• BOSF Conference 2022

     
    We are really delighted with how our conference went this year, and for all of the positive feedback we’ve received about it! Thank you to everyone that attended and for making it such a special day.
     
     
     
    Thanks to Darren Share for his Parks Update on challenges and future plans for Birmingham‘s parks and open spaces! He reflected on the great work done by our Friends Groups, the Birmingham City Council’s parks survey 22, the common wealth games, Birmingham’s Future Park’s Accelerator project. He also spoke about the fight against fly tipping in parks and open spaces, including new measures such as more enforcement officers, new cameras and encouraging fly tipping reporting via [email protected]
     
    We had lots of talks by Birmingham‘s parks & open spaces volunteers during our ‘Just a minute’ speaker sessions. Click here to see a short video taken of Stephen from the Friends of Bleakhill Park & ShortHeath Playing Fields, talking about the success of his group’s new events & activities! Thanks to everyone that stepped and spoke as part of the part of the conference this year.
     
     
     
    There were a number of workshops that took place in the afternoon, and one of those was hosted by Paul Wilkinson from the Canal & River Trust! He led the group through the Gas Street Basin canal network in the city centre, in the glorious sunshine Paul is responsible for over 600 miles of canals, and has been working on them for 5 years helping to support biodiversity.
     
    Wildlife travel through Birmingham’s urban areas using the canals as their safe routes of passage. There have been a number of sightings of bats, peregrine falcons, heron and more. Paul gave us a guided tour along the canals and led us to a number of fruit orchards that volunteers have been caring for.
     
    They have helped to plant fruit trees in these orchards, such as grape, kiwi, peach, pears, fig, apricot and more! In one of the main areas there is an incredible Bee hotel made from reclaimed timbre, lovingly named “Brum Bee” by a volunteer. Thanks again to Paul for hosting this great informative workshop, we all thoroughly enjoyed it!
     

    With special thanks to:

    • Darren Share, BCC
    • Dr Lesley Batty, Reader in Ecological Education, UOB
    • Katie at Get Grants Alf Dimmock, BCC
    • Paul Wilkinson, Canal & River Trust
    • Debbie Needle, CONA
    • Chris and Emma, BOSF Trustees
    • Kate and all at The Exchange who helped to facilitate the day.