Wake Green Park

John Madin - RIP

2012-01-11T10:48:00.004Z

There's some sad news to announce I'm afraid. John Madin, the famous English architect who was born in Moseley and designed our flats in Wake Green Park, passed away last Sunday evening.

John designed many the the buildings in Birmingham, including the Central Library, BBC Pebble Mill, The Birmingham Post and Mail Building, and the Chamber of Commerce. And our flats!

"Not far from the Calthorpe Estate and close to his parents' house in Moseley, on land at Belle Walk, Bromford Warden Housing Association appointed Madin to plan and design a block of 30 elderly persons' dwellings together with warden's accommodation and communal facilities. On the same site, Bromford Park, 249 two and three person flats and bedsitters with garages for the Bromford Housing Association were constructed in phases between 1967 and 1974. These schemes have since been incorporated into a gated community called Wake Green Park, which is managed commercially by Metro PM.

You can read a bit more about John designing our Wake Green Park flats in a previous blog post. You can also view a gallery of some of the buildings John designed here.

As always, if you have any news or views you wish to share on this blog, just send your blog post to hello@karenstrunks.com.

New Carpets to be fitted in low rise blocks

2011-12-02T14:57:00.000Z

The rolling out of new carpets (excuse the pun!) has already begun in low rise blocks. If your block hasn't got it's new carpet yet, then it will be done by the end of March 2012.

It's scrumping season!

2011-10-05T14:43:00.000+01:00

Check out nature's windfall in the park!

Did you know we had an apple tree?

I tried one, and I'm pretty sure they are cooking apples (unless you like your eating apples really, really sharp!)

Where is this apple tree?

Here's a little map.

There are still a few apples left on it, so it's not too late to gather a few up and make a Wake Green Park apple pie or crumble!

I wonder if there's any blackberry bushes in the park?

They would go nicely with the apples!

A reunion story: Missing Cat and Missing Parcel

2011-09-02T09:46:00.000+01:00

A little while ago I blogged about a missing cat that was found on the park, and also a missing parcel (the parcel had been delivered to my address but I couldn't trace the owner).

We'll both the cat and the parcel have been reunited with their rightful owners!

The cat's owner left a comment on the blog (thank you Lynn).

Hi she is my cat and has been wandering about Moseley for the past 15 years or so - not a kitten at all but a rather old lady. Now has new collar with my phone number on it

In the case of the parcel, it's owner and resident of the park, was doing a search for 'Wake Green Park' on google in relation to a work matter, so it was quite by chance that she found this blog, started to read it and much to her surprise discovered I had her missing parcel!

This is a very small hyperlocal blog covering a very small area, but it usually comes up on a google search for 'wake green park' at the top of the first page (over all the estate agents websites) - hence the parcel's owner was able to solve the missing parcel mystery.

As always, if you have any stories or news you wish to share, or have lost an item in the park, or anything park related at all that you wish to have mentioned on the blog, please drop me a line at hello@karenstrunks.com :)

Missing tabby female kitten in Moseley

2011-07-01T12:30:00.000+01:00

Found in Wake Green Park!

From the poster:

Have you lost this Kitty?

Found wandering and currently being fed and looked after.

Tabby, female, friendly, in very good general health, distinctive collar and features, unchipped.

Call 07518 796 959 for immediate return.

Wake Pink Park

2011-06-20T14:14:00.000+01:00

Wake ~~Pink~~ Green Park is in full bloom this summer!

You can't have missed the new additions of these blooming lovely Geraniums. They add a cheery dash of colour to our flowerbeds.

They arrived last Friday. I think keeping them watered will keep out brilliant gardener, Martin, very busy!

I don't think we've had a poem on the blog before...

Red Geraniums

by Theresa Ann Moore

Geraniums...crimson spheres

Attached to broad leaf greenery

Red Sizzles with jubilant cheers

Stealing attention from the scenery

MISSING from Wake Green Park - BLACK CAT CALLED JESSIE

2011-06-02T14:15:00.000+01:00

A black 10 month old cat called Jessie escaped from her home in Stanley Court yesterday.

She is completely black with no collar.

Please keep an eye open for her. She is quite a nervous cat and may run away if approached.

If you spot her please call Jessie's owner: Teresa 07753 990 962

Alternatively you can email me: karenstrunks@hotmail.co.uk

THANK YOU

Work maintenance that's happening in and around the park.

2011-05-25T09:40:00.001+01:00

You don't see a work man for weeks, then they all decend at once! At the moment, at every turn in Wake Green Park you will see a hi-viz jacket.

First up. New garages.

Court 1 garages are being fitted with new doors and roofs. The infrastructure was crumbling, so they are having a make over.

As for the other garage blocks, as it stands at the moment, Court 2 and 3 are in good nick, and Court 4 may have some work done at some point when it's required.

