Perry Common Community Hall is a little treat nestled not far from Conker Island in the midst of…read morePerry Common / Kingstanding. The reason this place is so fab (aside from having had money from Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham City Council and Witton Lodge Community Association which has been used to make an amazing shiny new airy lovely space) is because the staff who work there are just passionate courageous people. You've all seen the knitted bull at the bullring at xmas, and more recently in a Union Flag getup? Well Witton Lodge and Perry Common worked together a couple of YEARS ago and managed to borrow the original lifesize maquette of the bull from it's current owner. It was installed in their carpark for an agreed period of time, during which they motivated local knitters to send in patches of knitting and then cobbled them all together to create a beautiful patchwork coat for the bull. THEY DID IT FIRST! They covered benches on the island, and lamposts and trees, and the residents were all so proud, and local shopkeepers would shoo away anyway picking at the knitting, and it was such a great community cohesion project done with very little money but lots and lots of love! Since then, the teams have continued working together to run other community events in their space and have continued building the social capital of the area! If you fancy popping along to the centre, there are plenty of classes that are run on a regular basis, and the rooms are also available to hire.

A community hall that has had a facelift makes this an even bigger gem than just a good community…read morehall. This one sparkles even brighter because it is supported by the Witton Lodge Community Association, which means right there that it is ran and supported by people from the area. Not only is it a great space with a hall and meeting rooms to hire but the staff are fantastic. They are passionate, helpful and enthusiastic. They are always eager to give new things a try, support people to get something happening in the community, and subside activity during trial periods to determine interest. Nestled in the heart of Perry Common, Kingstanding, on the edge of Conker Island, it is a greta place to visit and if something is happening on the island it's bound to be them that's doing it. They have knitting groups that were the first to fully cover the Bullring Bull, and if there isn't a group for something and there is interest then they'll get it happening. IJoin their Facebook group, find out when they are up to something and turn up and support them.

This place is your archetypal community centre, providing an important service to the residents of…read morethe Billesley and Yardley Wood area. I used to attend the centre to take my greyhound Tom to dog training classes, the less said about that experience the better. What impressed me was the amount of activities which appeared to be taking place here with the notice board indicating all manner of communal activities scheduled to take place. Whilst the decor itself could do with updating the purpose of the centre is an inherently good one and it is a lead which more local communities should follow.

Sense is the national charity that supports children and adults that are deafblind. I'd heard of…read morethem but came across them recently when they ran a charity swish at my local coffee house. (More of that later)IIt was worth donating some money as I discover that Sense help people in a number of ways: * they offer housing and support * they have specialists that purely support children and their families * also on offer are holidays and breaks for deafblind children and adults * day centres * There are charity shops and Sense run lots of events to raise awareness and fundraise. The Swish they held raised money by charging people £10 to enter and we could swap up to 2 items of clothing and accessories for something they we really want! A great idea in itself but we also enjoyed fine coffee and cake whilst we took part in an amazing raffle. I wond Hippodrome tickets which sadly I couldnt use but I donated to another raffle instead! I know there are a lot out there but this is a great charity to support.

I first contacted Steve at Sofafix just after the first lockdown and I was very impressed with his…read moreprofessionalism, honesty and quality of workmanship. Jump ahead to right now, I finally managed to get my own affairs in order so that Sofafix could do what they do best and fix my sofa! From the very start, Steve was punctual and precise in his dealings with me. My sofas were taken in a state that could be best described as "ready for the tip". Steve and his colleague Jane moved everything for me and even helped with advice on what would work best when giving our sofas a new lease of life. Our entire suite (which seats up to 10 people) was recovered and rejuvenated in no time at all. The quality of Steve and Jane's work is simply the best. Our suite was returned to us looking as good as new. When I considered what they looked like before going to Steve, the finished result was nothing short of a miracle. It isn't just ourselves who have been impressed with Sofafix, we have had visitors who have complimented on our "new" sofas such is the quality of the work which has been done. I am very, very pleased with Sofafix, Steve and Jane. Together, they changed our sofa suite from an embarrassment into something we can once again be proud of. I would strongly recommend Sofafix for any as well as all of your upholstery needs.

Absolutely fantastic service, Lambs moved us with only a few weeks notice over 250 miles&Great…read morecustomer service from the start to finish. Fantastic team that moved us. Highly recommended

So upset and disappointed with a company that we thought had a good reputation and service. Quick…read moreto take our money upfront but when we informed them one of our storage containers hadn't been packed properly and I had pictures and videos to show them, I was basically shut down by two individuals who I believe are family owners. The guys who delivered were great and did their job, but unfortunately our belongings put into their storage were not treated with respect and the packing service wasn't completed. If compensation or ownership of this was given I would not be writing this review. It's seems they're not too happy with being given feedback with a negative connotation and certainly not interested in putting things right. Extremely disappointed and would not recommend Lambs to family and friends in the area.

When you live in Cradley Heath, the charity shops of Harborne feel kind of upmarket. Cradley Heath…read moreis all second hand Primark, Harborne is all rarely worn Marks and Spencer. This is a well presented and neat little shop that can turn up to occasional treasure. There's rarely much to get overly excited over, though I'm always impressed by the quality and condition of some of the wedding dresses. I saw two there on my last visit that were really pretty and priced up at £90.00. Budget conscious brideswould be well advised to pay this place a visit!

Based at the bottom end of the High Street near Iceland, this is a very well kept charity shop that…read moresells a good handbag. It also does a good range of bric-a-brac and glassware and often seems to have rather snazzy frocks - not neccesarily to my style as well the odd wedding dress. Prices are a little more expensive than some of the lesser known charities so probably comparable with Oxfam say.

A wondeful charitable organisation that is truly dedicated to ensuring Sutton Coldfield remain one…read moreof the most beautiful areas to live in!

Although this is only a small shop in comparison to the other 3 or 4 charity shops on this road, it…read moreis striving with business. There is always plenty of stock in and the staff are friendly. They organized a wedding fashion show a few years back too, offering designer dresses at a cut of the price! There is a small amount of parking, but should probably be only used to drop items off and not to shop!