February 10, 2013

Acocks Green Library – Temporary Closure – POSTPONED AGAIN – until further notice library is OPEN as normal!!!!

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The long awaited essential roof repairs to Acocks Green Library have now been given the go-ahead. The Library will close on Saturday 13th May, and is scheduled to re-open in September. Books can be returned to any other branch library during this time.

To compensate for the closure, the nearest alternative – South Yardley Library, will have extended opening hours.  South Yardley library is just before the Swan Island, less than 10 minutes from Acocks Green village on the no.11 bus.  For more information on the services available at South Yardley Library click HERE

The Neighbourhood Office will also be closed. The nearest alternative office is Stechford Customer Service Centre. Many enquiries can be dealt with on the phone or online. For more information click HERE

1932, Much excitement at the Grand Opening of Acocks Green Library

Much excitement at the Grand Opening of Acocks Green Library 1932

Councillor Iain Bowen’s Advice Bureau will remain in the Scout Hut on Spring Road (behind Scanlon’s) until the Library is reopened. It runs every Monday evening (except Bank Holidays) between 7pm and 8pm.  The over 50s coffee mornings will continue to run from the Scout Hut.

 

January 31, 2013

Energy Saving Initiative in Acocks Green

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The Neighbourhood Forum has been contacted by the Energy Wise Co Op Organisation who are working with the Government and Birmingham City Council to reduce energy costs for households by making our homes more efficient to keep warm.  All the details you require are included below:

Birmingham Energy Savers : Saving energy. Saving money. Saving carbon: Community Engagement Programme

Birmingham Energy Savers has been set up by Birmingham City Council to implement the Green Deal, which is the Government’s programme to make our homes warmer and more comfortable, as well as reducing our carbon emissions.

energy owl

Birmingham Energy Savers is working with Carillion to raise awareness of the scheme and to find households who would like their properties to benefit from energy saving improvements. These improvements will include:

  • New Boiler
  • Improved Heating controls
  • Insulation for hard-to-treat cavity walls
  • Loft insulation, including top up of existing insulation.
  • Solid wall insulation

Anyone who thinks their home might benefit from any of these improvements is invited to apply.

Whatever your tenure, rental or owner-occupier, and whatever your income, you are eligible to apply for these improvements.

For those on means-tested benefits, there will be a 100% grant, and for others there will probably be 90% funding.

If you would like to receive more information about this programme phone  email: info@energywise.coop or  phone: 0800 917 5772

Please pass this information on to your friends, neighbours and work colleagues.

Alison Crane & Sarah Napier

Energywise Co-op

 

November 7, 2012

Get Digging in Acocks Green!

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Did you know that there are plots available at our local allotments?  Allotment gardening offers a great opportunity to get fitter, grow lots of healthy fruit and vegetables and meet other gardeners to share ideas, successes and failures! If you are interested in renting a plot you can drop in to the allotment site beside the canal, just off Yardley Road on Sunday mornings to find out more. This is a good time to start gardening, in order to start preparing the ground for spring planting. To enter the allotment site walk down the gated path opposite Wynford Road that runs beside the Grand Union Canal and Yardley Cemetery.

Rates start from as little as £30  (or £15 over 60s) per year for a small plot .

 

July 27, 2012

School Holidays- Free Children’s Activities

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Kids bored already? Free school holiday activites going on in Acocks Green, see below for all the details:

 

October 3, 2011

Supporting the Village’s Independent Businesses – “Backing Birmingham”

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Birmingham City Council have launched a major initiative designed to help promote independent retailers in Acocks Green and across the city.

The People Make Places campaign will help to promote local shopping areas, focusing on the independent shops. Central to the Birmingham initiative is the introduction of a free special card, known as the B Card, which will give Birmingham residents special offers and discounts at participating independent businesses during the month of October.

Acocks Green Village

Acocks Green Village, summer 2011

Participating stores will display ‘Backing Birmingham’ signs in their windows, with many businesses already signed up to take part in the scheme.

Councilor, Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Regeneration at Birmingham City Council said: “It’s time to take pride in our communities, to make the most of our strengths and acknowledge that it is Birmingham’s people who make these places special. We hope that this campaign will encourage everyone to enjoy the great things that their community has to offer and, with the B Card initiative, encourage them to support their local independents.”

Look out for advertisments and posters featuring local people, appearing soon.

Leaflets promoting individual areas and their businesses will also be distributed across the City. Each leaflet will include a B Card and explain how the card can be used.

B cards are available to any resident of Birmingham. Also cards can be obtained by visiting www.BackingBirmingham.com or by cutting out the card on newspaper advertisements.


You can use your B Card in any outlet displaying a ‘Backing Birmingham’ sticker and there will be a regularly updated list of participating stores at www.BackingBirmingham.com where you also have the chance to win £100 to spend locally.

