Upcoming events in and around Saint Irchley
We just thought we’d write a quick note to let all our followers know about a few events that are happening in our glorious little area over the next few days. First off, we have three workshops organised by Place Prospectors, which will take place on 15 Jan, 29 Jan and 12 Feb respectively, and which will initiate discussions about the future of Stirchley Park. Second off, local Arts Champions, The CBSO, will be holding the first rehearsal proper of the newly formed Selly Oak Constituency Community Choir at The Hub Hazelwell on 19 Jan. Third and final off, our esteemed local councillor, Nigel Dawkins, will be holding the first meeting of “The Friends Of Stirchley Baths” at 7pm on 25 Jan at Stirchley Community Church – if you aren’t already on the mailing list then you can email him at nigel.dawkins@birmingham.gov.uk for details.
Have a lovely time.
Stirchley Happenings
Section 106 Comments Required By Friday 16 December
Hello followers,
As you may be aware, ASDA are hoping to build a supermarket on the old Arvin Meritor site in Stirchley, bordering Pershore Road and Fordhouse Lane. Irrespective of the pros and cons of the proposal, if they are successful in their planning application, ASDA would most likely be obliged to contribute funds towards improvements in the local area through an agreement with the Council known as “Section 106″. At a recent meeting, Stirchley Prospects invited members of the community to discuss how this money could be spent. The meeting resulted in the creation of a questionnaire, inviting further responses on specific topics. Stirchley Propects are now asking people to complete the questionnaire so that the results can be relayed to the Council and fed into the planning process. The deadline for comments to be received is Friday 16 December, and the form can be found by clicking on the link below. Please do let the Prospectors know your thoughts.
Selly Oak Constituency Community Choir, 3rd December
So, it’s a Saturday, today in fact, 3rd December, and you’re singing in the shower. And then you’re singing along with the Christmas robins. And then you’re singing along to the milkman’s whistle (it’s early). And then you’re singing in harmony with the whistle of your (old school) kettle. And then you’re singing in conjunction with your door bell. And then you’re singing just for the hell of it – through breakfast, elevenses, twelveses, lunch and the rest. You’ve gone singing mad! Well, luck is at hand, for today (3rd December, as previously mentioned) sees the launch of the exceptionally friendly, and most probably tuneful, SELLY OAK CONSTITUENCY COMMUNITY CHOIR at TASCOS, Stirchley, B30 2PT, from 14:30 – 17:30. In their role as Arts Champions for our area, The CBSO have had a super-brain-tsunami and taken it upon themselves to get people fa-la-la-ing together in order to harness that good ol’ community spirit we all know exists in this neck of the woods and empower one and all to become wonderful vocalists. Everyone (18+) is invited and no prior experience of singing is required, although if you can tell the difference between Bach and a bark, that will help. We’ll let inspriarional chorus director Matt Beckingham tell you the rest.
Stirchley Happenings
Miracle on 34th Street
After the success of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ last Christmas, Stirchley Happening’s Travelling Bug House returns to Stirchley Community Church at 4pm on Saturday 17th December for another festive cinematic treat.
The 1947 classic ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ sees an oscar-winning performance from Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle: a kind-natured, Christmas-loving, white-bearded old fellow who claims he is the real Father Christmas. After being employed by a businesswoman who doesn’t believe in fairy tales (Maureen O’Hara) to work as a Macy’s department store Santa, he has to go to great lengths to prove to her and her sceptical daughter that the spirit of Christmas is alive.
Doors open at 3.30pm, for a 4pm start, and the film will be preceeded by shorts from the Media Archive of Central England, with footage from Birmingham’s Christmas past.
Tickets will be available from:
Stirchley Community Church Cafe, Hazelwell Street, B30 2JX from next Tuesday 29th November. The cafe is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am-2pm. www.stirchleychurch.org
Stirchley Community Market on Tuesday 6th December, at Stirchley United Working Men’s Club, Hazelwell Lane, B30 2PP, from 4pm-8pm. www.stirchleycommunitymarket.wordpress.com
And there’s a possibility they’ll be available from other places too: do check the Travelling Bug House page of our website, and keep a lookout on Twitter and Facebook, or call 07966660771 and talk to Chris about getting hold of some.
Tickets are priced at £3.50/£2.50 for under 16s and over 60s.
The screening will be upstairs, but a lift is available.
Stirchley From The Top Deck, Sunday 6th November, 2 – 5pm
This Sunday, 6th November, we invite you to travel back in time by joining bus conductors Vera and Doris on a nostalgic journey through Stirchley. Step onto a 45 or 47 bus along the Pershore Road between the New Dogpool Hotel and the Lifford Curve and you could be part of a unique performance – Stirchley from the Top Deck.
