Legacy Annual Reports 18-19. Please feel free to download the report from the links below.

Many people within the Handsworth community will be relaxing at the weekend with their family or friends in one the new shisha lounges – the unofficial ‘halal’ nightclubs.

Shisha smoking – also called hookah, narghile, waterpipe, or hubble bubble smoking – is a way of smoking tobacco mixed with fruit or molasses, through a glass-bottomed water pipe.

A pumpkin is not just for Halloween, it’s for long term health! Don’t be fooled by its spooky reputation – it’s actually one of the most nutritious fruits available.

The pumpkin is a large orange fruit harvested in October. Traditionally it is used to make soup, pie and breads, however it is being increasingly used as a holiday decoration for Halloween. The tradition of a carving pumpkin and adding a candle to make a ‘jack-o’-lantern’ originated hundreds of years ago in Ireland and has been popularised by American culture.

Those of you who know me well, will have heard me say, “I’m 45 years old and still in my prime!”  Unfortunately it didn’t feel like that towards the end of 2015, when I suffered from the worst attack of flu that I’ve ever had.  I was bed ridden for two days straight, and continued to suffer for a further two weeks.  I felt old and week.  I also lost half stone in weight.

Legacy WM has been working with older Asian women in the Handsworth and Lozells area of Birmingham, to engage them in physical activity and healthy cooking workshops, as a way of preventing social isolation, improving their health and well-being.

The ‘Women Can’, project was developed as a result of research into the health of local people which revealed that life expectancy 8 years is less for women than other parts of the city.

I have had the privilege of volunteering for Legacy WM since January 2016. I came on board to help the charity with their social media, as well as keep their website up-to-date with relevant and new information. I have also spent time training the staff how to use applications and services such as Joomla and Mailchimp to empower them to confidently and independently use these tools. My time here was not all spent on everything digital and web based, I also took part in the charities community events and various projects like ‘Family Fit’.

Legacy WM hosted a phita mela and family fun day with a group of volunteers for the local community.  The word ‘phita’ in Bengali means a variety of snacks; these could be sweet or savoury.  The idea to host a ‘phita’ mela came about when a group of volunteers approached us and wanted us at Legacy to support them in organising it.

Ramadan or ‘Sawm’ is a special month in the Islamic calendar. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and one of the highest forms of Islamic worship. Muslims around the world join in brotherhood (Ummah) to abstain from food, drink and other physical needs during the daylight hours. The purpose is to purify the soul and practice self sacrifice.

On a fresh and bright autumn day, is there a better way to spend the morning than to begin to explore the hidden gems around Handsworth? Legacy WM is just beginning a new and exciting phase of the Heritage Trail project with help from Historic England and Heritage Lottery Fund.

Leaving Soho House’s lovely autumnal garden and setting off down the Soho Road, it’s easy to see why Legacy WM have decided to develop their existing Heritage Trail. The area has a wealth of fascinating architectural gems and stories just waiting to be told. Just a couple of minutes walk away from Soho House is the Supreme Works, which opened for business in 1922.