January 6, 2013
A great New Year opportunity for girls in Acocks Green – Sport4Life charity are launching a Street Dance after school class at Cottesbrooke Junior School. It’s free and fun and a way for girls to make new friends and get more active. All the details you should need are below, click on picture to enlarge:
September 21, 2012
We hope that residents noticed the great improvements in the look of the village in the last few months with floral enhancements and general tidying up. For the first time Acocks Green Village was entered into the Britain in Bloom competition, under the ‘Urban Category’. Many locals helped tidy and plant up flowerbeds, weed overgrown reservations and encourage people to take a pride in their surroundings. Businesses and the council helped by repairing crumbling walls and dealing with dumped rubbish. The whole project was overseen with the vision, dedication and tireless hardwork and enthusiasm of local resident and RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) volunteer – Fran Lee.
In July the Britain in Bloom judges toured our centre to look at the work that the volunteers had put into improving the village and this month medals were awarded to community groups around the country. Britain in Bloom is an initiative organised by the Royal Horticultural Society in which communities can illustrate their civic pride by enhancing their local area.
In towns and cities, most of the input comes from the local authority but does involve schools and communities whereas those entries from villages, urban areas and neighbourhoods are mainly organised by volunteers.
Our region is organised by The Heart of England in Bloom which has formed a panel of judges who visit each entry usually in July to judge each entry. Nowadays it is not all about flowers although Horticultural Achievement does attract 40% of the marks. This year, the RHS asked entrants to plant wild flowers or single flowering plants as pollinators for our ailing bee population. The team of volunteers planted lots of these in Acocks Green this year. ‘In Bloom’ is also about maintenance of the fabric of an area, keeping it litter and graffiti free, keeping the street furniture in good condition and the fabric of the area, for example keeping walls in good repair. Another important element is to encourage community spirit. People are brought together by working on projects in their area. It also encourages communities to come together to raise funds for projects but also for charity.
Acocks GreenVillage gained a Bronze award which was a first for the village. Also Cottesbrooke Junior School gained Bronze and Acocks Green Primary School gained Silver in the School Grounds campaign. In Fox Hollies, they gained Outstanding and Pemberley Road gained Thriving in the Neighbourhood Awards.
These Bloom initiatives are deemed to be very important in creating a better society for the future by bringing people together to take pride in their area.
If you are interested in becoming involved in future Bloom projects in Acocks Green then contact the BID Manager Sandy Gianni by email: agvbid@gmail.com
December 16, 2011
Children from Cottesbrooke Junior School braced themselves for the blustery conditions and ventured out to Acocks Green Village for a spot of Carol Singing.
Cottesbrooke Junior School Carol Singing in Acocks Green
Positioning themselves outside Wilkinson’s store, the Year 3 children sang their little hearts out to the traditional tunes of ‘Rudolph’ and ‘Jingle Bells’. They even managed to get their audience warmed up with some ‘Rockin around the Christmas Tree’!
“A huge thank you to all the parents and members of the public who took a little time out of their busy schedules to listen to the children. We hope you enjoyed it. We certainly know the children did as they sang all the way back to school!” said Mrs Jones, Headteacher at Cottesbrooke.
November 8, 2011
Do you live in or around Stockfield? Are you female? Aged between 7-16 years old? Love or want to try dance for free? Then this a perfect opportunity for you!
Sport4Life UK, in partnership Stockfield Community Association are delivering dance classes at Cottesbrooke Junior School every Saturday morning FREE OF CHARGE!! A qualified dance instructor is delivering Urban Street Dance to the latest hits in the charts today.
The sessions compromise of two groups and sessions are every Saturday morning from 10am-11am (7-11years) and 11am-12pm (12-16 years). They are FREE to attend. The groups will also be working towards a Christmas performance in front of family and friends.
So why not go along, meet some new friends, learn some new moves and have some FUN! For more information please contact Sport 4 Life on 0121 4294700
September 2, 2011
Health Exchange are looking for volunteers to lead Health Walks in our local community. If you are able and willing to volunteer a couple of hours of your time each week, then they would like to hear from you! They will provide Volunteer Walk Leader training and on going help and support. You will also become part of the Health Exchange team and they will support and encourage you to take an interest in health and wellbeing that can be passed on to the walkers. They currently have a space for a volunteer on the Cottesbrooke Walking Group, a 1 hour gentle walk that leaves from Cottesbrooke Junior School every Wednesday at 9am and explores the local area.
If you would like to apply for this opportunity, or for walks in other areas of Birmingham, please contact Catherine Fletcher on 07792275127 or Catherine.fletcher@healthexchange.org.uk. New walkers are always welcome too. Phone Catherine or just turn up on Wednesday.
