Bearwood Hub Newsletter
Make a Difference Community Award Finalist, funding challenges and the future of our work, Summer celebrations & break, Opportunities for £20 million investment for Smethwick, In and Around Bearwood
BBC Radio WM Make a Difference Awards 2025 Community Group Finalist
We are delighted to share that Bearwood Community Hub has been selected from hundreds of local organisations as 1 of 4 finalists for the BBC Radio WM Make a Difference Awards 2025 in the Community Group category! A great big thank you to the local residents who put us forward for the nomination, and to all our amazing visitors, volunteers and staff who work hard to make a difference to people’s lives locally. We are really honoured to have been chosen as a finalist and look forward to updating you on the outcome of the award in September.
Funding Challenges & the Future of Bearwood Community Hub
However, this news comes at a difficult time for the hub, as we face difficult funding challenges to secure the future of our work. Despite increasing demand for our services and wide-reaching impact, there are fewer funding pots available to support organisations like ours in the long-term and competition is ever-increasing.
We haven’t given up hope, but we do know that there may be tough times ahead whilst we wait for key funding decisions.
If you would like to support the sustainability of the hub during this uncertain time, please consider the following actions:
Become a CoWorker - Using our coworking space helps us to generate income that goes directly towards our other activities, and also gives funders more confidence when reviewing our application.
Donate - If you would like to make a donation, then Thank you! Any amount is greatly appreciated, from the small to the large. You can make one-off or regular donations through our website.
Complete the Smethwick Neighbours Survey - The council want to know what you, the residents of Smethwick, want the £20 million investment in the area to be spent on. Whether it’s new infrastructure, improving existing facilities, innovative project ideas or funding the places you already love, whether that’s us, Warley Woods, Dorothy Parkes Centre, Brushstrokes, Smethwick Foodbank, or any other community organisation that matters to you.
Wednesday Warm Welcome + Summer Break
Join us this Wednesday for our last Warm Welcome of the school year, and we celebrate the start of the summer break. Bring along a dish or contribution to our community buffet, create your own fruit skewers and try your hand at fun summer crafts!
Over the summer we will be pausing activity for the Free Shop, IAG service, ESOL, crafts, afterschool play and community lunches. We shall return 24th September 2025.
Where can I go over the Summer for help & community?
If you’re worried about where to get help whilst we are away, click the button below to find out where you can still receive advice, guidance, support and community activities over the summer.
Help Shape Smethwick’s Future - Take the Survey Today!
Smethwick is set to receive up to £20 million of government funding to invest in the town over the next 10 years – and Sandwell Council wants to hear from YOU!
A short online survey is now live, created by the Smethwick Partnership Board, to understand what matters most to the people who live and work in Smethwick.
Feedback from the survey will help shape the Smethwick Plan for Neighbourhoods, identify key priorities for the town and guide how funding is used to deliver improvements across Smethwick.
Tell us what your priorities are
Share your ideas for projects
Help influence decisions across key themes
It only takes a few minutes – click the button below!
The survey closes on Friday 22 August 2025
Our findings report from Urban Room Smethwick is now LIVE!
Urban Room Smethwick wrapped up at the end of May this year and the findings report is now with Sandwell Council’s Urban Planning team. If you’re interested to read the report you can find it on our website here:
Key Recommendations:
Invest in Community Spaces
Build capacity for communities to respond to problems by investing in community organisations, spaces and solutions.
Inclusive Design
Use inclusive design principles and impact assessments in conjunction with talking to the community to ensure that Smethwick is accessible for all.
Placemaking + Identity
Place-making and public art are vehicles for fostering pride and reinforcing local identities.
Appropriate Housing Developments
New housing should meet the needs of the local population in terms of both type and affordability.
Holistic Understanding of Local Issues
Addressing community challenges requires a comprehensive view that includes funding adequate material, operational, and physical resources.
Revitalise Vacant Spaces
Vacant and derelict buildings should be mapped, reviewed and regenerated for
community use.
Ongoing Consultations
Build on the existing infrastructure of the Urban Room to continue consultation
and collaboration with the community.
Safe, Clean + Green Environments
Investment in the public realm, nature and urban greenery is essential to improve
perceptions and realities of safety, cleanliness, mental and physical health and
wellbeing.
Creative Approaches
Take a creative approach to engagement to invite new ways of thinking and
minimise barriers to participation
Need to escape the house this summer? Try Bearwood CoWork!
Need to escape the house this summer to get a few bits done whilst the kids are off school? Take advantage of our child-free workspace and find the focus you need at Bearwood Co-Work!
Perks:
High speed WiFi capable of handling plenty of devices and multiple meetings
Phone / video calls are welcome - just make sure you bring a pair of headphones
ALL your teas & coffees are included with your booking
Half or full-day options so you only need to pay for what you use!
Evening & weekend access by arrangement
Friendly company and cosy space (our heating is on so yours doesn’t have to be!)
PLUS you’re only a few steps away from the beautifully refurbished Bearwood Yoga / DH Training Club studio:
Why not try a lunchtime training session with Dean or relax afterwork with an evening yoga class with Matty! (Please book directly with Bearwood Yoga or DH Training Club).
On top of ALL of that, when you use Bearwood CoWork you are also supporting Bearwood Community Hub to fund our other projects & support work, so you can feel good about it too!
In and Around Bearwood
Wild Weather World Cafe
Join WM Adapt for their Wild Weather World Cafe! They want to hear your stories, experiences and views about wild weather (snow, flooding, wind) and to understand how it has affect you and your community. Lunch, refreshments and payment for your time provided. Booking is required!
Ahoy young explorers!
Ready jump in on a brand-new adventure with SeaVenturers? – an exciting programme bringing fun, confidence-boosting activities to young people aged 9–12 in your local area!
Whether you're curious, adventurous, or just looking for something new – SeaVenturers is your chance to shine . No experience needed, just bring your enthusiasm and a sense of adventure!
Spaces are limited – don’t miss out!