June 2010
Volunteer Chris Swann to cycle 750 miles to raise funds for SIFA Fireside
Chris Swann has been volunteering with SIFA Fireside for over 18 months. He ran in the Birmingham half marathon to raise funds for us last year and is now taking this a stage further. In the last 2 weeks of August he will be cycling from Birmingham to Santander in Spain and back again in the hope of raising £1000.
Chris is passionate about raising awareness of homelessness within the UK and is determined to raise funds to support those who are socially excluded and marginalised by ensuring that we can continue to deliver our holistic service which is in great need by our vulnerable clients, especially during this turbulent economic time!
Please help us by sponsoring him. A penny a mile works out at £7.50 but any amount will be much appreciated.
For more information about his training and plans please visit his website. If you would like to sponsor Chris please visit his Just Giving page.
Going Places Art Exhibition
After the success of last year's My Birmingham exhibition, SIFA Fireside are launching another exhibition to showcase service users' artistic talents as demonstrated in the photography and art classes that have been running throughout the year which are funded by Bwell. This exhibition is being held in partnership with ARTful Dodgers who aim to improve the social skills, self esteem and general well being of those who are socially excluded due to criminal activity, drink or drugs.
The exhibition will run from 6th - 13th July and is being held at The School of Art, Margaret Street, Birmingham, B3 3BX.
A launch event for the exhibition will be held on 6th July at 2pm. All welcome. Please RSVP to: office@sifafireside.co.uk.
SIFA Fireside Service Users to take part in REP performance
In collaboration with the REP Theatre service users from SIFA Fireside have helped to script and shape a professional theatre piece to be held at the MAC (Midlands Arts Centre) on Sunday 27th June 2010.
The performance is a fusion of dance, drama, music and song and will include service user’s stories filmed and shown
on screens at the MAC at the following times: 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00. All welcome.
May 2010
Places of Change garden wins a Silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show
The garden at the Chelsea Flower Show that SIFA Fireside service users contributed to has won a silver medal. This was a project organised by Homelesslink in partnership with the Eden Project showcasing produce service users attending homelessness projects nationwide had grown from seed.
Related news:
May 20th - SIFA Fireside service users contribute to Places of Change Garden
March - SIFA Fireside service users grow plants for Chelsea Flower Show
SIFA Fireside service users contribute to Places of Change Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
Under Birgit Kehrer’s direction SIFA Fireside service users have grown herbs and vegetables including french beans, red cabbages, spinach and carrots at our allotment near Selly Park which will be contributing to the Places of Change garden at the Chelsea Flower Show running from 25th – 29th May.
Birgit from BSustained said; “I think it’s great that we grew so many vegetables for Eden and it really helped us to improve our own growing skills as well. Our service users really enjoyed learning to grow from seed”.
April 2010
New extended drop-in for our service users
From Monday 26th April 2010 our drop-in service will be changing. We will be operating an extended drop-in from 9am to 1pm (Mondays to Fridays) at our Lower Essex Street site. This will incoporate both Breakfast (9am-10am) and Lunch (midday-1pm), and also food parcels (11.15pm-1pm -still by referral only). Clothes will still be handed out at our Pershore Street site on Tuesdays and Fridays 11.15-midday.
This change will replace the two separate, shorter drop-ins that previously operated from different sites and is a move that has been largely welcomed by our service users.
For address details and directions, please visit our drop-in page
Unity Trust Bank present donation
Unity Trust Bank, long time supporters of SIFA Fireside, whose staff in the past have volunteered their time helping out on our allotment, have donated £308.89 collected from their Staff. We are very grateful to Unity Trust Bank for their on-going and generous support.
March 2010
SIFA Fireside service users grow plants for Chelsea Flower Show
In a scheme organised by Homeless Link and in collaboration with the Eden project and the Chelsea Flower Show, SIFA Fireside service users are growing vegetables at our allotment plot to go on display at the Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show which runs from 25th - 29th of May. Here they are getting the soil ready. We will keep you updated on their progress.
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Sutton Fun Run
A SIFA Fireside team will be running in the Great Midlands Fun Run in Sutton Coldfield on Sunday June 6th. Please support us by taking part in the run, shaking a collection tin or sponsoring the team. For more information please contact Hannah Wilson on 0121 666 7023 or email office@sifafireside.co.uk.
