Welcome to Northfield Ecocentre’s July newsletter. We have lotshappening this month, as always. Summer fun, bike hub launch,The Gruffalo and more. We’re enjoying watching our gardensgrow too. Come and join us. See you soon!

July Newsletter

All the best,

2013

www.facebook.com/northfieldecocentre Twitter @northfieldeco

For more information visit: www.northfieldecocentre.org Booking Essential: 0121 448 0119

We've got the busiest summer ever ahead of us with activities ranging from Forest Schools toGrowing Together gardening sessions at Masefield Community Garden, our successful Ecokidssessions taking place at the Ecocentre mixing recycled crafts with outdoor fun, or why not join uson our monthly bike rides, gently exploring Northfield and its surroundings? You can even try a bitof them all! Whatever you choose however, don't leave it too long as places ARE limited!

Summer Family Fun!

Growing Together - Family GardeningJuly - Fridays 12, 19, 26 July. 10am - 12pm, £1.50 per child

Family Forest School - Family Wildlife Adventures at Masefield Garden. £3 per childJuly - Sat 20, Weds 24 July 2-4pmThurs 25, Sat 27 July 10am - 12pmAugust - Weds 21, Sat 31 August 2-4pmAugust - Thurs 22nd, Thurs 29, 10am - 12pm

Ecokids Holiday Fun - Eco craft activities at Northfield Ecocentre, 2-4pm. £1 per childJuly - Sat 27, Tues 30 July - “World of Bugs”.August - Wed 28 & Fri 30 August - "Eco-pirates, ahoy!"

Nappuccino - Real Nappy Session at Northfield EcocentreJuly - Fri 26th - 11am - 12pm - learn about the environmental and financial benefits of usingcloth nappies with parents already using them

Family Bike Rides - 2nd Sunday of Every Month. Meet at the multi use games are inVictoria Common. Free. Future rides - Sundays 14 July, 11 August, 8 September. FREE.

Cycle Event - a pre launch event for the new Northfield Bike Hub (see newsletter feature)July - Thurs 25, 1 - 5pm. Meet at Northfield Ecocentre

THE GRUFFALO is coming! Friday 26th July., 11am - 12, 1pm - 2pm. Tickets £5 perchild. £3 per adult.

pearapple

cherry

plumalder

maple

beech

Ecocentre Enters Britain in Bloom!

The theme is Edible Britain.For more information:www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/News/RHS-Britain-in-Bloom-

Both the Ecocentre garden and Masefield are entered inthe Britain in Bloom for community gardening groups &will be judged on Friday 26th July!

Growing Together

For the start ofthe summer, we’ve teamed upwith Bellfield Childrens Centre todeliver six one-hour familygardening sessions every Fridaytaking place at our amazingMasefield Community Garden. Allfamilies welcome to join the group.

On our introductory session thegarden was filled with gardeners,small and big, keen to discover thesite before getting their handsdirty.

We had a tour of the allotment, admiring the vegetables alreadygrown by our regular volunteers and pupils from CotteridgeSchool. The children from Bellfield were very good at guessingwhat was growing in the ground, what part of the plant we eatand sharing what their favourite vegetables are. We didn’t losetime and started planting peas, radishes, lettuces and chardseedlings, learning to taking care not to damage the fragile roots.

At future sessions we’ll be learning about the importance ofhaving all sorts of mini-beasts around, becoming bugsexplorers, learning about soil and composting, wildlifegardening, and hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy some of ourquick growing produces as well as see the development ofother plants.

To join the gardening sessions please contact Anne:on admin@northfieldecocentre.org or 0121 448 0119

Gardening Activities

MasefieldCommunity Garden

Thanks to the work of localvolunteers & Ecocentre staffthe garden is thriving & includes:

-Wildlife area & forest garden- Allotment plots for food growing- Raised beds & vertical planters- Compost bins & leaf mulch- Rainwater harvesting systems- Outdoor classroom and forestschools area- Newly built earth oven, BBQ &herb spiral

Under construction:- Compost toilet- Plastic bottle green house- Recycled material poly tunnel

We Need Gardening Volunteers!

