Home is where the Art is: Playday

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Monday, 10 August 2015

Play on our mean streets

Escalator to the gym

Great to see so many enthusiastic cyclists as you enter Kings Heath. Sadly they are lined up on bike machines looking out of a shop window in a gym, and not so many on the street - lots of people want to ride bikes, walk and run, but apparently would rather do it indoors. The car park behind the gym is full. Why aren't they on our streets, biking, running, walking? Is it because people don't feel safe on our streets, or that it's just not as warm & friendly as in a gym?

Looking after your own

Scootering on Valentine Road

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

Playing out 7th August 2014 - six streets closed, a series of events about 100 people on each street - over 1000 people taking part including more activities on the High street, all coordinated by a few volunteers who wanted to do something for their kids, their local community.

'Playing out' started in Bristol 2009, where one street was closed down and around 50 people came to play. By the next year it was six streets. The year after Bristol Council developed a 'Temporary Street Play Order', and now deals with over 300 requests a year for street closures for a range of residents events.

In Birmingham 'Playing out' started in 2013 with 3 streets. This year was six, and with support from Birmingham City Council street closure fees are waived, and we are well on the way to having our own temporary street closure order for future events.

Laying the turf on Kings Heath High Street

Kings Heath has been undergoing a revolution in 'people power' over the last few years. Kings Heath Square only opened in 2011, and is always not just packed and active, but hosts a range of activities for young and old - music, markets, dance, drama... More recently that interest in community has spread to re-assessing and 'reclaiming' the streets.

Two weeks after 'Playing out' on 7th August, 'DIY Streets Kings Heath' closed parking lots down the High Street, and on the last sunny weekend of the summer holiday York Road, Kings Heath closed to traffic for a festival billed as 'the first festival for families'

Party Time at Kings Heath Festival

It's exciting to see the changes happening, in peoples attitudes, in planning and physically to the spaces around us. Never before have I felt how much we can make a difference for the better to the people and places immediately around us.

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Monday, 19 May 2014

The Great War, football and Birmingham

On Christmas day 1914, German soldiers of the 134th Saxon Regiment met with men of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in no man’s land, for a game of football.

A momumental event in football history - where two armies put down their guns to pop over for a quick game. But the story of football during the war runs far deeper than this brief moment of humanity.

The Football Association chose not to cancel matches through 1914 and 1915, as had Cricket and other sports, and while clearly popular with the men of German and British Forces, it was also popular with the Munition workers - the lady 'Munitionettes', particularly in the North of England. I've had a quick dig around, and could only find this cutting for a game in Birmingham (St. Andrews) between two of the more well known teams from St. Helens and Stoke.

Football was already seen a means of keeping fit and raising morale. While Lady's football was a little frowned upon (note demise of the English Ladies' Football Association after Great War) football as a whole was encouraged.

Troops had time to spend playing football on the front - Presumably football was also played in and around the hospitals of Birmingham?

The 1st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham, based mainly in Selly Oak, was one of the many hospitals and convalescence care services based in and around Birmimgham - during the war over 130,000 military casualties were treated in Birmingham Hospitals. A brutal reminder of those who did not recover remains in Lodge Hill Cemetery.

As a playday coordinator, I'm also interested in football on the streets too, played mainly by children in Birmingham. What record is there of these games? This year playday falls on 6th August - two days after the centenary commemorations for the beginning of the first world war - at Swan Corner we will be inviting inclusive teams of mixed gender, age, ability, to take part in what will be the start of Playing out street closures across Birmingham.

Please send me any information or links about football, Birmingham and the Great War - or contact me if you can join us for a quick game on National Playday.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Playday 2013

It's the eve of my birthday, and National Playday! I've been with the kids today making a film and tomorrow we'll be visiting all three of the streets closed to cars in Kings Heath, open to Play. Here 's the short film we made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjdEbRAQ9Qk&feature=youtu.be

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