At our 20th Anniversary Volunteer Celebration in late 2025, we hosted a “Just a Minute” segment – a space for our members to share a snapshot of what their local open space and volunteering means to them. When Natascha Rohde (Secretary & Trustee from the Friends of Handsworth Park) stood up to speak, she shared a heart-felt snapshot in her experience of moving to Birmingham from another country and the profound moment she realised she wasn’t just a visitor anymore – she had “laid down roots.” Through volunteering and becoming part of the local Friends group, she found a sense of community and a home among the trees and the people of Handsworth. We have asked Natascha to share more of her story with us. What she sent back is a beautiful, poetic reflection on belonging, the call of the ring-necked parakeet, and the transformative power of a local “Friends of” group.
Here is Natascha’s story, in her own words:
“When I first moved to Birmingham from Germany with my son and then partner, we didn’t live in Handsworth but Bearwood. However, through the decision to home educate, I very quickly met Eleanor, who runs the forest school in Handsworth Park and from about 3 months into living in Birmingham, we became regular visitors to Handsworth Park; attending forest school, sometimes joining the community garden sessions and coming down from Bearwood for events like the lantern parade.
I very quickly fell in love with the park, the rich diversity of flora, fauna and art, the community and ultimately the area around the park too. I remember in particular, the first time I spotted a flock of ring-rosed parakeets in the park; their fluorescent neon green plumage brought up memories from my home town Cologne in Germany. It felt like it was their cousins’ song I grew up listening to on my way to school. That was a little bit like foreshadowing, the feeling for connection and home.
When we found ourselves in a difficult situation needing to find new housing urgently, it was Handsworth who delivered! Having lived a few meters from the park entrance for a few year now, Handsworth Park feels like our patio or backyard. Rarely a day goes by without a quick walk through the park even if it’s just to catch the bus or on the way to the leisure center. It was shortly after moving here that I joined the Friends of Handsworth Park not only because I already new a few people there but because I wanted to be an active member of the local community. I like to say: When I moved to Handsworth it felt like I instantly grew roots; that still feels very true and volunteering with the Friends of Handsworth Park is a huge part of why I feel so at home here. My son has attended the Wild and Free Forest School for longer than he hasn’t, he has planted more than one tree in this park and we both have made really good friends. My knowledge of plants and permaculture has grown exponentially and the birds and flowers familiar to me now by their English name, I would not have been able to identify in my native tongue. Taking turns cooking for the weekly Tea & Social sessions has been a great experience and enabled me to share parts of my culture through family recipes and gave me the opportunity to meet new people and feel a sense of citizenship for the place. And that, knowing your neighbours, not just the human ones, by their name, spending time together, sharing food, exploring new skills and interests, that is home for me.
Handsworth’s rich social history and relevance in art and music is tangible in so many places in and around the park. Most obviously, the beautiful tribute to local poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah on the outside of the Sons of Rest building (only fitting that the food we serve in there on Wednesdays is vegan, like he was!). The many sculptures and installations on the Handsworth Park Art Trail reference local and national history and the visible remnants of the park’s Victorian past, like the lodge house and St Mary’s church (often called ‘the Cathedral of the Industrial Revolution housing the remains of place for James Watt, Matthew Boulton, and William Murdoch) remind us that so many people loved and enjoyed the park before us.
Our local parks are time capsules, growing places, community spaces and well-being centers all in one. We city dwellers are often accused of having no clue about nature, but I disagree – we need it even more and the parks in Birmingham are indispensable for our health and wellbeing, as individuals and more so as communities. Especially, when moving countries and maybe not speaking the language perfectly, parks and community gardens are such a great way to engage with your new neighbourhood and get involved in projects that give you a sense of belonging.
Being a member of a friends’ group who in turn is a member of the BoSF, we have the privilege of building connections across the city, learning from each other, growing with each other and showing our local communities that they and their green spaces matter. I would encourage anyone living near a green space they care about, to reach out to your local friends’ group and get involved if you can, it’s so enriching and you learn a ton of new and often very transferable skills.
For myself, I am not exaggerating when I say that the whole trajectory of my professional life has changed thanks to getting involved with the Friends of Handsworth Park; I have learned to do scary things like write funding applications and plan projects, I have attended courses on permaculture, learned about fungi and obtained my Mental Health First Aid Certificate, but best of all: I am part of a vivid community where people care for each other and live life together.
I have even written poetry about that experience. Here are the final two lines of my most recent one:
Birmingham is now my home. ONE parakeet along might make a tourist say: ”I wonder where that one’s from” A flock of them together shows and sings out proud: “We live here, HERE is home. We made it so.”“
Natascha’s instagram
Friends of Handsworth Park’s Instagram
Regular FoHP Events
Tea & Social: Every Wednesday, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Community social with a FREE hot meal (vegan), hot and cold drinks, snacks, and community chatter. Everyone welcome. Includes access to a free community clothes rail. Held at the Sons of Rest Building in Handsworth Park.
Community Gardening Sessions: Every Friday, 11:00am – 1:00pm. Looking after our community garden with seasonal gardening work, seed sowing, planting, and harvesting. Sessions run by community gardener Eleanor Hoad. Meeting at the Community Garden (Holly Rd entrance of Handsworth Park).
Upcoming Friends of Handsworth Park Events
Handsworth Wood: Tonia talking about Trees: Saturday 31st January, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park.
Inaugural Meeting: Handsworth Writer’s Group: Tuesday 3rd March, 11:00am – 1:00pm. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park.
Handsworth Hood Poetry Night: Friday 13th March, 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park. (Instagram: @handsworthhoodpoetry)
Queer Art Club: Saturday 14th March, 3:00pm – 6:00pm. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park. (Instagram: @queerartclubbrum)
Share & Repair: FREE Clothes Swap and Repair Workshop: Saturday 28th March, 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park.
BOSF Coffee Morning & City Nature Challenge Kick-Off: Wednesday 22nd April, 11:00am – 1:00pm. In cooperation with Birmingham Open Spaces Forum. Location: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park.
Bug Walk with Lukas Large: Monday 6th July, 11:00am – 1:00pm. Meeting point: Sons of Rest, Handsworth Park.
Join us in Handsworth Park this Spring!
If Natascha’s story has inspired you to explore this historic park or connect with your own local environment, we have the perfect opportunity coming up.
In celebration of Earth Day 2026, BOSF is heading to Handsworth for a special collaborative event with EcoRecord and the Friends of Handsworth Park.
- Event: Earth Day 2026: EcoRecord workshop, nature walk, social/lunch & warm-up for City Nature Challenge
- Date & Time: Wednesday 22nd April, 11:00am – 1:00pm
- Location: Sons of Rest building, Handsworth Park
Come along to meet the local Friends group, learn about the upcoming City Nature Challenge, and find out how to use the iNaturalist app. We will then head out to try our new skills and record local wildlife, followed by a social and lunch back in the Sons of Rest building.
Why record wildlife?
Recording the plants and animals we see is vital for protecting our local biodiversity. By sharing what you find, you provide scientists and conservationists with the data they need to understand how our urban nature is changing.
The iNaturalist app is a free, easy-to-use tool that turns your smartphone into a powerful scientific instrument. During our workshop on Wednesday 22nd April, we’ll show you how to use it to identify species instantly and contribute to the City Nature Challenge (see infographic below). This global event takes place over the following weekend, and your records will help show the world just how much nature Birmingham has to offer!
