Amy Louise Park and Asher Louise Riley grew up in Coseley and share a passion for dance. In 2016 they wanted to create an opportunity for young people to showcase their passion for dance. Amy and Asher hoped that through regular dance classes and performances they could change how young people spent some of their social time, grow their confidence and have a positive effect on their happiness, health and wellbeing, around weight loss and obesity.
When they came together in June 2016, members of the Big Local Project Investment Team could feel the energy and enthusiasm Amy and Asher had for their idea. They told Big Local that they were really excited about it, they had been waiting for an opportunity and the timing was perfect. They wanted to use the Coseley Community Centre (previously the Youth Centre) for dance classes as it is a great space.
Before approaching Big Local for some funding to start up, Asher and Amy had already gone out to meet young people attending the youth club and found 25 young people interested in joining dance classes. Through the Big Local Project Investment session Amy and Asher heard about the Darkhouse Summer Playscheme and offered to run a dance class with them which would help to promote the newly forming Aace Dance to more children and parents, and help volunteers from Darkhouse to offer a new activity.
Aace Dance launched in summer 2016 with a single Street Dance class on a Wednesday, and has now grown to two venues and nearly 15 classes. They have put on two shows and performed in events such as Black Country Day and other community events. Helen Riley has supported the group from day one attending every session to help out and Casey Broadley and Molly Turner joined in 2017 to teach Zumba and Gymnastics.
Amy and Asher are passionate about Coseley and the surrounding areas. Big Local supported them to make connections, buy equipment, pay room hire costs to get dance classes started in 2016 and exercise classes in 2017 and to put on a Christmas show. In total Big Local has invested £1,100 through 3 small grants in this self-sustaining, growing enterprise. Just one demonstration of how a little bit of support and encouragement from Big Local helps local people with ideas and energy to make Coseley a more vibrant place to live, impacting positively on the lives of hundreds of local people.
Aace Dance always welcome new starters in both adult classes and children’s, their Facebook Page is open for the public to contact them either via Facebook messenger email or phone. You can keep up to date with their achievements and find out about all sorts of exiting things happening in 2018 such as dance festivals, summer performances, dance camps, inspire weeks and a third big showcase. If you would like to get involved please don’t hesitate to contact Amy and Asher
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
We joined some amazing local people from the community at the Mary Dermott Hall in Coseley for the last tea dance of 2017. People from the community, who come together every week to enjoy lunch, entertainment, exercise, dancing (including line-dancing!), and, most importantly, to meet friends, enjoy a little social interaction and have a great time!
This month residents made their way through the heavy snow, dressed in their very best festive outfits, ready to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy an afternoon out. We’ve made a short film featuring these lovely local people who are making this happen in Coseley with the support of East Coseley Big Local. We hope you enjoy it!
The Coseley tea dance was always well attended by local older people in the community. It had been running for about 5 years, before, last year it was in danger of having to stop when the people who ran it moved out of the local area and the venue at the time was no longer able to accommodate it.
East Coseley Big Local, Changemaker Support Officer, worked with three enthusiastic regular attendees to apply to the East Coseley Big Local Community Spirit Fund, not only to help restart the tea dance but change the format of the event slightly in order for it to become self-sustainable.
The Community Spirit Fund awarded a small amount of money to help the residents kick-start the tea dance, covering the hire of the venue and an entertainer.
People were happy to bring their own lunch and pay £3 each week in order to help the tea dance continue. Now, the weekly tea dance pays for itself. Everyone contributes to making the event happen. The tea dance has a regular attendance of 30-40 people.
This event makes a huge difference to the lives of the people who attend. Many of the attendees live alone and do not have regular outings, and they look forward to the tea dance. It is also a way of helping people to keep active through dancing. It runs in the daytime within a safe environment, and occasionally agencies also come along to offer advice on issues ranging from health and wellbeing to safety and security.
A tea dance participant said: “It’s the only time I get together with my friends”.
It’s hard not to feel welcome or join in on the fun when around the people at the tea dance… we even found our film-maker getting involved, singing an excellent version of ‘White Christmas’ to the residents whilst they were enjoying lunch!
East Coseley Big Local are passionate about supporting residents to make things happen in Coseley. If you would like to find out more about joining the tea dance contact Neil Langford neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net.
