• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sandwell Visually Impaired

Together we can make a difference.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our office team
    • Our funders
    • Our Achievements
    • Policies, procedures and reports
    • Report Hate Crime to us
  • Supporting each other
    • Information and Support
    • Our groups
    • Our activities
    • Hints and tips
  • Support us
    • Donate
    • Volunteer with us
  • News and events
    • News Articles
    • Events
    • Sandwell Talking News
  • Contact
You are here:Home/News Articles/West Bromwich Wildlife Walk

Posted on April 28, 2023.

West Bromwich Wildlife Walk

Becky from Multistory introduces the programme. SVI members and a guide dog sit listening in one of the new mini park seating areas on the High Street. The Farmfoods shop is in the background.
Some of our walkers sit in a new parklet on West Bromwich High Street listening to Becky introduce the Green Roots programme.

On a sunny Thursday in April, a group of SVI members, staff and volunteers enjoyed a guided wildlife walk down West Bromwich High Street. Not a place you would expect to find an abundance of wild flowers, but how wrong you would be!

Jake Williams, our guide from the Wildlife Trust, shared information about the wildlife, plants and trees. We started from the new, more formal, planted areas at the end of the pedestrianised part of the High Street. These new sitting areas include plants selected for their smell including thyme and rosemary. It’s a lovely place to linger on a sunny day. You could almost believe you were in the country!

Accompanied by Becky Sexton from Multistory and artist Lee MacKenzie, we continued our journey from the High Street towards Dartmouth Park. We were able to feel and smell the plants growing wild at the side of the pavement. We enjoyed the texture of the fluffy ash tree seed heads. And were surprised to find Wormwood, which is an ingredient for absinthe, growing at the edge of a derelict site.

There were bluebells too!

Jake talks about the ash tree whilst Lee the poet and SVI members listen
Jake talks about the ash tree whilst Lee the poet and SVI members listen .

We collected our favourite plants and took them back to the Dartmouth Central Club. Jake, Lee and Becky spread the plants out on a tablecloth while we had a nice cup of tea and a sandwich. (It is SVI after all, and a nice cup of tea is essential – especially at the Dartmouth Central Club which is such a friendly and welcoming place.)

Three SVI members are working on the poetry questions assisted by a volunteer who is writing some answers down. There are several plants on the table in front with notes beside them saying what they are. Jake looks on, with arms folded, smiling. Everyone looks focussed on the task. Mugs of tea are also on the table.
Back at the Dartmouth Central Club the group work on the questions for the poems

Poet, Lee invited us to answer a series of questions, so he could put together a short poem about each plant. The strangest question was ‘pick three things that this plant is least like’. We were a bit mystified about how the poems would turn out. You can hear the results if you listen to the audio track below! It really does make you think more about the plants, their texture, colour and smell. Everyone very much enjoyed the event. We all learned a lot about the nature around us.

https://sandwellvisuallyimpaired.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Multistory_Wildlife-Walk_Poems.mp3

Jake entertained us with his repertoire of bird calls. We all hope that more birds will visit the high street when the new trees have grown. Several people said they would like to learn more about birdsong. A visit to the RSPB in Sandwell Valley could be planned in future.

The wildlife walk was part of a cultural programme called Green Roots, delivered by local arts organisation Multistory. The programme invites community groups to get involved in creative activities, walks and events connected to the local environment. It’s funded by Sandwell Council as part of their urban greening programme. The Council is making more spaces to sit in the high street and creating a green corridor to Dartmouth Park.

We are looking forward to getting involved in future events and activities. The walk definitely sparked an interest in wildlife.

A close up of various flowers being laid our on the table. They include honesty, red deadnettle, shepherd's purse and a dandelion.
So many wildflowers to be found in West Bromwich.

Thank you to Becky, Jake and Lee for making the walk such a great experience.

Find out more about the programme and partners

More about Multistory

More about Sandwell Council’s Urban Greening Programme

More about Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

Previous Post: « Sandwell TN 22 April 2022
Next Post: Sandwell TN 29 April 2023 »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Posts

  • Social activities over the festive season
  • Better Mental Health Focus Groups
  • Changes to our swimming sessions
  • SVI Annual Forum 2023
  • We’re saying no to hate crime

Archives

Footer

Get in touch

Sandwell Visually Impaired,
West Bromwich Town Hall, Lodge Road, West Bromwich, B70 8AY.
View address on Google Maps

Tel: 0121 525 4810

SVI CIO registered charity no: 1175066

Visit Contact Page

Find us on social media


  • Facebook

  • Facebook Group

  • YouTube

Send us a donation

You can show your support for SVI by making us a donation. You can give as little or much as you like and every bit of it will come back to SVI.

Send a donation

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Sandwell Visually Impaired Group · All rights reserved · Website created by Taira Technology · Log in