Sustrans: Local Heroes - Jane Sixsmith, Ellie Simmonds and Lenny Henry

At the beginning of February 2023, Sustrans unveiled a new set of statues at Osler Street Play Area in Ladywood. Of Local Heroes - Jane Sixsmith MBE (former hockey player), Ellie Simmonds OBE (former Paralympian swimmer) and Sir Lenny Henry CBE (actor, comedian, presenter etc). They are Portrait Benches on the National Cycle Network across the UK, now including here in Birmingham.

Sustrans on the National Cycle Network

Explore Birmingham using the National Cycle Network.

Local Heroes are sculptures that are part of a series celebrating local heroes, chosen by communities across the UK.

For more information visit: Sustrans Portrait benches.

These were created to celebrate Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

It was reported by the BBC - article here: Sir Lenny Henry sculpture boosts Birmingham community park. And by the Birmingham Mail: Lenny Henry 'moved' as sculpture unveiled at park - alongside Jane Sixsmith and Ellie Simmonds.

 

Osler Street Play Area, Ladywood, Birmingham

In Birmingham the three statues were unveiled on the 1st February 2023 at Osler Street Play Area (or Osler Street Park) in Ladywood. Close to Clark Street, Reservoir Road and Osler Street (plus close to Edgbaston Reservoir).

They depict local heroes: Jane Sixsmith, Ellie Simmonds and Lenny Henry.

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Jane Sixsmith MBE

Jane Sixsmith is the first British female hockey player to compete in four Olympics. She retired from international hockey after scoring over 100 goals, winning 165 caps for England and 158 for Great Britain. Her honours include an MBE, an Olympic bronze (1992), European Cup gold (1991) and a Commonwealth silver medal (1998).

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Ellie Simmonds OBE

Ellie Simmonds is a British former Paralympian swimmer. She competed at the Summer Paralympics in 2008 in Beijing, winning two gold medals aged 13. She won further gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics and the Rio 2016 Paralympics. She set a 400m freestyle world record in London 2012, and a 200m medley world record in Rio.

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Sir Lenny Henry CBE

Lenny Henry is an actor, comedian, singer, presenter and writer from Dudley. He co-founded the charity Comic Relief in 1985, and was knighted in 2015 for services to drama and charity. More recently Lenny acted in Amazon Prime Video's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Netflix's The Witcher: Blood Origin.

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Some more views

The approach on the path from Osler Street.

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The Exploring Birmingham Using the National Cycle Network sign.

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The sign with the three statues.

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The view from Clark Street, just having left the path.

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Clark Street view with all three statues. The view towards the main entrance of Edgbaston Reservoir.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

Luminate at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Another lights trail at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston. During the Christmas 2022 season. Tickets need to be bought in advance. I went with a group on Tuesday 6th December 2022 between 7pm and 8pm in the evening. The trail was a bit different to the Magical Lantern Festival I'd previously seen here. At least it wasn't raining. But it was cold.

LUMINATE, BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS, CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TRAIL 2022

 

Arriving at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston. We didn't park here, so we had a bit of a walk from Frederick Road via Calthorpe Road.

The main entrance of the Botanical Gardens, with Christmas trees, where we waited for other members of our group to arrive.

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There was several Christmas trees in the foyer, these ones, near the exit to the shop.

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Later on near the end of the visit was the #BBG hashtag in the foyer and one of the Christmas trees. These are more to do with the Botanical Gardens than Luminate.

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After the group tickets were shown, one of the first things you see is this Luminate sign.

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On the main lawn was these lights that kept changing colours.

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There was a full moon that evening over the Botanical Gardens. The Cold Moon apparently. It was still full two nights later.

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The rainbow ribbon suspension bridge.

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The enchanted fairyland.

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The Glitterball Solar System.

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The rainbow light path.

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The Square light tunnel.

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Spotlights from the Viewpoint near the Refreshments area.

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The Globe lights canopy above a path.

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Bright white reindeer trail.

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The warped light tunnel. This was popular.

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The light bulb beads, you had to walk through these.

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Near the end. The Alpine Yard with lit up greenhouses.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

Cathedral Square from above: Views from 103 Colmore Row

Key to the City gave you the chance to see Cathedral Square from above, from the 18th floor balcony at 103 Colmore Row, between June and August 2022. From October 2022, you can go up to the 24th floor, at Orelle Restaurant for an even higher view! Best to go during the day, and not at night. Photography by Elliott Brown.

Key to the City - June to August 2022

View from the 18th floor balcony at 103 Colmore Row

11th June 2022

The first opportunity to see Birmingham Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of St Philip) and Cathedral Square, along with the Colmore BID from this vantage point.

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16th July 2022

An attempt to zoom down to Cofton Nursery's floral piece for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which won Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show.

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The House of Fraser and 43 Temple Row. Sadly, Lloyds Bank closed down in this building in September 2022. The nearby NatWest branch also closed down at the opposite corner. Horatio Nelson once stayed in a hotel on this site back in 1802, it is marked by a Birmingham Civic Society blue plaque on the former NatWest building (1 St Philip's Place).

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6th August 2022

The last weekend of Key to the City, so one last opportunity to see Cathedral Square from the 18th floor balcony of 103 Colmore Row. The grass was a bit dry at the time, due to the summer heatwave.

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Orelle Restaurant

Views from the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row

8th October 2022

Much higher vantage point here, but as was inside of Orelle Restaurant, there was glass windows in the way, so sometimes a bit of glare from the lights inside and out. This is a month after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II. And around a month befor the return of the Christmas Market here.

