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!
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’….
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, from7pm – 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!
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!
We would like to warmly invite you to East Coseley Big Local’s first dementia-friendly cinema screening on the 17th Aprilat Darkhouse Baptist Church, Coseley. Do you know, care for, or support someone living with dementia in the Coseley area? Would you like to book places at the cinema? Please contact Neil at neil@eastcoseleybiglocal.netor call 07472627497.
Join us 2pm – 4pm on the 17th April for a screening, snacks and refreshments. The cinema is open to the community but the screenings will be enhanced to suit the needs of people living with dementia.
East Coseley Big Local is passionate to support people living with dementia, their families and carers, to continue to participate in entertainment. The dementia-friendly cinema will enable people who often feel a little isolated in the community to enjoy an everyday experience in an accessible, friendly, supportive and fun environment where participation is encouraged!
Our first film screening will be the classic 1948 film Easter Parade.
Broadway star Don Hewes’ (Fred Astaire) dancing partner (Ann Miller) goes solo, and Don declares that he can make a hit performer out of the next dancer he sees. This turns out to be the inexperienced Hannah (Judy Garland), who bristles as Don tries to make her into his old partner. But as he realizes that he is falling in love with Hannah, Don knows that he must let her grow into her own kind of dancer if he wants her to reach her full potential.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
