InView magazine spring 2017

inView

SPRING 2017

inView

Spring 2017

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Inside

Bournville Village Trust’s quarterly resident newsletter Benefit cap – what to do if you’re affected Page 4

‘Why we got involved’ – resident engagement special Pages 6-7

Writing group helps fulfil pensioner’s dream

Win prizes with our competitions

Page 9

Page 12

Latest homes at care village sell in record time More than half the homes at the third phase of Bournville’s care village, College Green, have already sold – months before they are set to be complete.

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he Cottages, being sold and managed by the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, are expected to be complete by the autumn.

Over 50 per cent of the homes, for over 55’s, have sold off-plan, reflecting the high demand for properties for older people in Bournville.

Extending over two floors, The Cottages will feature two or three double bedrooms, two or three wet rooms, large living and dining room.

Each will have a highquality fitted kitchen, private balcony or patio and the option for adaptive technology to provide full accessibility for those with limited mobility.

Residents will also be able to use the range of facilities, activities and care services

at Bournville Gardens retirement village - the first phase of College Green.

Peter Roach, Chief Executive of Bournville Village Trust, said: “One in three people aged over 55 in the UK want to downsize but can’t because of the lack of suitable housing.

“This means that many effectively become trapped in homes that don’t meet their needs anymore.

“These homes will offer older people the chance to downsize and benefit from the other fantastic facilities planned for College Green, including a health and wellbeing centre.”

David Fellows, Sales Manager for The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, said: “Increasingly older people are looking for new

opportunities to enjoy later life and this means providing innovative homes with the latest technology that support independence and offer a real alternative to traditional care provision.

“These cottages provide that alternative and are a welcome addition to our thriving community at Bournville Gardens Village.”

In other news, a planning application is expected to be re-submitted for the final stage of College Green this month. If approved, work will start on the health and wellbeing centre towards the end of this year/early 2018.

For more information about The Cottages at College Green, visit extracare.org.uk/thecottages-at-bournvillegardens

Easter opening hours Our offices in Birmingham and Telford will be closed on Good Friday (14th April) and Easter Monday (17th April), re-opening on Tuesday 18th April at 8.30am.

If you have an emergency enquiry during this time, such as an emergency repair or anti-social behaviour matter, please continue to call us on 0300 333 6540 to access our out-of-hours service.

We expect to be busier than usual when we re-open therefore, for nonemergency/non-repair enquiries, please email us at enquiries@bvt.org.uk

0300 333 6540

enquiries@bvt.org.uk

bvt.org.uk

Visitors snap a selfie with Jess Allan from BVT at BVT’s Digi Fayre

Me, my-selfie and I – FREE digital workshops for all Residents looking to boost their digital skills, from taking selfies to searching for old friends online, are being urged to sign up to FREE workshops before it’s too late.

The sessions, which are being held at Bournville Hub and Shenley Court Hall, run until 15th June.

Attendees can get friendly support with everything digital, from browsing websites to using technology to stay in touch with family and friends.

Jess Allan, Community Development Manager at BVT, said: “While thousands of people in Birmingham use digital technology every day,

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nearly 18% have still never been online, including some BVT residents.

“This means they’re missing out on all the benefits, from saving money and staying connected to their community to simply having fun.”

Janet Graham, who has attended a workshop, said: “Last year I could do nothing on the computer. I was even afraid to turn it on “Attending the digital drop-in sessions and workshops has opened the door of new opportunities for me.”

For details of the workshops on offer, and how to book, turn to page 4.

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SPRING 2017

Social media catch up

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Hello and welcome to the spring issue of inView magazine, your fourtimes-a-year newsletter from BVT. Spring is a time of re-birth, renewal and rejuvenation and therefore an apt time to introduce you to a whole set of new ways to get involved with BVT. There are now three distinct ways to work with us, influence the decisions that matter to you and help shape the services you receive from us.

The changes have been made as a direct result of feedback from our resident-led Scrutiny Panel so we hope you like them and that they inspire you to volunteer.

You can read more about this on pages 6 and 7 in our special ‘getting involved’ double page spread.

