We are having a short break over the summer, but we will back with an evening walk around the Stirchley Fruit & Nut Village on Wednesday 8th September. More details to follow!
Events with the Friends of Highbury Park
Now that restrictions are slowly being relaxed, the Friends of Highbury Park have now organsed a small series of event:
July 3rd - Gail Pittaway will lead a guided walk through Highbury’s Gardens. This is a members only event
July 11th, 10.30am to 12.00pm - A walk with Jake Williams of Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust around Hopwood Meadow (the field above the car park) looking at wildflowers and pollinators. We will also take a look at orchids in our hay meadow. Everyone welcome including young people and well behaved dogs. Please wear footwear suitable for walking over uneven ground.
Booking essential : email anne@highburyparkfriends.org.uk to book. We would also encourage all budding photographers to bring a camera with as we would like to build up a photographic record of how the field looks this year. Meet in the car park
October 10th, 10.30am to 12.00pm - Autumn Wildlife Walk with Jake Williams, Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust.
Naturally Birmingham - July Skills Showcase
The Naturally Birmingham Jobs and Skills Pilot is all about promoting the green sector and the fantastic careers and opportunities it has to offer.
They are delivering some interactive events and activities this month to learn more about from the professionals working in the green sector.
Green Skills Showcase we’re bringing the green sector to life – something for everyone…
For booking your place, please see links below, or visit their website:
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Creative City Grant
The Application portal is now open for the Birmingham 2022 Creative City Grants Programme in partnership with Birmingham City Council
They are looking for community groups who will work with artists to fill this city with creative work as part of the Birmingham 2022 Cultural Programme. Thanks to the support of Birmingham City Council, they are looking to fund up to 150 different projects, aiming to get at least one in every ward. Each grant will be up to £20,000 but expect most awards to be around £10,000.
These creative projects can be any artform, but applications must be made by not-for-profit organisations based in Birmingham. By investing in this work they want to raise the profile of excellent quality work that is representative of Birmingham’s incredible diversity.
First round of applications is now open until midday on Thursday 1 July.
Get Grants have a busy line-up of Meet the Funder events happening over the next few months, where we will be joined by funders to talk about their funding programmes. These events give attendees the opportunity to speak directly to funders, take part in discussions, get unique insights, and ask questions specific to their project or organisation. We have the following upcoming opportunities:
FREE Meet the Funder – Tesco Community Grants: Tuesday 13th July, 1pm – 2pm
Michelle Brodie, Community & Environment Lead for Groundwork West Midlands, will be presenting on Tesco Community Grants. This fund supports thousands of local community projects across the UK. Through this event you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the relaunch of this grant scheme, gaining unique insight into the decision-making processes of this funder. Register your FREE place via Eventbrite.
FREE Meet the Funder – BBC Children in Need: Monday 19th July, 1pm – 2pm
Get Grants will be joined by Carla Belle, Regional Officer for BBC Children in Need, who will share insights on both their Main Grants and Small Grants Programmes. BBC Children in Need’s vision is that children and young people in the UK have a safe, happy, and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential. To achieve this vision, they award grants to charities and other non-profit organisations that support and work with children and young people who are disadvantaged and face challenges in their lives. Register your FREE place via Eventbrite.
FREE Meet the Expert – easyfundraising: Monday 27th September, 10am – 11am
At this Meet the Expert event, we will be joined by Becky Coleman, Partnerships Manager for easyfundraising, who will explain how changing your organisations and networks online shopping habits can support your fundraising goals. Through attending you will have the opportunity to take part in a session discussing easyfundraising, which is free for any not-for-profit organisation to use. Register your FREE place via Eventbrite.
FREE Meet the Funder – Severn Trent Community Fund: Tuesday 12th October, 1pm – 2pm.
Get Grants will be joined by Severn Trent Community Fund to explore their Community Grants with participants. Through attending you will have the opportunity to take part in a session discussing the Severn Trent Community Fund, a programme that aims to support community wellbeing and protect and sustain water and natural resources focussing in three different areas: People, Places, and Environment. Register your FREE place via Eventbrite.
Love Parks Week 2021
Keep Britain Tidy have announced that this year’s Love Parks Week will run from the 23rd July until the 1st August. This year, the campaign is being supported by Players of the People's Postcode Lottery and there will be an expanded pack of campaign assets available for parks to promote the campaign, including a limited number of printed campaign packs.
Register your interest in the campaign now to be the first to find out when the packs are available by clicking here!
Get Creative Outdoors
Get Creative Outdoors is a campaign and festival that invites people to try their hand at something creative in the open air. It is supported by the BBC and a group of cultural and environmental organisations.
If you’re running an outdoor event in July, August or September, which gives people a chance to be creative, then add details to their website. There is a toolkit with tips on what to do and how to promote your event.
The National House Building Council (NHBC) Foundation has partnered with RSPB and Barratt Developments to produce guidance on how the housebuilding industry can incorporate green infrastructure into new-build homes and enhance and protect biodiversity.
Fields in Trust are an independent charity with 95 years' experience of protecting parks and green spaces.
Their Impact Report 2020 shows that, despite the challenges of the pandemic, their work to champion, support and protect the UK’s parks and green spaces continued. During 2020 the value of parks and green spaces became widely recognised for the physical health and mental wellbeing benefits they contribute.
Fields in Trust is also a partner in the Future Proof Parks project, which is now offering a free training programme to support Friends of Parks Groups to increase work with young people – building the next generation of green space volunteers and handing-on the care of our much-loved community parks to future leaders
Natural England has published their 2021/22 Action Plan that outlines their programme to help the nation build back greener in the year ahead.
As the nation recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, the remit and funding for Natural England has been expanded. This will help us establish our vision of creating thriving nature for people and the planet. Alongside our existing statutory functions, such as improving the condition of protected sites and making further reform to wildlife licensing, our increased responsibilities include:
Parts of the Environment Bill – delivering policies expected within the Environment Bill, including strategic solutions through the planning system, developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain
The Nature Recovery Network - restoring sites, species and landscape quality through our Nature Recovery Network Delivery Partnership
Project Speed – becoming a strategic statutory consultee on planning as part of ‘Project Speed’, a new Infrastructure Delivery Taskforce which aims to cut down the time it takes to develop, design and deliver vital infrastructure projects.
Accessibility – connecting people with nature by investing in our National Nature Reserves and making them more accessible
Natural England will be front and centre in the nation’s recovery efforts with our boosted remit and funding. The Government’s vision in the 25 Year Environment Plan is for England to become the healthiest and most beautiful place in the world in which to live, work and bring up a family. This vision is embedded within our aims and objectives for the year ahead.
