RIverside Church is a great, friendly, local church that I have been attending pretty much since I…read morearrived in Birmingham 15 years ago. The thing that attracted me to it initially was the fact that it was full of people my age, rather than just being old grannies. Not that there is anything wrong with old grannies - it's just nice to meet people you can connect with who are at a similar life stage to you. It meets in a school (Queensbridge) - which is good for people who are a bit scared of church buildings, but has a building on the Alcester Road in Moseley, which can also be hired out for events, and their performing arts training school runs from there. Riverside has a good outward-looking, community ethos: running various stay & play groups, youth groups, sports groups and courses so there's plenty to get stuck into during the week - it's not all about sitting on pews on Sundays.

Tucked away up Selly Park's side streets on the border of Selly Oak, St Stephen's Church is a bit…read moreof a hidden gem. I chanced upon it whilst trying to find the quickest walking route from Selly Oak to Cannon Hill Park. It's an impressive, if slightly imposing building that's been well maintained.Built in 1871, it remains a good example of it's era. I particularly like the tall grey spire and the the way the trees surround the church in it's graveyard. In terms of denomination and approach, it's a Church of England church with an evangelical outlook , committed to welcoming new comers, including the students that form a large chunk of the local population. If you're a Christian in the area looking for a new church, why not give them a try?

St. Stephens is a lovely church. It somehow remains a bit hidden, despite being a) quite large and…read moreb) in the middle of students-ville practically on the Pershore Road. Its surrounded by trees and a small garden area; which makes it feel more secluded and countrified, albeit in the middle of Selly Oak... I've been to a few weddings here, and they've all gone without hitch. The staff seem to be really welcoming and friendly and the church itself always looks beautiful - inside and out. The entrance is by a side door, which is lovely, as everyone gets to see the bride enter without doing a 180 degrees head turning owl impression.

OK, it's not really a square, neither is it a shop, restaurant, bar etc, etc. But I think it adds…read morequite a bit to the local flavour of Kings Heath. I don't mean the centre here either. In my view, we've been needing something like this locally for years. Kings Heath is bucking the trend and has a thriving local high street with a great number of independent local shops. What it didn't have was somewhere to 'hang out'. I don't mean a place for locals to sit and consume cheap booze, I mean a space that welcomes the whole community and provides a place to sit and enjoy the surrounding space in safety. If you haven't actually checked it out properly. Please do take a moment to sit on one of the benches. Take a look at the maze, encourage you're children to give it a try, or to put their hands in the little water fountains, or just do it yourself. It's a lovely spot to take a moment from the shopping or just stop off on your journey home. I'm not in any way religious, but our local space is a much nicer place to be now that the All Saints project has been finished, so thank you to all those involved.

This space was previously a grassy church yard to All Saints church, with a knee-high wall around…read moreit. The idea came up of developing the space to turn it into a public square, like a suburban version of a village green. The area is functional and pretty. There is a central maze that kids can navigate while mum catches a breather. Sturdy and eye-pleasing seats surround the square, and there is a group of them huddled together where schoolkids can catch up on gossip. The existing gravestones have been sensitively incorporated into the design. The centre piece is a two dimensional maze where you can read calming words of wisdom and inspiration as you make your way to the centre. On the sunny evening that I went there with a group of 7-10 year olds, the space had a somewhat Mediterranean feel. A dark haired man lay with his eyes closed on one of the seats. A pretty woman waited for her date. He arrived on a bicycle and they strolled off. Over-weight teenagers ate chicken and chips out of polystyrene containers. And the kids who were meant to be making crayon rubbings of the mosaics, gravestones and words of wisdom at ground level, splashed around in the bubbly fountains getting soaking wet. Even though it's been there for quite a while, this was the first time that I'd been to the square. It presents itself as a place to take time out, so I'll make time to do just that sometime soon.

In the middle of the busy shopping High Street in Kings Heath lies the beautiful New Life Baptist…read moreChurch. No matter what your religious persuasion, I'm thoroughly convinced that anyone can enjoy the Baptist church. The courtyard has been thoroughly modernised, to become a restful, quiet area to relax in after a hard day shopping. The flat lying tomb stones have been inventively worked into the new footpaths, creating a unique blend of tradition and modern functionality. The building itself is an impressive architectural site, and too has been modernised, with glass doors and the stereotypical hard wooden pews replaced with cushy seating, making it a great place to go and have a sit and a think. The church also has a coffee shop that sells, among other things, homemade cakes.

I love a church that doesn't meet in a church (see Riverside Church review...). This particular…read morechurch actually meets in a cricket ground, which has to be a pretty unique set up. Perhaps Warwickshire think that God might be on their side if they host a group of local Christians? Who knows... Another great thing is that they offer you donuts and hot drinks as soon as you walk through the door. So for those folks who have been put off by the cold pew, Sunday best, sombre behaviour associations with churches, I think these guy might give you a new perspective. They will, at least, give you a donut. I've been here a couple of times and both times have felt really welcomed and weirdly at home pretty quickly, despite not really knowing anyone or having any idea as to what the score is with Oasis church, particularly. But this I can tell you, it appears to be full of very genuine, lovely and sane people - which is always nice. The leadership are really approachable and not at all 'holier than thou' and the atmosphere is pretty exciting. They have a good kids, young people and student programme as well as a residential recovery programme for local suffering from various addictions. All sounds good to me :)