Regular Activities

GardenWednesdays

11am - 2pmAt Masefield Garden

Join inwith our

GardeningActivities

in our twoNorthfield

Gardens:

GardenThursdays

10am - 12pmAt the Ecocentre

CommunityFruit Harvesting

We need surplus fruit.Volunteer Fruit Pickers.

Community locationsfor planting new

orchards.

www.northfieldecocentre.org I Email: admin@northfieldecocentre.org I Call us on: 0121 448 0119

Anne writes:

Urban HarvestThe Ecocentre will be working with Urban Harvest,Martineau Gardens and others involved with GrowingBirmingham to pick fruit and stop it going to waste. Anyonewanting to be involved with fruit picking, or who could putout a box for people to bring along surplus fruit should getin touch with Georgia on 0121 448 0119

GET ON YOUR BIKEWith Northfield

EcocentreNew Northfield Bike Hub

Working in partnership with Northfield Pool & Fitness Centre,Northfield Town Centre Partnership, Northfield BusinessImprovement District, & Centro we are launching a new bike hub inNorthfield, located at Northfield Pool & Fitness Centre with bikes forhire of all different sizes.

In the future the Bike Hub will offer:� Free one day bike hire with …� Free bike service service for free by Dr Bike� Monthly lazy Sunday bike rides - for all ages and abilities� Bike maintenance workshops at the Ecocentre� Led bike rides� Bike ability classes from the Ecocentre

We hope to have approximately 30 bikes of all sizes for hire.

We have 9 bikes for one day free hire available frommid July. ID required.

Bike Hub Launch EventThursday 25 July, 1pm - 5pm, FREE

We are holding an event tocelebrate the launch of the first 9bikes available for free hire, donatedkindly by BEactive.

Bike Hub Cycle Event Schedule

1pm - At the Ecocentre: Dr Bike isavailable to service your bikes forfree. West Midlands police will bethere to tag your bike.

4pm - Gentle Bike Ride aroundBournville & local canal paths, startingat the Ecocentre. Finishing atMasefield garden for a BBQ. Freebikes for hire available on the day.

For Cycling Activities contact AnneEmail: admin@northfieldecocentre.org I Call: 0121 448

0119www.northfieldecocentre.org

Easy routes. Few hills.Adults and children welcomeAround South Birmingham.

Kids must be able to ride aloneor on a parents' bike

Free Cycle Leader TrainingWednesday 17 July, 9.30 - 4.30pm

Led by Bike Right, with funding from Centro.For more information & course content contact Georgiaat Northfield Ecocentre on 0121 448 0119

Meet at themulti-use gamesarea in Victoria

Common,10.30am

Sunday Cycle Rides - 14 July, 10.30am

Rides take place on the 2nd Sunday of everymonth in and around south Birmingham. Free.

Future rides:11 August, 8 September

www.northfieldecocentre.org I Email: Jackie@northfieldecocentre.org I Call us on: 0121 448 0119

In our Community

There are lots of exciting activities happening in our community this summer. We will be at many of them.Here are a selection. Hopefully see you there!

2 events. 1 weekendSaturday 6th July

Activities, crafts, music, food & fun.

Come & find our stalls for energyadvice, FREE children’s craft activities,

information and more. We’ll bemaking flowers to attract the bees! Nettlefest

Sunday 7th July

Salop Drive Market Garden,Sandwell

Chidlren’s activities, foraging,cooking, demonstrations &storytelling. All based aroundthe nettle!

Northfield’s Beach & Culture MashFestival

The beach is back and this year it is part ofa new festival, Culture Mash.

Loads happening for all the family.

24th to 28th July.

NEW REGULAR FREE EVENT

The Ecocentre is happy to be working withCentro Smarter Choices and Health Exchange toprovide opporttunities for local people toexplore our green spaces, get fitter & findalternate ways of getting around without thecar!

Every Wednesday, 12.30 to 1.30pm,Health Exchange will be leading walksaround Victoria Common. Perfect for newparents with pushchairs and as a start to gettingfitter. Great ot meet new people.

