Art on the Edge comes to Quinzone

'Art on the Edge', the ground breaking exhibition of artwork by local people, can be seen at the internet cafe on the Four Dwellings campus. The new interactive facility at the Quinzone centre on Quinton Road West is now playing host to part of the 'Art on the Edge' exhibition which launched at Birmingham Town Hall in February. The cafe is housed in a disused former gym at Four Dwellings High School and its conversion was funded by Quinzone. In addition to computers it includes a pool table and refreshment area.

All Edgbaston coming to you this summer!

Following on from the success of 'One Edgbaston', the companion magazine to this site, the latest issue is set to be delivered to every home in the constituency.

For two years 'One Edgbaston Magazine' has gone from strength to strength, being widely picked up and read where ever it can been found in the community. Your submissions, via magazine@oneedgbaston.org, have helped to make it a great read for local people. One issue raised time and again is that there never seem to be enough copies. This summer, a special issue, to be called 'All Edgbaston', is being delivered free to every home in the Constituency. It contains a pull out guide to summer playschemes and events, as well as opportunities to win free cricket tickets and other prizes.
For more information, call Simon Redgrave on 0796 22 33 567

Local School Ofsted Success

Hillcrest School, A Specialist Maths and Computing College and Sixth Form Centre was recently visited by Ofsted Inspectors and were thrilled to receive the top grade – grade 1 ‘Outstanding’. The school has gone from strength to strength in recent years with Hillcrest placed in the top 5% of schools nationally in 2008. The schools drive for improvement has brought about some very innovative and highly effective developments including an excellent online VLE, a language village and state of the art ICT facilities.

Edgbaston Fun Run

This year sees the return of the Edgbaston Fun Run held in conjunction with the Harborne Carnival on Sunday 28th June. There are three runs aimed at 7–15 year olds and this year we have included a Family Run, which will be held on a traffic free Harborne High Street.

We are currently distributing entry forms to schools, community and leisure centres and other outlets across the Constituency. We would like to see as many schools as possible competing and enjoying this event.

The event will start by the BP garage and finish at the end of the High Street. The course is approximately 1000 metres long and offers youngsters and families a chance to participate in a fun event which seeks to promote healthier lifestyles.

Daleks Invade Edgbaston!

Come and meet Daleks, the Tardis and costumed groups playing characters from DR Who and Star Wars. Parents and Children can play games, enter competitions and have faces painted at the UK best games convention in June in Egbaston.

UK Games Expo is an exhibition of games of all types including Board Games, Card Games, Role-playing Games , Miniatures and Computer gaming. The target audience is the general public, family groups as well as gaming enthusiasts. Games companies exhibit their games and visitors can sit down and play them as well as browse a range of trade stands. There are many tournaments and organised play sessions as well as costumed groups and children’s competitions.

Official Opening of Kenrick Centre in Harborne

This was the 12 May 2009 by Dame Jo Williams, a former Chief Executive of Mencap. The ceremony was attended by local residents and their families, along side care staff and local partners. Amongst the guests of honour were Mrs. Anne Kenrick and her son, representingg their family who so generously gave the land all those years ago. Also in attendance were Councillor Sue Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Social Health & Care, Peter Hay, Strategic Director, and Councillor Deirdre Alden Edgbaston Ward Councillor and Chairman of the Edgbaston Constituency.

Our Pledges to You, 2009-10

As you may know; every year the Edgbaston Constituency makes a series of clearly defined Pledges to its residents. These outline and define our key priorities to which we are work and against which we can measure ourselves. Read on for our priorities for the upcoming twelve months.

Volunteer Appeal – Opening the Door to More

Volunteers are needed to continue to provide children and young people in Birmingham with someone to turn to in times of need. Edgbaston-based Open Door Youth Counselling is seeking to recruit additional volunteers to expand their free youth counselling service. Demand for the service is constantly increasing and waiting lists can sometimes be long. No previous experience or formal qualifications are necessary as full training is provided.

Carmel Mullan-Hartley, Director of Services said ‘Open Door exists to offer children and young people someone to listen to them at pivotal and often distressing times in their lives. We can only continue to do this with the help of our volunteer counsellors’.

Bartley Green schoolgirl’s short story beats rivals into national publication

Schoolgirl Rebecca Hardy is used to telling stories and now the 13 year old from Bartley Green has made it into print after having one of her tales published in a book to be circulated across the country. Rebecca, who attends Hillcrest School in Stonehouse Lane, Bartley Green, saw her short story beat off more than 2,700 entries from over 500 schools.

Her entry, "Memories of my Past", has been published in an anthology of short stories entitled "The Cry of the Wolf". Rebecca is one of only 22 talented young writers to be published in two collections of the best secondary school entries to the 2009 Evans Schools Short Story competition.

Last year's Pledges - How Did We Do?

Every year the Edgbaston Constituency makes a series of clearly defined Pledges to its residents. These outline and define our key priorities to which we are work and against which we can measure ourselves.

Harborne Orchestra Looking for Violinist

1st Violinist (Leader) Required

The Harborne Orchestra is currently seeking a replacement for their current leader who leaves in September. This amateur orchestra rehearses weekly in school term time, on Friday evenings
(7.30pm - 9.30pm) in Queen Alexandra College, Harborne. We perform one public concert each term, with occasional extra engagements.

Edgbaston Gets Framed

Frame Tec in Harborne have enhanced treasured works of art in homes across Birmingham, Britain and Europe – and it doesn’t stop at two dimensional work. You name it and they’ve framed it – from boxing gloves, to football shirts, medals, records, tickets – even a collection of corkscrews.
“There’s nothing we can’t frame – I don’t think anything has defeated us yet,” says Peter at his framing shop and art gallery in Greenfield Road, with its trademark blue striped awning.

Celebrate Edgbaston's Volunteers; 24th April 09

An event to celebrate the invaluable contribution made by volunteers to organisations in the Edgbaston Constituency will take place at Harborne Baptist Church on Friday 24th April from 5.30 – 8.30. A collage will be constructed during the evening, comprising of photographs that people bring to demonstrate their work as a volunteer. Volunteers will receive a formal thank you from Councillor Deirdre Alden, Chairman of the Edgbaston Constituency Committee and Jagwant Johal, the Constituency Director. Nominations will be accepted for: working with young people; the elderly; for being a good neighbour; or for their general contribution to their community’s development.

Art on the Edge Festival (2009)

This half day arts festival at Birmingham Town Hall, 15th Feb '09, brought together artists living in, working in or inspired by the Edgbaston Constituency. The show was supported by the Four Wards of the Edgbaston Constituency as well as the local Arts Champions; DanceXchange and Town Hall | Symphony Hall. It was produced and curated for One Edgbaston Partnership by Scholars and Warriors.
More details can be found in posts below.

Our Arts Champions - DanceXchange in their own words

DanceXchange (dx) is in its fourth year as one of our two Arts Champions.

“It’s important to us that the work we do in Edgbaston reaches people who might not otherwise have the chance to engage with the arts and also that it’s the kind of activity that Edgbaston residents want. In order to find that out we used the Art on The Edge event to ask everyone’s opinion about what we should be doing, and have designed our current activity based on feedback from the community.