Cooking for Change with "ChangeKitchen"
Plans for SIFA Fireside and BSustained’s catering enterprise are well underway with the name ChangeKitchen chosen and a new website to match www.changekitchen.co.uk. Delivery will start in May and we’re already taking orders to provide buffets for meetings, conferences and private events. More >>>
January 2010
New year; 4 new projects
SIFA Fireside has been successful in getting funding for four new projects, coming soon;
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1. Start up funding from Be Birmingham to set up a catering social enterprise with sessional employment opportunities for service users.
2. Funding from the Working Neighbourhood’s Innovation Fund for a pilot to extend and enhance our service user volunteering programme and to get a training accreditation system in place.
3. Funding from Be Birmingham’s Active Citizenship programme to put in place a monthly Health Forum focussed particularly on tackling health inequalities.
4. Awards for All money to run a service user led research project; ‘What works 4 you’.
December 2009
Service User Christmas Party
On 17th December 2009 we held our annual Service User Christmas Party, at the Irish Club in Digbeth.
It was a great success and on behalf of our clients we would like to thank all those who helped make it
such an enjoyable occasion.
Including;
- KPMG for providing volunteers and donating £250
- St Edwards R.C Primary School in Selly park
- volunteers from St Martins
- Wragg and Co who helped pre-event with making sandwiches
- Npower-who helped pre-event with preparing sandwiches and light refreshments
We would also like to thank Sr Sabina for co-ordinating the event and Porscha Scotland, our photographer, as well as all of SIFA Fireside's
committed and dedicated volunteers who took part and supported the event.
Thanks for all the Christmas donations!
SIFA Fireside would like to warmly wish all its friends and supporters a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year, and to extend a huge thank you for all the very generous donations we’ve received over the last few weeks.
Audience delighted by service user pantomime
Staff and service users from SIFA Fireside made their stage debut on Monday 14th of December at the Central Library Theatre, taking to the stage with a production of the classic pantomime Cinderella. The performance was the result of 6 weeks spent preparing and rehearsing for the show.
Marie Dennehy who organised the group said: "It was a busy 6 weeks leading up the performance at the Central Library and we were all nervous and excited about how the performance would be. The hard work and enthusiasm our actors put into the project meant that everything ran smoothly on show night! We all had a lot of fun getting the show ready and I hope that the audience enjoyed it".
The pantomime will be performed again on the 23rd of December for guests at the Open Christmas. Marie commented; "everyone involved with the performance is looking forward to doing it all again!".
SIFA Fireside would like to say a big thank you to the Sideways Theatre Company for their help with the production, and also to the Library theatre for the use of their venue free of charge. This production is part of our bwell project funded by Bwell Birmingham.
SIFA Fireside signs up to the government’s Cycle to Work scheme
SIFA Fireside has joined Cyclescheme; part of the government’s Cycle to Work initiative, which provides tax-free bikes for staff.
SIFA Fireside wins Award for 'My Birmingham' art project
SIFA Fireside's 'My Birmingham' art project has been selected for a £500 award from Media Trust for the projects innovative approach in using digital media to give disadvantaged communities a voice.
The ‘My Birmingham’ project allowed service users to explore their own interpretation of Birmingham through various artistic means such as painting, photography and film. The award comes after three successful exhibitions of the art work across Birmingham.
Marie Dennehy who helped to organise the project said: "For us winning this award really is the cherry on the top of a brilliant project. I am thrilled that the service users are getting real recognition for their hard work".
In a press release statement Media Trust said:
"Media Trust aims to inspire, engage and support disadvantaged and isolated communities to get their voices heard
through digital media. SIFA Fireside has been recognised with a £500 award for running a three-month art project entitled ‘My
Birmingham’, which enabled homeless people in the area to explore their own unique and often
unheard interpretation of the city...The project has gone on to inspire a homeless agency based in Northampton to create
a similar scheme."
To read more about this award, download the full PDF press release here.
