CoCoMAD 2024 Festival Newspaper

Welcomeback!

From tiny acorns the mighty oak of CoCoMAD has grown. What started as a thank you to the local community in 1997, has become the festival of music, art, dance, science, circus, food and celebration we all love. You don’t need a ticket, and can bring the whole family. But CoCoMAD isn’t free, and it’s paid for by donations from you, your neighbours and the businesses that you use. Thank you to the sponsors, from page 12 onwards.

Look out for our volunteers at the festival with donation buckets and card machines. If everyone donates at least £3, the festival is almost paid for.

CoCoMAD is run by Friends of Cotteridge Park (FOCP), a group of dedicated volunteers and registered charity in England and Wales (charity number: 1181644). If you want to know more about FOCP, or join the team,get in touch: info@cotteridgepark.org.uk

Best wishes for a happy CoCoMAD from all the volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who helps make CoCoMAD happen. Not just the volunteers you see on the day - marquee erectors, litter pickers, gate monitors, stewards and lost children nders - also the months of work done by the fundraisers, planners, stall and music programmers. Thanks to the artists and performers, stallholders and food and drink providers who make the day such a pleasure. Thanks to OPUS, a women-led arts and events producing house, who have created CoCoCorner and the performances in CoCoWood. Thanks to Birmingham City Council Parks for all the help and support throughout the year. And thanks to the community of Cotteridge. Without your support, this wonderful festival wouldn’t be possible.

Editorial: Emma Woolf and Kelly Baber, Design: Ang Hui Qing and Kerry Leslie, Illustrations: Edie Woolf, Photos: TheBrumReaper. Print: The Newspaper Club.

The Curly Wurly benches were rst created by the Cotteridge Park volunteers in 2007 in beautiful oak from the Pepper Wood Community woodland.

Nearly 20 years of rain and use made them a bit rickety and ready for a revival.

Thanks to our wonderful volunteer team led by Matt, and some generous funding from

the BUPA Foundation’s Green Community Grants, the benches have been rebuilt with more oak from Pepper Wood.

We hope you enjoy sitting on them whilst admiring the orchard - or watching the Silent Disco dancers at CoCoMAD.

Curly Wurly Benches - we can rebuild them

CoCoCorner-MakingSpaceforGirls12-6pm

Returning again for 2024, inspired by the Make Space for Girls initiative, CoCoCorner will provide a fun and inclusive space to dance the afternoon away.

A brand new centrepiece of CoCoCorner is Take Ten - a performance installation designed to slow us down.

A great place to chill out and

watch the world go by whilst listening to the best female DJ talent the city has to oer.

Join in with some brilliant workshops and performances to get our bodies moving and feeling good.

Join the Cotteridge Park Youth Workers and Stirchley Printworks to create placards for whatever inspires you.

When you go to the bar they willcharge you an extra £2 with your rst drink for a reusable pint “glass” - before you go home bring it back to the bar to claim your £2 back. Or keep it as a souvenir and take it home or bring your townreusable plastic festival pint from home.

Festivalsmakeamess

Please help reduce the environmental impact of CoCoMAD. Help our volunteers by taking all of your rubbish and recycling home. If you don’t have somethingto carry your rubbish in - we haveCotteridge Park tote bags! Get them from the Info stall in the Main Field.

BuyapintforCoCoMAD

As a festival organised by volunteers, we rely on your support so it can go ahead. Please keep an eye out for buckets and chuck a few quid in. We’re around £5000 short of funding for this year, every pound counts. You can also donate by text. Text CoCoMAD plus the amount you’d like to donate to 70085 e.g CoCoMAD 10 to donate£10.

AllAboutSwingAtSarah’sPlace

1pm-5pm, between the willow and the wood

Have you tried SwingFit yet? There will be mini dance classes for partners and those ying solo. A selection of music to suit all tastes whether they want to dance or just sit and listen.

Dance demos and things to watch and participate in.

Why not try a Lindy Hop - a 1930s dance developed in Harlem New York - fast, fun and infectious!

Plus new for 2024! Fantastic choirs including, CBSO So Vocal & Kings Norton Magic Choir performing at The Swing and Sing stage.

Always ones to champion local independent businesses.

We are again bringing an array of stars from our local communities. From street food legends and breweries, to the array of producers available at the stalls in our market, there’s something for everyone.

Our market proudly features some of Birmingham’s best makers, artists and artisans. You’ll nd crafts, clothing, accessories, homewares,

condiments, sweet treats and more.

We recommend turning up hungry, buy a CoCoMAD tote bag to carry your new goodies home in.

Two of Birmingham’s best breweries are on bar duties. You can nd Birmingham Brewery and Attic in the Tennis court. There they will be serving up a selection of drinks, including non-alcoholic cold drinks.

Girl Grind - photo by Hayley Salter

CircusMASH

Runawaywiththecircus!

We are excited to have CircusMASH back at CoCoMAD again! They are always a big hit and we love having them at the festival. They will be providing workshops and performances throughout the day.

Hullabaloo-anewimmersiveoutdoormusical…

A charming, loveable new participatory musical set right in the park. Patsy MASH is setting up for the biggest picnic of the year but her two squabbling children are at each other’s throats again. Not wanting the memories of the past to rear their stormy head, Patsy sets on a motherly missionto bring balance into the lives of everyone around her. What she doesn’t yet know is that

Hullabaloo is goingto start all over again. Comehang out with the ants, trees, droplets and bees this summer, as The House of MASH brings their immersive, sunny storm… summoning you to be part of the show.

Community Groups that are part of Hullabaloo: CircusMASH, SOTE, Class Act Theatrix, Bfourteen, FPS Fitness, Jewels Academy, CDC Dance.

