Hello from everyone at Birmingham Community Matters
We had a busy November, with three Birmingham Community Matters surgeries - in Cotteridge, Bournville and Stirchley. The latter we held alongside Stirchley Community Market at Stirchley Baths, where the organisers kindly offered us a stand that would otherwise have been vacant.
Hello to all the lovely people who dropped by to say hello. The market, with its cheerful atmosphere and commitment to community wellbeing, felt like a good fit for BCM. We're not at tonight's market (see the line-up here) but planning to attend again in 2020.
Thank you to everyone who helped us during those surgeries: the teams at Stirchley Baths, Stirchley Community Market and Bournville Community Hub, and Emma, Chris and Billie.
Our other big news is that we've hired a Development Assistant. She started with us this week and we hope you'll get to meet her soon. The strength of candidates for the post was impressive and we thank everyone who took the time to apply.
Looking to 2020
Jo our Development Coordinatior is busy planning new surgeries. Next year we'll be looking to expand our support for small and emerging community groups across the city. We are always to happy to hear from potential partner organisations and venues - do get in touch.
We are delighted that Helga Edstrom has joined our trustees. She has been a civil servant for nearly 42 years and brings a world of experience and insight to our team. Welcome, Helga!
We are looking for even more trustees to strengthen our board.
Do you have knowledge, skills, enthusiasm and experience to help BCM make a positive difference to local communities?
Speedy applications needed: the National Lottery's 25th Birthday grants
The National Lottery is marking its 25th birthday with a new fund for communities. TNL is offering you the chance to receive a grant of between £100 and £1000 to fund your ideas for bringing people together.
It is open to applications right now and will close at 2pm on Friday 6 December. Apply now or watch this Aardman Animations video for inspiration first ...
In Kind Direct: product giving for social good
Are you aware of In Kind Direct? It's a website where charitable organisations can buy new goods at heavily discounted prices. These goods have usually been donated by companies as a result of overstock. Registration costs nothing, and your group or charity will also benefit from discounts on stationery at Ryman and Office Depot. Have a look.
Sweet Patootee
We wanted to make you aware of Sweet Patootee, producers of heritage interpretation and documentaries. You can read about the team's work here.
Tony at Sweet Patootee has sent us a link to details about a WW1 documentary, Mutiny, which features unique video testimonies of Black British WW1 veterans. It comes with a downloadable info pack. You can watch the Mutiny trailer and get the info pack here.
If you're interested in learning more about Tony and Sweet Patootee's research into culturally diverse and inclusive resources for wellbeing through the arts, you can contact him through Sweet Patootee and tell him Birmingham Community Matters sent you!
Severn Trent Community Fund
Launching in 2020, the Severn Trent Community Fund will be giving away £10m over five years to support local projects, charities and community groups in the Severn Trent region.
We're growing our networks and always looking for useful events and info to share. This is just a small selection of things we have spotted or been sent. If you have something you'd like us to consider promoting, email info@birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk.
From everyone here at Birmingham Community Matters, we wish you a happy and peaceful festive season.
Thank you
Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list. We'll be back soon with further useful info. In the meantime keep us posted on your community updates and success stories via our social media channels. We love to share good news.
ps. We've recently updated our privacy policy to reassure our subscribers about how we treat their data. You can read it in full here. In brief, though, we are sending you this email because you gave us your email address and consent to contact you at a Birmingham Community Matters event, or by signing up via our website. As always, we promise to keep your details safe and never sell them on or use them for anything unrelated to Birmingham Community Matters. You can unsubscribe from these messages at any time. If ever you don't want us to have your details, please email us: info@birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk.
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We wanted to make you aware of Sweet Patootee, producers of heritage interpretation and documentaries. You can 