August 10, 2011
Stockfield Street Dance is a free girls dance class organised by Sports 4 Life each Saturday morning at Cottesbrooke Junior School. All girls aged 7 to 16 are welcome. (Recently the class has started taking girls aged 7 too). The younger age group (7 to 11 yrs) runs from 10am to 11am, the older girls (12-16) runs from 11am til 12pm. Parental permission is required, see the poster below for all the details.
The girls recently performed in the sunshine for the local people at Stockfield Funday.
Did you attend Stockfield Funday at the beginning of July? The Stockfield Association would like to know what you thought about the day and if you have ideas of how the Funday could be developed or any suggestions for other communtiy events? Let us know and we can pass your thoughts onto them.
July 21, 2011
With Olympic preparations moving into top gear, the team behind the award winning public health project – Be active – is challenging Birmingham to shake off its reputation as an unfit city.
On Wednesday July 27th – exactly a year before the London 2012 opening ceremony – people across the city are being urged to tell the world exactly what they do to stay fit and active.
Organisers hope to highlight the wide range of physical activities taking place in Birmingham every day and participants will be asked to email or tweet their activities, which will be recorded on the Birmingham Be active Day blog: http://beactiveday.posterous.com/
From walking the dog, cycling to work, running in the park, going to the gym, swimming or having a game of cricket or tennis, all the activity counts and needs to be recorded to prove that Birmingham really is fighting fit.
To start the ball rolling why not come along to the Wednesday Cottesbrooke Walking Group. They meet each Wednesday at 9am at Cedars Avenue, by the gates of the school. The walk has been extended to school holidays. The group walk in the local area for around an hour. They are supported by the Health Exchange. For more information click here: Cottesbrooke Walking Group
January 10, 2011
Did you struggle with Maths at school? Do you want to be able to help your child with homework or just be better at Maths in every day life? Acocks Green is lucky to be hosting a FREE 10 week Maths course at Cottesbrooke Junior School starting in January.
It runs on Wednesday afternoons from the 19th January - 1.15pm til 3.15pm.
The course is run and funded by the Workers Education Association (WEA) with a professional and friendly tutor.
If you would like to sign up to this course and can commit to attending every Wednesday for 10 weeks then please phone the Home School Link Worker – Ged Hughes at Cottesbrooke Junior School (tel. 464 3178) call in to reception or phone the WEA directly on : 523 4118 (Maureen or Tim).
Students have the option to work towards a Level 1 or Level 2 qualification (which is equivalent to GCSE Maths) depending on their level and commitment.
November 15, 2010
The Birmingham ‘Be Active’ Campaign is running Fun Family Activity Sessions at Cottesbrooke Junior School every Tuesday during term time in the School Hall from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. The scheme is supported by Birmingham City Council and the NHS and is run by a fully trained fitness instructor.
The hour long session sees children and parents/guardians exercising together in an accessible and enjoyable way.
The classes have been running since October and the adults that have participated said that the Be Active scheme offers a great way to get a bit fitter no matter what your shape or size and have fun with your child.
You can just turn up on Tuesdays at the Junior School Hall (off Cedars Avenue, Acocks Green). Wear some comfortable clothes and bring a drink of water. If you would like more information you can phone Adam or Sarah at Sportswise on 713 1661 – quote ’Be Active’.
Sessions are for any local families with children aged 4 to 11. All participants must have a Birmingham postcode.
Children must attend with their parent or guardian. A maximum of 4 children must be accompanied by 1 participating adult.
The scheme is funded until Spring 2011.
July 13, 2010
In December Joe Peacock from Birmingham Friends of the Earth, came along to talk to our Public Meeting about their campaign to reduce speed limits on residential roads. This prompted an interesting discussion on the subject. Everyone agreed that a 20mph speed limit would be most appropriate around schools.
Twentys Plenty Poster Competition : Runner-Up Phoebe Way
To coincide with Walk to School Week in May Birmingham FOE launched a poster campaign to promote Twentys Plenty. Children from Birmingham schools were encouraged to enter and the entry from Phoebe Way, a Year 3 pupil from our local Cottesbrooke Junior School, was chosen as runner up.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth with support from a number of other organisations nationally and locally are asking the council to introduce a 20mph default speed limit on all residential roads throughout Birmingham.
According to FOE, Birmingham City Council will only support 20mph speed limits in certain areas, mostly around schools. The main reasoFn given is that it would not be cost-effective to implement.
FOE believe that implementing 20mph on all residential roads does not require the introduction of expensive traffic calming methods. They say that in other towns it has been shown to reduce traffic collision rates with children and other vulnerable road users considerably, which has significant cost implications.
Overall, the benefits of introducing a city-wide 20mph speed limit are that it would encourage a shift from driving to walking and cycling, creating a healthier environment in which communities could thrive. This would also help to deal with two of the major threats that our society faces today; climate change and obesity.
If you would like to help Birmingham FOE make this scheme a reality contact them on 0121 632 6909 or email campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk
Or you can share your views on the subjects with us. Click on the comment link.
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