Balsall Heath Neighbourhood News

Our timeline

October 2019 – March 2020

After a period of running the project on a voluntary basis over Summer 2019, we are very pleased to share that we are developing the project through a commission for Ageing Better in Sparkbrook. Our focus will be on connecting elders in our community with local services through sharing stories and information. Part of this will involve supporting local organisations to improve how they communicate their work and services to others.

April – July 2019

The Active Wellbeing Society supported the project from April 2019 until July 2019 through funding a series of community media workshops with residents across Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook. Their interest in storytelling to connect people led to the development of ‘Humans of the Heath’ – a series of profiles of local people.

October 2018 – April 2019

Neighbourhood News Online was part of a commission from Balsall Heath Forum as part of a Local Innovation Fund grant, which came to an end in April 2019. This grant also funded the production of two print newsletters, delivered to residents and community venues.

The Future

We are currently seeking to develop our work further into a community print newsletter and online platform run by an inter-generational team of people representing the different community groups and organisations in Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook. The aim of this project is to create a self sustaining resource for local residents to improve health, wellbeing and participation; to spread awareness about available resources and provision; encourage communication between local organisations and residents to further develop involvement and to reduce isolation by reaching into people’s homes with relevant news told by familiar people. We are a collective of editors, social activists and community members whose aim is to create a platform managed by the community for the community.