensuring they can run their usual activities in a safe way. 
  • Reconnecting with people who previously attended Big Local activities particularly those experiencing loneliness and isolation. If data protection was addressed, Big Local could fund Christmas goody bags to be delivered to older people who would normally attend Lunch and Chat events. 

What learning for the next 3 years should East Coseley Big Local take away from this period, based on your interactions, observations, conversations and experiences during COVID-19 response?

  • The importance of mental wellbeing of people in the community. People and families forced into isolation. People who fear coming out of isolation. Not just young adults but young children who do not understand what is going on but feel things are quite different and cannot cope with change. An example is Christmas at school. School plays and parties, if they take place the young are used to what went before but may not understand why it is different now. Coping with school life as it is now and maybe family life as well.
  • Changing ideas and the way Big Local moves forward.
  • How the community has pulled together and to not let that slip away again

You can read more about East Coseley’s response to the pandemic here: http://www.eastcoseleybiglocal.net/covid-19-review/

Supporting East Coseley through COVID-19 – Our story so far…

Helena Norman Big Local, community activities, connectors, Ideas, older people , , , , , 0 Comment
Supporting East Coseley through COVID-19 – Our story so far…

Thousands of community support groups have come together across the country to support the most vulnerable in our communities. Despite being in lockdown and new daily challenges, we’ve come together to respond to the coronavirus outbreak with such positivity and we’ve seen overwhelming acts of kindness and community spirit.

We’re looking out for our neighbours as well as our family and friends, and more than ever before, we’re beginning to identify the most vulnerable and isolated people within our communities.

Some people will be self-isolating, some will be staying at home because they are most at risk of being hospitalised by COVID-19, some will be struggling to carry out everyday tasks, and some may have already been isolated and lonely and will be at increased risk.

Our East Coseley Big Local team have been presented with many new changes and challenges since the beginning of the pandemic. These challenges have become opportunities to find new creative and inventive ways to connect with and support our Coseley community.

Whether it’s dropping off shopping or medication, a chat from a distance, a friendly phone call, or tackling technology together as a way to keep in touch, we’re finding new ways to help people to stay connected and well, supporting them through their daily challenges.

Our Community Changemaker, Neil, has been working with the Integrated Plus team from our local trusted organisation, Dudley CVS, to establish a COVID-19 Support Network for Sedgley, Coseley and Gornal. Our partnership with Integrated Plus has enabled us to find the most vulnerable in the community in desperate need of help.

Neil, now co-ordinating the localities response to the outbreak, “We have always known that there are more lonely and isolated people out there and we know how difficult it is to get to them, to make them aware that someone cares. The need for food and medication has opened my eyes to exactly how many lonely and isolated people there are just in my area of Coseley let alone the Dudley borough, which means that when this pandemic is over, there is a lot of work to do.

Myself, Shona and Dave are still trying to do as much Big Local work as possible and helping those who need food and medication. I receive calls and referrals from people in need and then find the right volunteer to carry out those requests. Shona is out shopping, and Dave is on medication runs, dropping off to people with a smile and a chat. I’m so proud of my co-workers out there in the community but that’s what being part of a Big Local is.

Through what I’m doing now for Dudley CVS as a co-ordinator I am seeing some fantastic community spirit.”

Our East Coseley Big Local Community Connectors, Dave and Shona, are supporting people by volunteering with the Network and finding new ways to connect people through virtual coffee mornings.

Dave has volunteered to help with the efforts by carrying out collection of medication from chemists and deliver them to vulnerable people.

”One man, in particular, stated that I was the first person he had seen face to face for a week and it was so refreshing for him. We chatted for about 20 minutes (at a safe distance of course). He said that he had plenty of telephone calls but it was just nice to actually see someone and have a conversation.”

