News on HS2 in Birmingham

26 West Midlands projects share over £1million as the total number supported along the HS2 route reaches 100

The number of community and business groups to receive awards from the HS2 community and business funds has topped over 100 with Twenty-six of those projects located in the West Midlands which total over £1.2 million of funding in the area. The Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) for Phase One, between London and the West Midlands, make a combined total of £40 million available to local communities and businesses disrupted by the construction of HS2.

Amongst the wide variety of projects being supported in the West Midlands is the Woodland Connection project run by Birmingham Trees for Life, part of the Birmingham Civic Society. The £44,500 grant has gone towards community tree planting sessions in urban spaces across the city. Many of these have been done in conjunction with schools, giving children opportunities to learn more about nature.

Other recipients include a project providing careers advice for people in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham, and a project supporting vulnerable women on the fringes of society in Washwood Heath.

As we work through the COVID-19 pandemic, the approval for the next stage of the project has meant that our contractors now have the go ahead to start building the new railway whilst remaining within the Public Health England (PHE) and industry guidelines. As part of our commitment to being a good neighbour, we realise that communities are affected by the construction of HS2, and the community and business funds are key to help offset the disruption caused.

As construction of HS2 gets underway, applications for the funds are still being welcomed. The Funds for Phase One, administered by community charity Groundwork UK, support urban and rural, community, environmental and business projects. Community and Business groups along the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands have been able to apply for funds since March 2017.

A map of all awarded projects is available here . Some of the awards in the West Midlands include:

£73,115 for the Out of the Shadows programme supporting vulnerable women in Washwood Heath, Birmingham

£74,100 for the Azad Kashmir Welfare Association to run a project to support the local community with CV and careers advice

£75,000 for the ‘Own-It’ project, building youth community provision in Tile Hill, Canley, Kenilworth and Burton Green, West Midlands, run by Empower-U

£75,000 for the Firs and Bromford Enterprise Hub, a project run by the Worth Foundation in Birmingham which aims to provide employment and training opportunities for local people

£44,500 for the ‘Woodlands Connection’ project run under Birmingham Trees for Life, Birmingham Civic Society

£10,000 for the West Midlands Ringing Group Thermal Birding project, providing thermal imaging to monitor birds in the Marsh Lane Nature Reserve

£70,750 for UpCycle Birmingham, a community project where furniture is recycled providing affordable and stylish homewares for local residents in Castle Vale.

A series of videos and case studies about projects that have received HS2 funds can be found here.

The independent administration of these funds is managed on behalf of HS2 Ltd by the charity Groundwork who will ensure both funds remain available for applications throughout the construction of Phase One. Read the Groundwork annual review.

Community and business groups interested in applying for the fund can find out more at www.hs2funds.org.uk

Posted on 28th April 2020

by HS2 in Birmingham