In other news, in the last issue of the magazine we introduced you to our ‘Getting to Know You’ campaign.

The aim of this campaign is to update

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and collect key information, including contact details, about you and your household to help improve the services we provide to you.

We understand that some of you may have concerns about providing this information and we hope that the Q&A article on page 3 helps to reassure you.

Lastly, we love bringing you real life stories from residents and Lily Purton’s is no exception.

Lily was evacuated as a child and dreamt of going back to the place she temporarily called home.

Find out how her dream came true on page 9.

Lastly, if you enjoy reading this newsletter, or keeping up to date with our news on social media, why not join our Communications Forum. For details, please email me.

If you have any feedback on this issue, or a story to share, do get in touch. My email address is clairemorrall@bvt.org. uk or call 0300 333 6540.

Did you know?

Four fun facts about where you live.

Award winning actress, and star of Rouge One, Felicity Jones grew up in Bournville.

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In Telford, front woman of 80’s band T’Pau Carol Decker used to live and go to school in Wellington.

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Bournville’s annual Village Festival has been running for 115 years this year – that’s a lot of spins round the maypole.

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Telford was named after civil engineer Thomas Telford, who engineered many of Shropshire’s roads and rail projects.

ot liked us on Facebook yet or don’t follow us on Twitter? Here is what you’ve missed on social media recently.

For regular social media news and updates from us, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/Bournville.Village.Trust/ and follow us on Twitter @BVTNews

Our museum Selly Manor is one of the nine surprising places you can get married in Birmingham Find out where the others are here www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/ whats-on-news/quirky-wedding-venuesin-birmingham--11093210

Look at those gardens! Pictured in 1910 this photo from our archives shows gardens between Elm Road, Willow Road and Raddlebarn Road.

It was taken by Kew Gardens to demonstrate Bournville’s extensive gardens, which were uncommon in other areas at the time.

For more archive images of Bournville, give our Museum Selly Manor www.facebook. com/sellymanormuseum/?hc_ ref=SEARCH a like and follow!

Looking to gain new skills and get a recognised qualification?

Courses are available exclusively for people aged 19 and over and in receipt of state benefits at Birmingham Metropolitan College.

They range from business admin and health and social care to plastering and carpentry.

To see the full range of courses and apply, visit www.bmet.ac.uk/jobseekers

Brrrrr, it’s cold and frosty today and winter weather can be seriously bad for our health too.

According to the NHS, being cold can aggravate existing conditions and raise the risk of increased blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. However, there are lots of things you can do to stay well this winter. For further advice, visit nhs.uk/staywell

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News in brief Updating your details Iconic with us - why it matters Christmas tree is an energy saver The new crowd-funded lights on Bournville’s iconic Christmas tree have proven to be an energy saving success.

Readings have shown they used just 400 units of energy compared to the 4,000 it took to power the old bulbs.

A crowdfunding campaign was launched last year to replace the old lights.

New advice tool for anti-social behaviour concerns

Updating your details takes just a few minutes on the BVT website

This year, we are launching a campaign to get to know you, our residents, a little better.

We think that the better we know you and your family, the better we can make our services for you.

Called ‘Getting to Know You’, the campaign will involve asking you to update some basic details about you and your household.

To help you understand more about it, we’ve answered some of the questions you may have.

What kind of information are you updating?

We’ll be asking for your contact details, communication preferences and household and demographic information. It’s similar to the information the Office of National Statistics collect for the census.

How will it be used?

Your contact details and communication preferences will be used to make sure we can contact you when we need to and in the way you’d like. Your household and demographic information will be reported anonymised and is used to tell us how each group’s experiences compare.

It will also help us to tailor services to meet the needs of your community. For example, in areas where there are lots of young families we’ll be able to help provide family-friendly services.

Why do you need to know my religion and sexual orientation? Surely it’s not important for providing services?

Data about a person’s religious belief and sexual orientation, as with disability

and ethnicity, is always reported anonymised and is used to tell us how each group’s experiences compare.

We can look at customer satisfaction among each different group and identify any trends in dissatisfaction.

