The relaunch event, held during Second Saturday, was a perfect place to bridge between our past and our future. We gathered at the Mix Café inside The Old Print Works, surrounded by archive editions of The Heathan with fab food and refreshments from Change Kitchen.
For those used to modern layout software, the exhibition was a revelation – We showcased how the original zine was painstakingly assembled using typewriters, ‘cow gum’ and a massive amount of patience. While the technology has changed, the mission remains the same: for Balsall Heath and Balsall Heathans.
Catching up at Second Saturday as the Heathan relaunches
Second Saturday sees our return
We spent the day sharing memories, and chatting about what the future of Balsall Heath looks like. We will be at every Second Saturday to meet up, chat and keep grounded in Balsall Heath.
Take a look at our gallery below to see some of the faces we met on the day! Thanks Photographer Richard Albutt
Fixing the dynamo connectorToqueer, green championFinal adjustments to the bike dynamoFlicking through past editions of the Balsall Heathan on displayDuncan Ali, looking for a fairer, greener world at Second SaturdayMarcus with Fahima, artist, sculptor, does henna sometimesRachel Gillies, editor of ‘NeighbourhoodNewsOnline.com’ on hand to see the Heathan relaunchFrancesco, co-founder of PRISM, exhibiting at Second SaturdayIan & Susie on the Mix Room Cafe CouchStep back in time, remembering days playing in the concrete drainage pipesA family of cyclists at Second SaturdayDan checks the wheel pulley thing to convert bike power to electricity
What’s next?
Whether you want to share a story, promote a local project, or just stay updated on what’s happening, we want to hear from you. If you’re interested in journalism, editing or helping in any way please get in contact with us.
Painted by local artist Muhmood Tahir, gifted to Balsall heath, displayed for the first time at our relaunch!
Judith explains ‘Well, I was living in Moseley, you know, rented Housing Association Flat. At the time I couldn’t consider buying a property. I couldn’t afford to anywhere in Moseley, but what was available in those days in the newsagents, was the Heathan, which for 20p I could afford, and I’ve just found the article, [Issue 103 Dec 1987]…Seven Streets Success, which…that was what made me consider Balsall Heath.’
The Moseley Road Friends Institute has stood for 125 years now that legacy is under immediate threat – petition.. Commissioned by Richard Cadbury 1897, built to serve as a hub for education, recreation, and the improvement of life for all Birmingham residents.
Exciting news for Birmingham Commuters as the Kings Norton to New Street lines reopens. This investment in our local infrastructure has been much anticipated but for those of us in Balsall Heath, the news comes with disappointment. Despite being a key feature of the 2015 Neighbourhood Plan – it is a policy in the statutory plan – Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road open without Balsall Heath Station.
Souvenir Postcard celebrating the re-opening of Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple stations
Shock move as Jess Carter returns to Birmingham City assisting Moseley Commuters
A Tale of Two Stations
Camp Hill Station stood at the junction of Moseley Road and Highgate Road. Both Camp Hill station opened in 1840 when the railway was first laid through Balsall Heath. The Camp Hill site is now occupied by Logmoor, and the original stationmaster’s house can still be seen just by the bridge over the road in the picture below.
Camp Hill Station and crossing
View of the station in 1905
Brighton Road station was the second station on the line to Gloucester from Birmingham and was opened in 1875 by the Midland Railway. Its close proximity to the city centre meant it was always vulnerable to competition first from the trams which had a terminus nearby and later the No. 50 bus.
John Bagwell was appointed station master in 1876 and he held this position until the station was placed under the supervision of the Camp Hill station master on 15 July 1907. The station was hit by bombs in 1941, closed and never reopened.
The bridge across Brighton Road was enlarged in 1923 under a scheme to support unemployed workers.Brighton Road station was smashed to pieces by bombing in 1941 and never re-opened.View from the train of what remains of Brighton Road Station on the re-opening of Camp Hill Line 2026
A Bad Joke
We’ve been digging in the archives and have some nineteenth century train humour for you, as well as a 2026 shaggy dog story:
From ‘The Dart’satirical magAug 1891 Shaggy dog story A friend who lived at Mosely owned a highly educated retriever dog. He exercised the dog in this way. It would see its master off by the early morning Moseley train then trot off down the road to Mr Higgins newspaper shop, purchase a Post and deliver it to his master at Camp Hill Station. The dog did this for a month and then died. It caught a severe cold through having to frequently wait for the arrival of his master’s train at Camp Hill.