Sister Sabina Staff MBE opens art installation at Digbeth’s new Coach Station
Sister Sabina, one of the founders of the Fireside Charity and now a Senior Volunteer with SIFA Fireside, switched on the lights on December 3rd to illuminate an artwork created from her own hand writing by Irish artist Dave Sherry. The event marked the completion of the £15 million redevelopment of Birmingham’s Coach Station.
November 2009
Invitation to come and see our Pantomime
Click on the image displayed below to download a PDF copy:
Thanks to all our supporters for the Harvest Festival donations!
On behalf of our service users, SIFA Fireside would like to give thanks to all the schools, businesses and individuals who have donated food and other items over the Harvest Festival period.
It is hard to describe the sheer volume of donations, but it is safe to say that we have been inundated!
The donations are appreciated greatly, any fresh food was used towards meals in our lunchtime drop-in, and the tinned food, cereals, biscuits and other goods will be used to make up food parcels for those that are in need.
Once again, many thanks!
SIFA Fireside’s Half Marathon Team beat their sponsorship target
SIFA Fireside's team, made up of staff, volunteers and supporters from Business Action on Homelessness, successfully completed the Birmingham Half Marathon on October 11th and have so far raised more than £1,746 in sponsorship.
The money will be used for sleeping bags and resettlement starter packs, as well as to fund drama sessions to prepare for our service users’ pantomime.
SIFA Fireside involved in Future Jobs scheme
SIFA Fireside is delighted to have been chosen to offer six Future Jobs Fund posts as part of the successful City Region bid administered by Be Birmingham.
The posts are targeted at 18-24 year olds with significant experience of unemployment and we will be working in close partnership with Be Birmingham and Job Centre Plus to ensure that this initiative makes a real difference both to the young people we employ and to the community we serve.
October 2009
KPMG delighted by service users’ photography
KPMG presented us with a cheque for £500 in exchange for the photographs they commissioned from SIFA Fireside’s service users for their new building.
Mark Johnstone said; "We’re very pleased to have commissioned this work and look forward to inviting the photographers to see their work on display."
September 2009
Chief Executive chosen as health champion
Cath Gilliver has been appointed as one of four Champions attached to the Birmingham Voluntary Services Council's (BVSC) Third Sector Assembly.
Cath says ‘This is excellent news, and I look forward to working with the other organisations in the Network so that I can represent their interests.'
It’s also good news for SIFA Fireside as we’ll be in a position to build our strategic influence within Birmingham and further raise our profile.
August 2009
Unity Volunteers Spruce Up Allotment
Volunteers from Unity Bank spent a day transforming our allotment, which had become rather overgrown.
SIFA Fireside receives Streetsmart funding
SIFA Fireside have received a grant from Streetsmart of £2000 towards our Service User Volunteer Programme and to support IT training at our Lower Essex Street site.
Many thanks to the restaurants involved in the campaign. Details of the restaurants taking part and the beneficiaries can be found at www.streetsmart.org.uk.
Launch of Second leg of 'My Birmingham' Art Exhibition
This is your last chance to see this very popular art exhibition, which features artistic work created and developed by SIFA Fireside service users during workshops led by local professionals in photography, creative writing and film.
The Exhibition will be housed at BVSC, 138 Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 6DR from 12th August 2009. Everyone is welcome to attend the launch event from 5.30 - 7.30pm.
July 2009
SIFA Fireside gets DIUS funding to run a Digital Inclusion Project
SIFA Fireside is one of 18 projects nationally to get Early Bird funding from the Dept of Innovation, Universities and Skills’ Transformation Fund. This was the result of a successful bid, in partnership with City College and Birmingham Libraries Service, to set up a Digital Inclusion Project from September 2009 with the aim of giving people, particularly those who are homeless or vulnerably housed, new skills and opportunities to access information and informal learning via email and the internet.’
SIFA Fireside chosen for eco pilot
SIFA Fireside is one of three local organisations chosen by Birmingham Voluntary Services Council to take part in an Eco Doctor pilot, funded by BVSC and Birmingham Environmental Partnership, working with Groundwork to reduce our carbon footprint.
Cath Gilliver, Chief Executive said; "We're delighted to be given this opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the environment."