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Photography by Elliott Brown

Welcome to / Thank You for Visiting Birmingham sign on the Coventry Road near Sheldon Country Park

Drivers or people on buses might see this sign on the A45 Coventry Road, between Solihull and Birmingham. Having just passed Birmingham Airport, and heading into Sheldon. Birmingham City Council in recent years has been using it to advertise athletics sporting events. Comparison from summer 2017 to autumn 2022.

You can get to the Welcome to Birmingham / Thank you for visiting Birmingham sign on the Coventry Road in Sheldon, by either walking down from the Hobs Moat Road / Sheaf Lane junction, or exiting from the Sheldon Country Park (the path from the perimeter walk near Birmingham Airport). The X1 bus also stops near here. You can of course also see it from a car on travelling on the bus, or coach. You would probably have come off the M42 at Junction 6 (for Birmingham Airport and NEC), and heading for the Swan Island on the Coventry Road, or to Birmingham City Centre via the Smal Heath Highway?

 

Birmingham Athletics

Birmingham Athletics adverts seen in July 2017. Five years after London 2012, Team USA once again trained at the Alexander Stadium, while Team Jamaica trained again at the University of Birmingham. This was ahead of the London World Athletics Championships 2017.

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Be Bold Be Birmingham

The Be Bold Be Birmingham poster from Birmingham City Council, seen on the Welcome to / Thank you for visiting Birmingham sign, seen during October 2022, with an image of the Bullring bull. A couple of months before it had an image relating to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, but only saw it from a car. I had caught a 72 bus from Sheaf Lane, Sheldon to Marston Green Station Interchange, walked through the Sheldon Country Park, past the Airport Viewing Area, to the Coventry Road exit near the sign. Would have caught an X1 bus from here, but too long a wait, so just walked back up to catch a X2 back to Solihull Town Centre.

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Photos by Elliott Brown

Birmingham Bus Bash at Birmingham Moseley Rugby - 4th September 2022

The Birmingham Bus Bash for 2022 was held at Birmingham Mosely Rugby, at Billesley Common, on Sunday 4th September 2022 (near Yardley Wood Road). Elliott popped along on Sunday afternoon around half an hour before it finished for the day. Not as many buses here like the 2017 Bus Bash at Cannon Hill Park. Was also free bus rides to The Transport Museum, Wythall. 

This is the first Bus Bash I have been to since the Birmingham Bus Bash 2017 at Cannon Hill Park. The 2022 Bus Bash was the first one since 2019 to be in person (2020 and 2021 was online only during the pandemic). This bus bash seemed a bit smaller with less buses than before. But still had a prescence from National Express West Midlands / Coventry and The Transport Museum, Wythall. Was the usual free bus rides towards the museum from Birmingham Moseley Rugby (Billesley Common) and back.

 

National Express West Midlands / National Express Coventry

In the field in front of the pitch of Birmingham Moseley Rugby (while a women's rugby game was on). There was line up of modern National Express West Midlands and National Express Coventry heritage livery buses. Plus a Hydrogen and Electric bus (not heritage livery).

From left to right: National Express West Midlands 4780, 4535, 1834, 2102, 4722, 4679. National Express Coventry 4453 and 875. National Express West Midlands 4651 and National Express West Midlands Hydrogen H1013. National Express Coventry Electric E038.

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Midland Red West

I'd only see Midland Red West about 6 days before at The Transport Museum, Wythall on the August Bank Holiday Monday. But saw it again from the Maypole on Alcester Road South. I'd caught a 50 down to the Maypole to pop to the Starbucks Coffee Drive Thru, and was thinking of catching a no 2 bus to Billesley on Maypole Lane, but then remembered the 2 doesn't run to the Maypole on Sunday's, so walked back to Alcester Road South to catch a 50 to Wheelers Lane. And then would walk to Birmingham Moseley Rugby via the back entrance road.

Midland Red West 544 was taking visitors for free from Birmingham Moseley Rugby (venue of the Birmingham Bus Bash 2022) to The Transport Museum, Wythall.

I later saw it again on leaving the Bus Bash, this time it was on Yardley Wood Road and Brook Lane in Billesley (but was in a bus stop waiting to catch an 11A, and it was raining).

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Yellow Buses

At the Bus Bash, I saw this pair of yellow buses. The first on the left was the Midland Red Towing bus. To the right of that was the Children's Party Bus. Piccadilly Whip ice cream van was to the right of the Party Bus. I'd previously seen the Midland Red Towing bus at The Transport Museum, Wythall over the August Bank Holiday Monday.

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Birmingham City Transport and coaches

It's Birmingham City Transport 2222 again. I once caught that from Snow Hill Queensway to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre back in September 2018 (four years ago). Next to the BCT bus was two coaches including: National Express XC 262 and Mighty Travels. I saw BCT 2222, JOJ 222 one last time from the bus stop on Yardley Wood Road (opposite Billesley Community Fire Station). Didn't get a photo, but it was raining, and I was in the bus stop waiting for the 11A at the time. I think it went back to Acocks Green Bus Garage.

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WMPTE / NXWM / TWM

Next up we see WM Travel 2462, National Express West Midlands 669 and Travel West Midlands 313. I'd last saw WM 2462 on car park shuttle bus duties at The Transport Museum, Wythall on the August Bank Holiday Monday, but have seen it at previous bus garage open days as well.

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Timesaver

Waiting for my bus to go home, I saw the blue Timesaver bus again. It was heading from Yardley Wood Road onto Brook Lane around the island. Was in the bus stop opposite Billesley Community Fire Station, so did not get a new photo of it. Here's one from 2013, when I rode it from Acocks Green to Yardley Wood bus garages on the Open Day.

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Photos by Elliott Brown