This helps us target training for staff should we fall short in any area and if we find gaps in services we can develop new ones. All questions are voluntary, so if you don’t want to give us this information, you don’t have to. All we ask is that you tick the ‘prefer not to say’ box.

How can I update my details and will it take me a long time?

It shouldn’t take long at all. You can update your details on our website at bvt.org.uk/your-bvt/updating-yourdetails/ If you need help filling in the form, visit one of our offices or call us on 0300 333 6540.

Are my details safe with you?

Absolutely. Your information is kept on our secure housing management system and will never be shared with anyone outside BVT. Your household and demographic information will be viewed by a small number of BVT officers and will only be used to make sure the services we provide don’t discrimate against anyone and that you’re being properly catered for.

What happens if I update my details and they change again?

Let us know, you can do this on the BVT website, visit one of our offices or call us.

A new tool offering advice to residents affected by anti-social behaviour is to be launched soon.

The tool will be available to use on the BVT website - bvt.org.uk/your-bvt/report-asb/ - from May.

New gas supply will bring warmth to homes Work to install a new gas supply to homes in Selly Oak has been completed.

Six homes in Summerfield Drive will benefit from the work, which will allow BVT to fit energy efficient boilers to the properties.

The work was possible thanks to an Affordable Warmth grant in conjunction with the National Grid.

Welcome meetings for new Lawley and Lightmoor residents Welcome meetings for new residents living in Lawley or Lightmoor Village have been launched.

Residents can meet the Stewardship and New Communities team and learn all about long-term stewardship.

The first meeting took place in March. For dates of future meetings, visit lightmoorvillage.org.uk or bvtlawleyvillage.org.uk

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SPRING 2017

Benefit cap – what to do if you’re affected T

he Benefit Cap, introduced by the Government, limits the amount that a household can get in certain benefits.

It only applies to people of working age, and not pensioners who are exempt.

To help you to understand more about the Cap, and what you can do if you’re affected, we’ve put together this helpful Q&A.

may be able to help with a cash payment or other assistance • Talk to family and friends to see if they can help you to cover the cost of the reduction, these payments don’t affect your benefits.

What exactly is the Benefit Cap? The Cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit that your household can claim.

When benefits are calculated, Housing Benefit, or Universal Credit, is reduced so the total you’re paid doesn’t go above the limit of £20,000 a year.

just 50p towards their rent, meaning they have to make up the shortfall.

How is it affecting BVT residents?

There are 44 residents affected by the Benefit Cap in Birmingham and 10 in Telford.

One affected family who were receiving £95.55 per week in Housing Benefit now get

My benefits have been capped, what can I do now?

Citizens Advice suggest a number of options if you’re affected, which include: • Apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment from your Council. If successful, it

may help to pay your rent in the short term or cover a deposit to move to cheaper accommodation • Speak to your council’s children’s services department if you have a disabled child, who doesn’t qualify for Disability Living Allowance, or a child whose health could be damaged by the cut in benefit. They

Is there any way I can avoid the Cap altogether?

Yes, the Cap won’t apply if you work enough hours to claim Working Tax Credit, even if you don’t get it because your income is too high. If you, or your partner, can get into work or increase your hours this could help.

It’s also important to make sure that there isn’t anyone in your household who is entitled to one of the benefits that mean the Cap won’t apply to you.

If you’re experiencing financial hardship, or need advice on benefits, call us on 0300 333 6540 (Birmingham) or 01952 293 777 (Telford) and ask to speak to a Welfare Reform Officer or the Income Recovery team.

Sign up now to free digital workshops Following on from the success of our Digi Fayre event last year, we’re running free digital workshops to help you to improve your digital skills.

There are a few places left on the workshops listed below.

To book your place on any of the workshops, call our Community team on 0300 333 6540 or email communityadmin@ bvt.org.uk If you live in Telford, the Oak Tree Centre in Lightmoor Village has regular digital drop-ins.

For details, visit oaktreecentre.org.uk

Emails and keeping in touch

Learn what emails are and how to start sending and receiving them. Find out how to use WhatsApp to send text and photo messages, and Skype and FaceTime to make video calls.