June 1884 Why is Camp Hilll Station like a good pork pie? Because it never lack for pepper. (The stationmaster who lived on site was called Mr Pepper.)
April 1882 Travelling to Moseley the other evening , the train due in town at 10.18 rushed by. It is called by locals “Adam” because it is the first mail. The second one is called “Cain”
April 2026 A group of drinkers recently left New Street Station after waiting eighty years for the train home. They are now in the Shakespeare Pub, but expect to be back in Balsall Heath soon.
Balsall Heath has always been a neighbourhood with a story to tell, or rather, thousands of them. Balsall Heath is a place of creativity, character and community pride.
That’s why Balsall Heath residents and organisations are teaming up with the Balsall Heath Local History Society and the Museum of Islamic Arts and Heritage (MIAH) to relaunch the iconic community newspaper: The Balsall Heathan online!
Why Now?
For years, The Balsall Heathan served as the heartbeat of the ward, documenting everything from local activism to neighborhood celebrations. We believe there is something powerful about a publication that belongs to the people who live and work here.
A Dream Partnership
At a crucial time when so much is changing in Balsall Heath we need to share what’s happening and hear the voices of residents. Balsall Heath Local History Society and the Museum of Islamic Arts and Heritage are both members of Believe in Balsall Heath – a community arts and heritage initiative created by local organisations to celebrate the people, culture, and history of Balsall Heath. We’re also part of wider networks for wellbeing, health and planning locally – Balsall Heath Alliance is looking to update a deelopment plan which might literally change the map of Balsall Heath.
What to Expect
The revived Balsall Heathan will be a space for:
Local Legends: Spotlighting the shopkeepers, teachers, and neighbours from our past and present making a difference.
Our History: features that explore how our landmarks have changed.
Culture & Arts: Showcasing the incredible talent brewing locally
We’re picking up from ‘Neighbourhood News Online’ left off and bringing back the Heathan.
We’re looking for local stories, features and anyone interested in how you can get involved!
The Project aims to record and preserve memories from people of diverse backgrounds, linking these with the Mick Turner Archive of photographic images. This composite picture will be shown in an Exhibition, touring displays, a published booklet, and a 10 minute film, as well as online on our website, Facebook pages and Youtube.
Please see attached the agenda and poster for the next Balsall Heath West Ward meeting which will be held on Thursday 27th February starting at 7:00pm at Apna Ghar Day Centre.
Please see attached the agenda for the next Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath Ward meeting which will be held on Thursday 12th December starting at 7:00pm at Sparkbrook Health & Community Centre .
Local Rotarians gathered to reflect on half a century of fellowship and fundraising at a recent dinner to celebrate their Club’s 50th anniversary.
Sparkbrook Rotary Club was first formed in 1973 as a Daughter Club of Birmingham Rotary Club and within a few months its numbers quickly grew; the Mermaid Pub on the corner of Warwick Road and Stratford Road becoming the first designated lunchtime meeting place.
By the middle of 1974 the Club was all set to be given its Charter and Ernest Clews became the first President with the Local Vicar, Rev John Benardi, as Vice-President. Today, the small inner-city Rotary Club is the only one remaining in the south of Birmingham.
Over the years the Club’s members have since gone on to raise an estimated £200k and have provided hands-on support many dozens of local charities as well as humanitarian projects worldwide, including Mercy Ships, Aquabox, Shelterbox, Operation Smile, Guatemala Literacy Project, Wheelchair Foundation, Midlands Air Ambulance, The Toy Box Appeal, and the Rotary Foundation’s own charity End Polio Now. In complete contrast, the Club recently sponsored the purchase of a goat for a village in Pakistan!
Ongoing philanthropic efforts have included everything from fundraising and summer fayres; food donations packed and delivered; Christmas parcels project; day trips; sponsorships; exchanges; sporting competitions and organising the District’s ‘Young Electronic Organist Competition.’
Over the last two years the Club has provided significant funding to assist the large number of Ukrainian refugees who have come into the area. Mixed in with the fundraising, members have enjoyed weekends away, visits to stateley homes and attendance at Rotary conferences.