“Shona and myself make regular contact with many of the participants who were attending coffee mornings prior to lockdown. We have done some shopping for them and have regular chats. Contact has until recently been by phone or text. However, last week we started a virtual coffee morning using Zoom and those who dropped in really enjoyed it and want it to be a regular feature. For those that weren’t sure, we spent some time on a 1-2-1 basis coaching them through the process.”

An application has now been approved by Big Local to purchase tablets to enable people to join in with coffee mornings if they don’t have the IT equipment.

“We can now invite more people, and when we eventually come out of lockdown we can use the tablets for future basic IT training in the community.”

Shona has been thinking of new and creative ways to keep people connected, “Covid hit us like a brick and the dust that settled left a place we didn’t recognise and a community in hiding. Almost like stages of grief, we all had changes happening around us that were out of our control and hard to comprehend. We have definitely felt a loss, an anger, confusion and frustration knowing that being isolated from our community when they needed us most would be just as hard, if not harder for them.

But what has come from this? We are communicating more, we are being creative, we are trying new ways to keep in touch, which we will continue to use when this is over and we are making steps to getting people connected who never have been before. We are also speaking to new people with this new ‘thing in common’ and we are being signposted to people who are in particular need for extra help through Dudley CVS referrals.

We are in weekly contact with our community through phone calls, letter, texts, Facebook posts, by referring them for extra help and through video meet ups on Zoom as well as out in the community picking up shopping or medication for those people who normally attend our sessions. The support we are able to give these people who are usually well able and independent is strengthening our relationships further, in now their time of need.

Covid is concreting the foundations of our community and encouraging new shoots to sprout just like the springtime it consumes. Now we understand what living with this virus around us means, we can work alongside it and will continue to support, entertain and communicate with our Coseley community.”

If you would like to find out how you can get involved in the local #Covid19 effort in Coseley visit https://bit.ly/2xd1Yrx or contact Neil Langford at neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net

If you are interested in joining Dave and Shona at their Virtual Coffee Mornings, visit https://www.facebook.com/pompoms4loneliness/ or get in touch on 07726 210092 or email Dave drobertsjst@gmail.com or Shona shonajst@gmail.com

If you would like to donate to Coseley Foodbank they operate from Darkhouse Baptist Church and is open Tuesdays 10am-2pm only to receive donations and issue food parcels.

Meet the gardeners transforming Coseley Station into a vibrant green space

Helena Norman Big Local, Big Local Plan, community activities, connectors, Green spaces, Ideas, local groups and clubs, older people, Sharing our passions, skills and spaces, young people , , 0 Comment
Meet the gardeners transforming Coseley Station into a vibrant green space

Bayer Street Allotments is a thriving green hub in the heart of the Coseley where people are passionate about sharing knowledge and growing tips with people of all ages. Not only does it provide an excellent space for community projects and events, but with the support of East Coseley Big Local, the people there are on a mission to make Coseley a better place to live, improving and starting gardening projects in vacant green public spaces, forming fabulous partnerships along the way.

Ron and Maria Wedgbury, Natalie Partridge and Dave Williams, creative green-fingered gardeners from the allotments, are transforming Coseley Station’s northbound platform embankment by maintaining beautiful flower displays and window boxes, continued from the marvellous work started by Tom, Kerry and volunteers last year, catching the eye of many local people and commuters.

They have now joined West Midlands Railways ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme, with a vision to continue to improve the station for the benefit of all who use it.

The scheme started back in 2003, originally created to improve relationships between the train operator and station users. Over the years it has grown to become much more, with station adopters now playing an active role in keeping stations looking good through innovative gardening projects and creative community art projects.

To thank volunteers and station adopters, West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway organised a picnic and day out to Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway, an opportunity to meet directors from the railways and volunteers from other stations around the Midlands, a great day for making new connections.

Ron found the day great for making new connections, “What’s great about the day was that there were no formal presentations or speeches, they kept the day really casual, there were no speeches or slideshows. It was nice to meet other people that were involved in local station projects.”