CoCoWood - the festival in the wood - celebrates all things wood. Whether creating with wood, playing in the wood… and this year enjoying performances in the wood.

Join Pathcarvers for spoon carvingandbreathingspace in a busy festival, and our forest school leaders, Tony and Juliet, for dens and other woodland activities.

Plus…space for little imaginations

The Millenium wood will feature interactive storytelling, theatre performances and a brand new children’s opera all about clouds!

Early years music specialists B’Opera bring alive the story of Miss T who is having trouble keeping her ighty ock of uballs in order. Help her and learn about the science of weather.

Or,joinThePlayhousefora retelling of thetraditional tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Drop In and play some instruments! Treble Tots bring musical fun through their famous character ‘Chef Treble Clef’ to guide you on a musical adventure.

Parade

Be sure to get yourselves to the Circus Field for 2.30pm where the CoCoMAD Parade will set on a journey all around the park, led by the fabulous Bostin Brass and performers from Hullabaloo! #Dress2impress #JoinTHEnoise

TheHouseofMASH

A performance company from Birmingham that produces fun, joyously immersive shows with a participatory edge for all occasions. On a mission to bring creative arts and education to underrepresented and unreached communities, and create safe spaces for people to engage with us socially, educationally and professionally.

Their motto - Dream way too big and forget not your purpose… but live every day like your life is a circus!

JUSTFORFUN

“It never rains..........”

This crossword has two sets of clues. The rst set is straightforward but the second set is endishly dicult! The nal answers to both sets of clues are the same so you can use the clues from either set to ll in the grid. Bring in your completed grids to the shed by 14 July with your email on it and we’ll pick a winner from the correct entries.

Across

1. A mound of snow (5)

4. Moving water or air (7)

8. Abbreviation for Heathrow (1.1.1)

9. Downpour (9)

10. Jamaican dancehall music (5)

11. “to the sign” in music (2,5)

13. Someone who studies the weather (13)

16. Danish-French painter, rst name Camille (7)

18. Eastern rice dish (5)

19. Emphasise(9)

21. Sticky brown stu (3)

22. A mist coming o the ocean (3, 4)

23. Indian stringed instrument (5)

Across

1. Dead split meaning (5)

4. Audible raisin present (7)

8. Likes his rhubarb initially at airport (1,1,1)

9. Decapitates problem solving group activity to leave shower (9)

10. Takes cake from urchin for dance (5)

11. Moves ones gal to the sign (2,5)

13 Lt. goes to more mixed up weather scholar (13)

16. Leak or a reversed painter (7)

18. Inside, okapi laughed for rice (5)

19. Score below the railway (9)

21. Greek character died for glam rock band (3)

22. Feaster cooks for mist (3, 4)

23. Agree with Italian sailor for Indian guitar (5)

Down

1. An area of becalmed weather (7)

2. Soaks with water (9)

3. Twister (7)

4. Someone who studies long term weather patterns (13)

5. Fragrant owers (5)

6. Sense of self (3)

7. Speed of music (5)

12. Diving sea bird (9)

14. Birds of prey (7)

15. The sound of lightning (7)

16. It never rains but it ….. (5)

17. Drier (5)

20. US organisation for tackling drug crime (1,1,1)

Down

1. Punjabi rhythm section on the radio in quiet part(7)

2. Annoys, switching G&T, then quenches (9)

3. Ripped bustle causes storm (7)

4. Doctors claim glottis. O long-term weather forecaster. (13)

5. Rebelled with special blooms (5)

6. I say nothing (3)

7. Secretary has zero timing (5)

12. Pingu ill emotionally. Includes another bird (9)

14. Map makers audibly laud ying raptors (7)

15. Roar from within fourth underpass (7)

16. Wait on the air for rains (5)

17. Song queen used for drying clothes (5)

20. Anti-trackers do everything all at the beginning (1,1,1)

BeforeCoCoMADbegins Thefoxseesall.Inthebluemorning, Aswealldreamofthedayahead, Thefoxstalkstheoutlinesofthepark. Hespiesbuntinglikeguidinglights Strungupbetweenthetrees Thatholdthisplacetogether. Hecomesacrossthebarebones Ofastage,amarketstall–grass Withoutthefootprintsofthepeople Crossingoverandover,asone. Hedoesnotthinkofbinstoraid. Heenjoysthisview,thecalmbefore Thejoy,rememberingalltheyears Beforethisone,thechorusesoflaughter Thatemergefromthecrowds.Thesmell Ofgoodfood.Hepicturestheartists Behindtheirmicrophones,seestheparade Comingintoview.Itwasthen Thatthefoxsawthem-theearlybirds. Theonesinhigh-vis,alreadybright Beforethesun.Theoneswhomake Allofthishappen.Thefoxholdsthem Inhispreciouseye,thenheadstobed. Andallthroughouttheday,thesheer Joythatisthesongofhundreds,together Allatonce,inthesun,makesitsway Throughthetrees,andacrossthegrassAnddecoratesthefox’sdreaming.

—MrBlue@zissoui

CoCoMAD Prize crossword #3 Quick

CoCoMAD Prize crossword #3 Cryptic

Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker

Communityplaces

onyourdoorstep

Didyouknowtherearescoresofcommunity placesonyourdoorstepofferingagreat rangeofactivities,aswellasroomstohire?

DameElizabethHall https://dameelizabethhall.org.uk

HubontheGreen www.hubonthegreen.org

ShenleyCourtHall www.bvt.org.uk/our-communities/shenley-court-hall

ShenleyLaneCommunityAssociation&SportsCentre www.slcasc.org

WeoleyHillVillageHall https://weoleyhill.uk/village-hall

WoodlandsParkHall www.bvt.org.uk/our-communities/woodlands-park-hall

Tofndoutmoreaboutwhat’sonoer,visittheHall orCentre’swebsites.