You may have seen some heavy duty lorries coming in and out of the park, and heard the rumbles of road works and drilling coming from Michael Blanning House. There are new car park spaces being added into the M.Blanning car park.

These new spaces are not for Wake Green Park residents to use, but the hope is that the M.Blanning car owners can use up the spaces in their new car park which will alleviate the over spill of parked cars in WGP, thus leaving more car parking spaces for WGP residents.

ALSO

Wake Green Road is being re-surfaced at the moment. During the night! They seem to be closing the road in the early evening until about 6am. I hope WGP residents aren't losing too much sleep!

Have you sent a parcel to Horley in Surrey recently?

2011-05-16T11:11:00.000+01:00

The Royal Mail popped one of their red cards through my door on Saturday saying that a parcel had been delivered, but it was too big for the letterbox, and notifying me it was at the Moseley Delivery Office awaiting collection/re-delivery.

BUT! The surname that is on the card is Roberts.

I rang the Delivery Office. The parcel has the senders address as mine, but the surname they have put is Roberts.

The parcel was meant to be delivered to Horley, Surrey, RH6 0AS. It was a failed delivery, and so the parcel has been returned to sender (at my address).

I hope that makes sense!

If your surname is Roberts and you tried to send a parcel to Horley in Surrey, the Moseley Delivery Office now has it and will keep it for two weeks.

Their details are:

25 Howard Road East
Bham
B13 0RZ

Tel 0121 253 4202

Opening hours:
Mon, tue, thur, friday - 7am - 12.15pm
Wed - 7am - 8pm
Sat 7am - 2pm

If you need me to explain the error to them so you can collect it (you may need the red card), give me a shout karenstrunks@hotmail.co.uk or call 07835 754 310

Did you know......?! Wake Green Park Facts!

2011-04-28T14:59:00.006+01:00

Did you know that our flats were deisgned by celebrated Birmingham architect John Madin?!

John Madin has design many of the buildings in Birmingham including the Central Library (pictured below), the Camber of Commerce, BBC Pebble Mill, and the (former) Birmingham Post and Mail Building.

Photo by Glenn Wood

My friend pointed this fact out to me when he was reading a book about John Madin.

(sorry for the wonky scans!)

On Wake Green Park, it says in the book...

"Not far from the Calthorpe Estate and close to his parents' house in Moseley, on land at Belle Walk, Bromford Warden Housing Association appointed Madin to plan and design a block of 30 elderly persons' dwellings together with warden's accommodation and communal facilities. On the same site, Bromford Park, 249 two and three person flats and bedsitters with garages for the Bromford Housing Association were constructed in phases between 1967 and 1974. These schme have since been incorporated inot a gated community called Wake Green Park, which is managed commercially by Metro PM."

It's good to know some of the history of where we live. Have you got any interesting facts about the park you would like to share? Drop me an email hello@karenstrunks.com :)

Census 2011

2011-03-23T15:32:00.004Z

I received an email from Moseley's Census Collector asking if a reminder could be put on the blog for Wake Green Park Resisents.

The deadline for filling in the 2011 Census is 17th March.

You may fill out the paper Census you will have received in the post, or fill it out online.

I chose to fill it out online and it was a really easy process that took about 5 minutes.

Please visit the Government's How to Complete Your Cenus Online page for instructions and further information.

There is also a really informative Frequently Asked Questions Page.

A bit more about the Census 2011

2011 Census: 27 March 2011

Help tomorrow take shape

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out more about the people who live in England and Wales and about the make-up of local neighbourhoods.

The next census will take place on 27 March 2011. ONS will be sending out questionnaires for around 25 million households to complete, asking about work, health, national identity, citizenship, ethnic background, education, second homes, language, marital status and so on. The answers will be turned into statistics used to build a picture of today’s society.

Why should this matter to you?

Census population statistics are really important in understanding people’s needs and making sure all communities get the services they need where they live.

It’s simple. If the census can’t see you, the organisations responsible for delivering the services you need won’t be able to see you either. In discovering and understanding communities, the census could make a very real difference to people’s lives. The census needs to include everyone, everywhere – and that’s why everyone has to take part.

What will you need to do?

Just answer a few questions about yourself and the people who share your household with you on census day, 27 March 2011.

Whatever you tell the census will be in strictest confidence and will only be used to produce statistics. ONS will not share your personal information with any other government department.

You’ll be able to do it online. Or by post. But you must do it. If you need help and advice, you will be able to find everything you need online and on the census helpline from 4 March 2011.

The census needs everyone to take part in helping tomorrow take shape – and this will be your chance to make a difference.

For more information, visit www.census.gov.uk

Beware! Spate of number plate thefts in the area

2011-03-17T13:56:00.006Z

UPDATE: This has happened to TWO residents of the estates who parked on Belle Walk in the last few days.

Please be aware that there is a rise of number plate thefts in the area. Recently a resident had his number plate tampered with on Belle Walk. According to Kings Heath Police there has been a significant rise in this crime.