 

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”3″ gal_title=”Bayer St”]

 

Husband and wife, Ron and Maria, first got their allotment on Bayer Street Allotments 4 years ago. Maria said, “Ron took on the allotment because when he retired he wasn’t the type to sit at home and do nothing, he needed something to do…and the vegetables were a bonus!” Ron has lots of useful tips on how to grow prize winning tomatoes, he also makes his own gin and whiskey from his brewing shed in his garden.

Dave grows all sorts on his allotment, cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and much more, but warns “you have to pick them fast in this hot weather before they go brown!” He has took great pleasure in being part of the Coseley station project, “I’ve had my allotments for nearly 13 years now. I like gardening because it gets me out of the house and gets things off my mind. A good many people say how nice the station is, people often stop to look at the embankment.”

Natalie previously worked with the council’s ground maintenance team, looking after parks, bowling greens, cricket, football and rounders pitches for 20 years before leaving to have children. “My children come down to the allotment with me every day, they come on their bikes and have a picnic, sometimes they play in the woodchip piles, or in the horse manure! Sometimes they go train spotting behind the back of the toilets. They have got their own shed, and I’ve got my shed. They help me water the plants and love picking all the fruit.”

East Coseley Big Local, has recently funded £1,000 so that the allotments team can use their gardening expertise to the full and buy news tools, flowers and shrubs for the station project. With this extra bit of funding, they plan to purchase perennials that come up every year, and a camellia, which would be one of the first plants to flower.

Peruvian lilies were donated from Ron’s garden, he said “It feels good to be doing something for the community, it also gives you something to do. We thought we would get vandalism on the embankment, but we haven’t.”

A lot of research suggests that cleaning and turning vacant plots into vibrant green spaces, beyond the aesthetic benefits, creates a respected and therefore safer environment. It’s also not just people who benefit from green spaces, it can become home to all sorts of birds, insects and other creatures.

So what are the benefits of adopting a station? Well, it allows the volunteers to have better access to the station, whenever needed, which helps with regular maintenance.

A wonderful partnership has now formed between East Coseley Big Local, Bayer Street Allotments and West Midlands Railway. Last year a plaque was erected on the platform to recognise the allotment team’s work to maintain the flowerbed on the station.

Ron, Marie, Natalie, Dave, and others at Bayer Street Allotments also play a huge part in encouraging young people or people who may be a little isolated in the community to spend more time outside. The allotment is a perfect base to share gardening knowledge with people of all ages.

Maria said, “It’s a little community, you have always got someone to talk to, you go up there do an hours work and sometimes spend 3 hours talking! It gets you meeting other people, we have quite a few little community events, we have barbecues and bonfires, we try to do lots of things that include the community. We also bring children on to the allotments to teach them how they can grow their own food and to give them an idea of where food comes from. We have bought tools for the playgroup at Darkhouse Baptist Church, they come for two hours, have a walk around the allotments, and they learn that food doesn’t just come out of a plastic bag.”

So what have the team got planned for the future of Coseley Station? …a wildflower garden, artwork and mosaics, restoring heritage, lots of exciting ideas on the horizon!

Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents to make a lasting positive difference in their community. Find out how you can get involved or start projects in Coseley www.eastcoseleybiglocal.net/community-support/

 

 

Coseley Nights are back with an exciting 10-week programme of creative Friday night activities!

Helena Norman Big Local, community activities, Ideas, Sharing our passions, skills and spaces, Storytelling, young people , , , , , , , , 0 Comment

Coseley Nights are back with an exciting 10-week Spring/Summer programme of Friday night activities for people of all ages in Coseley.

East Coseley has been working in partnership with Beatfreeks, a youth organisation based in Birmingham, to engage communities of Coseley in creative activities on Friday evenings. For each seasonal programme, a suite of different creative activities are developed and thoughtfully put together as Friday night ‘drop-in’ sessions. Young people have been involved in the design process of each programme to ensure they are invested in its success. So far, the activities have been a great success and have been enjoyed by Coseley residents of all ages!