Are you a local group or club looking for a little more support in Coseley? Let us know how East Coseley Big Local can support you: http://www.tinyurl.com/ycmrk5f2 or contact neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net for more info. We will be meeting local groups and clubs on Wed 17 Jan.
Ace Dance: East Coseley Big Local have supported Aace Dance to get both children’s dance classes and adult fitness classes started
Much of the Development Support which East Coseley Big Local invests in, including a full-time Big Local officer, has helped people from local groups and clubs to get to know each other, initiate collaborative projects, share resources and develop partnerships with all sorts of local and national organisations.
Through Big Local we encourage local groups and clubs to share resources, and to bring in funding from other sources. This way we can use our £1million Big Local funding to help bring in even more ideas, support and resources to East Cosley. Dudley CVS provides free support to groups seeking help with funding. We do recognise that it is getting harder to secure funding, so for groups and clubs who have applied elsewhere, Big Local considers investment in activities and equipment which benefit residents of East Coseley. A budget of £8,000 per year has been allocated in the current Big Local Plan for direct investment in local groups and clubs.
Local residents from the Big Local Core Group have formed a Project Investment Team which oversees allocations of Big Local budget to local groups and clubs. Since April 2017, East Coseley Big Local used this budget to invest in:
Coseley Bowing Club, who have created a bee-friendly Bzz Garden
Bayer Street Allotments, who have equipped their polytunnel and undertaken the award-winning planting project at Coseley Station
Darkhouse Summer Holiday Club, who ran another successful week of activities in August
Christ Church, who wanted to replace a stolen Home Communion set
Ace Dance, who asked for help starting up adult fitness classes
Act One, who have set up a choir and started a dementia project
Summerhill Community Centre, who wanted a little help to repaint and spruce up the centre
If you are involved in a local group or club and would like some support from East Coseley Big Local, you can submit a simple form on our local groups and clubs page
East Coseley Big Local are also investing in support to help groups share and promote what they do. Look out for more videos and stories here in our updates.
East Coseley Big Local and Black Country Touring are looking for enthusiastic people to drop by and join them to chat, plan and share ideas to potentially start a dementia friendly community cinema within the Coseley area.
On the day, Lee Allen, Dementia Friends volunteer champion from the Alzheimer’s Society, will be delivering a Dementia Information Session for anyone interested to learn more about dementia and how it can affect people’s lives.
We will be talking with Olivia James of Black Country Touring about starting and planning for a dementia friendly community cinema in Coseley.
If you would like to get involved and come along please let us know, and also whether you would like to bring anyone along with you, by contacting neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.net
Date: Monday 22nd January Time: 10am – 1pm Venue: The Apple Tree Inn, 5 Central Drive, Bilston, WV14 9EW All welcome!
Here’s a bit of background information for the day:
What is a dementia friendly cinema?
A dementia friendly community cinema provides a safe, welcoming and fun environment for people, families and carers living with dementia. The cinema is open to the whole community but the screenings are enhanced to suit the needs of people living with dementia who may feel a little isolated in the community.
What is a Dementia Friends Information Session?
A Dementia Friends Information Session is a fun, interactive way to learn a little about dementia and how it can affect people’s lives. Led by a volunteer Dementia Friends Champion, the Session lasts 45-60 minutes and covers five key messages that everyone should know about dementia, through activities and discussion.
What is East Coseley Big Local?
East Coseley Big Local is an exciting opportunity for residents to make a massive and lasting positive difference to their community. It brings together all the local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make the area an even better place to live.
Big Local is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and managed by Local Trust. There are 150 Big Local areas in England which have been allocated £1million each. East Coseley was selected as a Big Local area by the Big Lottery Fund in 2011. Find out more at www.eastcoseleybiglocal.net.
How exciting… Coseley station has been shortlisted for ‘Best Small Station’ at the 2017 National Rail Awards!
As part of a project to improve public green spaces, volunteers from Bayer Street Allotments used Community Spirit funding provided by East Coseley Big Local to create a beautiful garden on the northbound embankment of Coseley Station. The colourful display of flowers and shrubs has attracted many positive comments from the community and London Midland commuters, and caught the attention of the award’s judging panel!
Faye Lambert, London Midland’s head of community rail, said:
“A huge thank you to the station adopters and Big Local for adding such value to their local station and community. Their work is a real inspiration and this prestigious award shortlisting recognises how strong partnerships such as this one at Coseley with the adopters, Big Local and Network Rail create stations that are true assets to the community.”