Stolen plates are used to fit over or replace an existing plate and are often used in crimes. The criminals use them to evade getting caught when committing a crime such as

•speeding
•illegal parking
•not paying congestion charges
•driving away from a petrol forecourt without paying
•not paying for parking tickets or speeding fines
•‘disguising’ a stolen vehicle

The Safer Birmingham Partnership has written a guide on how to protect your number plates and your identity.

Directgov.uk have written a guide on what to do if your plate is stolen and also advise on theft resistant number plates.

There is lots of information in the above guides advising of a number of things you can do to prevent number plate theft.

With parking spaces at a premium on the park, the safest place to store your car would be your garage. Not all cars will fit in the garages, so please park considerately on the estate. For example a motorbike was parked in a car parking space recently.

Just be aware and park as safely as you can and hopefully we can avoid being a victim of this crime.

Our blog is up for an Innovation Award at the Midlands Media Awards 2011

2011-03-10T11:04:00.004Z

Great news Wake Green Park-ers! Our blog is up a Midlands Media Award alongside other local communities blogs in Birmingham!

The Birmingham Mail supports local blogs like ours and last year set up a Communities page on their website dedicated to hyperlocal websites and in addition the Birmingham Mail prints highlights from the blogs in their newspaper on Tuesday.

We (this blogs and the other community blogs) are up for the Innovation Award. Myself and Dave Harte from the brilliant Bournville Village blog will be attending the award ceremony tonight courtesy of the Birmingham Mail.

Keep your fingers crossed that we win in this category and become an award winning blog! :)

Crime mapping in Wake Green Park!

2011-02-24T09:46:00.005Z

At the beginning of this month a new website came into existence: Police.uk

Police.uk is a 'local crime and policing website'.

You are presented with this screen first and asked to enter an area or post code. I've entered B13 9XU in Wake Green Park's case.

It will then take you to a page where you can view the contact details of Moseley local police which includes the phone number and the names of the local police men and women.

AND it also displays the crime map! At the moment the crime data displayed relates to December 2010. There seems to be plans to update this data every month, and if that is the case the map is due an update now. And there has been suggestions that the previous month's data will be removed upon updating which isn't a great idea as it would be interesting to see more than one month's data and also to be able to make comparisons in the crime rate.

Above is the crimes recorded in the immediate vicinity of Wake Green Park. It's nice to see no crime data concerning the park itself!

There is one recorded house burglary on Belle Walk in December 2010.

HOWEVER! There is a bit of a furore about the accuracy of the data in the crime maps. This article in The Guardian gives some more insight in to the uproar; Crime Maps Are 'worse than usless' Claim Developers.

From The Guardian's website: "The newly released crime maps site are a fundamentally unreliable source of information, because they are subject to unreported changes by the police forces compiling them both before and after they are displayed, and the data will not be stored on the site for comparison over time, observers say."

The same article also lists 5 key flaws in the data from Jonathan Raper:

• Locations used are approximate (so that "top 10 crime streets" may actually be places which have had no crime).
• Data for streets with fewer than 12 postal addresses is apparently not recorded "to protect privacy".
• Some data such as sexual offences and murder is removed – even though it would be easy to discover and locate from other police reports.
• Data covers reported crimes rather than convictions, so some of it may turn out not to be crime.
• The levels of policing are not provided, so that two areas with the "same" crime levels may in fact have "radically different" experiences of crime and policing.

So, to sum up, the Police.uk website does have a lot of potential to be really useful, especially when it comes to moving house into a new area. But, it needs to be more accurate and display the location of (all) crimes more precisely otherwise the map is bascially misleading in it's information. It needs to store all the data accumulated and not delete one month's data to replace with another.

I guess, at best, at least for the time being, it's more of a guide to crime in the area, and should be treated as such until improvements are made.

Map of Wake Green Park in the 1930's

2011-02-02T09:09:00.003Z

Well, not strictly a map OF the estate, as it hadn't been built in the 1930's!

Do you know of the history of the park and the grounds?

I heard that the grounds belongs to a very wealthy Moseley family. Their house was near by and the park was rough woodland.

This photo was taken from a 1930's book which was similar to today's A-Z of Birmingham. Thank you to my friend Niki Pugh who found this old book of maps.

As always, if you have any news, views or comments, it would be great to hear from you. Everyone is welcome to contribute to this blog! :) hello@karenstrunks.com

We can see clearly now the trees have gone...!

2011-01-24T11:02:00.004Z

You may have noticed, if not heard, some activity over by Bowen Court on Friday. If you haven't been to that area in the park you will notice a bit of a difference.

We had Tony and Rob, the tree fellers (or is that tree fellas?) come into the park and give a good tidy up to the dell.

They have shortened some trees and tall bushes. This has been done for security reasons. The trees/bushes were causing an obstructed view over the garages. Also it will make for a more secure walk back into the park from the garage.

