The Origin and Achievements of the Community Forum.

So how did we get here then? For those of you who have visited Sandwell Valley for years, you may fondly remember our old visitor centre, and perhaps the less-fond memories of us losing it. Sadly, in 2010 the visitor centre suffered fire damage that rendered it unusable to visitors, volunteers and staff. In the meantime we obtained a temporary office and visitor centre called the SPA (which means Semi-Permanent Accommodation, rather than a place to relax and be pampered!).

Stuck without a permanent visitor centre, classroom or brew station, we looked to rise from the ashes, and so applied for funding for a brand-new visitor centre. From this the ‘Breathing New Life into Sandwell Valley’ project was launched successfully, resulting in the building of our new centre funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust and other Charitable Trusts.

As well as us getting a brand new facility, the RSPB and our funding partners thought it would be a missed opportunity for us to not engage with the huge audience sitting on our doorstep, across Sandwell borough. This resulted in an exciting new role being funded for four years, for a Community and Volunteer Development Officer (Nadia Shaikh, currently covered on secondment by Lucy Hodson) which looks to reach out into the community and aims to enthuse and inspire them about wildlife and the reserve.

A key part of the role was to establish our Community Forum, which might sound a bit business-like, but really we’re a group of local residents, visitors, volunteers and people who generally love the reserve! The forum was set up to give local people the opportunity to have a say in the general running, improvements, events and projects of the reserve, and you can read more about who we are HERE.

So what has the Community forum achieved?

Nature’s Reach

As well as having input into the design and function of the new visitor centre, the forum got the vital job of christening the building. After much deliberation and putting it to the vote, the forum decided upon the name of ‘Nature’s Reach’ – pretty perfect seeing as wildlife and nature is always within reach when you visit!

The grand opening!

For the opening of Nature’s Reach, we organised two big celebrations; our Residents Launch Event and our Family Wildlife Festival. Our resident’s launch saw 150 residents immediately local to the reserve get a tour of the new centre, and our family festival drew over 1000 visitors for a day of activities and celebration on the reserve.

Residents Launch Event

Community projects

As part of our community engagement work, we design and deliver a community project for each year, running April-March. The idea of the project is totally down to us, we just have to make sure it engages local members of the community and community groups. So what have these projects been so far?

2014’s project saw us give a makeover to the railway bridge you cross over as you enter the reserve. Working with a mural artist called Spearfish, a work party from Network Rail, and influenced by designs from Children from the local primary school, Grestone primary and secondary school, Hamstead Hall Academy, the blank concrete canvas of the bridge was transformed. Now when you visit you can cross our vibrant wildlife-themed bridge, which is a bit more of a cheery welcome to the reserve!

Community Project 2014 - The Bridge Makeover

For 2015, our community forum suggested that an area of overgrown scrub could be transformed into a reflection garden. A quiet space for reflection and a new area to discover nature on the reserve.

Ben Iddon, RSPB volunteer garden superhero, is leading the quest to transform this space along with support from groups such as students from the George Salter Academy, Newton W.I. and Leonard Cheshire Disability.

As for 2016, we’re launching a community project that comes out to you! Giving Sandwell Nature a Home will be encouraging families, grown-ups, kids and community groups to build homes for wildlife in their own green spaces and gardens; read about the project HERE.