Today saw the first meeting of our new Steering Group, who will give us guidance and support as we develop the four new trails from the existing Legacy Heritage Trail, which was originally launched in 2013. Although the weather looked menacing when we woke up, as the morning progressed, the sun shone and cleared away the worst of the snow. Thanks to those who braved the remaining snow and made their way to Soho to discuss the project.
I hope I speak for everyone when I say that the meeting was very positive. We had a great range of talent represented, and all those who came were very supportive of our ideas, and also gave some thoughts and perspectives that we hadn’t considered, all of which were extremely useful. We hope to produce trails which not only raise awareness about the wonders within Handsworth for local residents, but also challenge preconceptions people from outside the area may have about Handsworth. We really believe that there is something in Handsworth for everyone!
The trails will be: ‘Soho’, ‘Pugin’, ‘Secret Gardens’ and ‘Rights and Resistance’ … Or ‘Rights and Resilience’ was proposed as an alternative title for this last tour … Handsworth certainly has demonstrated its resilience over the years! We had a very interesting presentation as part of our meeting by Adam, who showed some of his age mapping work in the area, and this really brought home to the group just how much the area has changed within a relatively short amount of time. We are very excited to have had such a positive first meeting, and if you are interested in being involved with the group, please do get in touch.
Although we didn’t see the amount of snow that the weather forecasters had promised us, this is probably just as well in terms of the practicalities of attendance at Steering Group meetings! However, I couldn’t resist an old photo of Soho Road in the snow to illustrate our latest blog … Snow might make getting around Handsworth more difficult, but you can’t deny that it makes the area even more picturesque!