It's also good to know that the tree felling/clearing of the area, was done with the minimal amount of disturbance to the wildlife that lives in the dell.

Ross

Tony

Don't forget! If you have any news, view or stories about the park, please get in touch hello@karenstrunks.com :)

What a load of rubbish!

2011-01-11T10:21:00.005Z

Good news. We may finally be rubbish free very soon!

No one could have missed the situation that had occurred in the estate over Christmas and into the new year. Our rubbish over flowed onto the pavements.

The good news is that Metro are hiring a private waste disposal firm to come out and remove the backlog of rubbish.

Apart from being an eyesore, it's also a health and safety issue.

BBC Midlands Today came to visit our park yesterday and even did a live news report from the bin area at the back of Bowen Court which was broadcast on the the 1.30 news. I gave a quick interview and made a few comments about the state the bin areas and that we were having a private company come in to remove the rubbish.

So our estate makes the news and we will be rubbish free soon! Not a bad start to the week on Wake Green Park :)

Winter Wonderland in Wake Green Park - Video

2010-12-19T12:46:00.002Z

The snow makes everything so pretty, so I couldn't wait to get out and about around the park with my video camera.

Hope you enjoy my Winter Wonderland video! And thank you to a neighbour who kindly let me film from his flat in Bowen Court.

I've seen some folks playing about in the snow here. Has anyone made a snowman yet?

Have you been taking pictures?

Send your snow pictures to me, hello@karenstrunks.com and I'll pop them up on the blog to share! :)

Lost and Found! Tan Leather Look Gloves

2010-12-17T17:40:00.004Z

Have your finger tips been freezing?

Have you been feeling the wind around your wrists?

Then you might just have lost your tan leather look gloves.

The good news is, they have been found in Wake Green Park, and rescued by a resident.

If you are the owner of the tan gloves, get in touch and I can re-unite you.

Karen :)

Wake Green Wildlife: Fox cries in the night!

2010-12-08T09:22:00.010Z

This eerie sound in the night piecered the air at around 10pm on Sunday.

At first I thought it was a child crying, but then remembered hearing this sound on another occasion; it was our Wake Green Park friends, the foxes!

Photograph by Rob Baldwin

I managed to capture their cries, but you will have to turn the volume up!

Listen!

With all this weather we have been getting, I'm guessing the foxes must be getting hungry. I am not sure if they managed to climb into our bins because they are so high sided. Perhaps they scavenge from our neighbours before returning home to the park. They are certainly very active as they have left lots of foot prints in the snow!

Silence Please! Being a good neighbour....

2010-11-21T10:41:00.003Z

Hello!

Please forgive my absence from blogging recently. It's been quite a busy time with my work, photography project and a recent trip away.

Image by Eric Verspoor

I was contacted by a resident who was suffering excess noise from one of his neighbours and he asked me to blog about the subject.

This can sometimes be quite a tricky subject to address, with some things to consider. For example, how well do you know your neighbours, is it a one-off or a regular occurrence, is it waking you up or stopping you from sleeping?

There are guidelines set in place by the Directors/Metro, and I believe the 'quiet' time in the park is set at around 10pm to 7am (though someone please correct me if I have got those times wrong), and in a memo I remember it stating that even consideration when putting bottles in the bottle banks should be considered especially early in the morning.

And generally the park is a pretty quiet place, I think you would agree, but we don't live in isolated mansions in the country side and noise inevitably will travel and become an issue from time to time.

So! How to deal with it?

Speak to your neighbour. Sometimes this is easier said than done but they may not even be aware that noise from their flat is disturbing you. It's probably best not to do this when you are in a peak of rage at the noise. Wait until you are calm and you can be friendly. If you approach your neighbour with an open attitude it may help allay a potentially confrontational situation. Briefly explain the noise issue and how it is disturbing you, perhaps even asking if they can hear any noise from your flat. At this point hopefully your neighbour will take your request in a well intentioned way and the noise will decease, or perhaps you can both agree that the noise would be okay between certain times during the day (when you are out and it it won't disturb you). On the other hand, you may get a hostile reception. In this case walk away and don't add fuel to the fire. You have advised them of the noise and made a request, now leave it a few days and give your neighbour time to calm down and you may find that the noise will stop.

If this has no effect, put something in writing to your neighbour and keep a copy for yourself. In the letter state what the noise pollution is exactly, and dates on which this has occurred, that the noise is disturbing you and that you request it stops or offer a compromise as to when the noise would be acceptable to you (if any). It is probably worth making a note of the times and dates of the disturbances too.

If you still have no joy, then get in touch with Metro (of course, this could be your first course of action if you feel you cannot do the above). They can then get in touch with your neighbours and act as an intermediary. Hopefully this can resolve the matter.

