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The MECC Bus: A Moving Hub of Community Spirit in Balsall Heath

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025

Balsall Heath is an absorbing place to photograph. As part of the Balsall Heath Observation Project, I have connected with many local groups. Several individuals have kindly taken the time to walk with me around the streets of Balsall Heath and share their memories—both past and present—of the area. During these photowalks, I have photographed the surroundings and recorded their stories. I have also spoken with many residents to learn about daily life, how the community works together, and the ways people support one another.

MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
The mobile citizen Advice Logo

One of the charities that has welcomed me and offered an opportunity to see their work is the MECC on Court Road. The MECC charity supports the local community by offering advice and information on a wide range of topics, including employment opportunities, education, and training. The Trust also provides access to household support funds that help vulnerable Birmingham households with essential living costs. Their website offers further details, where you can learn more about the valuable contribution they make to the Balsall Heath community.

MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
Discussing the merits of the MECC

One activity that particularly interested me was the MECC bus. This “energy” bus serves as a mobile base that provides advice and information to the local community. At the invitation of Tony Fox, a volunteer with the Trust, I went to see the bus for myself. The blue MECC bus was parked in Cannon Hill Park near the gates leading to Cannon Hill Road. There I met Tony and Bashir, who were running the information centre for the day. The weather was bright and sunny, and many people stopped to speak with them as they passed by. Several members of the public showed interest, and Tony and Bashir were more than happy to engage, explain their work, and share information leaflets.

MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
Tony displays the MECC uniform.

I found that we had a great deal in common, and I really enjoyed my time learning about their work. My photographs show the bus along with Tony and Bashir. The MECC charity has many aims, and if you would like to learn more, please visit their website: https://www.mecctrust.co.uk.

MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
Advice sheets.
MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
MECC-Zero

If you happen to see the MECC bus on your travels especially when it is in Canon Hill Park then please give Tony and Bashir a shout out. Their work is improving the wellbeing of the community.

MECC Blue Bus, Cannon Hill Park, November, 2025
The sun shines on the MECC bus.

Balsall Heath Observation Project

This blog is part of my documentary project taking place in Balsall Heath. The project is a continuation of similar work completed in Stirchley, where over several weeks in 2024 we interacted with members of the local community. The Stirchley Observation Project was very successful, and I subsequently enrolled with the same group of photographers for the Balsall Heath Observation Project. We meet at the Old Print Works on Saturdays for formal lectures and project feedback. Each of us is undertaking a different project around Balsall Heath, an area of Birmingham rich in community activity and spirit. The project is part of the PRISM photography network.

Railway Arches, Coffee Shops, and Quiet Streets: Discovering Balsall Heath
Categories blog

Where the signs outnumber the trees – HS2 progress

by Damien Walmsley Posted on
Signs on the HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.

Everywhere I look, there are signs.  There are warning signs, diversion signs, public right of way signs. They puncture the landscape, each one a reminder that HS2 is reshaping the countryside in ways both visible and invisible.

HS2 make sure you stay with the official footpath.
HS2 make sure you stay on the official footpath.

Since my last visit, the HS2 works have progressed. The path where the trains will run is now clearly defined, bridges have risen across the fields, and yet the disruption continues. Earthmovers, fences, and machinery still dominate what was once quiet farmland and woodland.

Signs on the HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
One of the major bridges on this part of the HS2 track. A sign indicates where to go.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Concrete pipes ready to be laid.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Metal fences protect the HS2 works.

As I walked along the public path, I met Tony and Louise, out for a weekend stroll. We chatted about the project.  Tony focussed on the endless metal fencing, the slow pace of construction, and the sense that someone, somewhere, must be profiting handsomely from all this upheaval. Then Bill passed by, shaking his head. He said that HS2 was “Disastrous for the countryside.” He told me how he’d recently brought his daughter to see the area near Sixteen Acre Wood, and how shocked she had been by the scale of the destruction.

The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Tony and Louise pictured by the steel HS2 fences.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Bill looking out on HS2 path that has destroyed the farmers field.

What strikes me most, though, is the sheer number of signs. They seem to compete with the landscape itself for attention. The public path winds past a tired-looking environmental pond.  Then further down there is the original pond still clinging to its place amid the diggers and debris. The woodland here is sparse.  Trees have been toppled, stripped back and scarred, but still they hang on waiting for the construction to finish.

The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Pedestrian lights control the construction traffic.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
Beware heavy plants.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
A new pond is out of bounds.

Walking across the path of the future train tracks.  I took in the scene.  The HS2 line is still dirt for now, awaiting concrete and steel. Machinery parts, pipes, fencing, and plastic weights litter the area. It is difficult to imagine what this place will look like when everything is complete.  Will nature ever fully reclaim it?

The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
The high speed train track is just dirt and compacted soil. The tracks await.

Tony asked me what I thought of it all. His question caught me off guard. The truth is, I am somewhere in the middle rather like the metal fence that separates one side from the other. I am dismayed at how easily nature is cast aside, yet I cannot deny the appeal of improved transport and connectivity. Still, the pace and the cost weigh heavily on any sense of progress.

The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
An autumnal path leads to the HS2 works.
The HS2 path, 16 Acre Wood, Berkswell, November 2025.
A bleaker path takes you over the HS2 track.

Searching the internet, I came across a photograph online by Robin Stott titled “A Family Walk by Sixteen Acre Wood” .

A family walk by 16 Acre Wood by © Copyright Robin Stott
A family walk by 16 Acre Wood by © Copyright Robin Stott

Taken in 2011, it shows a dark, dense woodland.  The scene is peaceful and the field is ploughed ready for planting. This is an image from another age.

Progress, it seems, may be efficient but it is rarely kind.

This is the latest in a long line of Blogs about the HS2 construction taking place around 16 Acre Wood near Berkswell. If you found this interesting then please read my last blog which will then lead you along to all the others on this subject.

HS2 – What’s happening now?