Kings Heath got the bank holiday sunshine at All Saints Square for the Classic Car Show and Vintage Fair — plus we got our first ever listener voice note, live from the pizza van. Also this week: a novel-writing course from Goody & Grant, a free reading group at the library with Royal Literary Fund author Wren James, and health support coming to Community Kitchen from October.

Then it's on to what's happening next: Moseley Folk Festival, a summer community event at Brandwood Community Centre, an open mic night for homeless charities, folk sessions at Schooners, the Farmers Market, mindful lino printing at Kitchen Garden Cafe, a cat-themed craft fair, mosaic-making at Loco Lounge, Dr Bike bringing bikes back to life, King's Heath Youth Choir's open rehearsal, and home ed woodland sessions at Highbury Park.

Two Chrises, one Wednesday, all the Kings Heath news and what's-on you need.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Dolly Parton's passing gets a mention (RIP, though her Kings Heath connections remain unconfirmed), before Chris and Chris get into the actual local news: a metal recycling trailer fire on Alcester Road South, and — finally — some good news, as The Range car park gets resurfaced after Sue Reynolds' long-running accessibility campaign. The Billsley goes up for sale at a cool £1.5 million via WTS Property Consultants, and the boys briefly float buying it themselves with "pizza and podcast money." There's also a shoutout to King's on York Road for anyone after a curry with a proper vegan menu.

Two great community kitchens are hiring/recruiting: Change Kitchen CIC wants a kitchen manager, and Kings Heath Community Kitchen needs five volunteers.

Then it's on to next week's packed calendar — knitting at Hop & Stitch, a mobile household waste day, Nook Gallery's Birmingham-themed Cozy Cinema double bill, a bus route change extending the 50 to Wythall, and a genuinely stacked Bank Holiday Monday: a classic car show at All Saints Square (with Infinity Pizza on site), salsa classes on Alcester Road South, Jam Jar Mondays' reggae night, and multiple fundraisers supporting B14 Gorleston residents affected by recent house fires.

As always: get in touch at [email protected] — and Chris finally promises us that long-awaited voice note from the car show.

Chris and Chris cover last week's community news: the recent partial solar eclipse (~92% coverage), a series of concerning fires near Kings Heath (Dawberry Fields, Hillmeads Road in Druids Heath, Daisy Farm Park near Maypole), and the strong community response including Warstock Community Centre being overwhelmed with donations. They note the Billesley pub closure remains unresolved, with Councillor Joe Peacock writing to Greene King for answers. Recap of last week's events (swing and jazz night, art market, Horseshoe Pub garden party). Upcoming week's what's on guide: The Station's new food menu, a SEN sensory play session at Dawberry Corner, a paint-and-sip night at Loco Lounge, a free polycraft session with Poly Partons in Brandwood, "Colouring to the Beat" at Kings Heath Library, Brum Tropicana at the Hare & Hounds, and the weekly Muso music night at The Station.

The episode closes with an interview with Ollie MacNamee, organiser of Kings Heath Comic Con (AKA High-Viz Comic Con), taking place Saturday 19th September, 10am–5pm at All Saints Community Centre. Free entry, street food from Infinity Pizza/Mustard/Oh My Dough, three free workshops, cosplay and Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion, a live art auction for Kings Heath Food Bank, and a headline guest appearance from comic writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Netflix's The Chosen).

Chris and Chris are back with everything Kings Heath — the good, the free, and the slightly scammy.

This week: the Enjoy Kings Heath Big Summer Weekend recap (Schooners, Hop & Scotch, Hublon — a proper Sunday), Dawberry Corner Community Garden's new lending library, and a warning about a scam email doing the rounds pretending to be from Birmingham Artisan Markets — don't get caught out.

The Horseshoe Inn are offering their function room free to local musicians for gigs and rehearsals, Change Kitchen CIC want volunteers aged 16–24 for kitchen experience, and there's a full run-down of what's on next week: swing and jazz at the community centre (Fri 14th), the Kings Heath Art Market and the Car Boot & Flea Market on All Saints Square (Sat 15th), a garden party with bouncy castle and karaoke at the Horseshoe (also Sat 15th), a community centre thank-you event for investors (Sun 16th), and a shrink keyring workshop at the Loco Lounge that nobody can quite explain (Mon 17th).

Plus: our chat with Olly from Kings Heath Comic Con is coming soon, and a tip involving a colander and a solar eclipse.

Got an event coming up, or been to a great one? Email [email protected] — we want your voice notes too.

Chris and Chris are back with another packed week in Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK. This episode kicks off with a chat about the drought and wildfire risk affecting Birmingham's parks and green spaces, plus some sensible advice on keeping disposable barbecues and cigarettes away from tinder-dry grass (looking at you, Kings Heath Park, fresh off its new Green Flag status).

Then it's onto the Big Summer Weekend, and there's a lot going on: an exhibition launch at Nook transforming the gallery into a fictional Birmingham museum, Friday blues at The Station, a puzzle bonanza at Kings Heath Library, the Read the Room Book Club at Loco Lounge, the York Road Artisan Market, the Tiny Beer Fest after-party at Schooners, DJ sets on York Road, a clothes swap and live music at the Hare & Hounds, a wellbeing workshop at the Community Centre, an afternoon tea special at Roots & Branches, a lino printing workshop and pottery takeover, poker and quiz nights at The Station, and a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th (get your ISO-rated glasses ready).