13th April: 10am-12pm at Bournville Hub, 27 Sycamore Road, B30 2AA

17th May: 10am-12pm at Shenley Court Hall, 200 Green Meadow Road, B29 4ED 18th May: 10am-12pm at Bournville Hub, 27 Sycamore Road, B30 2AA

Hobbies and interests workshops Residents getting advice at BVT’s Digi Fayre event last year

Making your life easier workshops

Find out how to go online to make appointments, shop for goods or services, pay bills and keep track of your money. You’ll learn about how to do all of these things while keeping your details safe and secure.

10th May: 10am-12pm at Shenley Court Hall, 200 Green Meadow Road, B29 4ED 11th May: 10am-12pm at Bournville Hub, 27 Sycamore Road, B30 2AA

This workshop is planned around your requirements, so please let us know when you book your place what your hobbies or interests are and we’ll try to accommodate them.

15th June: 10am-12pm at Bournville Hub, 27 Sycamore Road, B30 2AA If you need extra support with digital skills, come along to our digital drop-in sessions every Tuesday (excluding school-holidays) at Shenley Court Hall from 10am-12pm.

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Meet the team…

1: Who are you and what do you do?

We are the Housing Management team in Birmingham and it’s our job to ensure residents maintain their tenancies. We help to do this by visiting new tenants to make sure they’ve settled into their new home. We also monitor existing tenancies to make sure that there are no breaches to the tenancy agreement. In some circumstances, we serve a Notice Seeking Possession to residents who have breached their agreement. For example, they may have repeatedly refused access for a gas service or be neglecting their home.

Members of the Housing Management team

meet the terms and conditions of your tenancy agreement.

4: When I call you what can I expect?

When you call us you’ll speak to our Customer Service team, who should be able to advise you in the first instance. If you have a more detailed enquiry, it will be referred to us and we’ll contact you to discuss your concerns and arrange a home visit if needed.

2: How many people are in your team?

There are six in the team, Gillian Figures, Karen Perrin, Tracey Whitehouse, Joanne Fellows, Julie Brown and Penny Gorajczyk. We are all Housing Officers and have responsibility for a different area of Birmingham.

5: What do your team enjoy most?

We pride ourselves on delivering an efficient and effective service. We’re also currently piloting the use of tablets during home visits so we can access tenancy information there and then rather than waiting until we get back to the office. It’s always encouraging when we can see residents taking pride in the area they live in.

3: How can you help me?

We can give you advice on maintaining your home and garden to

6: How can I contact you?

You can call us on 0300 333 6540 or email enquiries@bvt.org.uk

Date set for BWHS’s annual general meeting Residents of Bournville Works Housing Society (BWHS) are being invited to their annual general meeting.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 15th June and further details will be sent direct to all BWHS residents nearer the time.

With the AGM just round the corner, we thought we’d look back on the year gone by

BWHS resident Beatrice Morris who celebrated her 100th birthday last year

and share some of the highlights.

Last year saw the Society welcome seven new residents and host lots of activities for BWHS residents.

On behalf of the Social Panel resident Gary Cutler organised two events, a coach trip to Bath and a Christmas lunch. Volunteers are still needed for the Panel and you can

contact Helena Murphy, BWHS Secretary, on 0121 745 2003 to find out more.

BWHS residents were also invited to attend BVT’s Digi Fayre, Christmas events and Selly Manor Museum (pictured), where you’re eligible for free entry to the Museum (you can read more about this on page 11).

Last year also saw a special birthday for BWHS resident Beatrice Morris. Beatrice, a great-grandmother-of-six, celebrated her centenary with a party with family and friends.

In current news, BVT is also refreshing the ways that you can get involved and is encouraging BWHS tenants at both a strategic level and at an ‘interest level’. For more details on this, turn to pages 6 and 7.

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Getting involved Why we got involved – your stories ‘You can make sure decisions are in the interests of your community.’

Jack Dixon

Gwenda Cope got involved with BVT when she retired from a career in social housing.

“What I like most about BVT - its community feel and mix of people from all walks of life - needs community involvement to keep it going so after I retired, I contacted BVT and asked how I could help.

