The Community Development Practice Hub is a resource for people and organisations who ‘work with’ people in Birmingham, supporting them to take collective action to make changes to things that are important to them and their communities. It aims to connect, inspire and upskill community development practitioners across Birmingham.
The hub is funded by Birmingham City Council, led by BVSC and supported by Thrive Together Birmingham.
Come join us on this exciting journey, as we collaborate with the sector to offer a tailored approach with a focus on Birmingham-specific learning, challenges, and achievements.
The Your Space Friendship Group in Northfield brings people together each week for company and conversation. A £500 microgrant funded their first-ever day trip to Birmingham Botanical Gardens, giving members a rare chance to enjoy a day out together. The experience lifted spirits, strengthened friendships and inspired plans for more shared adventures. Read more
In 2024, as part of the Community Development Practice Hub activity, a group of local co-collaborators, creators and curators brought to life the Community Treasure Tours. The Community Treasure Tours aimed to shine a light on those citizens who are active in building community alongside others, amplify and celebrate what is already happening in communities, and recognise how relationships are woven together to form an ecology of social connectedness across a neighbourhood. Read more
In neighbourhoods across Birmingham people are coming together to share skills, support one another, and create change in their communities. Whether it's over a cup of tea, a sewing needle, or a neighbourhood meeting, community building is strong in the city. Read more
At Oddingley Hall in West Heath, a small but vibrant community project is making a big impact. Thanks to a Microgrant from the Community Development Practice Hub, Donna Wells (Crafty Queen) has been able to share her sewing skills with others, bringing people together, tackling isolation, and creating a space where creativity and friendship can thrive. Read more
After moving from a close-knit community in Devon to Northfield in 2010, Liz struggled to find the same sense of belonging, especially after the loss of her husband. Lockdown unexpectedly reconnected her with people through online groups, and later volunteering at the Northfield Arts Forum Café helped her build new friendships and rediscover a vibrant sense of community. In turn, this led Liz to a new role within the Northfield Neighbourhood Network Scheme, as volunteer Over 50s champion. Read more
In Northfield, the Redeemer Church’s arts and wellbeing programme sparked the Space and Place Project, blending creativity with geography to explore how places shape identity and memory. Over six weeks, participants of all ages shared food, stories, and artistic expression, creating personal artworks inspired by locations ranging from Barcelona to Oddingley Hall. The project fostered confidence, connection, and new friendships, showing the power of creativity to bring people together. Read more
Local Trust was established in 2012 to deliver Big Local, a National Lottery Community Fund-funded programme which committed £1m each to 150 neighbourhoods across England. The £217m originally provided by The National Lottery Community Fund to support this programme is the largest single-purpose Lottery-funded endowment ever made, and the biggest ever investment by a non-state funder in place-based, resident-led change. Read more
St Martin's Church has always been more than just a place of worship. It has acted as a hub for social community work. Approximately seven years ago, the members of the community expressed a collective desire for a Tea Dance. The idea was met with enthusiasm: china crockery from Charity Shops and funding from the National Lottery were sourced, and a dance teacher was brought in to lead the dancing. Read more
Together We Can! is an intergenerational, community-building project within the Firs & Bromford an outer estate in Hodge Hill in the East of Birmingham. A key element of the project includes ‘street connecting’ – which involves making connections with, and between, local people, and growing new groups and activities from those connections. Read more