We hope you have had a good summer, we wanted to share with you some of the things our members have been up to over the past few months or so.

 

PoliNations

PoliNations is a celebration of colour, beauty, and of natural diversity. 

From Friday 2nd to Sunday 18th September 2022, we were invited to step into a city-centre forest garden of magical proportions where we were welcomed by an epic array of colour and nature at PoliNations!

Giant architectural trees drink rainwater and create electricity using wind power, as the forest garden played host to vibrant and spectacular free events situated in an oasis of thousands of plants and flowers co-planted by the city of Birmingham's residents.

 

Taking the form of an epic forest-garden bursting with living plant life and sheltered by 40-foot tall architectural trees in Birmingham's Victoria Square, PoliNations uncovered the origin stories of many mainstays of traditional UK gardens, including the 'Hybrid Tea Rose' (hybridised China and Asian forms) and apple trees (imported from Kazakhstan). Together they painted a picture of the journeys, migration, dispersal of plants we now consider to be part of our shared ecological identity, celebrating our differences, our roots, and our future, and emphasising the importance of access to green spaces and a healthy planet. 

  

 

Our arts tutor Danielle and Technical Skills coordinator, Pete took a group of members along on of the days to experience this unique event.

a magical and rather surreal super garden in the centre of Birmingham to celebrate the City’s culture and diversity through plants. Our members enjoyed taking part in planting and craft activities themed around the project and enjoyed walks through the peaceful gardens, amongst the backdrop of a bustling town centre

 

The Friday Jam

We recently kicked off a brand new course for our members, taking place every Friday. During this eight week course, members are invited to learn about rhythm, performance, technique, guitar, dance, spoken word amongst other subjects in a professional studio setting.

After the first session, Angela our progression coach said 

Great turnout of members today at The Friday Jam! Today we were introduced to rhythm and beat and used a range of percussion playing We Will Rock You! We were introduced to developing technical skills and spoken word - creating poetry to the rhythm of We Will Rock You!

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MemberFest

In June we held our first ever Member Fest.

This was a celebration of all of our members’ achievements and steps out of homelessness over the past year.
Member Fest was created and shaped by our Member Action Group. From the logo design to the programme content, they have been planning it every step of the way. Made by members for members!
There was food, craft workshops, a coconut shy, archery, members sharing their stories and much much more.

Member Fest was just the best day! A lovely chilled out time to reconnect and have fun in a gorgeous and tranquil setting. Here are some photos of the day!
We are so proud of the Member Action Group for planning such a great event.

 

 

We are looking forward to the Autumn and the activities and courses we have planned