Digbeth Residents Association held a Regeneration in Digbeth event in October, which was incredibly well attended and received fantastic feedback.

Thanks to Sam at Digbeth’s very own Ember Television, we are able to share videos of the speakers from the event below. You can also find these videos on DRA’s YouTube channel. In running order:

Mark Barrow, Birmingham City Council

Jack Kelly, National Express

Councillor Yvonne Mosquito, Birmingham City Council

What are your thoughts on the speakers? How should we approach regeneration in Digbeth? Join the conversation by commenting below, or on Twitter.

Thanks again to our sponsors who made this event possible:

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Students with Matt Beeton and Stuart Parker, National Express and Mike Hopkins, Principal of South and City College Birmingham

National Express has donated a coach to South and City College Birmingham to mark the launch of a new partnership agreement between the two organisations. The Mercedes coach will be used by the college to take students on trips around the UK and further afar.

The two organisations have led the regeneration of the Digbeth area with their respective investments in the new coach station and the extensive college campus. As close neighbours, they have been working together for several years to provide education, employment and training opportunities for the community.

The new partnership agreement will see the two organisations working more closely together. The college will provide National Express with expert and specialist training along with training to the local community which will enable them to take advantage of employment opportunities within the company.

Principal of the college, Mike Hopkins said: “We welcome this active partnership between National Express and the college. National Express is a very forward thinking organisation that is committed to supporting local people and we have a unique opportunity to work together to provide benefits for our local community, our workforce and our organisations as a whole.”

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Digbeth Residents Association and Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is committed to working with West Midlands Police (WMP) to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in Digbeth.

WMP now send daily crime updates to the Digbeth Residents Association NHW, which are being summarised weekly and shared with residents. If you have any comments or would like further information, please comment on this post or email contact@mydigbeth.co.uk

We continue to ask all our members to stay more vigilant than usual when entering and exiting their buildings – please do not allow anyone entry. If someone waiting outside is genuine, they will already have arranged their arrival. We are all responsible for our community’s safety.

Stay safe Digbeth!

BURGLARY
Useful link – West Midlands Police website

No crimes reported.

VEHICLE CRIME
Useful link – West Midlands Police website

THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE – 18th OCTOBER 2012 at approx 13:30 Trent Street, Digbeth
Between 13:30-13:50, offender(s) have stolen front and rear number plates from vehicle.

THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE – 18th NOVEMBER 2012 at approx 00:01 Coventry Street, Digbeth.

ATTEMPT THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE – 18th NOVEMBER 2012 at approx 18:35 Little Ann Street, Digbeth
Offenders have attempted to remove exhaust/catalytic system from underneath a van on an open forecourt. The offenders were disturbed by officers on patrol before anything was stolen.

INTERFERE WITH VEHICLE – 17th NOVEMBER 2012 at approx 23:00 Gibb Street, Digbeth
Offenders have attempted to force front nearside door lock using unknown implement but was unsuccessful and no entry gained.

THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE – 19th OCTOBER 2012 at approx 18:30 Bradford Street, Highgate

THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE – 20th NOVEMBER 2012 at approx 09:00 Montague Street, Digbeth
Between 09:00-17:20, offender(s) have stolen front and rear number plates from vehicle.

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When: Saturday 24th November, 00:00 onwards
Where: Suki10c, 21 Bordesley Street, Digbeth, B5 5PJ

This Friday Suki10c are throwing a free Open Decks party. This will not start untill midnight (so technically, on Saturday) when Brum Town Presents finishes so please be aware that it is free entry from midnight only.

On Saturday night, the venue will be hosting the Eastern Electronic Festival 2012 closing party, featuring a little bit of Faithless, and little bit of Leftfield and Cut la Roc – right here in Digbeth. Doors open at 22:00 and the party goes on into the wee hours:

We’re delighted to announce that we’re bringing stars of the underground house, drum and bass and electronic breaks scene for a first time performance in Birmingham.

Leading the charge is none other than Sudha from international electronic band Faithless, who will be spinning the decks for an exclusive DJ Set and electronic dance, pioneers B.I.D from Leftfield alongside global house pioneers Evo & RST. Supported by the award-winning drum and bass band Magicstar, Onefour, Dr. Love, Manga from Shaanti and many more special guests.

Expect an extra special musical line-up; grab a ticket before they disappear.

Full details and line up available on the Facebook event page.

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There was a spate of robberies in Digbeth at the end of October. Thankfully this seems to have been a case of isolated activity, but Digbeth Residents Association want to ensure that potential thieves are not provided with the opportunity to cause damage and distress to any residents again.

All the residential blocks in Digbeth have secure access code protected entrances. However, these are only effective if residents do not share the access codes or allow others to ‘tail-gate’ them into their homes.

Working with West Midlands Police, DRA is promoting a simple set of five rules for residents to follow to keep our community safe:

1. When you are leaving your residence, ensure that all doors are closed securely behind you.
2. Ensure to lock all doors and windows when you are not at home – an opportunist thief only needs 30 seconds to cause distress.
3. Report any suspicious behaviour or individuals to West Midlands Police immediately – the safety of our community is not a waste of their time! Contact details are available here.
4. If you are not at home, don’t advertise this to potential thieves. Use timer switches on lights, or leave a radio on to deter any potential trouble-makers.
5. Last but not least, do not let anyone follow you in to your block! If they are a genuine visitor, they should not need to tail-gate anyone in. Treat the shared access door as the entrance to your home – you wouldn’t allow a stranger to follow you into your living room, so don’t let them in to your block either!

We urge all residents to stay vigilant to help keep our Digbeth community protected from harm. If anyone saw suspicious behaviour on Bradford Street on Tuesday 30th October between 14:15-15:15, please do get in touch. You can contact DRA anonymously on contact@mydigbeth.co.uk, or call Crimestoppers free on 0800 555 111.

Stay safe Digbeth!

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