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Archive for the ‘environment’ Category

Introducing a small grants funding open to groups and organisations operating in the Lozells and East Handsworth Ward to support activities related to environmental issues.

This is a grant programme funded through a donation by Apollo Group to Midland Heart and is being overseen by the Lozells and East Handsworth Environment and Housing Forum.

Click below to download the full guidance and application form:

LEHEHF Small Grants Guidance and Application form FINAL

 A total of 14 grants will be awarded of:

 Gold            1 x £1500 award

Silver           3 x £500 awards

Bronze        10 x £200 awards

 Closing date is Wednesday 23^rd May at 6pm

 Please feel free to circulate this to your contacts in the area. For further information please contact me on the contact details in the guidance notes or leave a comment below.

One of the important updates at the Forum’s Community Meeting last Thursday was the urgent news that as result of re-organising how refuse collection teams are set up to a new Ward based system, weekly rubbish collections across the Ward may change from Monday. The time of day collections are made may also be changed, but will be between 6.00am and 3.30pm.

Cllr Zaffar circulated the news to local residents groups via e-mail early last week and attended the Community meeting personally to spread the news. Local residents expressed their concern and outrage as to how swiftly this was happening with little time to let people know, especially as any leaflet put through doors informing of the changes may get lost within the junk mail we receive. More so, the Forum’s concerns include different bin days in a neighbourhood surely does not improve the cleanliness of  where we live as well as the road safety of particularly school children as collection times are widened.

If you have missed the flyer from the Council telling you when your collection day is or just didn’t get it, a hotline has been established by the Council for enquiries from residents. Please call 0121 675 7454 to find out more or report any issues with the new service or visit the website www.birmingham.gov.uk/collections.

If you’d like to share your concerns with Cllr Zaffar himself, he can be contacted

Waseem Zaffar
Councillor for Lozells & East Handsworth Ward

Telephone/Fax: 01215513300
Mobile: 07790 161889
Email: waseem@waseemzaffar.co.uk
Mail: 16 Heathfield Road, Birmingham B19 1HB
Website: www.waseemzaffar.com
Twitter: @WaseemZaffar

I think this is going to be an event not to miss if you care about Lozells and want to have a say in its future.  The conference is being called by Councillor Waseem Zaffar.  He has plans to bring together all the active citizens in Lozells to address situations no longer taken care of by the local authority because of the cuts. His idea is to set up 5 Neighbourhood Forums. Secondly he wants to bring people together to talk about local affairs under 8 headings – Community Safety, Health, Women, Children and Young People, Housing and the Environment, Employment and Business, and Voluntary and Community groups.

The conference is at City College on the Soho Rd : 10.30-2pm. Call Raj Rattu on 07515 531 272 to register or email him at rajinder@neighbourhoodconsultancy.co.uk

If you care about the area where you live and want to have a hand on what is happening there come along to this open event in a couple of weeks. Click on People’s Conference Invitation below for more details and to see how to register.

People’s Conference Invitation

A patch of scrap land transformed into a community organic garden – its almost a fairy tale. Unsuitable for housing,  the land was lying unused and getting messy.  With funds from Be Birmingham and help from CSV Environment, Friends of the Earth, the city regeneration department and Lozells Neighbourhood Management, the area was transformed into a garden with 22 raised beds, seating and composting facilities. Its now been handed over on licence to a residents’ group. The chair is Carol Cadogan. The garden was officially opened on March 26th by Lea Southall of Birmingham’s Parks department and Councillors Mahmood Hussain and Hendrina Quinnen.

[Show as slideshow]

Sarah from CSV plants up the central bed with help from local childrenFreezing cold but warm food helpsApplause for residents' group chair Carol