More good causes benefit from Stadium contractor community scheme
The winners for the second round of the You Matter Communities Community Fund have been announced.
McLaughlin & Harvey, the lead contractor for Birmingham City Council at the Alexander Stadium Redevelopment, has finalised 15 community projects that will each receive a grant of up to £1,000 to support their work within local communities.
Launched last year, McLaughlin & Harvey’s You Matter Communities initiative provides support to local communities through volunteer time, small grants, and the use of excess materials from the construction process.
The initiative is focused on supporting community organisations, in particular those facing disproportionate challenges, to recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Small grants are offered through the You Matter Community Fund and provide a direct way for McLaughlin & Harvey to make a positive impact locally and provide much needed support to communities.
The latest round of successful applicants takes the overall number of organisations to benefit through the Community Fund to 32, with a total of £27,936 awarded.
Projects were selected based on their ability to meet McLaughlin & Harvey’s social value objectives and the Partners in Communities measures of the city council’s Birmingham Business Charter for Social Responsibility.
A further five organisations will receive support via the You Matter Time Bank – through which contractors offer their time to local projects and good causes. In total the number of groups to have benefitted from Time Bank support since the inception of the scheme is five.
Simbi Folarin, Director at Northfield-based GLUE Collective, which has received £1,000, said: “We are passionate about addressing the emerging social, health and economic challenges in our local communities and recognise the power and agency of play for children and connecting people to the natural environment.
“The You Matter Community Fund grant will enable us to provide nature play session for our community, supporting children to access creative and immersive processes and encouraging experimentation of play.”
Valerie Edkins, Treasurer at the Friends of Perry Park, which is set to receive up to four days of volunteer support to clear brambles and vegetation, said: “The You Matter TimeBank support from McLaughlin & Harvey will allow us to provide a rich selection of wildflowers to the Park to encourage insects, birds and more biodiversity.”
Martin Keys, Operations Director, McLaughlin & Harvey for Alexander Stadium, added: “We are delighted that so many local community projects have engaged with You Matter Communities and so impressed by the outcomes that have been achieved in the first round.
“We are looking forward to supporting the second round projects in delivery and to learning about the positive impacts they make for local communities.”
Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The redevelopment of the Alexander Stadium is about much more than the delivery of a world-class sporting and community facility.
“Through the council’s spending power on this project, we have secured in McLaughlin & Harvey a construction partner that fully understands the importance of being a good neighbour in the community – not just in Perry Barr, but Birmingham as a whole.
“The You Matter Communities scheme is helping make a positive difference to a wide range of organisations in the city and securing a deeper legacy for the new stadium than just the facilities or events that it stages in future.”
Applications for the third round of the You Matter Community Fund, will be welcome from July 2021. For more details of the scheme please visit the Birmingham City Council website at: www.birmingham.gov.uk/perry-barr-regen
Notes to editors
A table detailing all successful round two bids is as follows:
|
Organisation |
Funding |
Ward |
Money required |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Project 18 |
Enabling 16 to 18-year-olds in the local community to take part in leather textiles sessions where students will design and make keyrings to donate to NHS Staff at City Road Hospital. |
Soho & Jewellery Quarter |
£1,000 |
|
Birchfield Neighbourhood Forum |
To enhance and maintain the quality of the area where the residents live. This project is to prepare and develop a community garden and eco teaching centre on derelict allotments at Livingstone Road Allotment near Perry Barr. |
Handsworth |
£750 |
|
Bangala Connection CIC |
Run an online event to celebrate Bangladesh 50th Anniversary of the Independence of Bangladesh. |
Acocks Green |
£1,000 |
|
Threads Together Fabric |
Using textiles to celebrate the diverse communities of Birmingham. The project is to run a series of 10 community classes to share stories and experiences and 10 stiches will design and develop fabric panels each depicting a country. |
Hall Green |
£1,000 |
|
Moseley Bog (2 applications from Moseley Bog for £275 each) |
To encourage the community to use the reserve and to enhance the environment with planter kits and bird boxes. |
Moseley |
£550 |
|
236th Birmingham Scout Group (St Johns Perry Barr) |
