We tend to send just one Birmingham Community Matters newsletter towards the start of each month (with the occasional bulletin in between), and aim to make it as useful as possible. You can sign up to our mailing list at the foot of this page. If you’d like us to consider an item for inclusion in next month’s BCM newsletter please email info@birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk.
April 2022: Packed with goodness: your April newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Our first in-person session for two years, Small Charities Commission closure updates, and public voting on the Seven Trent Community Fund.
March 2022: Break time! It’s your March newsletter from BCM
Highlights: A return to in-person events, International Women’s Day and Birmingham as a City of Sanctuary.
February 2022: Spring up: here’s your February newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Celebrating Communities updates, interesting vacancies, and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee opportunities.
January 2022: Kettle on! Time for your January BCM newsletter
Highlights: New year, new jobs; Severn Trent Community Fund, and offering mutually beneficial work placements for students.
December 2021: Cold December, warm wishes
Highlights: recruiting student volunteers, get support to run a community pub, and take the Brum Budget Challenge.
November 2021: Greetings from BCM – here’s your November newsletter
Highlights: Celebrating Communities updates, winner of our survey prize draw, and ways you can help to make Christmas better in Brum.
October 2021: Your October BCM newsletter contains …
Highlights: Celebrating Communities small grants fund reopens, volunteers needed at Soho Community Hall, and a free ‘What is your story?’ session
September 2021: Here’s your September newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Celebrating Communities small grants fund updates, Eden Project Community Camp, and free PC monitors for Birmingham voluntary groups.
August 2021: Happy August: here’s your BCM newsletter
Highlights: our upcoming sessions for Selly Oak NNS, taking ownership of a community pub, and a new Read Easy literacy support group in south Birmingham.
July 2021: Good afternoon! Here’s your BCM newsletter, July edition
Highlights: Online session dates, MiFriendly Cities showcase, South Asian Heritage Month.
June 2021: Hip hooray, here’s your June newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Celebrating Communities small grants support, assets of community value in Birmingham and why we can’t always help CICs (and who can!).
May 2021: Hello! Here’s your May newsletter from BCM
Here’s the document relating to the Community Support and Development Officer roles with Birmingham City Council’s Neighbourhood Development Support Unit.
Here’s the flyer about the Vice Media Group with Shelter documentary.
And here’s the flyer from Near Neighbours Birmingham about Refugee Week 2021.
April 2021: Whoosh – here comes your April newsletter from BCM
Highlights: forthcoming small group sessions, Celebrating Communities grants for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and a call to share resources and documents.
March 2021 bulletin: Where do we even start?
Details of our safeguarding workshop and other events.
March 2021: Spring into action: here’s your BCM March e-newsletter
Highlights: Our forthcoming events, details of Standing Tall – a Birmingham project to give a new start to people experiencing homelessness, and details of the Misfits Music Choir.
February 2021: Hooray, it’s your February e-newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Covid-19 community grant schemes, Deaf Awareness training, and Midday Calm sessions.
January 2021: Brighter days ahead: January e-newsletter from BCM
Highlights: New year webinars from BCM and Get Grants, seeking new team members, and interesting online events for January and February.
2020
December 2020: Winter wishes: December e-newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Opportunities to work with BCM, free training from Fircroft College and Coventry University, and a Community Leadership Academy opportunity from the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
November 2020: Your November e-newsletter from BCM
Highlights: Bite-sized sessions for people starting community/voluntary groups, Trustees’ Week, and Community Integration Awards.
October 2020: A positivity-filled October e-newsletter from BCM
Highlights: BCM website callout, Covid-19 community champions and freelance and consultancy opportunities.
September 2020: September news and events
Highlights: Themed small-group meetings, Community Initiatives Fund from the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner, and a return for ‘in person’ events.
August 2020: August news and events
Highlights: Finding funding, thank you to volunteers, and restarting and re-opening.
July 2020: How to boost your funding applications
Highlights: Funding application feedback with Get Grants, resources for a return to ‘normal’ and grants from Hodge Hill Neighbourhood Network Scheme.
June 2020: Green spaces, healthy streets, love and solidarity
Highlights: #BlackLivesMatter, Volunteers’ Week and Pride Month.
May 2020: May news: ideas and resources for strange times
Highlights: webinars for Birmingham community groups, #FeedBirmingham and volunteering opportunities from Code Your Future.
April 2020: April news: launching our online surgeries
Highlights: how you can book a surgery, support with online conversations, and the Heart of England Coronavirus Resilience Fund.
To our friend (an email about the coronavirus outbreak)
March 2020: March news and events from BCM
Here are the Selly Oak Neighbourhood Network Scheme small community grants documents:
* Selly Oak Neighbourhood Network Scheme small community grants programme overview
* Selly Oak NNS Small Grants Proposal Form
* COGA Conditions
And here is the PDF version of the International Women’s Day community events listings, compiled by Near Neighbours: IWD 2020 Community Programme
February 2020: February news and events from BCM
Highlights: New surgery dates across the city, Bike Buddies, and a charity trustee welcome pack.
January 2020: January news from BCM
Highlights: New surgery and Community Matters Café for February, volunteering opportunities, and how to become a BCM trusteeeve