Still no luck. Perhaps it's time to make it more official. Birmingham City Council have ways of dealing with nuisance noise and you can read about it on their website. They will ask you to document evidence. They may come out and gather evidence themselves. They have the power to remove the source of the noise (ie, stereo) and can be fined up to £5,000. Hopefully you won't have to go down this route, but the option is there if you need to.

I hope this guide is useful to you. Please feel free to leave any comments below, and as always, if you would like to write an article for the Wake Green Park Blog, you may email it to me at hello@karenstrunks.com

Wake Green Park Big Lunch

2010-07-19T09:08:00.002+01:00

Well, the Wake Green Park Big Lunch was a great community event.

I had a nervous few minutes as the clock hit 1pm and I was anxiously waiting for some participants to turn up! And luckily they did!

I made a little video of the day.

A BIG thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the first Wake Green Park Big Lunch a success and a lot of fun. It was lovely to meet you all!

Let's go for a Big Lunch again next year! :)

Big Lunch Photography Competition!

2010-07-15T11:51:00.003+01:00

Hi Everyone!

Are you ready for the Big Lunch this Sunday?!

You've probably noticed some posters I've put around the blocks of flats. Please tell your friends and neighbours too! I don't want anyone to feel left out or miss the lunch all together.

All you need to do now is bring yourself and some picnic snacks and drinks to share. If you have any picnic blankets, chairs, or tables that would be great!

It starts at 1pm at the grassy area behind Bowen Court (the tower block) this Sunday 18th July.

Hope you can make it. It's a wonderful way to get to meet your neighbours and make some new friends on Wake Green Park.

And bring your camera too! We have a photography competition!

“Capturing community”

To celebrate my involvement in this year’s Big Lunch, I’m going to run a competition in conjunction with The Big Lunch team to find some of the best photographs who manage to truly capture their community’s spirit. All photographs need to be tagged TBL2010 and the winning photograph will win a family ticket to the Eden Project.

Upload your best Wake Green Park Big Lunch photo to flickr and use the tag TBL2010. If you haven't got a flickr account, it's free and very easy to use, and if you get stuck you can give me a shout :)

Photography Terms and Conditions

All photography should be posted on the Flickr by midnight 25th July 2010. Entries are restricted to one photography per person
All photographs must be named with ‘The Big Lunch’ included in the title and tagged ‘TBL2010’
By entering the competition you agree to being contacted by The Big Lunch and The Eden Project
Winner will be selected by a panel of judges appointed by The Big Lunch team and will be notified no later then 31st August 2010
The prize is non transferable and there are no cash alternatives
All person featured in the photography must have provided permission before hand as The Big Lunch takes no responsibility
The photography competition is open to all residents in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland
The winners may be required to participate in publicity
Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions
The prize has to be redeemed within the 3 months of winning the competition
The prize does not include travel to The Eden Project
All submitted entries must be made publicly available and by submitting an entry you agree to allowing The Big Lunch to use the photo for future promotions as and when required.

I think that's everything! All we need now is some sunshine!

If you have any queries, comments or offers of help please contact Karen on 07835 754 310 or email hello@karenstrunks.com :)

Free Fire Safety Check by West Midlands Fire Service

2010-06-21T11:33:00.004+01:00

Did you know that the West Midlands Fire Service give FREE fire safety home checks?

As they say on their leaflet: It could save your life!

Did you know…?
• You’re twice as likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works.
• 90 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing.
• Over half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents.
• More than five fires a day are started by candles.
• Every three days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette.

• Faulty electrics (appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets) cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year.

Whats involved in the fire safety check?

If you haven't already got any, they will install FREE smoke alarms

They will do a risk assessment of your flat and make recommendations and give advice

They will help you plan an escape route in case there is a fire

How to book your free fire safety check?

Call FREE on 0800 389 5525 and book an appointment or visit their website and book online.

I had this done a few years ago and it certainly gave me peace of mind and they highlighted an area of improvement (I had too many electrical items in one plug!). They also reassured me that my doors conformed to fire safety requirements and would keep a fire at bay and that a fire wouldn't spread from one flat to the next. Also they installed two smoke alarms.

Don't be surprised that they will turn up in their fire engine in their uniforms! Naturally they are on call all the time and have to be ready to dash off in an emergency!

Anyway, just thought I would pass this on to Wake Green Park residents. It's worth doing for peace of mind, it's free and takes approx 30 minutes.

And remember to put 18th July in your diary for the Wake Green Park Big Lunch! Come and enjoy a day out in our park and meet your neighbours and makes some new friends! :)

1 Bedroom Flat for sale - Bowens Court - £80,000

2010-06-16T13:24:00.005+01:00

A Wake Green Park resident had let me know that she is selling her flat in Bowen Court.

It's 1 bedroom & on the market for £80,000. It's on the top floor too - so you can just imagine the amazing views!

It's being sold via Rightmove and you can find all the details and pictures on their website.

I must say, if I was in the right position, I'd snap it up myself, just for the views alone! :)

And remember it's The Big Lunch on 18th July! Please tell your friends and neighbours and let's make this a great Wake Green Park community event!

I may need a volunteer or two & a little bit of help! If you are able to help deliver some Big Lunch leaflets around the park, please let me know. Any help in spreading the word will be gratefully received :) Just drop me a mail hello@karenstrunks.com or call me on 07835 754 310.

Remember, contributions to the blog are welcome! If you would like to write a blog post, please send it to hello@karenstrunks.com :)

The Wake Green Park Big Lunch

2010-05-27T16:41:00.006+01:00

Sunday 18th July 1pm

It's been a busy time for me at work, so forgive the lack of updates! Not that I am complaining! :)

I've also been busy behind the scenes liaising with the folks behind The Big Lunch. The Wake Green Park big lunch is one of almost 600 lunches being held around the country!

Here's a lovely video shot at the Big Lunch Launch (say that quickly 5 times!). Big Lunch founder Tim Smit from the Eden Project talks about his concept and how it helps bring neighbours and communities together.

The is also a Big Lunch Launch in Birmingham on Friday 4th June from 9am to 3pm. Come along to Victoria Square in town (map) and join in! I'll be there with my photography hat on capturing moments of the day. Come and say hello!

Amazing 3D street artist Kurt Wenner will be there creating an amazing piece of 3D artwork on the street. Just take a look at some of his other work. Let's hope it doesn't rain!

I'm going to need your help with the Wake Green Park lunch!

I'm going to try and do a mail shot around all the flats and realise not everybody on the park is online, so if you can tell your friends and neighbours that would be wonderful.

How you can help on the big day & what is needed:

Bring yourself ;)

Food; sandwiches, cake, salad, snacks, trifle, jelly, your favourite dish - whatever you like! Variety is the spice of life after all ;)

Drinkies

Paper plates, cups, plastic knives/forks/spoons

Tables/chairs - have you got any on your balcony/patio that you could bring along? Or even wallpaper tables - they would be great!

Picnic Blankets

Bin bags - we want to keep our park beautiful!

Your talent! Can you sing? Play an instrument? Dance? Paint? Tell stories?

I thought it might be fun to have a few games too; egg and spoon race anyone? Or perhaps a tug of war (need some rope though!).

If you have any ideas, suggestions, recommendations, offers of help, let me know! You can leave a comment on this blog, drop me a line at hello@karenstrunks.com or tweet.

Put the date in your diary (18th July) and come along and meet your neighbours and make some new friends!

Karen :)

Open Forum - follow up post

2010-05-04T09:34:00.003+01:00

I attended my first Open Forum meeting on the 21st April.

It was a good opportunity to meet the Directors of Wake Green Park and have a chat about anything Wake Green Park related.

A few of subjects that were discussed at the meeting were; CCTV, the Big Lunch picnic in the park, the work planned for some of the garages, and parking on Belle Walk.

I'm glad I made the effort to go and to have the chance to meet the directors and some of the residents, and it was great to get such positive feedback about the blog too!

The AGM is in the Autumn and as well as the directors, MetroPM will be in attendance too, so keep an eye open for that date for your diary!

Note to Paul: Sorry, I didn't receive your email. Can you please send it again? :)

Open Forum - April 21 - 7.15pm

2010-04-15T10:19:00.007+01:00

Who is coming along to the Wake Green Park Open forum on Weds 21st?

Taken from the April Newsletter which has been popped through our letter boxes.

"This is your opportunity to find out what is planned for the state and to raise any queries or issues that effect you"

I haven't been to an Open Forum before and will be going along with some neighbours.

I thought it would be good to have a bit of a social event after the Open Forum. The Covered Wagon pub is nearby, about a 10 minutes walk I estimate, on the Yardley Wood Road.

Click for larger version of map

You can view an online version of the map here.

If you fancy a drink and a chat with your neighbours, come along! Everyone welcome :)

You may have noticed an addition to the About The Wake Green Park Blog section on the top right hand side of this page, which says:

Please note: The views expressed on this blog are my views, and those of residents who wish to contribute, comment & join in the discussion. The Board of Directors wishes to make it clear that this website is not approved or sponsored by the management company (MetroPM).

I have received a letter from the management company Metro PM, requesting that I make it clear that the views expressed on this site are my (Karen Strunks) own, and not those of Metro PM or the Wake Green Park Board of Directors.

Of course anyone is welcome to join in the discussion, comment and submit a blog post, but the views written in those instances will be the individual's and not those of Metro PM or the Wake Green Park Board of Directors.

And of course Metro PM and the Wake Green Park Board of Directors are welcome to take part, and can contribute, submit their news and views too.

