It is great to see so many of you now face to face as well as online still.
We have had some very successful; Coffee Mornings so far and we now invite you to join us for an evening social at The Roundhouse on Monday 20th June, at 6.00pm. This is in partnership with the National Trust and we look forward to seeing you there. Please let me know if you can make it by send me an email to info@bosf.org.uk.
The full programme of BOSF Socials are::
June - Evening Social at National Trust's The Roundhouse,1 Sheepcote St, B16 8AE
Monday 20th June from 6pm to 8pm
Email info@bosf.org.uk to confirm attendance
July - BOSF Evening Social on Thursday 7th July at 4.30pm
Hosted by the Sailing Club at Edgbaston Reservoir
There will be stand-up paddle boarding available, kit provided, and an instructor in charge of fun. A led walk around the Reservoir looking at Flora & Fauna, with tea and coffee and cake.
The club’s cash bar will be open upon our return for an evening drink overlooking the panorama of the reservoir. The woods over the Hagley Road corridor and the city skyline. Tolkien’s Two Towers are clearly in view.
September - BOSF Coffee Morning on Wednesday 14th September at 11am
Hosted by the Holders Woods Conservation group
October - BOSF Conference at The Exchange, Centenary Squary
In partnership with the University of Birmingham
Saturday 8th October
November - BOSF Coffee Morning on Tuesday 8th November at 11am
Hosted by the Friends of Ley Hill Park at Holloway Hall
December - BOSF Christmas Lecture at The Exchange, Centenary Square
In partnership with the University of Birmingham
Wednesday 7th December, evening
We look forward to seeing you soon!
BOSF Team
BOSF Seed Corn Fund
To all BOSF Member Groups.
We hope you all know about our Seed Corn Fund and we would like to remind you that the free help and support is still there for you to use!
Just to remind you, a seed corn fund is when a little bit of money is invested to generate more money.
BOSF, with generous support from Birmingham City Council, want to help out Friends Groups by investing a little bit of money to generate more money for our parks and open spaces volunteers.
We can therefore offer you FREE help to work with Get Grants to help bring in the funding you need.
Last year, with the help of Get Grants, we turned £10K in to over £100K.
This year we have already helped groups to bring in the total of £39,797, which has gone towards:
new picnic benches
playground equipment
new tools
and a variety of park activities!
So, if you are a BOSF Member and your group needs to bring in funding, we can help out.
It is very easy, so start by clicking here and give us some informaiton about your group and what you need funding for
Then Katie at Get Grants will be in touch to give you all the assist you need!
I you have any questions or need help, then please let us know by contacting Sarah at info@bosf.org.uk
BOSF Team
CoCoMAD Festival Back at Cotteridge Park
Come and join the Friends of Cotteridge Park on Saturday 2nd July from 12 noon for the wonderful CoCoMAD festival!
After a two year gap, we’ll be celebrating our 26th festival
From tiny acorns the mighty oak of CoCoMAD has grown, from an enthusiastic school fete in 1997 to the marvellous festival of music, art, dance and science that is CoCoMAD 2022.
There’s no other festival quite like it, you don’t need a ticket - but CoCoMAD isn’t free, it’s paid for by donations from you, your neighbours and the businesses in the local area.
CoCoMAD is run by Friends of Cotteridge Park, a group of dedicated volunteers
Activities with The Friends of Billesley Common
Fun day at The Red Shed, Edgbaston Reservoir 19th June
Love Your Streets
Love Your Streets
We are delivering ‘Love Your Streets’ days across the city which is all about improving how a street looks and feels through tackling environmental and street issues via a multi agency, high visual approach bringing different services and the community together to bring about sustainable change.
If any groups are interested in discussing any particular roads that they think maybe suitable for this please contact the team by emailing cleanergreenerstreets@birmingham.gov.uk Community Litter Picking
Our team also oversees the support to community litter picking groups which include:
Issuing equipment such as, Litter pickers, Hi Vis and Bags
Collection of litter picking once complete
If anyone needs support or help with the above please contact cleanergreenerstreets@birmingham.gov.uk . We are also updating our register to ensure we have a record of everyone that is doing litter picks or received equipment. If you haven’t done so already please contact cleaner greener streets with the following information about your group:
Name of group
Ward group is based (or specific area that you litter pick)
How many volunteers are apart of the group
Key contact
This will also enable us to keep groups up to date with our services going forward.
