On Saturday 4th May we have a celebration of Springtime in the village, (and hopefully good spring weather!) Acocks Green Village in Bloom are hosting an event to raise funds and celebrate their successes (8 consecutive Gold Awards). There will be live music from covers band Acoustica, who had people dancing in the streets last year, playing lots of your favourite tunes.
The local beekeeper will be selling her Bee27 honey and talking about her bees with her live display hive. There is also face-painting, seed-sowing, lots of bargain plants and plenty of stalls, such as homemade crafts, vinyl records, top range cosmetics and tasty hot food. There are a few spaces left for extra stalls if you know anyone who wants a FREE pitch, or you would like to get involved or help in some way. Contact Fran – details below. See you there!
On the 2nd May citizens of the West Midlands are invited to the polling stations to vote for the next Mayor of West Midlands. Hopefully you will have received your polling cards by now.
Andy Street has been the West Midlands Mayor since 2017. There are several other candidates who are applying to be Mayor this year. It depends on the electorate whether Andy gets re-elected or a new Mayor takes over the role.
Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum has arranged a ‘Hustings’ – this is an opportunity for those who vote for the Mayor to meet the candidates, listen to what they have to say about their plans if they are elected, and to answer questions put to them on the evening or in advance. Everyone in the area is invited along to listen and put forward questions they have. Time will be limited, so they may not have time to answer all the questions. The date of the event is Wednesday 17th April. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The meeting takes place in Arthur Moore Hall (old Baptist Church Hall, Alexander Road, round the corner from the usual meeting hall).
Come along and find out more about the West Midlands Mayor’s role. Hopefully it will help you choose which candidate you would like to vote for in the May election.
Spring has sprung and it’s a time to think of gardening! Come along and meet some of the Village in Bloom Team, sow seeds, swap seeds (if you have spare) and get some tips on how to grow your own flowers and vegetables.
We have all heard about the financial crisis that Birmingham City Council is facing. Local libraries are under threat of closure. Libraries play a key part in our community, offering a safe space for people to read, meet and take part in activities that improve wellbeing.
For example at Acocks Green Library there is weekly coffee mornings, Yoga Classes, IT classes, Storytime for children, chess clubs, arts and crafts, Local History Talks, workshops and lots more.
A local resident has set up a campaign to ask people to show their support for library services and to highlight that they offer vital services to the community. All you have to do is go to the library this Saturday at 2pm and read a book. Also on the above poster is a link to the petition to Save Acocks Green Library or click on the link below: https://www.change.org/p/save-acocks-green-library
Everyone is invited to a celebration of the continued success of Acocks Green Village in Bloom. Following the popularity of last year’s Bloomin’ Good Night at Holy Souls Social Club, the event is being organised for another social fundraising evening on 1st March. It is also 60 years of the Royal Horticultural Society‘s Britain in Bloom campaign. So another reason to celebrate. Tickets are available at Jeffries Hardware or at the coffee morning at Arthur Moore Baptist Church Hall (Alexander Road) on Wednesday, 10-11am. Come along on your own or with friends to this easy-going evening to support the village. Hurry though, as tickets will sell out! Advance Sales ONLY.
The Neighbourhood Forum was very happy to hear that Fran Lee, tireless volunteer co-ordinator for Acocks Green Village in Bloom, has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List 2024. She awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her Services to the Community of Acocks Green.
Fran Lee BEM photo: Minya Productions
Fran, born and bred in Acocks Green, is the co-ordinator and driving force behind Acocks Green Village in Bloom. Since 2012 she has been leading improvements and positive activities in our area. Her passion for gardening and enhancing the environment have driven her to organise many projects in and around Acocks Green. Working hands-on Fran devotes much of her time to improvements in our our area. She has helped support local community groups sharing her advice and experience as well as working with schools in Acocks Green, including planting sessions and organising litter-picks. As well as practical gardening skills Fran has the know-how when it comes to successful fund-raising for the many projects organised under the Village in Bloom banner.
In 2023 the Royal Horticultural Society awarded Acocks Green it’s 8th Gold Award in a row. This is the result of great team work led by Fran’s determination over many years. One of the first team projects was to transform a piece of waste ground into a Community Orchard in Mallard Close. Other major projects include improvements to the entrance of Acocks Green from Olton, on and around what is now widely referred to as ‘The Triabout’. There have been mass bulb-planting sessions, repainting street benches, new artwork on planters, Street Festivals, ‘Bloomin’ Good Night’ Social events, collaborations with Kimichi School for candlelit Christmas Music nights as well as very recently repaving and improvements to the frontage of Acocks Green Library. Just some of the projects that Fran has spearheaded and worked on herself. Read about the group’s work on the dedicated page.
‘I never thought that I would receive such an honour. My heart is in continuing to enhance Acocks Green with the support of the team and the community. I am so grateful to the people putting me forward – I never dreamed they thought so highly of me.’
Fran Lee BEM
Acocks Green is lucky to have such a dedicated, focused and hardworking volunteer. Thank you Fran!
Fran and some of the volunteers on Woodcock Lane
If you would like to come along and help improve Acocks Green, the friendly group of volunteers meet most Sundays at 10am for a couple of hours to garden, litter-pick and more. You can email Fran (details on the Village in Bloom page) or just turn up. No experience necessary!
For one day only the Bloom Team are asking for people to come along and help with tulip planting. We have over 1000 bulbs to plant so need lots of helpers. Many hands make light work! The spring flower displays in Acocks Green are a sight to behold – our village is becoming famous for the array of tulips and if you have bought an Acocks Green Calendar 2024, then you will have seen some great photos of the tulips in all their glory!
Just turn up and if you’ve got spades/trowels and gloves bring them along, although we have spare ones we can lend you. Children welcome, accompanied by adults. Be part of the team that helps brighten up our springtime!
Have you bought yours yet? There are only a limited number and they are selling quickly!
All photos are taken by local people who have captured Acocks Green through the seasons for this lovely and useful calendar to hang on your wall. All money raised goes back to the community.
Many people will be aware of the disruption when travelling through Acocks Green on the Number 11 bus. All Number 11s, travelling in both directions, now terminate in the village. Passengers have to get off and then wait for another bus to come down from the bus garage. This can sometimes be quite a long wait. Now the weather is getting cold, it makes the journey even more frustrating and miserable.
The service was ‘temporarily’ changed in 2021 to make the service ‘more efficient’ due to building work going on around Perry Barr and the Alexander Stadium in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. Before this you could, for example, catch a bus at the Swan Island all the way through to Kings Heath. Now such a journey is impossible without having to get off in Acocks Green village and wait for another bus to continue the journey. People have reported they have waited 40 minutes or more for the next bus to arrive.
As the Neighbourhood Forum we set up a petition to put pressure on the bus company, National Express, to reconsider the changes they made in 2021 and look at making the service more joined up once more to improve the service for passengers travelling through Acocks Green. Ged Hughes from the Neighbourhood Forum was invited onto Radio WM to highlight this problem and spoke about the issues on two occasions in the last couple of months. However, there has been no word yet from National Express about any plans to improve the service.
If you haven’t already signed the petition please do so. As of 3rd November we have 440 signatures, can we get it to 500? So many people need a reliable bus service to get around our city. This disruption is proving frustrating to so many passengers.
Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum 