PITCH, PUTT AND PADDLE
About The Project:
We are delighted to announce that this summer, The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded us a grant of £15,145. The aim of the funding is to bring the community together through intergenerational activity whilst celebrating the local area’s heritage, through a new project called “Pitch, Putt and Paddle”.
This project aims to bring together local people and local groups of people of different ages and abilities in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham in order for them to share their knowledge and feelings about their local neighbourhood.
Project Details
We are delighted to announce that this summer, The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded us a grant of £15,145. The aim of the funding is to bring the community together through intergenerational activity whilst celebrating the local area’s heritage, through a new project called “Pitch, Putt and Paddle”.
This project aims to bring together local people and local groups of people of different ages and abilities in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham in order for them to share their knowledge and feelings about their local neighbourhood.
he heritage that the project will address is that of two areas of Kings Norton – firstly the 3 Estates area and in particular the canals that run under the estates. We believe that many local people especially younger people do not know the importance and heritage of the canals that in the past were used to carry goods from Birmingham and across the countryside. The second area of heritage interest is that of an area called “The Fairway” which was once Kings Norton’s Golf Course which also had prefabricated homes (or “prefabs”) that were built alongside it. The prefabs were demolished in the 1960s and the golf course was moved out into the countryside followed by the building of new homes – some of which were “self-build” homes, schools and other local amenities. Arts 50 Alive will be bringing together local people of all ages to learn and share stories whether these are first hand experiences that many older people have about living in a prefab or of watching the barges carry goods along the canals or even of building their own house. We believe that it is important that these stories are told and preserved for future generations and shared with as many people as possible and this is what the project will be offering – people of all ages and abilities getting together and learning and sharing the stories of their community.
Over the summer and in the autumn, local community groups, youth groups and local schools have participated in a series of events and the stories are in the process being captured and preserved using a variety of art techniques. Finally, the artworks and the community’s stories will be shared in several exhibitions across the Kings Norton community.
Rebecca Debenham from Northfield Community Partnership, who is Chair of the Arts 50 Alive Intergenerational Network said: “We are delighted to receive funding from The National Heritage Fund to carry out our new project “Pitch, Putt and Paddle.” And we would like to thank National Lottery players for helping is. This project will bring the community together through intergenerational activity whilst celebrating the local area’s heritage.”
There are many photographs showing what the project has involved and we will be continuing in the coming months,
End of Project Update
We have now completed the Pitch, Putt and Paddle Heritage project and are delighted to say that it has been a great success. Since Christmas, we have continued to work with a range of local community groups of all ages so that the heritage relating to the canals, prefabs and golf course that were once in Kings Norton and West Heath will not be forgotten. This included taking students from the local Cadbury 6th Form College, with several older people along one of the Kings Norton canals to take photos and share information and stories with each other. Similarly, children from Hawksley Primary School met with some local older people to hear about prefabs and the canals and created a collage to display. We also took a carers support group along with those they care for to view some prefabs that still exist in another neighbourhood of Birmingham – Wake Green Road, Moseley and this was much enjoyed and helped them in their artist creations.
During school holidays, a local family holiday club met with local older people to share stories and create artworks. Also, a range of local community groups of different ages and abilities met and shared stories and then we worked with these individuals and groups to put what they knew or what they had learned into a range of artworks which included working with ceramics, mural making, glasswork creations and fine art painting All of which depicted the canals, the prefabs and the golf course.
We then discovered another important aspect of heritage which was brought to our attention by a member of a local community organisation – that of the West Heath Lido. This was an outdoor swimming pool built just before WW2 in the West Heath area and the first and biggest lido built in Birmingham but it only survived until just before WW2 started. However, that short period was quite amazing – it was opened by a famous singer called Gracie Fields and offered a huge range of activities alongside that of the lido. Once more, different generations came together along with local artists to put this heritage and all they had learned about it into several pieces of artwork that are and continue to be displayed locally and will stay on display in local community centres for the foreseeable future.
During the summer holidays we held our final sessions and a group from Hawksley Community Art group visited the Kings Norton Golf Course at it current venue in Wythall, They were able to see how the original golf course in Kings Norton would have looked and they took photographs which they have used to create a piece of artwork that will be displayed in the community centre. Finally, the West Heath Holiday Group used their experience of visiting the Droitwich Lido to create a piece of artwork that again will be displayed locally.
In fact, all the artworks created throughout the Pitch, Putt and Paddle project have been displayed in recent weeks – at Kings Norton Farmers Market and at the Northfield Beach. The feedback has been very rewarding and positive. As one person viewing the display said “ History and our heritage is so very important”. We will continue to display them for the foreseeable future locally so that this heritage is not lost in the local community.
Media Gallery:
Exploring the story of the “Bathtub” – the West Heath Lido which was in West Heath for 3 years – closing in 1937.
View GalleryCompleted artwork produced by children taking part in Pitch, Putt and Paddle workshops.
View GalleryThe Pitch, Putt and Paddle event brought everyone together for Roses and Castles painting, canal boat making, a mini golf course and make-your-own prefabs, alongside a local history talk on prefabs and the former golf course. A wonderful intergenerational afternoon of creativity, shared memories and community learning.
View GalleryThe Oddingley Community Hall event brought everyone together for Roses and Castles painting, canal boat making, a mini golf course and make-your-own prefabs. The afternoon also included a fascinating talk from local historian Mike on prefabs, the former golf course and local history.
View GalleryA visit to Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings with an intergenerational group, exploring prefab housing and learning about the history of the buildings.
View GalleryA visit to Droitwich Marina to explore the barges and learn about its heritage, followed by a visit to the classic car show at Droitwich Rugby Club.
View GalleryWorking with Harts Community Adventure CIC HAF scheme we spent a lovely few hours creating barges, and a giant canal boat Some wonderful family creations and massive thanks to Shiloh the doggy captain who tested out the boat 🐾
View GalleryParticipants got creative with clay, making prefab houses, golf course features, canal boats and signage for the mini world being created for the exhibition. The sessions also included pointillism and Roses and Castles canal boat painting, alongside a whole class from Hawkesley Church Primary School creating clay work, designing a large mural and sharing stories and memories together.
View GalleryA memorable trip travelling on the Pamela May canal barge from Droitwich Marina & the route it took with Father Christmas himself!
View Gallery