Everyone welcome! :)

Feel free to leave a comment, and if you wish to submit a blog post, just send it to hello@karenstrunks.com

One of WGP's residents has sent in some lovely pictures of her patio area, so I will blogging about that soon!

Hello new readers!

2010-04-11T13:26:00.005+01:00

You may be visiting the Wake Green Park website for the first from seeing a flyer I popped through your letterbox.

Welcome!

The idea behind the website is to help connect the community in Wake Green Park. It's a place for news, big and small!

It run by me, Karen Strunks, a WGP resident of 6 years.

As it's a community website, your input is welcome and encouraged. If you wish to write a blog post, send it to hello@karenstrunks.com and I will publish it. I understand that not everybody is happy to put their name on the internet, so if you many feel more confortable using your initials or a pseudonym.

Do you have any stories or photos about the park? What do you like about living here? Are there any improvements you would like? Would you like to organise social events? Let's get the conversation going between residents!

And on that note....

Put the 18th July in your diary and take part in The Big Lunch on Wake Green Park!

What is the Big Lunch?

It's a day, where around the country, people will be getting together with friends and neighbours. A party in the park if you like!

I've signed WGP up on the Big Lunch website, and you can put your name down, though you don't have to. Just bring yourself & some snacks/drinks!

Why take part?

It'll be fun & a great chance to meet your neighbours and make new friends on Wake Green Park!

I'll write more about the Big Lunch as the 18th July approaches, in the meantime, save the date!

Thank you for visiting the Wake Green Park website. I hope you will come and visit again. Don't forget you can comment on any blog posts too :)

The magic lights in Wake Green Park will light your way!

2010-03-31T10:20:00.003+01:00

I took a very short video of the lights in the main garage in Wake Green Park.

A sensor notices when someone/a car is in the area, and full lighting comes on. Clever!

Obviously this saves energy when the garages are not in use, thus keep the 'green' in Wake Green Park! :)

PS. There's some quite nice birdsong in the background of the video! We have several bird boxes around the park. I'll blog about them soon.

Spring has sprung on Wake Green Park!

2010-03-25T08:33:00.002Z

The first signs of Spring are here on Wake Green Park.

Amongst the new flowers popping up all over the park's ground are Primroses, crocuses, and daisies.

They mark the change of the season and the dashes of colour make a welcome sight after the long white winter we have had!

A lot of residents have balconies. What do you grow on your balcony? Do you have boxes or do you prefer plant pots? Are you growing anything unusual, perhaps vegetables or herbs? Do you put food out for the birds, or even have a little bird bath? Drop me a line hello@karenstrunks.com

In the next few weeks I'll be interviewing Martin, our gardener, about his recommendations for brightening up our balconies.

New Bench - take the weight off....

2010-03-20T07:15:00.001Z

We have a new addition to the Wake Green Park bench family!

When I took this photo last weekend the bench was so new it still had it's wrapping on.

The yellow arrow indicates where you can find the new bench.

Benches began appearing in the park last year, and I believe we now have four of them. One outside of Bowens Court, one outside of Roberts Court, and another (which I haven't been to see yet) which I believe is in the area of the yellow circle. UPDATE: The bench is outside the Royston Court Area.

Roberts Court Bench

Bowens Court Bench

Now the fairer weather is coming, I'm sure the benches will be a popular resting place. Grab a coffee and a book and relax in your extended garden.

New Security Cameras are being installed in Wake Green Park

2010-03-15T06:48:00.004Z

It seems that Wake Green Park is having some new security cameras installed.

You may have noticed on your way in and out of the main entrance areas that are being dug up.

This is going to be the base for the new camera that, according to the work man, will be a 360 degree camera! I believe this is a first for the park.

The red cross indicates where the 360 degree camera is going to be installed, and the yellow cross indicates where a new static camera will be installed.

Obviously this is going to enhance the security at Wake Green Park. As well as other security cameras around the park, we also have a security guard that patrols the area, plus there is a neighbourhood watch scheme too and from time to time a police patrol will pop into the park and keep an eye on it.

It seems we have all the bases covered security wise, which I'm sure will give residents extra peace of mind.

Mole found in Wake Green Park!

2010-03-12T09:43:00.000Z

If you ever see any damage to the lawn in Wake Green Park, you know who to blame!

I found the culprit hiding out in a rockery.....

Having very poor eyesight, he didn't see me sneak up on him with my camera.

I think there used to be a gnome or two living in that rockery. Perhaps the mole evicted them, or they have moved on to a bigger rockery location on the park. If you spot them, give me a shout. I would love to interview them! ;)

Lost & Found! Brown hair clip

2010-03-06T12:00:00.002Z

Found on Tuesday 23rd Feb. Brown hair clip.

If this is your hair clip, give me a shout. I'm keeping it safe :)

Some would say it's a slow news day on Wake Green Park! Not at all. We like to report on all the news BIG and small!

