One of several charity shops in the middle of the busy Cotteridge shopping area. There are enough…read morecharity shops along the two or three streets that make up the centre of Cotteridge to make is worthy of a mooching trip. Whilst not on a par with the Harborne High Street, it's nevertheless worth a visit. Harborne probably edges it on account of slightly better stock in general and the availability of a few decent pubs to take a break. Cotteridge does not have a decent pub. Anyway, this Acorns store is your standard charity shop outlet - clothes, books, records, bric-a-brac, and all, of course, at the bargain prices you'd expect from such an outlet. As with most of the shops in Cotteridge, it's quite small and can get cramped with other shoppers, so if you want to do some serious browsing and digging, I'd recommend a weekday visit.

Acorns is a very important charity in Birmingham, and therefore I think it is vital to continue to…read moreuse their shops. Acorns itself is a hospice which looks after very poorly children and their families, they do an amazing amount of good work but with very little (if any) government money. A disgrace, but this review is not a debate into funding. Just up the road from the hospice itself is the Acorns Hospice shop, a charity shop where you can both donate your unwanted items and buy stuff you might need. I do both, but must admit I prefer the buying experience. Acorns is laid out really well, they mostly sell clothing but also have a very good selection of books and toys. The clothing is generally very good, although because this shop depends on donations the selection and quality of items for sale varies daily. All sizes are catered for and there is a surprisingly good selection of larger sizes, my friend is a size 22 and she can always find something she likes. Unlike most charity shops which sell nothing decent above an 18. I love the choice of childrens' clothes in here, they seem to have a much better selection than other charity shops I've visted in the area. A lot of the kids clothes you can't tell are second hand either, which makes it a lot more attractive to my 12 year old fashion victim who hates me buying her anything with a faded label! Baby clothes available are all brilliant quality and sometimes there are some total bargains to be had, recently they had some babygrows packed in little food bags which were only 20p each. I picked out 15 because my daughter was desperate for them and was thrilled when I got home to discover they were Disney Baby and would have cost me a fortune to buy them in the shops! There's also a small selection of homewares and ornaments in Acorns, nothing that really floats my boat to be honest although I have bought several brand new gift sets and candles for stocking fillers recently. I always buy a few books for myself and the kids' in Acorns, sometimes this is because there are no clothes I fancy but I still want to support the shop. There are a good selection and always something on the book shelf that I want to read, and as they're priced between 49p and £1.50 this is a much cheaper way of getting your reading fix than going to shops like WHSmith or even the budget books in th supermarket.

Established in 1988, Acorns Children's Hospice Trust is a registered charity offering a network of…read morecare for life limited and life threatened children and young people, and their families, across the heart of England. These children and young people are not expected to reach adulthood and require specialist care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Acorns is currently supporting over 630 children and more than 880 families, including those who are bereaved. Acorns is the only organisation that provides this level of care to these vulnerable youngsters whilst offering a range of support services to the whole family to help them cope at every stage of their child's life and beyond into bereavement. The selection in the store is not as good as other charity shops in the Shirley area, and believe me there are a lot of them. Some of the objects are overpriced and the books for sale are mainly Mills and Boon, not my thing. This charity is one I am proud to support by shopping in; I'd suggest you do the same.

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.

Support Staffordshire Lichfield and District is a great third sector organisation which provides…read moredevelopment support and an active volunteer centre in addition to other services. However, this is a review for their meeting rooms. There are a range of meeting rooms available for hire. I use the therapy rooms which are inviting and neutrally decorated. The rooms are in a quiet location at the rear of the building whilst being well heated so your clients will be comfortably warm. The toilets are also clean, well maintained and conveniently positioned within the building. Booking is easy and takes a quick telephone call. There is an inviting reception area with seating and welcoming staff to greet your clients.

I am a big fan of Birmingham Conservation Trust, because I am a big fan of historic buildings - and…read moreBCT seem to be the only organisation that are doing anything remotely useful in terms of preserving some of Birmingham's architectural gems. It is they who did the restoration work to Perrott's folly, which was in dire danger of collapse: replacing oak beams and re-grouting the entire tower. They also restored the Brewmaster's House off Broad Street and, most famously, worked with the National Trust to restore the Back to Backs in the city centre. They've also got a watchful eye on Highbury Hall, Moseley Road Baths and the Curzon Street Station entrance building. Personally, I think that they would be in very safe hands, if given the funding and the go-ahead to preserve and restore these amazing buildings.

Crisis, you may be aware are a national charity that supports the single homeless, however, this is…read moreabout their brilliant local set up, Crisis Skylight Birmingham. I've recently found out about this outreach service that works with homeless and vulnerable adults - those who are in danger of losing the roofs over their head. They run a fantastic 12 week programme that consists of lots of elements, taster sessions to find out about new skills people can learn that may lead to new job and career options. Crisis Skylight work with many organisations to ensure anyone that goes on this programme gets the maximum from it. Having met the Director, Matt Green recently, I know that volunteers are much needed as well as links with local organisations that can help their members. They also have a dedicated person to support those who are interested in the arts so there is great scope for those who shy away from traditional corporate routes to find a career for them.

The ongoing recession has seen a surge in demand for charity shops. Consumerism is still in full…read moreforce in today's society, we just do not have the funds to support it. So we are increasingly turning to charity shops to fulfill our materialistic desires. British Heart Foundation is a worthy cause. Some would suggest that the NHS should cover all areas of healthcare and charity should be reserved for issues abroad. I agree with this perspective to a certain extent, but I am also thankful for the work the Foundation does in trying to raise awareness of heart related health issues. The British Heart Foundation also puts a great deal of its money into research for medicines that save lives. The selection of books in store is not great. Expect plenty of Mills and Boon and read copies of The DaVinchi Code. The clothing selection is quite nice due to the amount of 18-35's that inhabit the area. I wouldn't have a problem finding something that suits my style and age range in here. Many charity shops operate in Kings Heath and British Heart Foundation is one worth checking out.

This is a well-presented charity shop situated on Kings Heath High Street…read more I rarely find clothes or handbags in here as the kind of stuff they get seems to be more modern, you'd be unlikely to find a novel vintage find in here. They do however, tend to get some good DVDs in although they are a bit pricier than most charity shops I've found some really rare £20+ DVDs in there for a fiver which is pretty good going! The staff are really, really friendly in here, the nice lady who normally works there likes to have a little chat and is keen to help. Another strong point is there is rarely any charity shop musty smell in here, it's very clean and usually smells very fresh!

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.