The January issue of Erdington Local is out now!

RESIDENTS HELP SHAPE ERDINGTON AND SUTTON HEALTH PLANS

At Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA), the belief is simple: the best healthcare solutions grow from the ground up. As the VCFSE (Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise) lead for health across the North Locality, WLCA works to ensure residents in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield have a real say in the care they receive. ​

Recently, we hosted two North Locality Health Workshops at the Trinity Centre in Sutton Coldfield and Perry Common Community Hall in Erdington. These events created a vital bridge between the NHS, Birmingham City Council and local residents, focusing on genuine consultation rather than one-way presentations.​

Discussions centred on frailty and improving vaccination knowledge and uptake in our communities. Attendees highlighted the need for better transport and accessible fitness options to stay independent, and called for more open, accessible conversations about flu, pneumonia and childhood immunisations.​

“Being community-led is in our DNA,” explained Jo Townsend, WLCA’s Communications and Community Engagement Manager. “Our ethos is rooted in listening to and working alongside residents, ensuring our communities are informed, involved and valued.”

This sentiment was shared by participants in the workshops, with one resident noting that a truly responsive system must recognise the challenges people face in understanding and accessing services that support their health and wellbeing.

“By partnering with organisations like Spurgeons and Birmingham Mind which are rooted in the community, we can better understand the needs of residents,” added Jo.

“It is important we nurture this approach to support the co-creation of effective solutions that really benefit our communities.”

YOUTH-LED VIDEO AIMS TO SHAPE COMMUNITY CHANGE AND INSPIRE RESIDENTS

Creativity met community spirit recently as four talented Sixth Formers from North Birmingham Academy (NBA) teamed up with Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA).

Their mission? To produce an engaging and informative TikTok video promoting the life-changing benefits of volunteering. The project also forms part of our Community Voice initiative, a forum where residents join together to help tackle local issues.

Steve Sharma, WLCA’s Communications & Communtiy Engagement Co-ordinator, explained: “Community Voice is a forum where residents come together to discuss local issues and develop practical solutions.”

After learning that young people in North Birmingham often struggle to find work experience opportunities, the students at NBA decided to take action by producing a peer-led video.

Steve added, “These incredible students felt that the best way to reach young people was through young people like themselves and we couldn’t agree more!”

NBA students Kian Haden, Kimmi Lane, Divya Kaur, and Kaylin McClelland took complete creative control of the project.

Kaylin (Scriptwriter): “I’ve always been passionate about giving a voice to young people, so I wanted to ensure our video was engaging, to inspire them to get involved.”

Kimmi (Director): “Doing the video was fun, to create content which promotes positive change was a great experience.”

Kian: “Joining Community Voice can help young people develop new skills which they can use throughout their lives.”

Divya: “Working with everyone on the video was an experience and helped us all to further develop our personal skills.”