The last programme of events focused on unlocking the hidden talents and potential of young people in Coseley. Activities included poetry, crafting, filmmaking, circus skills, singing and comedy, and at the end of the programme, creative residents took part in ‘Coseley’s Got Talent’ and were also treated to a pizza oven in the car park!

What we found most important, is that these sessions were enjoyed not only by young people but their families too, ages ranged from 6 years old to grandparent age!

The new Spring/Summer programme will focus on storytelling and is aimed at all ages in the community.

Over 10 weeks the people of Coseley will create and design a magazine, gather stories from around Coseley via various different media, and at the end of the programme will host an exciting event to give out the magazine and show the rest of Coseley what they have been up to! These sessions will include, photography, illustration, collage, poetry and interviewing techniques.

There will be opportunities to join in every week and you don’t need to come to every single session to be able to join in.

The activities will take place every Friday night until the 27 July from 6:30pm – 8:30pm at Mary Dermott Hall. All ages welcome and the nights are free to attend!

Find out more and drop by! Coseley Nights Spring/Summer Programme

If you’ve missed the Coseley Nights experience so far, here is a little taster from one of the Friday night filmmaking activities. This film was produced with young people of Coseley and their families at one of the sessions themed on happiness, and named ‘The Secret of happiness’….

 

Big Local is getting creative!

Helena Norman Big Local, community activities, Community Forum, Ideas, local groups and clubs, Sharing our passions, skills and spaces, Supporting our local groups, young people , , , , , 0 Comment
Big Local is getting creative!

Are you passionate about creativity and Coseley? Get your creative juices flowing on the 21 May and explore how people of all ages can get involved in community activities and projects. Find out how East Coseley Big Local can help you start something in Coseley, and turn your creative ideas into action!

Say hello to some of Coseley’s amazing creatives who are making great things happen in your area, bringing the community together through creativity, unlocking the potential of young people, developing the skills, confidence and talent of local people, and making Coseley a more vibrant place to live.

We’ll be at Christchurch School, Bilston, from 7pm – 9pm for this special event, people of all ages are welcome, whether you are a budding creative genius, passionate about creativity and Coseley, or simply interested to find out more about exciting projects happening in your local area.

Just bring yourselves, friends, family, for a fun evening of creativity! We’ll bring the refreshments… and biscuits of course!

Interested to come along? Register on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/big-local-gets-creative-tickets-45684912804 or contact Neil for more information neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net

Meet the people behind some of the wonderful projects that are unlocking the potential and creativity of young people in Coseley…

Beatfreeks – East Coseley is working in partnership with Beatfreeks, a youth organisation based in Birmingham, to unlock the potential of young people in the area. It started with a skateboarding party in the park, followed by a 16 week programme of Friday night activities at Clayton Park Youth Centre, which kicked off with an open-air pop-up cinema last September. The weekly events were rapidly co-designed and hosted with young people, in response to their creative ideas and interests. Activities including poetry, crafting, filmmaking, circus skills, singing and comedy were all enjoyed by young people in the area.

Music Moves – East Coseley Big Local is supporting an exciting new programme called Music Moves and an associated recording studio in Coseley. Music moves is a programme designed to positively impact the emotional well-being of young people.

Maybe you have a passion for making, growing, designing projects or helping people in your community to feel less isolated? Perhaps you have an inventive idea to use one of Coseley’s indoor or outdoor green spaces? There are all sorts of ways you can bring your special sparkle to Coseley.

We’re also on the lookout for passionate people of all ages to join the East Coseley Big Local partnership, to oversee the shared vision and plan for East Coseley Big Local!

Hope to see you at the event!

A year of collaboration and partnership in East Coseley

Helena Norman Big Local, Big Local Plan, business, community activities, Green spaces, Ideas, local groups and clubs, Local Trust, older people, Shaping our local services, Sharing, Sharing our passions, skills and spaces, young people , 0 Comment

Looking back at 2017, it’s been another great year for East Coseley Big Local, developing successful partnerships with local groups and organisations, businesses and national organisations, working on collaborative projects and sharing resources to make East Coseley better place to live. We look back at a few of our most successful partnerships from last year!

