a wonderful new film by Simon Walker featuring young people who share their individual experiences of living on the Castle Vale estate. The film is now on show at the Community Gallery, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, as part of our 'Me, You & Everything Else' exhibition.
We have exciting news! Me, You and Everything Else has been selected to become a major exhibition at the Community Gallery located within the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in the city centre.
Over the last month Brendan, Geoff, Claire and Sandra have been working alongside the Gallery to plan the exhibition. They have been busy choosing some of the strongest images and quotes from the project, and getting everything ready for printing.
The exhibition runs from 17th November 2011 until 15th April 2012 and the private view is on Thursday 27th November 2011. Details are on the above invite - please do come along and join what promises to be very exciting event!
Chris is very much part of the wider community of Phoenix Court, contributing to the Family Ablum project and posting some of his stunning images taken around Castle Vale to our online blog. Chris is a very keen photographer and an all-round enthusiast so we asked him to share some more of his striking images and talk about some of the many aspects of his life.
Maxine is the manager at Phoenix Court. She took a few photographs for our blog durring one of her day's at work. She also shared with us some of her perspectives on life in the centre.
My job title is Scheme Manager, and I started working here 6 years ago, on St Valentines Day in fact! There is so much to this job it took me over 2 years to learn it all. Because it is Extra Care - we have social services onsite, and we have a kitchen - soon to be 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I also deal with contractors a lot, with a lot of help from Yasmin, which is great. The home care team always come to me, a lot of people don't have doctors so I am the one that calls the doctors or the nurses.
I do have a challenging job, no 2 days are the same. That is why I love it, I just love it. I enjoy working with people. I especially like working with older people. I treat them all like my own family member. It is challenging, and the fact that some residents get ill and are sometimes near death is hard, but you learn to live with it, and accept it.
I have also done a lot of training around dementia and Alzheimer's and I defend them to the hilt because you don’t know what is going to happen to you - there for the grace of god go I.
My own life is challenging, but very different to the challenges that I face here. In a way I come here takes my mind off all the other things that are going on.
The first couple of images are my colleagues Bea and Yasmin.
More contractors, fixing the gas - it was nice of them to let me take this one.
I am 65 this year, and retiring soon. I was brought up on Varner Road in Highgate, Birmingham, and now lived in Castle Vale since 1969. When I came to work in Castle Vale I though ‘oh no, not Castle Vale!’ it had such a reputation then. But now I think the Vale is great, people put it down, but it is a real community, people are very friendly.
The glass here are very Hank Marvin..
This is Sharon, yes, a schoolteacher. I am proud of both my daughters. That is my first grandchild Emily, and my nephew Sean, he has grown up now and served in Iraq a couple of terms. And that’s Paul.
This is my twin sisters again, Anne on the left, and Judith on the right.
Well, now I am retiring I am bit concerned. I am not worried, but when your retire you think ‘oh, you are retiring, you must be really old’. But I don’t feel old, I still feel like a 20 year old, I still play up! I am just not as quick on my legs as I were! (laughs). I have a few things lined up for when I retire, I like messing on cars. I am quite happy in life, I have a new partner in life, quite a bit younger than me, and that is bonus in my case - I think myself very lucky to have her.
We gave Irene and Ron a camera to take a few photographs of their life. Here is a small selection, together wilth some comments they made after looking back at them.
Irene: this is Nellie and Val playing cards. We enjoy to come here (to Phoenix Court), we meet friends and it gives us company. It gets Ron out of the house. The meals are good as well!
When it is warm weather, we do get out to Sutton shops, and also on sunday, we go to church - St Cuthbert’s. It’s not a religion, football is a religion. I am a Christian.
Irene: This photo was taken by my son Matthew. He is registered blind, and also when he was born he could not hear either. When he was two he put the radiogram on really loud and it clicked something in his ear - and now he has extra special hearing. He can hear a train before it comes, and before we can hear it! 
Most of the time we watch the TV, I love the soaps, but Ron like the news more. East Enders, Coronation Street. If we did not have a tv I dont know what we would do, probably go to sleep (laughs).
Ron: I only have the use of one arm since my stroke when I was 48. I like to come here, it make me feel safe, and like to be with others.
Irene: Why does Ron laugh so much? Because he has go me hasn’t he? (smiles)
Val: Well he has got Irene to wait on him hand and foot hasn’t he? - typical man. (laughs)
Irene: This is Matthew. He 38 this year coming. He has always lived and home, and now, well he wants a girlfriend. He has got his tv and his music. But he is a bit lonely and needs a friend really. I am a bit worried for him, you know, if anything happens to us.
Irene: The dolphin clock in the background was a present from Val. I like dolphins, but I prefer teddies and doggies. These teddy were also a present from Val. We are pretty good friends.
Val: I can’t stand the sight of her really! (laughs). No, we do get on - we just click and we like the arts and crafts.
Irene: This is claire’s children, she has 10 children, and now she has her own grandchildren.