If there are any questions I am happy for you to contact me directly on Selena.ellis@birmingham.gov.uk or via the cleanergreenerstreets inbox
Blossom Together in Birmingham
The National Trust is attempting to create a symbolic ring of blossom around the city centre this winter. Using the circular number 11 bus route as a template for this ring, we are asking local residents and organisations who live/work within approximately 25 mins of the bus route to identify places they could plant some free blossom trees.
The trees will be either of ornamental cherry or a fruit variety, ranging from 1m to 2m in height, and will be available for planting after Christmas 2022. The Trust will provide stakes and a resource which explains how to care for the tree, as recipients will be responsible for maintaining any trees they receive as part of this project.
The project Blossom Together has been inspired by historical maps of Birmingham from the C18th century, when the town was surrounded by orchards and small green gardens, and so has been referred to as ‘a town ringed by blossom’.
If you would like any more information, or if you are interested in receiving some trees to plant later in the year, please email Blossom-Birmingham@nationaltrust.org.uk .
South Birmingham Tools for Africa
South Birmingham Tools For Africa (SBTfA) collects and refurbishes tools to help African craftsmen and women lead more sustainable and viable lives in Africa
SBTfA have been in existence for 12 years meeting once a week to clean and refurbish donated tools to send to five African countries via the charity,Tools for Self Reliance.
SBTfA are now looking to add to their regular friendly team of six volunteers on a Tuesday in a well-equipped workshop in Kings Heath Park.
The group especially need people with an interest in and knowledge of tools, but also need people with admin, finance and internet selling skills for tools not needed for projects in Africa.
If you are interested to talk about joining, please call Dawn on 07773-229269 for a chat, or contact the group via info@sbtfa.org.uk
Volunteering Opportunity for Large Scale Pop-up Garden September
PoliNations will be in Victoria Square for an epic pop-up garden taking over the centre of Birmingham for a two-week festival this September. Giant architectural trees and thousands of plants will transform Victoria Square into an urban oasis, which will host free events, workshops and performances including live music, dance, spoken word, drag and carnival.
Friday 2nd, September — Sunday 18th, September
You can find out more aboutPoliNations here.
As part of PoliNations, we are looking for volunteers to get involved with the festival onsite, acting as key info points for the public in the garden. We want to build a team with different skills and experiences but having had previous volunteer experience would be a bonus.
If you would be interested in helping out the please click here to download the volunteer pack.
Veolia's Sustainability Fund Launched
After a successful launch in 2021, Veolia’s Sustainability Fund is back this year and offering up to £1,000 worth of funding to innovative project ideas to transform local communities across the UK!
From May, Veolia’s Sustainability Fund will support inspirational ideas that aim to make a positive change towards their local communities.
The purpose of the Fund is to support non-profit organisations, community groups or individuals that help transform their local community through enhancing biodiversity, promoting sustainable waste behaviours, protecting or preserving resources and the environment, or using recycled, reused or reclaimed materials.
The Nature Connectedness Research Group has produced a handbook to highlight ways to help people get closer to nature. As well as explaining the concept of nature connection and why it is important, the handbook includes some insightful case studies and resources.
The free handbook is designed for a broad audience, providing:
An accessible summary of nature connection research and application
Pathways for helping people improve their connection with nature
Examples of activities and initiatives that support and develop nature connection.
The Nature Connectedness Research Group was formed in 2013 and has produced the handbook to highlight ways to help people get closer to nature.
Research shows that the environment sector is the second least racially diverse sector in the UK, after farming - just 3.1% of the sector's workforce comes from a minority ethnic background.
The Heritage Fund have created this toolkit to support organisations in the natural heritage sector to develop inclusive and equitable approaches to the recruitment and retention of early career talent, with a particular focus on young people aged 18-25 from ethnically diverse communities.
It is designed to help anyone looking to:
recruit and train a more diverse volunteer base
deliver work placements and skills training, particularly those aimed at entry-level and/or under-served talent
build and strengthen organisational resilience and governance
The search for the UK’s Favourite Parks is back this summer and Field’s in Trust are calling on you to get nominating and help them shine a light on the green spaces that hold a special place in the nation’s hearts.
To be in the running, a park needs to be nominated and that’s where you come in. They want to hear about your favourite local parks. Nominating couldn’t be simpler- tell them what makes the park so special to you and include an original photo showcasing the park in all its splendour. Head over to the nomination form now and get involved.
Click here to find out more and nominate your favourite park!