Since joining the Scrutiny Panel, I appreciate the complexity of BVT compared to other associations.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet

other people from a variety of backgrounds who have different views to myself.

I believe it benefits residents for BVT to be run as effectively and efficiently as possible. As an involved resident, you can play a valuable role in ensuring that key decisions are made in the best interests of those people who live on the estate.

If you’re keen to develop a wider understanding of BVT, are prepared to ask questions and contribute your own experience, I’d recommend getting in touch.

We’re particularly looking for tenants and women to join our Birmingham Scrutiny Panel.”

Gwenda Cope

‘It’s a great way to learn new skills and increase your confidence’ Jack Dixon was just 14 years old when he first got involved with BVT. “It all started when I joined a youth group. As I got older, I wanted to get involved with BVT’s Community team and was introduced to the Scrutiny Panel.

Being a member of the Panel is really enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed visiting another

housing association to find out what they do.

I’ve learnt about collaborative working and met people from different backgrounds. I’ve also developed report writing skills and presented formally to Trustees. It’s been particularly enjoyable finding out about housing, and how national and local politics affect it.

I’d encourage other young people to get involved, it’s a great way to learn new skills, meet people with different opinions, increase your confidence, feel like you can make a difference and give a voice to others.”

I’m convinced, sign me up!

If you’re interested in any of the new ways to get involved that you’ve read about on these pages, we’d really like to hear from you.

• Call our Community team on 0300 333 6540 (Birmingham) or 01952 293 777 (Telford) • Email communityadmin@bvt.org.uk • Send us a message via our Facebook page @Bournville.Village.Trust When you get in touch don’t forget to include details of what you’re interested in, your skills or what skills you’d like to develop.

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d special feature BVT staff member talking to visitors at the Bournville Festival about ways they can get involved

We need you! Get involved and make a difference We want to give you genuine opportunities to influence the decisions that matter to you. To do this, we’re launching three brand new and innovative ways to get involved.

Sound interesting? Here’s how you can get involved during 2017 and beyond.

Strategic Tenant Services Group What’s this?

Open to tenants in Birmingham and Telford, this group gets directly involved in the big decisions that affect services for tenants.

For example, you’ll look closely at policies, keep a watchful eye on the standard of services and even look at budgets.

To join this group, you’ll need specific skills and a keen interest in the ‘bigger picture’ as you’ll be a voice for all tenants not just yourself.

Scrutiny Panels

Village Voices

What’s this?

As a member of a Scrutiny Panel you’ll do in-depth reviews on services and recommend how they can be improved.

For example, a recent review looked at how BVT gets feedback from you and the Panel made a number of recommendations. In fact, one of the reasons we’re introducing these new ways to get involved is as a result of their work.

Scrutiny Panels are open to home owners and tenants for both Birmingham and Telford, and in Birmingham we’re looking for three tenants.

What’s this?

We want as many of you as possible to get involved, but we also understand not everyone has the time to join a formal group. If this sounds like you, why not become a member of Village Voices instead?

You can then choose to: • Pop along to a focus group meeting • Engage with us online • Join in a one-off project event.

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Is it really an emergency repair? Why it’s important to think twice

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very year, we carry out hundreds of repairs to residents’ homes in Birmingham and Telford.

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in people reporting repairs as an emergency only to find that they aren’t when we arrive. But why does it matter?

Mark Hughes, Head of our repairs service – Bournville PropertyCare Services (BPS) –, explains.

“An emergency repair is when there is danger to life or limb, so we attend as quickly as we can,” said Mark.

“When it’s not a genuine emergency,

it means we’ve had to divert an operative from another repair or call one out-of-hours.

“This not only impacts other residents, but costs us more. It could also mean an operative is delayed in attending a real emergency because they’re busy at one that isn’t.”

So what is and isn’t a genuine emergency?

Non-genuine examples include: A minor leak on a sink waste pipe, leaking gutters, no heating during the summer months - in short anything that can wait till the next working day.

Thinking about making a change to your home?

If you have home improvements planned for the year ahead, don’t forget to pick up a copy of our Design Guide first.