To cap it off, the Chrises sit down with Scarlett from Enjoy Kings Heath (the local Business Improvement District) to talk street wardens, planter maintenance, community events, their new office at Kings Heath Community Centre, and how local businesses can get involved.

Got something on in Kings Heath? Get in touch: [email protected]

This week on Heath Talk, the two Chrises are talking Tolkien, train stations and trying (and failing) to pronounce a local artist's name correctly. Kings Heath's new train station is getting some seriously cool artwork courtesy of illustrator Charlotte Ellen Jenkins, featuring nods to local history including JRR Tolkien's Kings Heath roots and The Beatles' Birmingham debut on York Road — prints are available if you fancy some local culture on your wall. There's also a new Jamaican restaurant on York Road, Eber Kitchen, complete with an outdoor smoker doing the jerk, plus volunteering opportunities at Change Kitchen CIC and Kings Heath Community Centre for anyone wanting to get more involved locally.

Looking ahead, it's a packed week in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Hot 8 Brass Band bring their New Orleans jazz energy to the Hare and Hounds, there's a Young Engineers summer camp for kids aged 6-12, and free bus travel kicks in for under-16s throughout August. Saturday's a big one — the regular All Saints Square farmers market, a children's clothing sale at Kings Heath Community Kitchen, and a psychedelic music all-dayer at the Hare and Hounds. Highbury Hall opens its doors (and gardens) for free over the weekend, there's a cartoon and art club for kids at Loco Lounge, plus a summer holiday club at the Community Centre running every Wednesday. And mark your calendars for the partial solar eclipse on August 12th — just please don't stare directly at the sun.

Got something going on in Kings Heath? Email [email protected] — voice memos welcome.

Your weekly guide to what's on, what's up, and who's who in Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK. This week Chris and Chris are wading through a bumper crop of local events — starting with the Kings Heath Comedy Fest, which takes over venues across the neighbourhood all week long. There's a mobile tip truck rolling into Billesley, the Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival kicking off city-wide, a community picnic at Dalbury Corner complete with silent disco, and an 80s murder mystery improv night that's very much worth the £16.75. Elsewhere: a meditation and ink art workshop at the Kitchen Garden Café, a police-themed family fun day with actual alpacas, and Kings Heath Park picking up its Green Flag status with a celebratory litter pick. Recurring regulars get a shout too — the Billesley Ark food pantry, Dalbury Corner's community garden, and Hare and Hounds' Wednesday quiz night. Plus last week's catch-up: free breakfast club at the Loco Lounge, a rough sleeping support resource worth bookmarking, and an update on the Kings Heath Park consultation results. Whatever you're into this week — comedy, jazz, litter picking, or just a decent quiz — Kings Heath has got you covered.

Your weekly guide to what's on, what's up, and who's who in Kings Heath. This week the two Chris's celebrate York Supplies' star turn in a BT Business video, a Kings Heathens single parent friendship group you might not know exists, and Kings Heath Community Kitchen hitting 1,000 meals served.

Then it's on to a stacked weekend: an alt rock gig at Hare & Hounds, a mobile waste centre, a secret family film night, an 80s party, the Kings Heath Cat Rescue summer fair, a dementia support info morning, kids' gardening, a local artist's exhibition, soul and disco nights, a Britain in Bloom volunteer morning, and — fingers crossed for England — the World Cup final.

Got something on in Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK? Send us a voice note or email, we'd love to feature it.

Big shake-up on the high street this week — Kings Heath's Billesley pub has shut its doors without warning, and the old Pear Tree keeps hinting at a mystery next chapter (wrestling venue, anyone?). We dig into what it means for local pubs battling the cost-of-living squeeze, then head straight into a stacked calendar for Birmingham, UK's Kings Heath and neighbouring Moseley. There's a pop-up food bank and this month's Neighbourhood Forum both happening the same day, the Moseley Jazz Funk and Soul Festival kicking off a full weekend, a free acapella set at All Saints Café, free kids' cricket sessions, the ever-popular Kings Heath Art Market, a free disco all-dayer with an England game screening at The Station, a free community climate film screening, a family fun day just over in Moneyhole, the Kings Heath Artisan Market, and a lino printing workshop at Enki. Plus a quick word on Wimbledon, England's World Cup qualifier win, and a heads-up that from next week we're switching to early Thursday morning releases. Got something on in Kings Heath we should know about? Send us a voice note or email — we're not mind readers.

Chris flies solo this week on Heath Talk — the podcast covering all the news, gossip and goings-on in Kings Heath, Birmingham, UK — while his co-host is off filming a movie. He shares a genuinely heartwarming story from Highbury Park, where a community rallied round after a bad bike accident, plus news of a new coffee shop on Station Road, Kaur Coffee Company, serving local roasted coffee, local dairy and a soundtrack of vinyl. There's also a last chance to catch the Flora exhibition at Nook Gallery before it closes on 5th July, in person or in VR. Then it's on to a packed week ahead in Kings Heath and Moseley: live music at The Station, an open mic night for homeless charities at All Saints Cafe, the ever-popular Kings Heath Farmers Market, dub legend Mad Professor at the Hare & Hounds, open days at historic Highbury Hall, live sessions at Fletcher's on York Road, and a first-of-its-kind menopause talk at Dawberry Corner Community Garden. Local news, local events, local voices — Heath Talk is your weekly guide to what's happening in Kings Heath.