This is our fourth year of operation as a Community Interest Company.
Our projects and activities all benefit the local community, especially those in the Brandwood neighbourhoods of Brandwood & Kings Heath Ward. People benefit from increased connections, building friendships, a better-quality environment and increased sense of place. Project help build pride of place, a culture of caring, and people through this connection contribute their time and skills more.
Projects have included (most recent within this reporting period):
MAJOR PROJECT: Boosting Brandwood Cultural Action Area Our Scene CIC led the setting up of the Boosting Brandwood consortium - a network of over 25 community and faith organisations, voluntary groups, schools, and businesses working in — or serving — the neighbourhoods of Brandwood.
A summary of activity we led between Oct 24-Oct 25:
Capital Investment Dawberry Corner Community Garden — Completed transformation through landscaping, public realm upgrades, accessible toilet installation, and new events equipment.
Murals & Public Art — Seven murals commissioned from local artists (Graffiti by Title and ForThemHandpainted), plus a mosaic hopscotch by kaos arts, improving four shopping parades and boosting pride of place.
Community Noticeboards — Upgraded three existing boards with shared-access locks and installed three new boards in strategic community locations.
Revenue Activities to Establish the CAA
Brandwood Buzz Consortium • Four consortium workshops held to strengthen internal communication, improve external messaging, pilot pride in place activity, and plan for long term sustainability. • Developed a Shared Vision and Legacy Plan.
Baseline Perception Survey • Over 200 responses (54% from CAA residents). • Average awareness and quality scores: 4–5/10, providing a baseline for future impact measurement.
Branding & Identity • Led a sub group, created Brandwood Buzz branding and social channels. • Website developed for 2026 launch: a hub for local information and promotion.
Youth Engagement • Piloted a CV building and volunteering scheme with 10 young people (14–19). • Four participants have already completed 24+ volunteer hours, qualifying for a 12 month reference.
Consortium Led Community Projects
A Gift of Poetry – World Poetry Day • 550+ poetry boxes created by pupils from four local schools and distributed by 15 local shops to strengthen community relationships.
Zebra Zone Safety Campaign • Creative road safety initiative between Allens Croft Nursery and Primary Schools. • Traffic incidents reduced from 48 to 11 per count (63% reduction), with sustained 50% reduction in later counts.
Cultural Programming (Birmingham Municipal Charity) • Secured additional funding to deliver Good Vibrations for All Generations (May–Oct 2025), offering cultural activities across Brandwood venues and green spaces in partnership with Leaf Creative Arts CIC. • Neighbour events hosted at Dawberry Corner to build local audiences.
Access for All Kings Heath PART II We supported over 40 independent businesses along Kings Heath High Street. This included the purchase and distribution of:
25 portable ramps for independent business premises. 2 hearing induction loops for 2 businesses. 2 sets of toilet furniture to upgrade to support mobility-challenged people. 18 doorbells for businesses, placed a wheelchair height for assistance – for businesses with ramps, but also as a solution to improve the experience for shoppers if access was not possible. 45 window stickers to accompany the above capital expenditure. 1 kerb ramp to solve problem of no access. As a result: 37 independent businesses in Kings Heath with one step are electric/manual wheelchair accessible via a portable ramp and have received customer service training.
This project was funded through the Shared Prosperity Fund and is being delivered in partnership with Kings Heath Business Improvement District
MAJOR PROJECT: Dawberry Corner Community Garden
We continued to work with residents to transform an unused piece of fenced-in wasteland in our Allens Croft housing estate. Below is a summary of activities (Oct 2024–Oct 2025)
Garden Development & Infrastructure • Major landscaping improvements, including new hard standing, accessible paths, and final site finishing. • Construction of a new greenhouse, installation of a large water butt, new compost bays, and additional planters. • Ongoing improvements such as benches, signage, play features, shed painting, and “Lou’s Cottage” portaloo artwork. • Mosaic hopscotch and other creative public realm enhancements.
Community Engagement & Social Connection • Weekly and seasonal gatherings: coffee mornings, winter warm ups, Sunday Sessions, Tuesday and Friday volunteering sessions. • Community led celebrations including VE Day 80, Eid, Ukrainian cultural events, and the official garden launch. • Tabletop Sale, Stay & Play sessions, SEND friendly play, book swaps, film screening, and holiday activities. • Growing volunteer base, including key holder volunteers opening the garden 3–4 times a week.
Learning, Skills & Youth Development • Composting workshops, horticulture sessions, woodworking with Wheelers Lane Technology College, and seed sowing events. • Youth volunteering programme supporting CV building, skill development, and creative construction projects. • Seven school visits (Years 4–6 and Resource Base pupils) plus gardening clubs and fruit tree planting sessions.
Arts, Creativity & Cultural Activities • Craft installations (Good Yarners), mosaic hopscotch, hand painted signage, and creative play structures. • Dance fitness (Bhangra & Bollywood Beats), Reggaerobics, lavender bag making, and community cooking sessions. • Ukrainian folk-dance performance and other cultural celebrations.
Environmental Action & Sustainability • Community composting scheme with multiple households contributing food waste. • Use of recycled cardboard for ground cover, litter picking, and fly tipping reporting. • Growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit as part of the Grow Your Own Dinner Party project. • Increased biodiversity through planting, bird boxes, bug houses, and new green infrastructure.
Recognition & Visibility • Featured on BBC Midlands Today. • Praised by Heart of England in Bloom judge as “premier league”. • Achieved RHS Level 5 – Outstanding in It’s Your Neighbourhood awards. • Visits from local MP and funders to see impact first hand.
All this was possible thanks to funding from Awards for All (National Lottery Community Fund), Platform Housing, Nature Hubs, Severn Trent Community Fund, Birmingham City Council (via Cultural Action Area programme) and Birmingham Municipal Charity
Bus Bug Bingo – The Good Yarners Between July and October '25 the Good Yarners, our craft group, now in its 4th year created bugs - over 80 of them! From Sunday 26 October they were on display in a temporary art trail along the number 27 bus route through Kings Heath, Brandwood End, Druids Heath and Billesley, along with a Bingo activity for families to enjoy during the holidays.
Our projects this year have benefited the community through:
• The creation of a new, vibrant and inclusive THIRD SPACE community garden within a housing estate to bring our community together and help people build connections and support networks with neighbours. • Providing support to businesses in and around Kings Heath High Street to increase ac-cess for disabled customers and unlock the purple pound to increase revenue. • Providing creative activity (with benefits to wellbeing) to crafters and to 1000s of people in the wider community who have enjoyed artworks all over the place. • Creating beautiful art murals in shopping parades and on independent shops to brighten up the area • Providing free events for local residents to enjoy in our parks and green spaces • Providing opportunities for weekly get togethers to reduce isolation. • Establishing creative interventions – Zebras - to improve safety for children around the Nursery and Primary schools • Providing networking and training opportunities to local groups