Have you got any WGP news you would like to share? Drop me an email: hello@karenstrunks.com or send me a tweet @wakegreenpark

Wake Green Park's (hyper) local shop

2010-02-27T11:00:00.001Z

Did you know we have a local shop just 3 minutes away from the park? United News on the Showell Green Road, is the closest shop to Wake Green Park!

I have to admit to living in the park a couple of years before I realised that there was a shop so nearby! It was only through talking to a neighbour that I found out about United News.

The shop is only about minutes walk from the park. Really handy if you are pushed for time! The shop stocks all the basic essentials; bread, milk, soft drinks, canned and frozen food, sweet & savoury snacks, baby things, cigarettes, newspapers and lots of other goods too.

Next time you run out of a kitchen essential, why not try United News which is open until 9pm.

The last (snow) man standing

2010-02-24T20:21:00.010Z

He cuts a lonely figure, but at least he's still standing. Well, he was yesterday!

I'm sure he cut a dash in previous bitter cold days, and held his head up proudly. Now we can only imagine......

Sadly, as well as being about to loose his head, he has already lost an arm which lies forlornly at his feet/base. I don't think his other arm will help break his fall should he tumble over. He could perhaps try to catch his head with it, but I wish him luck with that one!

Some other snowmen popped up over the last month or two around the park, and there was even a snow angle!

We are lucky, with all the grounds of the park, we can embrace the big kid in us and make snow men and snow angles....but I've yet to see a snow ball fight! How about next winter we have some snow filled fun. I'm imagining a big community built snowman greeting folks at the main entrance! ;)

But big doesn't always mean better, as I hope to demonstrate with my snow figure.

It is technically meant to be a snowman, but I've been told that he looks like a duck. You don't have to venture further than your balcony to have your own little snow person!

Love blossoms in Wake Green Park!

2010-02-23T21:20:00.009Z

I bumped into one of Wake Green Park's residents yesterday; Alan Hartley.

Alan has lived on the park for 5 years. He met the lady who lived above his flat, they fell in love and they are now married! The Birmingham Mail even reported on the romance!

What a heart warming story. Alan tells his story better than I can.....

Thank you for the chat Alan and thank you for sharing your story.

PS. Alan and Martin the gardener have the same boots! Can you guess which boots are Martin's? ;)

Tuesday is bin day at Wake Green Park

2010-02-23T11:53:00.008Z

Every Tuesday morning at about 10 o'clock you will hear the 'beep beep beep' of the bin men's lorry, along with the the electronic message 'Warning, vehicle reversing'. You could almost set your clock by them.

When I heard the beeping of the lorry this morning I popped out with my camera. I haven't really spoken to the bin men before, perhaps just smiled at them or said hello.

It's very, very cold today and I didn't want to keep them long, so I introduce myself and asked if I could take a quick photo, and told them that I am writing a blog on Wake Green Park.

They kindly agreed to having their photo taken. Meet Brian and Jamie, our bin men!

When the weather is a bit better I'll see if I can do a quick interview with them and ask them about their work and what they think of the bins of Wake Green Park.

Brian and Jamie empty the big communal bins, but we also recycle here at the park! I think the recycling scheme was introduced about a year ago. We have 8 bins altogether which are housed by the garages outside of James Court.

We have 4 bins for recycling paper and cardboard.

Don't forget to remove your personal details from any correspondence!

And we have another 4 bins for plastic, bottles and cans. Though they don't appear to want yoghurt post, margarine tubes, plastic toys, plastic bags, polystyrene, returnable milk bottles, pryex cookware, window or mirror glass or drinking glasses!

All the green bins for glass, bottles and cans were full! We are really embracing recycling here!

Next blog post: Love blossoms on Wake Green Park!

Wake Green Park, Moseley, Birmingham B13

2010-02-22T18:08:00.005Z

Welcome to the blog of Wake Green Park!

I'm Karen Strunks and I've been a resident of Wake Green Park for 6 years. Inspired by hyperlocal blogger Nicky Getgood of Digbeth Is Good, and the work of Talk About Local, this blog will be used to write about events in Wake Green Park, however big or small!

I'd like this to be a place for the community and residents of Wake Green Park, and invite contributions. Just drop me an email hello@karenstrunks.com.

As residents will have noticed in recent days, there has been a flurry of snow! And of course there was more than a flurry a few weeks ago. I popped out with my camera to see the white landscape of the park.

Some little fox prints. I put a little bit of food out for them (not for the rats!) as I felt they needed a little bit of sustenance during the cold snap.

The gritters soon sprung into action, clearing the drives and the pathways.

And here is our wonderful gardener, Martin (left) with a snow gritting colleague. Sorry, not the best picture - it looks like Martin is trying to poke his colleague with the end of his shovel!

And here is Martin in fairer weather. I think he will be making a regular appearance on this blog. I'll try and do a video interview with him. He always has a friendly smile and a hello and is a real asset to the park.