Castle Bromwich Community Website

Castle Bromwich and District Lions are marking this Thursday's World Sight Day by recycling unused spectacles for use in third world countries.

A spokesperson for Castle Bromwich Lions said, "We're asking that people hunt out their old unused glasses that they have lying around in drawers and put them in the recycling box in Ellis Opticians by Boots in Castle Bromwich. We'll then ensure that they are recycled and used to help improve the sight of people in the third world."

Thirty young people took on a challenge set by the Castle Bromwich Youth & Community Partnership to make a real difference to the local environment.

For five hours on Sunday, they cleared over-growth, tidied graves and created sensory flower beds along the pathway in the closed graveyard by St Mary & St Margaret Church Castle Bromwich.

The young people involved spent the summer participating in the National Civic Service scheme being run locally by the Challenge Network. The Autumn Challenge undertaken on Sunday was the culmination of their efforts which saw young people from different backgrounds and localities working as a team to tackle personal and community challenges.

ReCOM has announced that it has secured funding to offer free IT training for people who volunteer for organisations in North Solihull. The funding from the Lottery's Fair Share Trust will enablesmall  voluntary groups in North Solihull to access IT training which will enable them to use IT to improve and promote their organisations.

The Grassroots IT Project can provide free IT training to Charity, Voluntary and Non Profit making organisations in North Solihull.

What's On Offer?

Getting Started

Basic IT skills for beginners – to include an introduction to emailing, internet searches, letters. Aimed at building confidence and raising awareness of what the internet can offer groups and individuals.

Making Things Happen

Group members working together on projects to support their organisation’s activities such as posters, leaflets, spreadsheets, address lists and internet searches. The specific content will be tailored to groups’ needs.

Create your own Website

Using a simple web based toolkit, specially designed for community groups and provided freely by BT.

Learn how to create, manage and maintain a website for your community which is free to host and simple to maintain.

Each module will be delivered for two hours a week for six weeks by a qualified tutor and supported by volunteers. There will be plenty of individual support.

For more information about Grassroots IT contact:

ReCOM

348a Gospel Lane

Olton, Solihull

B27 7AJ

0121 663 0335

Email: training@recom.org.uk

Castle Bromwich & District Lions are hoping that young volunteers between the ages of 11-18 on February 21st 2013 will share with them their experiences of how community service improves lives and localities. Young people are asked to describe how their efforts have made a difference either to the environment or to the lives of people living in their community. The choice of how to share the experience is down to the young volunteer, but some suggestions are that it could be via a youtube video, flickr slide show, poetry, rap, a website, a scrapbook or what ever form the young person chooses. All participants will be entered into the Roy White Memorial Trophy, an annual competition hosted by the Lions Clubs of District 105M. The winning participant will receive a trophy to hold for a year, together with a replica which is theirs to keep, a suitable voucher for £25 and a cheque for £100 for their nominated charity.

A spokesperson for Castle Bromwich Lions said that young people often receive bad press, but the vast amount of voluntary service they do in the community goes unreported. The aim of the award is to highlight the positive activities undertaken by the majority of young people and to share experiences.

For more details contact Castle Bromwich & District Lions via email castlebromwichlions@hotmail.co.uk or vis the contact form on their website.

Castle Bromwich Singers 45th anniversary show "A World of Music" will take place at Arden Hall October 11th -12th 2012. Doors open 7.00 pm, curatins up at 7.30 pm. Tickets £7.00, Children £4.00 ( Party Booking discounts available fo 10 or more.) Net proceeds from the show will be donated to Lowbrook Stroke Club.

Phone Stella: 0121 748 7635, Pauline: 0121 749 5071, Barbara: 0121 634 5160 or Greg: 01675 592059.

Castle Bromwich & District Lions are hosting a fundraising Barn Dance at the Beaufort Social Club on Friday September 21st. The event is in support of the National Institute of Conductive Education and other charities supported by Castle Bromwich Lions. The event which starts at 8pm includes a Jacket Potato Supper and the dance.

Admission is by ticket which can be purchased by phoning Mike on 0121 749 6251 or Steve on 0121 748 2154.

Castle Bromwich & District Lions invite you to join them at the Beaufort Sports and Social Club on Saturday September 29th for a charity fundraising Ladies Day. Entry and parking are free. Refreshments will be available.

Castle Bromwich Youth & Community Partnership has launched a CHARM initiative. The scheme will show how easy it is to make cheap, healthy meals from scratch.

Weekly cook and eat sessions will show how to reproduce cheaper, healthier alternatives to favourite take-away meals at home and help to develop basic cooking skills and confidence. The sessions will take place in the Castle Bromwich Youth & Community Centre from February to May. Sessions are free, but registration is required.

You can register your interest or find out more details on the CBYCP Website.

The efforts of the Castle Bromwich Community Project to restore the closed graveyard have paid off with an excellent first time result in the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom Competition. Members are celebrating after receiving a Thriving Award in this year’s Heart of England in Bloom – It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards category.

Representatives of the group were given the Red Carpet treatment when they attended the awards ceremony in Solihull to be told of the result. RHS Assessors Robin Russell and Ken Whittaker highlighted the group’s achievements in what they described as a massive challenge which had been community lead from day one. The graveyard has now been cleared of decades of overgrowth, graves uncovered, water restored and newly planted flower beds make a colourful addition to the site.

Terrie Knibb, Chairman of the Castle Bromwich Community Project said: “We could not have achieved this fantastic result without the many community groups and residents who have got involved. The judges were particularly impressed by the large number of local young people who joined in to help often giving up their school holidays. This shows how much local residents care about our community and want to help improve the area. There’s still much to be done, but this is a great start.”

The awards are supported by Marches Housing Association and Managing Director Phil Green said: “We continue to be delighted and surprised by the quality and quantity of entries. So much hardwork and determination goes into creating gardens and projects that not only look beautiful but have also been about communities coming together and caring for their local area.” 

If you're involved in a community group in North Solihull the launch of the Confident Communities  programme could help you. Learn the skills, find the resources and build the network you need to be really effective.

Confident Communities will be led by a team from Fircroft College of Adult Education. Introductory sessions will be held at a North Solihull venue in No0vember covering:

Community leadershipEffective meetingsFundraising EssentialsAttracting & keeping new membersTo find out more or to book phone Sustain on: 0121 711 3148