A great partnership between East Coseley Big Local, Marston’s Brewery and the Apple Tree Inn, formed 4 years ago, enables Lunch and Chat events throughout the year for local people and families of all ages who often feel a little lonely and isolated in the community. Providing a safe space where local people can get to know each other over a hot meal. At this years Christmas lunch, we were joined by 55 members of the community of all ages ranges, from 22 years old all the way up to a staggering 101 year old! Volunteers, support workers, people and families from the community all enjoyed and shared a three-course Christmas meal together, with entertainment and a small gift. East Coseley Big Local Chair, Brian Guest said “The Apple Tree plays an important role in the community. It is the perfect environment for friendships to flourish.”

East Coseley is working in partnership with Beatfreeks, a youth organisation based in Birmingham, to unlock the potential of young people in the area. It started with a skateboarding party in the park, followed by a 16 week programme of Friday night activities at Clayton Park Youth Centre, which kicked off with an open-air pop-up cinema last September. The weekly events were rapidly co-designed and hosted with young people, in response to their ideas and interests. Activities including poetry, crafting, filmmaking, circus skills, singing and comedy were all enjoyed by young people in the area. A film was produced at one of the sessions themed on happiness, “What makes you happy”. One young person said, “I now look forward to Friday evenings”

Initially, the youth centre was under threat for under usage, it’s now thriving and occupied for most of the week, it’s now a safe place for young people to go in the evenings.

The East Coseley Skittles League has become a staple in people’s diaries. It started 3 years ago and takes place 4 times a year. One of the most amazing things about the evening is the community groups that attend are talking to each other about collaborating on projects. Neil Langford, Community Changemaker said, “The most wonderful part is that people enjoyed the evenings so much, they felt like they wanted to give something back. So we started a raffle, and this year (2017) we raised over £300 for the local food bank operating at Darkhouse Church. All the money donated by people in the community at the skittles night helps other people in the community.” Brian Guest, East Coseley Big Local Chair, said, “Grandparents, parents, children, friends, everybody of all age groups, all mix together and enjoy a great night of fun and games. In fact, sometimes the skittles becomes secondary, people are enjoying themselves so much!”

East Coseley Big Local supported and funded Bayer Street Allotments to grow flowers and shrubs on the embankment and in window boxes at Coseley station. This year the allotments association joined the ‘adopt a station’ scheme, set up by London Midland, which has allowed volunteers to have better access to the station and have improved ties with the railway authorities. The partnership formed between East Coseley Big Local, Bayer Street Allotments, Network Rail and London Midland has been a great success.

Working in partnership with the allotments and Roseville School, for children with social, behavioural and emotional problems, has given young people an opportunity to learn how to grow and look after plants.

Residents have been cleaning up the area with regular litter picks and collaborated with the local Spar shop who now come along to help out. Local businesses are now working with the community.

The connections made at the Community Conservation Forum, Dudley Zoo, with wildlife experts, including the Birmingham Bat Group, lead to the discovery of two species of bat in Coseley’s canal tunnel. East Coseley is now working with Canal and River Trust to improve the canal towpaths and having conversations about creating a wildlife area on the canal.

East Coseley is bringing back events that people had missed in the area. Every year the Big Local funds The Big Event, which takes place at Clayton Park Youth Centre. At last years event, the community came out in the scorching heat to enjoy a fun day out with family and friends.  Neil Langford said, “The main aim of the event is to bring families together so that they can enjoy a day out, they don’t have to pay entry, it gets people out who may not be able to afford to go to big events. We have now formed a great partnership with Dudley MBC who gave us permission to use the park and provided us with advice to get the event up and running.”