June 2009
SIFA Fireside welcomes Birmingham's Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress
We were delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor, Councillor Michael Wilkes and the Lady Mayoress, Mrs Vivienne Wilkes, to Lower Essex St on June 19th where they watched a DVD made by service users and Reel Access and then observed an art and an employment skills session.
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress then proceeded to Pershore St to attend a lunch celebrating Sister Sabina Staff’s award of an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and service user Bill West read them a poem he had written.
'My Birmingham' - Homeless Art Exhibition
SIFA Fireside opened its Art Exhibition entitled "My Birmingham" at a launch event at St. Martins in the Bull Ring today.
The exhibition is a culmination of a four month art project between professional artists and homeless people from SIFA Fireside. During the project service users were encouraged to express their ideas and thoughts about Birmingham through painting, photography, film, animation and writing.
Reel Access, a local media group, and Birmingham’s current poet laureate Chris Morgan led some of the workshops. Chris Morgan said:
“I was delighted with the work produced by the participants of the writing workshops. Some of the participants wrote some very perceptive and poignant poems that reflected their thoughts of the city.”
Participants in the project are proud of the work they produced and Bill West, a service user who took part in the project said:
“The workshops helped to develop and express my ideas about Birmingham through ways that I had never thought about before. We are all really proud of our work.”
Kevin Davy, one of the organisers of the project said: “As the project has been very successful we have been asked to display the work at the Custard Factory during July and Birmingham Volunteer Service Centre (BVSC) from 12th August 2009.”
The exhibition runs at St Martin's until 28th June and then moves to the Custard Factory from July 2nd to July 15th.
The project is part funded by BWell, a lottery funded initiative aimed at improving mental health and well being across Birmingham.
Download Art Exhibition Flyer Here (PDF)
MBE Honour for SIFA Fireside volunteer
Sister Sabina, one of the founders of the Fireside Charity, and a Senior Volunteer and major fund raiser with SIFA Fireside has been awarded a very well deserved MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
May 2009
SIFA Fireside and Crisis UK partnership
SIFA Fireside and Crisis UK have been awarded £2,000,000 through the Government’s Places of Change Programme to create a new environment for Birmingham’s most marginalised adults, particularly those currently or at risk of rough sleeping...
> Read more (high res pdf)
> Read more (low res pdf)
Quality as Standard
SIFA Fireside has been successful in obtaining the internationally recognised ISO 9001 Quality Standard, applicable to all types and sizes of organisations and businesses. This will put us in an even stronger position in relation to winning bids and statutory contracts.
March 2009
Change 4 Change conference
SIFA Fireside put on its first national conference on Thursday, 19th March 2009 at Carrs Lane Centre, Birmingham. The theme was service user opportunities in volunteering and employment, and funding came from the GoldStar project, (part of the work of the Cabinet Office), which enables voluntary organisations to realise the potential of socially excluded groups.
Cath Gilliver, SIFA Fireside’s CEO, opened by talking about our work and the theme of the Conference. Beth Coyne from Thames Reach talked about the successful GROW programme and showed a film narrated by Joanna Lumley which highlighted service user employment after training. Helen Mathie of Homeless Link spoke about volunteering and other service user opportunities across the sector. Finally, Andre Carvalho from Crisis told the Conference about their work, which includes varied activities for service users at their Skylight Centres in London and Newcastle.
The afternoon workshops were: Service User Involvement facilitated by Helen, Employing Service Users at Thames Reach (Beth), SIFA Fireside Trainee Volunteer Programme (Syeda and Lee) and How to Engage Employers (Allison from Business Action on Homelessness). These work shops proved to be lively and interesting, looking at barriers and how to overcome them. A general discussion chaired by Carole Fox (Operations Manager, SIFA Fireside) followed.
General feedback was that the Conference was very worthwhile, and it was agreed to follow up with a forum in a few months time to look at the details involved in setting up service user volunteer or employment programmes.
It certainly raised the profile of SIFA Fireside and we would like to express thanks to the Carrs Lane Centre, our guest speakers, staff members (particularly Hannah and Ellie) who organised it and all the agencies who sent representatives.
Lee Harris
Co-ordinator
office@sifafireside.co.uk