We are delighted to see national recognition for such a wonderful project and the people behind it. The volunteers have worked hard to share ideas, collaborate and maintain such a lovely public space in Coseley.
Have you been inspired by this story? It’s always lovely to hear your thoughts on East Coseley Big Local projects. The Big Local team would love to hear from you! hello@eastcoseleybiglocal.net
The cars pulled up, the stalls went up, the donkeys arrived… then… the sun came out… and stayed out! …we were ready for a great day in the Park!
We can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since East Coseley’s Big Local Big Event, bringing together local people for a day of fun in the park.
This year was the 4th event to take place in Clayton Park funded entirely by East Coseley Big Local. The event was the most successful and …hottest yet!
Residents in East Coseley often tell us how much they love their local parks and green spaces. The Big Event brings people of all ages and backgrounds together and helps to support the delivery of the big local plan for 2017-2020.
A bouncy castle, inflatable slides, donkeys, circus skills, face-painting, a climbing wall and performances from the Coseley Comets, and Aace dance kept us all very busy throughout the day! Black country radio provided music and sound system for the day.
East Coseley Big Local volunteers provided games for children and a tombola, which raised a fantastic £195.10 for the local food bank. This money will be used either towards buying food or heating vouchers to help local people in the winter.
Castle and Crystal provided financial advice for people in the area. Big Local volunteers were busy spreading the word about Big Local opportunities and how to get involved, making connections and becoming familiar faces to local people. People were submitting ideas for what they would like to see in the area.
I asked Neil Langford, Big Local Community Changemaker, to tell me more about the story behind the event:
“It all started back in 2014, the core group at the time decided they wanted to do something to bring the community together. Conversations started around fond memories looking back at the Coseley Carnival in the 1970’s and 80’s. This sparked ideas to bring a big event back for the new generation of local people. We got started by forming a Big Event Sub Group hence the name Big Event.
The first thing we needed to do was to find a location for the event. Clayton Park, situated right in the heart of Coseley, provided the perfect wide open green space and indoor youth club facilities to host the event. We then sought out to get permission to use the park from the council’ greens spaces team based at Himley Hall.
We now have a great partnership with Himley Hall, they have been a great asset by providing us with permission to use the parks for our events, and advice and new ideas to help us get events up and running.”
This years event was organised again by the Big Event Sub Group, through meetings during the year. On the day, we saw the whole of the Core Group and some volunteers helping out.
The event saw a huge positive response on social media.
Brian Guest, Core Group Chair, told me what he thought an event like this could bring to the area?
“The Big Event is now firmly booked in the calendar and people look forward to the event every year. The event brings families together to meet old friends and also make new ones. To see families enjoying themselves proves that East Coseley is a vibrant, welcoming community proud of its heritage”
When the day ended, the people began to make their way home, the stalls packed up, the donkeys headed home to Bridgnorth, the cars pulled up and the sun started to set.
Ingredients
Large green space, facilities, volunteers, local businesses, donkeys, sunshine, Council representative, melting ice creams,
We have some great stories to tell about amazing local people and projects in the East Coseley Big Local area, so what better than to capture and share these stories on video.
Visit our YouTube channel to see fantastic films on projects happening in the area, our latest videos feature Crafternoon and The Big Litter Pick! www.tinyurl.com/eastcoseleyvideos
Do you have a story that you would like to tell about how Big Local has helped your project? Let us know! Contact us at hello@eastcoseleybiglocal.net
A NEW INCENTIVE has been launched in Dudley as part of a scheme to encourage residents to start saving and make them aware of the dangers of using loan sharks.
The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) have teamed up with Castle & Crystal Credit Union to promote saving and make residents aware of the safe ways to borrow money.
A joint initiative will see the team use proceeds of crime money, confiscated from convicted loan sharks, to sponsor new credit union accounts.
The first 50 people to join Castle & Crystal Credit Union and save a minimum of £10 per month for the first three months, will be awarded a £25 savings boost directly into their credit union account.
This new incentive will encourage residents to build up savings for a rainy day and will prevent more people from having to turn to a loan shark to borrow emergency cash.
Tony Quigley, Head of Service for the England Illegal Money Lending Team, said:
“We are pleased to be working with Castle & Crystal Credit Union to launch this new incentive, which will see loan sharks cash being put to good use, to sponsor new credit union accounts.