Join us for Stirchley from the Top Deck, 6th Nov 2011
Actors Charlotte Gregory and Melissa Hurlbutt of Birmingham theatre collective Needless Allies will share Vera and Doris’ memories of Stirchley, celebrating its rich history and all that the busy urban village has to offer, through this new site-specific performance.
Between 2 – 5pm the lovely ladies will be hopping on and off services passing through Stirchley, offering a one-off experience – a guided tour with a difference. Look out for the conductors, take your seats, and for the price of a bus ticket, sit back and enjoy a fresh perspective on your journey.
Stirchley from the Top Deck has been written by Roxie Collins of Stirchley Happenings in collaboration with Needless Allies. It has been commissioned and inspired by Stirchley Prospects, a six-month programme funded by Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund that seeks to raise the profile of Stirchley and contribute to the regeneration of the area.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
Stirchley Happenings
Newton Chambers Releases Stirchley Community Market Song
Dear people of Stirchley and beyond,
There is hot news this week as local musician and sunglasses-wearer, Newton Chambers, releases a song all about Stirchley Community Market. In itself, this action would be exciting enough, but there is extra unbelievableness attached as the tune is being sold in order to raise money for a new gazebo! Without gazebos, the market cannot function, so you could argue that it is necessary to buy the melodious artefact in order to secure the future of Stirchley’s most treasured event, but that might be misconstrued as blackmail, and as we don’t much like the thought of going to prison, we’ll just say “it’s really rather good”.
The song is available for download from itunes and amazon, with hard copies (CD format!) to be found at the market.
You can read more here at the blog of Newton C: Yes please, I’d like to find out more about this once in a lifetime opportunity.
All in aid of this ... the market, not the badge
Balti plus film, 21st July, SOLD OUT!
Hello followers, good and bad news … the good being that our next film night has sold out, which means we must be doing something right, the bad also being that we have sold out, which means that we can’t accommodate any more people! Sorry to all those who were hoping to buy tickets – the room is quite small – but rest assured that we are working with the mighty Balti Cottage to arrange another night in the near future.
If you’d like to be kept in the loop on this topic, then send us an email and we’ll add your name to a priority booking list. stirchleyhappenings@yahoo.co.uk
Photo Credit: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Stirchley Community Market, 1st Birthday
Hello all, just a quick note to let you know that Stirchley Community Market is 1 year old today. Please do pop along to Stirchley United Working Men’s club on the Pershore Road from 4 – 8pm to help us celebrate – we’d love to see you there!
Stirchley Community Market
Bhuna and Blockbuster Combo, 21st July, 7:30pm!
We can now reveal that our next Travelling Bug House film night will be:
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Thursday 21st July, 7:30pm
Balti Cottage, Pershore Road, Stirchley
We’re super excited about this as it means we can combine two of our favourite things: eating at Balti Cottage and watching excellent films! The programme will also include a short film compilation about Brummie baltis, courtesy of MACE (Media Archive of Central England).
Tickets cost £10 each and include the films plus food from the following menu:
Popadoms
Choice of side dish: Pilau rice or Plain naan bread
Choice of main meal: Pas Puron (v), Vegetable Bhuna (v), Sylheti Chicken Bhuna or Lamb Jalfrezi
You’ll need to choose your food options when you buy your tickets, so that the chef can get to work on the tastyness, and they will also include a 10%-off voucher, redeemable at the amazing Stirchley Wines & Spirits on the day of the showing!
Tickets will be on sale from the following places from Saturday 25th June (cash only please):
Balti Cottage Tuesday – Sunday 6:00pm – 10:30pm
CoCoMad Festival Saturday 2nd July 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Stirchley Community Market Tuesday 5th July 4:00pm – 8:00pm
The event will take place in the room upstairs and tickets will be limited because it is quite small, so please buy yours early to avoid disappointment.
Here’s the trailer to get you in the mood for the Bhuna and Blockbuster extravaganza.
Hope to see lots of you there – bring your friends and make a night of it!
Have your say at Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum
This is just a quick plug for Stirchley Neighbourhood Forum – a meeting that takes place on the second Monday of each month. Usually it is held at the Community Centre, but this month is a biggie, and will be upstairs at Stirchley Community Church (where we showed It’s A Wonderful Life, for those that came!). The reason it’s big is that ASDA will be coming to consult with residents about their plans for a new supermarket. Please do come along to hear what they’ve got to say and to let them know what you think about it all. Get it in your diary, hope to see you there: Monday 13th June, 7:30pm.
Generally, the forum is a great chance to keep up to date with what’s going on in the area – everyone is always welcome. It’s been going for ages, long before we came along, and we find it a really useful meeting to attend. You can find out a bit more about it here. See you soon!