In place to help protect the unique character of the communities we manage, our Design Guides include information on everything from building an extension to fitting CCTV. They also include guidance on: • L oft conversions •G arages •W indows, doors and conservatories • L andscaping and trees •T V aerials and satellite dishes • And much more…

If you’re planning on making an alteration to your home, which will affect its external appearance, please contact us first.

Even if planning consent isn’t required

from the Local Planning Authority, you may still need our permission to carry out any works.

To view copies of our Design Guides for Bournville, Lawley or Lightmoor, please visit our website bvt.org.uk/ publications You can also request one of our Guides at our offices in Birmingham and Telford.

A BVT operative carrying out a repair

Genuine examples include: A gas leak, total loss of power, uncontainable water leak, a front door damaged so badly it can’t be made secure, heating and hot water failure during the winter (October to April) in short anything that poses an immediate risk to life or is likely to cause major damage to your home.

If you’re in any doubt about a repair and what category it falls into, please contact our Customer Services team on 0300 333 6540.

You can also visit our website bvt.org.uk/yourbvt/report-a-repair-now/ for further information.

Over 300 people register for Homes Direct Over 300 people have now registered to use Homes Direct – a year since we started using the service in Birmingham to let our homes.

Launched last April, Homes Direct enables prospective tenants to bid for a BVT home online when one becomes available.

Since moving to the service, which was already being used in Telford, we’ve advertised 52 homes in Birmingham through Homes Direct, with over 85 per cent being accepted by the first applicant.

This is much higher than the traditional

waiting list, where the same acceptance rate was less than 60 per cent.

Elaine Blackburn, Head of Customer Services, said: “Feedback from those using Homes Direct is that logging on just once a week, when the new advert cycle starts, is much easier than ringing us several times.”

For more information on registering with Homes Direct, visit our website bvt. org.uk/our-homes/applying-for-housing/ Please note that Homes Direct is not applicable to Bournville Works Housing Society, and other managed societies, homes.

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Bowling club and café recognised with Garden Awards

Lily Purton (centre) on her visit to Woodchester.

Writing group helps fulfil lifetime ambition

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pensioner who dreamt of revisiting the home she was evacuated to during WW2 has had the ambition realised thanks to a writing group.

Lily Purton, who lives in Lightmoor Village, was evacuated from Birmingham to Gloucestershire village Woodchester shortly after the outbreak of WW2.

Lily had dreamt of returning to her former home and had started to write about her experience as a child evacuee in The Scribblers writing group.

Unbeknown to her, founder of the group, Colin Ayling, had contacted the vicar of Woodchester which eventually led to 90-year-old Lily revisiting her former home and meeting the daughters of the couple who had taken her in.

Lily, said: “I was so thrilled at the prospect of finally going back after 75 years. The most poignant part of my pilgrimage was when I stood at the graveside of those two wonderful people who had taken me into their home and cared for me.”

Gardeners Vincent Griffith (L) and Nigel Wood (R) who will be opening their garden for NGS.

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Colin, said: “The Scribblers Group has been therapeutic for some members and Lily’s story is very emotional.

Helping her to reconnect with what is almost long-lost family was really poignant.”

The Scribblers Group, based at Bournville House, meet every two weeks and share memories and write stories based on their members’ experiences of different topics.

Colin, said: “We don’t expect members to be Shakespeare and it doesn’t matter if you can’t spell or use proper grammar.

“Many a time we’ll just sit down and it’ll turn out to be a discussion on a topic and we’ll share our memories.

Some of the things that have come out have been very powerful and some very funny too.”

If you’re interested in joining The Scribblers writing group, please contact Colin Ayling by emailing ayling.colin46@gmail.com Colin would also welcome submissions from BVT residents in Birmingham, please contact him directly for more information.

A bowling club and café in Bournville have both been presented with BVT Garden Awards.

Weoley Hill Bowling Club was recognised for its coiffed green and immaculate hanging baskets, whilst cafe Leverton and Halls scooped an award for its ‘secret garden’.

Other recent winners include: Pauline and David Waldron, Anne Prior, Tony Walpole and Elsie Wheeler, Carl Rooke, Anna De Ville and Chris Elsom, Pat Finney, Jackie and Glen Twigg, Jean and Richard Philips and Roy Stove.