The Christmas Lights Switch On in Roseville is now a major event for the area which always has the support of East Coseley Big Local. This year families came out in the heavy snow to enjoy a market, entertainment and a performance from The Coseley Comets. 

Last October we held the Big Local Big Chat in Coseley, which brought together Big Local partnership members, workers and reps from the Black Country, Birmingham, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the Wyre Forest. The theme of the event was ‘Collaboration and Partnerships’ It was clear when listening to other Big Local areas that building partnerships can help to kick-start projects, accomplish shared visions, and possibly open doors to new opportunities.

The collaborations we have seen in East Coseley prove that anything is possible if we work together.

We’re now looking forward to an exciting year ahead, building on, and creating new partnerships in 2018!

Have you been inspired by any of the stories in this post? Are you interested in starting a project to improve the Coseley area? It’s always lovely to hear your thoughts, the Big Local team would love to hear from you! hello@eastcoseleybiglocal.net

Sharing food, stories and laughter

Lorna Prescott Bring & Share, community activities, Ideas, Sharing , , , , 0 Comment

Bring & Share July for blogWe’ve started bringing people in Coseley together through activities which involve sharing. At the first of three summer Bring & Share meals Donna and Neil invited people to bring food to share for lunch, and memories and photos of living in Coseley.

There was a lovely lunch of sandwiches and crisps bought by people to share, and a delicious homemade banana and honey cake made by local resident Diane.

Yvonne brought along photos of Coseley Carnival from the 1920’s taken by her husband who was a photographer. These brought back memories, sparked conversations and inspired the concept of having a Coseley carnival in 2017.

Andrea brought some maps of Coseley from as far back as the 17th Century. Everyone found it fascinating to see how the landscape had changed. Andrea is interested in finding out more about the street she lived in as a child. Diane was soon on the case asking members of the Coseley pre 1970 Facebook group if anyone had any information. We love ways that sharing in Coseley has been started by local people using online spaces like Facebook, and how active groups like the Coseley pre-1070 are.

The afternoon flew by, everyone tided up together, there was even food to take home! Ideas shared during great conversation over a simple shared lunch ranged from starting a new carnival, to generating a friends of group at the local cemetery, to the start of a new Coseley operatic group or choir. Let us know if you’d like to get involved in any of these things, or if you have ideas you would like help getting started. East Coseley Big Local is here to help things happen.

Why not come along to the Bring & Share Supper on Wed 24 August, from 7pm, or our Bring & Share Community Picnic on Tues 30 August from 1pm. You can see photos from Bring & Share meals on the CoseleyLife Facebook Page.

A space where ideas can mingle

Lorna Prescott Big Local Plan, Ideas 0 Comment

To make our first Big Local Plan we spent many months asking people for their ideas of what would make Coseley an even better place to live and work. We heard over 100 great ideas. We wrote our plan to support local people to bring those ideas to life. Having the ideas has really made a difference. Lots of projects, partnerships and activities have sprung up in Coseley to take those ideas forwards. They include the annual Big Event, improvements to the canalside, all sorts of activities for children and families, growing projects all over Coseley and more.

We are starting to think about our next Big Local Plan, which will describe ways people and projects will be supported in East Coseley between 2017 and 2020. We’ll be taking a look at the ideas people had in 2012 and 2013. We know about some ideas that people in other places have had and turned into amazing projects. We’d love to show them to you. We’ll be taking a look at the ideas people in Coseley had in 2012 and 2013. We want to add more ideas. Your ideas. And let all the ideas mingle. When we bring lots of small ideas together they add up to something much bigger. (The 4 minute animated talk below is all about bringing little ideas together.)

The Big Local team would love to meet you. Come along for a cuppa and a chat, find out about Coseley’s 100 ideas and add yours.

100 IDEAS
TUES 26 JULY | TUES 2 AUGUST | WED 17 AUGUST
1:00pm – 4:00pm
@ the Youth Centre building on Old Meeting Road, WV14 8HB