“Loan sharks can have a horrific impact on our communities and should never be used under any circumstances. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a loan shark, the team are here to help on 0300 555 2222. Your call will be handled by a trained IMLT officer and all information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
A loan shark is someone who lends money without the correct authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Loan sharks often target low-income and desperate families; preying on struggling individuals and exploiting them for personal financial gain.
An estimated 310,000 households nationally are borrowing from illegal money lenders, many of whom charge exorbitant rates of interest to trap people into a spiral of debt.
Dharminder Dhaliwal, Business & Finance Manager at Castle & Crystal Credit Union, said:
“People in Dudley, Coseley and Brierley Hill will greatly benefit from this scheme, as this will help them to establish a healthy savings pattern, as well as benefit from the many credit union services we offer to our members.
“We’re really pleased to have the support of the England Illegal Money Lending Team and are committed to ensuring people in need have an alternative to loan sharks and illegal lenders in their local community.”
For more information on how to become a member of Castle & Crystal Credit Union, call 01384 815771 or pop in to branch to speak to an advisor at 25 New Street, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 1LT. Alternatively, please visit the website at www.castleandcrystal.co.ukfor details on how to join the credit union.
This incentive is only available to residents living in the Coseley, Dudley and Brierley Hill areas.
Nationally, Illegal Money Lending Teams have secured more than 378 prosecutions for illegal money lending and related activity, leading to nearly 325 years’ worth of custodial sentences. They have written off £71.9 million worth of illegal debt and helped over 26,500 people.
Great news! Bayer Street Allotments have received £250 of Big Local Community Spirit funding. The funds provided by East Coseley Big Local will be used to purchase flowers, bulbs and shrubs to plant in the northbound embankment and window boxes of Coseley Station.
On a sunny afternoon a few weeks ago, I visited Bayer Street Allotments, a beautiful remote haven tucked away between the Coseley canal and railway station. On my arrival I was greeted by gardening project masterminds, Tom Blackham and Kerry Williamson, members of the Bayer Street Allotment Association, who were only too happy to tell me the story behind their pretty marvellous growing project…
The story began when East Coseley Big Local and a group of green-fingered volunteers from the allotments decided to get their heads together to talk about improving public and green spaces in Coseley.
After the success of their ‘Flush and Grow’ project, the installation of an eco-toilet and development of an outdoor communal area, conversations started around how they could take their growing skills out of their usual base at the allotments and on to the streets of Coseley.
With the support of East Coseley Big Local, it wasn’t long before they were talking with London Midland about how they could improve the Northbound embankment at Coseley station.
The £250 of Community Spirit funding has been partly used to source flowers and shrubs from local shop, Bramford Hardware, including Marigolds, Broom and Flox which have been planted on the embankment and also in specially made fixed window boxes at the station.
Coseley station in bloom
Of course, the work isn’t all about planting, the embankment also requires regular maintenance every 3 weeks to get rid of any unsightly weeds! This meant that they would need regular access to the station.
The allotments association have now joined a new scheme set up by London Midland. The ‘adopt a station’ scheme will allow the volunteers to have better access to the station and improve ties with the railway authorities.
Tom and Kerry told me, “We have built a great trusting relationship with London Midland because we pay attention to the station’s safety rules, and we always tidy up after ourselves.”
It was really lovely to see a new plaque on the northbound platform erected by London Midland to recognise the voluntary work carried out in recent years to maintain the flower bed.
“We look at our station and feel a real sense of pride and achievement.”
Volunteers from Bayer Street Allotments can rest assured that the beautiful array of colourful flowers and shrubs planted at the station have not gone unnoticed and brought many a smile to local people and commuters on their way to work.
And it doesn’t stop there, recently, members of the Big Local Core Group were invited over to Longbridge station to advise others about embarking on a new growing project!
As I left the allotments, I asked Tom if he could give any words of wisdom for others who may be interested in doing a growing project, he responded quite simply
“Get fit, get healthy and get gardening!”
I think that’s a pretty good motto to remember.
Ingredients:
Big Local support, London Midland representative, local hardware shop, flowers, shrubs, trowel, volunteers (with a spoonful of passion, enthusiasm!) and of course, the very fashionable, high-vis jackets!
A NEW INCENTIVE has been launched in Dudley as part of a scheme to encourage residents to start saving and make them aware of the dangers of using loan sharks.