Judged across six different categories, the BVT Garden Award is presented to residents in Birmingham and Telford, and organisations, who go above and beyond to look after their gardens.

If your school, community centre, business or garden deserves credit, we would love to hear from you.

Please call Theresa Gordon in the Community team on 0300 333 6540 or email theresagordon@bvt.org.uk You can also visit our website bvt.org.uk/ourcommunities/garden-award/ for further information on the award categories.

Members of the Weoley Hill Bowling Club with their award

Gardens to open to the public for second year running Some of Bournville’s finest gardens are to be showcased to the public for the second year running to help raise money for charity.

Seven gardens will open on Sunday 9th July as part of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS).

Visitors will be able to tour gardens on Green Meadow Road, Hawthorne Road, Hay Green Lane, Knighton Road, Sycamore Road and Witherford Way Our very own Selly Manor Museum will also be opening its garden as part of the event, which runs from 11am-6pm.

Combined admission is £6 for adults and free for children. Home-made teas will be available at various locations.

Gardens can be visited in any order and a free garden guide will be available on the day at all locations.

If your party has someone using a wheelchair/ pushchair then you are advised to check the NGS website for details of available access at each garden.

Last year, Bournville’s event raised just over £5,000 for NGS’s chosen nursing charities and almost £500 for Birmingham St. Mary’s Hospice.

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Share your views to win £30’s worth of vouchers To help us to continue to improve this newsletter, we need your feedback. Please fill in the survey below and return it to Bournville Village Trust (BVT), 350 Bournville Lane, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1QY, by Tuesday 30th May 2017. You can also complete the survey online at https://tinyurl.com/inview2017. All fully completed surveys will be placed into a prize draw with one winner chosen at random.

1: On average how long do you spend reading the newsletter? o 2 to 15 minutes o 20 to 30 minutes o 30 to 60 minutes o Until I’ve read it all

5: How often would you like to receive the newsletter? o Not at all o Once a year o Two times a year o Three times a year o Four times a year

2: What type of articles do you enjoy reading in the newsletter? (Tick as many as apply) o Meet the Team o Homes and repairs o Money matters and benefits o Local area and improvements being made o Real life stories from residents o Ways to get involved o News from Selly Manor Museum o You said, We did o Focus on… o What’s on listings o Other {please state:_____________________________}

6: From the list below, please select other ways that you keep up-to-date with news from BVT? (Tick as many as apply) o Facebook o Twitter o YouTube o Website o Noticeboards o Word of mouth o None of the above o Other {Please state:_____________________________} 7: Do you have any other feedback about the newsletter?

Please state below

3: What type of articles would you like to see in the newsletter in the future? (Tick as many as apply) o Maintaining and making changes to your home o Maintaining your garden and gardening o Job and volunteering opportunities o Information on how BVT is performing o Health and wellbeing o Services and groups for young people o Columns written by residents o Other {Please state:_____________________________} 4: The newsletter is issued four times a year, on average how often do you receive it? o Once a year o Two to three times a year o Four times a year

Full name* Address* Tel number* *For prize draw purposes only

8: Would you like to receive the newsletter by email? o Yes o No If yes, please state your email address:

inView 11

SPRING 2017

Down at the Manor: New things to see and do at Selly Manor Museum S

aved from demolition by George Cadbury, Selly Manor Museum has always been a fascinating place to explore but now it’s set to be even better.

Thanks to a £30,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, staff at the Museum have improved the experience for visitors, with exciting new things to see and do.

Visitors can now dress up in beautiful replica Tudor costumes – with sizes for children and adults alike - before delving deeper into the history of objects using a new touch screen information point.

Plus, you can also pick up one of the Museum’s new guide books telling its amazing story.

Nicki Lupton, Education and Interpretation Officer, said: “This special house is packed full of history, and we have helped to bring this to life with the changes we have made. We look forward to welcoming people from Bournville and beyond this year to share in our unique Museum, and the stories it tells.”

BVT residents can enter the Museum for free with proof of address. Please note, there may be a charge for specific events.

