2009 - 2010

The Lunar Walkers

This Year’s Highlights

1. “Our Community, Our History” Heritage Lottery Project
The big news this year is that our bid was successful! The funding is for the period July 2009 to Dec 2011 and has enabled us to appoint a Project Officer, Chris Sutton, who started on this work in October, as well as a Technical Support Officer, William McCabe from January 2010.

The project is about capturing the more recent history of Balsall Heath, since 1945, which has been a time of huge change in our neighbourhood. It will involve a lot of oral history interviews, exhibitions and displays, work with schools, and gathering photos & documentary material. We are aiming to make information and images as accessible as possible and will be putting a lot of it on a specially designed website, following the model of Digital Handsworth. There will alao be a particular focus on two themes: Carnival & Food. Much progress has already been made and several exhibitions of Carnival photos have taken place.

2. Our Victorian School room
in the old Clifton School has been restored to its original late 19th century style. Our school sessions feature the teacher instructing the children in a variety of Victorian schoolday activities ranging from times tables to practising writing with dip-pens. We were proud to welcome Carl Chinn and a BBC crew in December who filmed a class in action as part of a television programme about pen making in Birmingham.

We also have available: · Victorian Resource boxes: artefacts for school use based around the topics of ‘Victorian Life’ and ‘Victorian Schooldays’. · World War Two Resource boxes containing artefacts, documents and worksheets.

3. Tales Out Of School
Many society members were involved in the production of this fascinating book of school memories from 120 different people connected to Balsall Heath in some way. These memories span a century but also have a wide geographical range as the neighbourhood is now home to many people who have moved here from abroad. The book was launched on October 25th at the old Clifton School building with Patrick Baird as guest speaker, followed by mini launches at other venues too, including Balsall Heath Library.

4. Events & Publicity
This has been a very busy year. In May we ran an interesting History Day for older people in partnership with OPNOCS ( Older People’ New Opportunities Consortium) at All Saints Church hall, Kings Heath. Then in June we ran a stall at the Local History Fair at the Radisson Hotel. Meanwhile we have expanded our existing website to include new features and have achieved considerable press coverage, both in The Heathan and elsewhere, as well as featuring in Carl Chinn’s radio shows.

5. Theatre groups
A)” Sweet Freedom” Following the success of our play about the Abolition of Slavery, a small group took a short version for older people to Mapledene Residential home; St Luke’s Lunch Club & the History Day at Kings Heath.

B) The Birmingham History Theatre Group split away from the History Society in 2009 and is now a separate organisation. The big first event for this group was The Lunar Walk in September 2009. This was a remarkable event, planned as a celebration of the Lunar Society and their contribution to the development of Birminham’s canals. About 20 of the group walked in costume the five miles from Bordesley to Soho House, along the canals ( via Chamberlain Square and the Broad St statues) punctuating the event with dramatic interludes and contemporary canal songs.. It was an innovative and successful occasion. Meanwhile the group has worked hard to devise a play about the Lunar Society, “Eclipsed” which is planned for production in May, 2010

6. Family History
The Society had access to the Ancestry web resource until September, 2009 and held family History Sessions led by Chris Sutton, our Development Worker. Then sessions continued at Balsall Heath Library until Jan 2010 but have now stopped due to pressure of other commitments. Meanwhile the Society has as an excellent collection of photographs, books, maps, and local information which are still available for the general public.

7. Balsall Heath Carnival
in July 2009 was as exciting as ever. Our walking entry in the procession featured a group of Victorian Archaeologists to fit the Carnival theme of Jurassic Balsall Heath. We won third prize. The Society also ran a good stall at the Carnival fair and raised some useful funds .

8. Meetings and trips
The Society has enjoyed a full programme of interesting speaker meetings including the following topics:
Lunartick Astronomy ( Andrew Loundes); Key Hill Cemetery (Dick Empson) ; Charles Dickens and the Great Jennens Case (Laurence Ince); The History Of Kings Heath pubs (Andy Bishop); Chamberlain Vs Mosley: The Ladywood Election Battle (Chris Sutton) ; The History of Balsall Heath (Val Hart); The History of Civil Registration and Register "Funnies" (John Yates); There's more to a needle than meets the eye (Jo-Ann Gloger)

We have also held various members’evenings of a social nature and enjoyed a “Semi-Precious Facts” trail led by Peter Salway around the Jewellery Quarter. Another highlight this year was a visit to the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum. Thanks to West Bromwich Building Society who part funded this trip. Meetings are held on the last Thursday of every month at 7.00 for 7.30 at St. Paul’s Venture, Malvern St, off Clifton Rd, Balsall Heath. All are welcome to come along. For details please phone 464 1890 or 1888.

9. Our Website has expanded to include up-to-date news of all our events, activities, features and publications and is attracting a lot of attention. It can be found at: www.balsallheathhistory.co.uk

Partnerships. Many thanks go to those who work in partnership with us. · St. Paul’s Community Development Trust– who provide a base for our local history worker and much support. · O.P.N.O.C.S. (Older People’s New Opportunities Consortium) – with whom we share events of all kinds. · Balsall Heath Library · Birmingham Archives & Heritage, who have given us valuable support over many years.

Committee Members. 2009-20010 President: Richard Albutt (elected November 2005). Chair: Albert Johnson. Treasurer: Pat Johnson. Programme Secretary: Bronwen Salway. Committee Secretary: Val Hart. Committee Members: Diane Stead. Margaret Pendry John Flattery Peter Salway Balsall Heath Local History Society, St Paul’s Community Development Trust, Hertford St, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 8NJ, Tel. 0121 464 1888/1890. Charity Registration Number: 1101945

Publications. Obtainable from the Society. Please phone 464 1890 or 1888. Balsall Heath, A History by Valerie Hart. The development of Balsall Heath from the farmland and heath of the eighteenth century to the crowded suburb of the 1930s and 1940s. Price: £7.99 The Flicks. Memories of the old days at the cinema in Balsall Heath, recaptured through contemporary accounts and people’s memories. Price: £1.00 Brown Paper and Goose Grease. A Dictionary of Traditional Remedies chiefly collected from memories. Price: £1.00 The Moseley Road Trail The Development of the Moseley Road from the 1740s. Price: 20p. The Moseley Road Baths A quick dip into the delights of this historic pool. Price: 20p Balsall Heath and Highgate Past and Present. Edited by Val Hart and Alan Hemming. Fascinating photographs of the area arranged under topics, from long ago as well as some of our more recent pictures. Price: £10.00. Tales Out Of School Edited by Val Hart Memories of Schooldays from Balsall Heath & beyond, spanning a century and five continents. A story of what school really felt like for120 different people. Price: £10