FUNDRAISING For NorthfieldEcocentre

HELP US DEVELOP OURWORK IN THE COMMUNITY

www.northfieldecocentre.org/support-usEmail: info@northfieldecocentre.org I Call: 0121 448 0119

Kara Moses, Fundraising Co-ordinator, writes;

Can you hold a fundraising event for us?Could you: ask your children’s school to hold a dress down day? Hold a cake sale for friends? Ask youremployer if you can hold a fundraising quiz/cake sale/dress down day? Organise a fun event like bingo,car wash or garden party? We can support you in organising your event and provide you with helpfulresources and advice. Download a Supporter’s Pack: www.northfieldecocentre.org/support-us/resources

The Gruffalo is coming to town!Friday 26 July – 11am-12pm & 1pm-2pm.Northfield Ecocentre is quaking in its boots, as the GRUFFALO iscoming! Arts & crafts before theatrical storytelling where the Gruffalowill make his appearance... brave children can meet him and havepictures taken. Fundraiser for Ecocentre children’s projects.£5 children, £3 adult. Under 1s free. Booking Essential.

To Book visit our blog: http://tinyurl.com/ou5pnhkpop into the Ecocentre, or contact Linda on the details below.

Become a Friend ofNorthfield Ecocentre

…and receive special offers!One of the best ways to support the Ecocentre is by becomingour Friend and giving a regular donation. This gives usunrestricted funds that can cover core costs which are oftendifficult to fund through other sources. Knowing we have fundscoming in regularly also allows us to plan ahead.

There are benefits for you too, including 50% off induction atclimbing centre Boulder Central, 15 months of membership forthe price of 12 at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, invitations tospecial events and more. As little as £3 a month could make abig difference to us.

Contact fundraising@northfieldecocentre.org for information.

Vote for Us!

To win funding fromBournville Village Trust to

create 7 communityorchards in Bournville!

www.openview.bvt.org.uk/vision/

VOTE; Bournville Orchard

The Gruffalo is coming to town!

NorthfieldEcocentre is

The report will also present a summary of potential investments and payback times. Renewableenergy is also becoming very popular on school sites and our assessor can provide schools withdetails of this. Our clients find the fact we are a charity and able to offer impartial advice very useful,as often commercial energy advisors are also salesmen.

Our advice is independent and tailored towards meeting your need

Learn new skills, save money andprotect the environmentEcocentre Energy Advice Update

Northfield Ecocentre have provided assessments ofenergy consumption to schools across Birmingham. Theaim of the assessments are to map current energy usageand identify wastage in the way energy is consumed.

Greening our SchoolsThe assessment involves a half day visit and discussion with school leaders or the buildingservices team. Northfield Ecocentre will then analyse the data and provide the school with areport outlining priority action points for zero cost changes in the way the building is operated.

Kings Norton Boys School

Northfield Ecocentre provided an assessment to Kings NortonBoys School (KNBS) in South Birmingham.

The visit allowed the assessor to consider how energy was beingused and identify wastage on site. A range of inefficiencies werefound and Northfield Ecocentre offered tailored advice toreduce energy consumption.

The report prioritised actions to allow KNBS to benefit from easyzero cost changes first, then outlined potential investments &payback times for energy efficiency improvements. Theassessment has allowed KNBS to consider energy efficiencywhen making future improvements to the building.

“The assessment was really useful in highlighting quick and easyways to reduce energy consumption & cut costs.” – LornaBrown, Governor

British Energy ChallengeA discussion hosted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Chief Scientific Advis-

er, David MacKay and climate change author, Mark Lynas. How we make and use energy isone of the most urgent issues facing the UK, impacting on our economy, the bills we pay and

the environment we live in. This is a unique opportunity to participate with government inthis important debate, network with leaders from across the region

and discuss some practical steps to contribute to its solution.Register by 5 July 2013 at

http://britishenergychallenge.eventbrite.co.ukSandwich lunch provided

Thursday 11 July, 1- 3.30pmKingston Theatre, Austin Court, 80

Cambridge Street, Birmingham, B1 2NP

A word from an EcocentreGreen Deal Assessor, Luke Pearson

“It is great that the Ecocentre hasbecome involved in the Green deal.Working as a green deal assessor is a veryunique opportunity as it allows us toprovide truly impartial advice to ourclients, which is something we prideourselves on. The job itself is challengingand rewarding and allows us to get outof the Ecocentre and make a realdifference in helping people save energyand money in their homes”.