To keep up-to-date with what’s on at the Museum, like Selly Manor on Facebook at SellyManor, follow on Twitter @Selly_Manor or Instagram @sellymanor For upcoming events, see the calendar below.

Some of the brand new costumes you can try on at Selly Manor Museum

What’s on – Calendar of Events The latest events happening across Birmingham and Shropshire.

April Tuesday 11th April: Easter egg hunt, Lightmoor Village, Telford. For details, please contact BVT’s Community team on 01952 293 777.

May

Friday 5th May: The Magic of Medieval Music with Ian Pittaway (songs, dance and more), Selly Manor Museum, Maple Road, Bournville, Birmingham.

From 7.30pm. £8 per person, booking essential.

Saturday 13th May: Magical Lands 2 (Museum transformed into a magical kingdom) Selly Manor Museum, Maple Road, Bournville, Birmingham. 10am4.30pm. £6 per person or £20 for family ticket, booking essential.

Wednesday 12th- 19th April: The Great Selly Manor Egg Hunt, Selly Manor Museum, Maple Road, Bournville, Birmingham. 10am5pm (weekdays) and 2pm-5pm (weekends). Adults £4, concessions £3, children £2.50.

Thursday 13th April: Easter egg hunt, Lawley Village, Telford. For details, please contact BVT’s Community team on 01952 293 777.

Abrahams Way and the Forge, Lawley Village, Telford. From 6pm. For more information, please contact the Estates team on 01952 898524.

June

Monday 19th June: St Lazars Church Choir Concert, St Lazars, Bournville, Birmingham.

Times and programme will be announced at www.lazarica.co.uk nearer the time.

Thursday 8th June: Heritage Talk - The Friends Ambulance Unit, Selly Manor Museum, Maple Road, Bournville, Birmingham. From 7pm. £5 per person, booking essential.

Thursday 25th May: Estate Date (BVT’s Estates team invite residents to join them to discuss any issues they may have), starting at

*Please note that BVT do not endorse any events, services or activities provided by third parties and published in this newsletter. Please contact venues/organisations direct for details* For the latest events and activities for where you live, visit our Facebook page.

12 inView

SPRING 2017

QUIZ

To be in with the chance of winning a £20 Love to Shop voucher, which can be redeemed at over 130 leading stores, complete the Quiz and return your answers, with your full name and address, to: Bournville Village Trust, C/O Claire Morrall, 350 Bournville Lane, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1QY or email InView@bvt.org.uk –with subject header ‘Quiz’ by Tuesday 30th May 2017.

1: Bara brith, parkin and rum baba are all types of what?

2: ‘White teeth’ and ‘Swing time’ are books by which novelist?

3: In which Scandinavian city would you find the ‘Little Mermaid’?

4: Whose album titles include: ‘Sing when you’re winning’ and ‘Life thru a lens’ 5: Whose assassination in Sarajevo is widely regarded to have led to the start of World War One? 6: What is the collective name for bears?

7: Which football team plays at the St Mary’s Stadium?

8: Which film recently won the ‘Best Film’ award at this year’s BAFTA’s?

9: What is the name of the fictional amateur detective played by Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote?

10: You’ll find the answer to the next question in this newsletter…How many people have registered to use the Homes Direct service?

Name Address Email Tel

Wordsearch To be in with the chance of winning a £20 Love to Shop voucher, which can be redeemed at over 130 leading stores, complete the wordsearch and return, with your full name and address, to: Bournville Village Trust, C/O Claire Morrall, 350 Bournville Lane, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1QY by Tuesday 30th May 2017. All correct entries will be placed into a prize draw with one winner chosen at random.

1: Spring 2: Daffodils 3: Bloom 4: Bunny 5: Butterfly 6: Chick

7: Hatch 8: Nest 9: Showers 10: Sunshine 11: Tulip 12: Bulbs

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If you require the information in this newsletter in a different language, large print or braille, please call 0300 333 6540 or email enquiries@bvt.org.uk 350 Bournville Lane, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1QY Cherry Tree House, 1 Lightmoor Way, Lightmoor Village, Telford, TF4 3TX