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.

Community Project 2016 - Give Sandwell Nature a Home

Giving Sandwell Nature a Home-

What’s this all about then?

Giving Sandwell Nature A Home is this year’s exciting community project from RSPB Sandwell Valley about enhancing wildlife in an urban space and giving everyone in Sandwell the chance to experience nature on their doorstep, boosting their own health and wellbeing.

The initiative will help transform green spaces that are perfect for wildlife and extend the size of the RSPB Sandwell Valley reserve. The team is asking Sandwell residents to get involved and help wildlife by creating bug hotels, nest boxes, and wildflower patches to house wonderful creatures in the Midlands.

Can you give our two legged, four legged, feathered, furry and scaly pals a place to stay??

Bird Lodge (Eleanor Bentall, www.rspb-images.com)

So how do I Join in?

Visit RSPB Sandwell Valley, and we will give you your own free ‘how to’ guide, giving you the knowledge you need to provide a range of homes for nature (find our address and contact details below).

Once your head is full of ideas, we want you to pledge a little bit of your garden to wildlife, in whatever way you can. Whether it’s a bug palace, sparrow street or wildflower meadow ( in a wellington boot or plant pot), we want to mark every new home for wildlife  on our map.

Welly planters (Martyn Poynor, www.rspb-images.com)

 Why should I join in?

A lot of our wildlife is in trouble, and creating small homes for nature can really make a difference. If we all do a little bit in our gardens,  imagine how much you could help wildlife on your street alone!

Giving nature a home in your garden is not just better for wildlife but better for us too – research shows that our physical and mental wellbeing is enhanced by contact with the natural world.

Bug Hotel (Eleanor Bentall, www.rspb-images.com)

Once you’ve got stuck in and done your bit for wildlife, we want you to share your photos on social media, using the hashtag #WildSandwell and in return, we’ll choose 1 lucky landlord from each of three categories to pick up one of our fab prizes.

#1 Friendliest Landlord Award – For those who’ve fully embraced the project and opened up their home to everything wild, with the most homes for nature. You’ll have more ways of welcoming wildlife in your garden than anyone else in town.

#2 Creative with a Small Space Award – We want to see just how much nature you can fit in a teeny tiny space. This award is for that special landlord who doesn’t have a huge amount of space, but has seen the potential in that windowsill/plant pot/bit of fence and turned it truly wild.

#3 Sandwell Showstopper Award – If you’ve gone all out and created a nature homing masterpiece, this category is for you. Your green space will have the razzle dazzle and creative flair of an all-singing, all-dancing golden eagle on Broadway. Now THAT’s a showstopper.

Enter your garden by sharing your photos on Facebook and Twitter and using the hashtag #WildSandwell

 Facebook: /birmblackcountrywarks

Twitter: /RSPBSandwell

Not on social media? Email your photos to sandwellvallley@rspb.org.uk with the subject line ‘Wild Sandwell’, or even bring them in to Nature’s Reach, 20 Tanhouse Avenue, Great Barr, B43 5AG.
Phone: 0121 357 7395. www.rspb.org.uk/sandwellvalley

  

The community project for 2016 aims to create more wildlife-friendly gardens and connect green spaces across the Sandwell neighbourhood, all made possible by funding from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Easter at RSPB Sandwell Valley

Wanted

 Property for sale or to let for Sandwell’s local wildlife.

We have lots of two legged, four legged, feathered, furry, and scaly friends that are all looking for accommodation.

Can you help us?  We are looking for enthusiastic landlords, who are willing to let out a bit of their green space with bug hotels, nest boxes, and wildflower patches, to house our wonderful creatures and help wildlife in the Midlands.

Eleanor Bentall (www.rspb-images.com)

Join us at RSPB Sandwell Valley on Bank holiday Monday 28 March between 11 am and 3 pm and take part in the ‘Give Sandwell Nature A Home’ project.

Our new wildlife garden will be open for everyone to come and explore. See examples of all the homes you could create for nature; have a go at mini projects to help wildlife; make lots of fun builds to take home; meet our wildlife gardening experts, who will be on hand with free advice and the top tips on how to help wildlife in your garden.

Pledge your promise to create a residence for wildlife in your own green space and increase the size of our reserve.

No matter whether you have a few flowerpots, a balcony or a big garden, we’ve got activities to suit you and help Give Sandwell Nature a Home!

Eleanor Bentall (www.rspb-images.com)

Butterflies, Bugs and Easter Eggs

But that's not all! Over Easter families will be able to take part in our egg-shellent Butterflies, Bugs and Easter Egg Event. Egg trails, scavenger hunts and a whole host of fun nature activities are taking place every open day during the Easter school holidays.

Trails will be available between 10 am - 4 pm Wednesday - Sunday from Friday 25 March - Sunday 10 April.

Trails cost £2 per child, no need to book!

Eleanor Bentall (www.rspb-images.com)

Wild Wedensdays

This year every Wednesday in school holidays we will be holding our Wild Wednesday Nature days, from Easter.

Each week there will be a different theme to the day including guided pond dipping, den building, natural scavenger hunts and many more hands-on activities.

Bring a picnic, and enjoy our natural playground across the reserve.

RSPB Members - £4 per child
Non-Members - £5 per child

Eleanor Bentall (www.rspb-images.com)

For more information on any of our upcoming events email alex.sharrod@rspb.org.uk or call Nature's Reach on 0121 357 7395

Keep up to date with the latest goings on at RSPB Sandwell Valley by liking our Facebook page HERE and following us on Twitter HERE.

Reflection Garden - A Community Project

Sharp eyes on the reserve will have noticed there have been some changes at the entrance to the reserve, between the den building area and the wildlife garden. Bits have disappeared and it's gradually being cleared. But why, you may ask.

As part of our commitment to The Heritage Lottery Fund, each year we take on a project that involves members of the local community. Project ideas are generated at a quarterly community forum meeting, attended by local people and anyone who uses RSPB Sandwell Valley (please see more details on the community forum below!) This year the site team and forum members suggested that this 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 make this space perfect. Along with support from various local groups, first and foremost, students from the George Salter Academy. This friendly bunch visit us every Wednesday afternoon and have been working their socks off, as part of a Duke of Edinburgh award. Please stop and say hello if you see them hard at work, they're doing a cracking job.

Duke of Edinburgh students, RSPB Sandwell Valley

We have a number of other groups hoping to take part in the project with various plans for tree planting, sculptures and work party days. The space will have a 'cottage garden' theme and other ideas include a bench, water feature and incorporation of edible plants and fruit trees so the local community can really dig in.

If you'd like to get involved, have a suggestion of a group who might like to be or ideas for design features, we'd love to hear from you. Drop into the visitor centre or email lucy.hodson@rspb.org.uk

A Little More on the Community Forum

We're always looking to find how we can make RSPB Sandwell Valley a great place for the local community and visitors from further afield. The community forum was set up with the intention of giving local people the opportunity to have a say in the general running, improvements, events and projects of the reserve. Its aim is to encourage visitors by developing activities and events and making sure it is accessible, both practically and through better local understanding of what is on offer. The forum is open to anyone who uses the site and is interested in what we do. If you'd like to get involved, attend forums and tell us how we can make Sandwell Valley better, we'd love to hear from you.

To find out more email lucy.hodson@rspb.org.uk

Jenny Stevens (Connecting People & Nature Intern)