News
News from Balsall Heath and Balsall Heathans.
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Bringing Balsall Heath’s History to Life in Changing Times
This September, experience Balsall Heath in Birmingham Heritage Week through a multi-venue touring FREE exhibition, ‘In Changing Times‘ by Balsall Heath Local History Society. Featuring the photographic archive of Mick Turner, community oral histories, poetry, art, and history trails exploring Balsall Heath through the eyes of those who live it. Balsall Heath’s story is one…
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Changing Times in Balsall Heath: A Conversation with Zhor Malik
From the streets of 1960s Balsall Heath to decades of dedicated community service, Zhor Malik’s story is woven into the history of Calthorpe Park and Balsall Heath. A former Royal Mail union representative, long-time community advocate, and former local councillor, Zhor sat down with Marcus and Val for Changing Times to look back at Balsall…
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Wildlife Trusts seek Youth Leadership
The Environmental Leadership Programme (ELP2), a free nine months course for ages 18-25, opens for applications: Its to build leadership skills, create local nature projects, and explore green careers. Wildlife Trusts particularly encourage applications from people in the Balsall Heath area: Run by The Wildlife Trusts and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, it helps young people build…
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Summer Fun in Nature!
Join summer family fun activity session at the Belle Walk green space 25th August 10:45am. Birmingham Open Spaces Forum (BOSF) is a volunteer-led network that has been connecting and supporting the people who care for our city’s open spaces since 2005, whether that open space be a park, a community garden, an allotment site or…
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Road Safety Emergency Continues
1 August 2026 marks the second anniversary of the declaration of Birmingham’s Road Safety Emergency. Better Streets for Birmingham will mark this anniversary and ask the new councillors who represent us to increase their efforts to reduce road harm on Friday 4th September at 5pm outside the Council House. Contact Better Streets to join this…
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Celebrating Balsall Heath – Festival faces, figures and fun
Sadly the Festival is over for 2026, but the good news is we are already making plans for 2027, the fiftieth anniversary of Balsall Heath Carnival! We had over 1600 participating in over 20 events and 40 workshops over the 10 days of Festival. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of what’s been happening (there’s…
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My Faith Reflection – visit to Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara
The Faith Trail as part of Balsall Heath Community Festival has been a great way to celebrate our diverse community. It has been for me an invitation to visit the many different faiths I knew little about, like Sikhism. There was early migration during that time from India. As a Muslim interfaith is important to…
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A Visit to Moseley Road Baths – Joe’s update #2
Joe Holyoak has written an update for us from the Baths and also has been leading tours of the Baths as part of Balsall Heath Community Festival #BHCFest – Initially tours were offered to neighbours, stakeholders and local charitable friends. For our our festival we had limited free bookings for members of the public, which…
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The Sights and Sounds of Reaside Forest Garden
A community grows when you give it a little space, some shade, and some love. July 8th, Reaside Forest Garden, one of many Fruit and Nut Villages in Balsall Heath, welcomed visitors to the site. With the summer sun beaming down, we spent a very pleasant morning gathered under the cool, welcoming shade of the…
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Faith in the Future in Balsall Heath
With over 60 different Faith Centres across Balsall Heath, and many more either demolished or changed purpose, there are lots of places to visit. For Balsall Heath Community Festival Faith Trail, #BHCFest26, we were welcomed into Al Abbas Islamic Centre, Balsall Heath Church Centre, Birmingham Buddhist Centre, Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara Ss John and Martin…
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First Weekend of #BHCFest26 – so much more to come!
After such a fantastic weekend, the next three days promise to be equally wonderful as Balsall Heath Community Festival brings together so many more people to celebrate Balsall Heath! A quick summary, flyers below, offering joy and fun in gardens, exhibitions and in our fabulous Faith Centres across Balsall Heath from 6th to 8th July!…
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Join the East West Retrofit BH Walking Procession!
Celebrate the creativity, diversity and community spirit of Balsall Heath with a joyful walking procession from Balsall Heath Park to Calthorpe Park on Sunday 5 July as part of Balsall Heath Community Festival. Expect colourful banners, Brumbeats drummers, pop-up street theatre, family activities and plenty of carnival atmosphere as we walk together across the neighbourhood, celebrating local pride, greener homes,…
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Memories of Balsall Heath with Liz Berry
Sorry Hot weather means we’ve had to POSTPONE new date to be announced soon -an intimate event dedicated to the living history, stories and memories of Balsall Heath. A Live Reading & Interview with Poet Liz Berry We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the award-winning West Midlands poet Liz Berry for a live reading of…
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Anawim Turns 40 as the Balsall Heath Community Festival Begins!
As we prepare to celebrate Anawim’s 40th anniversary, Believe in Balsall Heath are thrilled to share a dedicated History Panel installed right outside Anawim entrance on Mary Street. Celebrating the rich heritage of Mary Street and George Street, the panel stands as a proud reminder of Balsall Heath’s heritage. Anawim anniversary celebrations on July 3rd…
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Community Invited to Create a Unique Artistic Map of Balsall Heath
As part of this year’s Balsall Heath Festival, the Museum of Islamic Arts & Heritage (MIAH) is inviting local residents to help create a one-of-a-kind illuminated map celebrating the people, places, and stories that make Balsall Heath special. Inspired by the rich artistic traditions of the Ottoman Empire, the collaborative artwork will combine traditional Islamic…