The Club was renamed Moseley and Sparkbrook by the mid 1980’s, to recognise the expanded territory it was serving and, following Rotary International’s decision at the Council on Legislation in 1989, to admit women, the Club’s first female members joined in the following decade.
One of the Club’s founder members, Mike Leech, was elected as Club President in 1984-5, and awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1994 for services to Rotary, together with Tony Phillips from the Club and several members from other Clubs in the District, for organising the International Golfing Fellowship of Rotary. This was an annual event taking place in a different country each year and in 1994 was held in the UK at the Belfry and Forest of Arden Golf Clubs with Rotarians from over 20 countries taking part over five days.
Mike retired from the Club some years ago but was delighted join old friends at the 50thAnniversary Dinner. He said he was proud to have been a member of Moseley and Sparkbrook, he congratulated the Club on its longevity.
Current Club President Laurence Taylor said: “I have a lot of memories of fun and fellowship during my 33 years in Rotary. But around 2012 we were only nine in number, a historical low in membership and seriously wondering whether we could continue functioning. We decided we should leave a lasting legacy and made a donation to the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas which enabled us to affix a plaque on Rotary Ridge, commemorating the 38 years of service by our members.
“Fortunately, in 2015 we were bolstered by the induction of three new members with new ideas, being my wife Gill, Sue Maskell and the late Pam Holt. They were active and committed and we were able to re-energise the Club and continue to deliver our projects.
“Gill even went on to become our first lady President in 2017-18 and has just completed the role a second time. Our two most recent members, Jon and Kim Meadows, are full of energy and enthusiasm, and Kim will be taking over as President next year.”
This year we have committed to helping two local charities, The Jericho Foundation, a social enterprise charity based in Balsall Heath which provides work opportunities and individual support for people who have been marginalised because of disability or are survivors of modern slavery, and Spurgeons, which supports young carers in the family, based in Birmingham.
He went on to say: “It has always been a challenge to raise the funds we need to deliver our annual projects, especially during the last decade of austerity. Thankfully, we have been able to resume Tin Shakes in our local Asda supermarket, a source of funding which came to a sudden end during Covid. The Tin Shakes also provide us with an opportunity to promote the work of our Club and to engage directly with people in our community.
“In addition, we have made connections with generous individuals, companies and charities who have assisted us with donations and sponsorship to supplement our own fundraising activities.”
The Club is run by a small group of loyal volunteers, including Treasurer Ian Barnett Secretary Jon Meadows, Foundation officer Stewart Ross, Vocational Officer Barry Sullivan, Speaker Secretary Sue Maskell and 101-year-old Herbert Leiter who joined Rotary in 2008 at the age of 84. Very quickly he served two consecutive terms as President, and is still active on the front line of the Club’s efforts, even doing a supermarket tin shake last year.
Laurie added: “I also want to pay tribute to all our members, current and past, who have worked with generosity of spirit, dedication and commitment to deliver the principles of Rotary in our local community and beyond for the last 50 years. I have made many good friends and sadly lost more than a few along the way.
“There are two quotes which totally reflect my personal experience of being a Rotarian in a Club whose members have been friendly, respectful and full of community spirit. They were spoken by Paul Harris, the American attorney who founded Rotary in 1905 with three of his business friends.
“Harris said: ‘It has been the way of Rotary to focus thought upon matters in which members are in agreement, rather than upon matters in which they are in disagreement”. He also said‘The foundation of Rotary is friendship, the secret of its expansion is the friendship of the people in Rotary with those in the community, across the nation and around the world.’
“Long may our Club continue.”
Reprising his Club Presidency this year for the fifth time, Laurie, said: “I share that distinction with my good friend Hywel Williams who has served as President five times in his 39 years of membership. Add in my good friend Richard Hyde who has served as President four times in his 35 years of membership, and our late colleague Ted Holt, who served as President four times in 28 years of membership, that means that four Rotarians have been President for 36% of the time the Club has been in existence. That’s one for the statisticians, I think.
Laurie concluded by saying: “It has been great to have the opportunity to reflect on the 50 years of service given by Moseley & Sparkbrook Rotary Club to its local community and the wider world. It is also an opportunity to look forward to many more years of service by its dedicated members.”