Any independent outlet who would like to find out more about the campaign can visit the website or call 0121 472 9009 for their free point of sale kit, while stocks last. There is no charge to take part and retailers and outlets can decide what special offers they would like to give to B Card holders.

Rachel James of Rachel’s Salon in Acocks Green said of the scheme:
“I think it’s a brilliant idea. This is my first business, and we only opened 3 ½ months ago so I’m fully behind anything that helps local businesses get more customers. I think Acocks Green has everything for shoppers in one small space.”

Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum is interested to hear your experiences. Have you got a B Card? What do you think of the scheme? Are you one of the businesses taking part? We want to know more about how this initiative is working in Acocks Green village so share your comments with us.

 

February 13, 2011

Report from Public Meeting – 10th February 2011

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Thanks to everyone who attended our public meeting last Thursday.  It was lively and informative.  Two representatives from the Planning Department, Ian MacLeod and Doug Lee, discussed the Core Strategy 2026 – the strategic plans for our city. The council are looking for feedback from citizens on the proposals and you can comment until 18th March. For more information and if you would like to share your views with the council go to: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/corestrategy

Also thank you to Melinda Brown, Town Centre Manager, who gathered lots of feedback about Acocks Green Village from the attendees, who were asked to write their views on flipchart paper under various headings.

Sgt Mirams from Acocks Green Police also updated the meeting with the latest news, including that good news that the PCSOs in Acocks Green will not be affected by cutbacks and so will continue to support the local community.  There has also been an increase in burglary in our area which the force are working hard to address.

Councillors Penny Wagg and Roger Harmer were also present, responding and taking note of people’s concerns regarding the recent road resurfacing and other issues.

Councillor Roger Harmer
Councillor Penny Wagg

 

John Green from Waste and Fleet Management was also present to discuss waste issues and inform us of changes in waste management in the area which will now be looked after by a local team.

There was also a heated discussion about the Church Hall where the meeting took place and the plans by Stockfield Association to demolish and redevelop the site.  Many people have a real attachment to the present building [called the Glyn Edwards Hall] and are concerned about losing it to  see it replaced by glass fronted modern building. (For images of the proposed development go to the Acocks Green Focus Group website post : click here

If you would like to get more involved in the Neighbourhood Forum and join the Executive Committee to help make a real difference to our area then please contact us through this website.

 

February 3, 2011

Come along to our next Public Meeting

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This is a warm invitation to our next Public Meeting on Thurday 10th February at the Baptist Church Community Hall on the corner of Yardley Road and Alexander Road, 7.30pm

Our guest speaker will be a representative from Birmingham City Council who will be discussing the Core Strategy which, to put it in simple terms, is the long term plan for the development of Birmingham over the next 25 years.  The council is interested to hear citizen’s views on how they would like to see the city shaping up. The people who live and work in the city can help to shape the future our city.

Melinda Brown - our village Town Centre Manager will also be present at the meeting and will be asking for resident’s views on Acocks Green village, as a more local focus.

We would really like to see a good turn out from the neighbourhood for this opportunity to share views and ideas with people whose job it is to shape our city’s future. You are also welcome to just to come along and listen.

Everyone from the local area is welcome. The meeting starts at 7.30pm and usually finishes around 9pm.

On the same day as our Public Meeting, Thursday 10th February, there will also be a consultation of the Core Strategy at Acocks Green Library.  You can call in at any time between 9.15am and 4.45pm and tell the council representatives what you think of the plans.  What is important to you? How can Birmingham be a better city? Let them know.

 

June 19, 2010

Flowers and Heroes

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Local people may remember Mike Wheale, a local council parks officer who was very supportive to the needs of our community over many years service and retired towards the end of 2009. Mike only had a few months left to complete his 50 years public service with Birmingham City Council, which would allow him to have attained an appropriate RHS recognition of 50 years service with a medal and bar.

Fortunately, the Birmingham Parks Service had been invited by the RHS to return with a large floral display after a break of 10 years to the Chelsea Flower Show, which was to be followed by a showing at the BBC Gardeners World and the “Gardeners Weekend” show in Kings Heath Park .

This subsequently allowed Mike to act as a consultant and share his expertise with this discipline and achieve his well deserved RHS 50 Year medal. The display was supported by a substantial donation from B&Q and the theme of the display was in support of “Help for Heroes“, titled “The Road to Recovery Garden” which we understand achieved a silver medal award at Chelsea and a further award at “Gardeners World” The two floral displays depicted a Spitfire and a `Chinook Helicopter` above a sustainable garden built to show the journey that our injured troops face from battlefield to home, as a symbol of hope in the start of their journey

 

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