We were delighted to host Mayor of The West Midlands, Andy Street, who visited Witton Lodge Community Association premises today to meet with staff, service users and volunteers.

A presentation on the history of the Association, delivered by our chair Linda Hines, provided Mayor Street with a personal insight into how a community trauma united local residents to create an organisation which has positively transformed the lives of thousands of people as well as the environment they live and work in.

Over the years the Association has overseen the regeneration of Perry Common which has included development of more than 1,000 new homes, a new school, health and community facilities, parks and open spaces. These are assets which we continue to invest in through our Flourishing Communities programme.

During today’s visit our Chief Officer, Afzal Hussain, was also joined by Birmingham City councillors Bob Beauchamp and Gary Sambrook to discuss how the Association continues to support young people living in order to unleash their potential and acquire the skills they need to secure employment.

As a business we promote social enterprise and entrepreneurship while our focus on mental health and social prescribing is really helping to improve people’s lives. In addition to this, the development of our Eco Hub in Witton Lakes will showcase renewable and green technologies and help to tackle fuel poverty.

Mayor Street, Cllr Beauchamp and Cllr Sambrook also took time to speak to a number of service users about how the Association has had a positive impact on their lives. They also met with our extraordinary volunteer and trustee Mary Harvey who is 97-years-old but continues to play an active role in supporting the Association and its community focussed activities.