When: Monday 8th October 2012, 18:00-19:00
Where: The Penthouse, Zellig Building, Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth, B9 4AA
(Upon entering the Custard Factory on Gibb Street, turn into the Zellig Building near to Urban Village Vintage. Walk towards the ‘white sticks’ sculpture to find the lifts, the Penthouse is on the 4th floor.)

Residents, local businesses and not-for-profit organisations are invited to attend an event to engage with Birmingham City Council, HS2 and National Express on the theme of Regeneration in Digbeth. Digbeth Residents Association wants to help ensure the successful regeneration of Digbeth with the development of long-term sustainable growth.

The following speakers have been confirmed:

• Mark Barrow, Strategic Director of Development, Birmingham City Council
• Jonathan Lord, Community & Stakeholder Advisor – West Midlands, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd
• Jack Kelly, External Communications Manager, National Express
• Yvonne Mosquito, Councillor, Birmingham City Council

We will be discussing the effects of the Enterprise Zone and HS2 on the area, and how Birmingham City Council, HS2 and National Express could support economic growth in Digbeth.

Please RSVP here by 1st of October for catering purposes.

Our supporters Bay Leaf Restaurant have offered all attendees a three course meal for only £9.95, along with a free glass of wine (or J20) when dining after this event. Bay Leaf will also be providing snacks during the event. With additional thanks to:

When: 25th-27th October, 11:00 – 23:00
Where: Second City Suite, Sherlock Street, Digbeth, B5 6LT

Birmingham CAMRA will be holding this year’s Birmingham Beer Festival in Digbeth, and we are delighted to report that Digbeth Residents Association (DRA) has been chosen as this year’s designated charity.

As well as benefiting from unused beer tokens, DRA will be running the cloakroom at the event, so make sure to come along to support the festival and residents of Digbeth at the same time!

The Birmingham Beer Festival has certainly evolved over the years, moving from Aston Students’ Guild to the Second City Suite in 2010. The 2011 Beer Festival surpassed all expectations with 4854 people in attendance, and this year with over 220 real ales and more than 60 real ciders/perries available, together we hope to welcome even more people through the doors!

Birmingham CAMRA need as many volunteers as possible to help with the festival; if you can spare any time, please complete a staffing form available on the website.

DRA looks forward to seeing lots of visitors to the Brum Beer Fest 2012. For more information and to stay in the know with the festival, please visit Facebook or follow @brumbeerfest on Twitter.

When: Tuesday 24th July, 17:30-21:00
Where: Leaving from the Spotted Dog in Digbeth at 17:30

Digbeth resident Val Woodward is organising another fun and easy bike ride next week!

Eat, drink and chat at the Black Eagle in Hockley after cycling along the canals, returning to Digbeth before dark. The route is approximately 9 miles, and all adults are welcome to join in! Simply turn up at the Spotted Dog by 17:30 or canal-side outside NIA just before 6pm.

Please contact Val beforehand if you would like to try arranging the borrowing of a bike for you. More information on the Facebook event page.

When: Today, Wednesday 4th July, 19:00-21:00
Where: Irish Centre Birmingham, Digbeth High Street

Deirdre O’Byrne of Nottingham Irish Studies Group, will be presenting a talk on the work of Colm Tóibín, the multi-award-winning Irish writer, in the Irish Centre this evening.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome! Come along and support the Irish community in Digbeth.

As most residents know, the Olympic Torch will be coming down Digbeth High Street tomorrow morning around 6am.

Digbeth Residents Association is planning on lining the street to support our local torchbearers – please see the Facebook event page for more information.

In addition to this, I have been reliably informed by Kevin of the Best Baguette that they will be open from 5am onwards to feed the hungry supporters.

Make sure to pop down if you can for this historic occasion. It’s unlikely that the Olympic Torch will ever pass through Digbeth again in our lifetimes, so bear the early morning wake up call so you can say “I was there”.

See you tomorrow!