You called me a City of Nature five years ago. But I was a City of Nature long before that. I was one when my rivers first carved their routes through the landscape. I was one when people settled beside them, when roads crossed them, when factories drew upon them and when some of themContinue reading “I Am Birmingham”
Tag Archives: mental-health
Advertise the Doors, Not Just the Destination
We talk a lot about reaching people. For years, organisations have used expressions such as “hard to reach”, although many of us have become increasingly uncomfortable with that description. Because perhaps people aren’t particularly hard to reach. We know where they are. People go to schools, shops, cafés, libraries, parks, community centres and places ofContinue reading “Advertise the Doors, Not Just the Destination”
Look at Your Shoes
What are sustainability’s three simple words? Do you remember – Clunk, click, every trip. Stop. Look. Listen. Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. Three short instructions can sometimes carry an extraordinary amount of complexity. They don’t explain everything. They aren’t supposed to. “Stop. Look. Listen.” doesn’t explain traffic engineering, stopping distances, human reaction timesContinue reading “Look at Your Shoes”
Look for the rivers
I’ve been thinking about why people don’t use parks. It’s one of those questions we ask quite often. We know that spending time in nature can be good for our health and wellbeing. We know parks provide places to walk, play, meet, exercise, notice wildlife or simply sit for a while. So why doesn’t everyoneContinue reading “Look for the rivers”
Looking Outward
Sometimes, to understand ourselves more clearly, we have to look further away. When the Voyager 1 spacecraft turned its camera back towards Earth in 1990, it captured one of the most famous images ever taken. Our entire world appeared as a tiny, almost invisible speck of light suspended in a sunbeam. Carl Sagan called itContinue reading “Looking Outward”
With time – You Become the Journey
There comes a point in many walks when you stop looking at the map. Not because you’re lost. Nor because you’ve reached your destination. But because something else has begun to guide you. When we’re young, life often feels like a series of destinations. This is where I went to school, this is where IContinue reading “With time – You Become the Journey”
How do we make working life feel more like life?
Today is #OutdoorOfficeDay – 11th June 2026 The obvious interpretation is simple. Take your work outside. And yes, that’s a great place to start. Take a call while walking.Have a meeting on a park bench.Drink your tea outside.Look up from your screen for a few minutes. But perhaps Outdoor Office Day is asking a biggerContinue reading “How do we make working life feel more like life?”
The Green Thread: The Hopscotch Test
I recently saw a short video that has stayed with me. Someone had drawn a simple hopscotch grid in chalk on a pavement. Nothing complicated. Just a few numbered squares. The camera then recorded the reactions of adults walking past. Many people didn’t notice it at all. Some were looking at their phones. Some steppedContinue reading “The Green Thread: The Hopscotch Test”
Reflections from the Bridge: A Valued City
The Green Pages are for exploring some of the deeper ideas, questions and connections sitting underneath Birmingham’s City of Nature journey. They are part storytelling, part systems thinking, these reflections wander through parks, waterways, communities, governance, memory, belonging and the living systems that quietly shape everyday life in the city. Some pieces begin with policy.Continue reading “Reflections from the Bridge: A Valued City”
The Quiet Work of Rangers
Friday Feelings – End of Week reflections. As my conversations have moved beyond those who already work closely with nature, I have noticed people saying recently: “I didn’t know Birmingham had a Ranger Service.” And yet, once you know you begin noticing the work Rangers do, and you start seeing their presence across the city’sContinue reading “The Quiet Work of Rangers”
