Helen Juffs, Health and Wellbeing Champion and Practitioner, who works as Health & Social Care Coordinator at BVSC, shares a deeply personal account of her menopause in this blog. It's a powerful piece that's well worth a read. Read more
80,000 students study in Birmingham across 8 universities. Many of them look to volunteer during their time here to get to know the city, meet people and gain skills and experience. This Student Volunteers Week, Sam from Birmingham City University (BCU) gives some advice on how you can engage students in volunteering. Read more
The number of people who are worried about being out of pocket if they volunteer has risen from 5% in 2019 to 14% in 2023. Birmingham’s amazing volunteers give up their time to support some of the city's most vulnerable people. The Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector needs volunteers to help deliver vital services now more than ever. In this blog, we consider some steps that you can take to effectively involve volunteers during the cost-of-living crisis. Read more
At the Active Wellbeing Society we’re so proud to have an inclusive, open and FREE schedule of virtual wellbeing. All of our classes can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home, or why not join us as a group from your community centre, hospice or with a group of friends? All that’s required is for you to turn up and have a good time! Read more
St John Ambulance is England's leading first aid charity, with over 30,000 volunteers around the country regularly using their time to improve and help their communities. You'll likely have seen us at premier league football games, concerts, Remembrance days and community events or maybe even at Eurovision. Read more
Residents in Yardley have celebrated saving their playing fields from developers - and are now being invited to have a say in their future. Plans to build a new housing estate on land at Barrows Lane sports ground in Yardley were rejected by Birmingham Council after Persimmon Homes had failed to offer a suitable site for replacing the pitches that would have been lost. Read more
This recycling week (October 16th-22nd) we’re remembering recycling doesn’t just mean putting the bins out once a fortnight, it could be giving new life to a board game that’s been forgotten, or passing on a lawn-mower that’s no longer needed. Maybe, finding a home for those things that might be left on the street by our neighbours. Read more
A Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games leader who oversaw an award-winning global initiative at the major sporting event has joined Sport 4 Life UK’s board of trustees. Read more
Birmingham is known as a food city. We have a thriving street food scene, new independent restaurants, and the most Michelin stars outside of London, but this sits alongside high levels of food insecurity. More than two fifths of people in the city (43%) are living in areas in the top 10% most deprived nationally. This means it is harder to access food, and the issue is worsening. Read more
This summer, Birmingham Hospice opens its new concept store. Located on Harborne High Street, the 6,470 square foot store features an in-store café, community space, selfie mirror and weekend DJ sets, alongside thousands of preloved items for customers to purchase and enjoy. Read more
Re-engage, the charity dedicated to ending loneliness and isolation among those aged 75 and over, is urgently seeking volunteers to help run new social groups in Birmingham. The charity believes no-one is too old to make friends or enjoy social interaction. Re-engage engagement officer, Deb Meynell, said: “Our groups are fun, friendly, completely free and provide an opportunity to stay physically active. Read more
Kevin Ford appointed Chair of The Active Wellbeing Society. The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) is a community benefit society and cooperative, which has been working for the last five years to build happy, healthy communities living active and connected lives. We’re grounded in the areas where inequalities are highest and work with the people there to tackle them, while promoting wellbeing. Read more