The fund will help to rebuild the expedition element of their programme and they will purchase additional equipment such as tents and camping stoves for their trips. |
Perry Barr |
£1,000 |
|
‘Gully Garden Community Creatives
|
To develop a “Gateway Community Garden” which will be an area of publicly accessible ground which serves as an entrance to the gated gully gardens. The grant will enable the development of the garden for ecological education and positive community engagement. |
Stockland Green |
£1,000 |
|
Priestley Smith School |
Support their Outdoor Classroom at Aldridge Road Allotment by purchasing vegetables and gardening equipment. The grant will enhance the plot by creating and planting a sensory garden for the students to enjoy. |
Perry Barr |
£1,000 |
|
GLUE Collective
|
A collective of artists, gardeners, environmental activists and community volunteers would like to refurbish Shenley Gardens to deliver two nature play sessions for families when COVID restrictions ease. |
Northfield |
£1,000 |
|
Handsworth Association of Schools
|
HAS is a network of over 20 schools providing learning activities and extracurricular opportunities for children and young people for over 10 years. The fund would help foodbank volunteers to create a cookbook that will help low income families to cook healthier meals. |
Handsworth |
£1,000 |
|
St Albans School |
Require funding to transform two area into safe, exciting and inspiring play/learning resources equipped with safe surfacing, new play equipment and resources to address the personal, social and emotional needs of students post COVID. |
Kings Heath |
£1,000 |
|
Crick Gardens |
Project Kick Start Gardening will help provide training opportunities for local people and families to learn and share skills on how to improve, develop and maintain their gardens at minimum cost. They aim to empower people to live independent lifestyles. |
Handsworth |
£1,000 |
|
Black Heritage Walk network |
Delivering guided heritage walks throughout Birmingham, BHWN would like the grant to purchase equipment to make the walks interactive and enhance the tour experience. |
Handsworth |
£1,000 |
|
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Aston & Nechells |
On 5 September 2021 it is proposed to hold a showcase community celebration of the centenary of the Aston Peace Memorial. The fund would help send out invitations and put on the event for the local community and church members |
Aston |
£750 |
|
15 |
|
Total: |
£13,050 |
|
Organisation |
Support |
Ward |
Volunteer time required hrs/days |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CASE |
Volunteer time to develop their outdoor space to provide edible gardens that are accessible to everyone |
Handsworth |
2 days |
|
Birchfield Neighbourhood Forum |
Require volunteer support to help with the preparation of derelict Livingstone Road allotments to allow the accessibility to the local community. |
Birchfield |
20 hours |
|
GLUE Collective |
Require volunteer labour to repair fencing, a small wooden shed and help with the clearance of bramble area to make way for an orchard. |
Northfield |
12 hours |
|
Turnberry/Fowlmere Residents Association |
Volunteer time to help clean up area, cut back trees and vegetation, fill in potholes and make the roadway clear and useable again. To clear rubbish and fly tipped items so that it is accessible to residents |
Perry Barr |
3-4 days |
|
Friends of Perry Park |
Volunteer time to clear brambles and vegetation to create wildflower meadow. |
Perry Barr |
3-4 days |
About the Alexander Stadium redevelopment
Funding for the Alexander Stadium Redevelopment comes from three sources: Birmingham City Council (£27.4million), the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (£20million) and West Midlands Combined Authority (£25million).
Arup are designers for the Alexander Stadium redevelopment, covering all engineering services and architectural design, with Mace acting as project and programme managers, both appointed by Birmingham City Council.
About Perry Barr Regeneration
This development is part of a £500 million+ investment in Perry Barr led by Birmingham City Council. The Perry Barr regeneration programme will see the delivery of new homes, improvements to public transport, walking and cycling routes, new community facilities and lively public spaces to make it the most well-connected area in the region. Find out more on the Perry Barr Regeneration webpages.
About WMCA
The West Midlands Combined Authority is made up of 18 local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships working together to move powers from Whitehall to the West Midlands.
About GBSLEP
The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Limited (GBSLEP) is a partnership of business, public sector and further and higher education leaders. Its mission is to drive inclusive economic growth across the city-region, creating jobs and improving the quality of life for everyone.
Since 2010, the government has awarded GBSLEP £433 million to invest in a range of projects to grow the local economy. These include transport infrastructure, skills development, business support, innovation, and cultural and creative assets. The GBSLEP Growth Hub provides direct business support and has helped over businesses to help realise their growth potential.
