Property investment team dig deep to support Birmingham Settlement

The Calthorpe Estates team swapped the office for the outdoors as they volunteered at the Birmingham Settlement’s Nature & Wellbeing Centre, helping to enhance its eco-friendly community space at the heart of the city.

Working under bright spring sunshine, the Calthorpe team got hands-on across the centre’s unique three-acre green space neighbouring Edgbaston Reservoir.

One group focused on extending a log-lined path by 25 metres, creating a safe and sustainable walkway that will connect the outdoor Amphitheatre to the centre’s soon-to-launch no-cost community Forest School.

The team dug out and levelled the ground, laid protective tarpaulin, and carefully positioned logs, sourced from felled trees across the site, to complete the pathway.

Meanwhile, a second group revitalised the centre’s community composting area by turning and aerating all nine compost boxes, sieving mulch and giving the boxes a fresh coat of paint to support the site’s ongoing environmental and educational initiatives.

Haydn Cooper, chief executive at Calthorpe Estates, said: "We are proud to work alongside the Birmingham Settlement, a charity dating back to 1899  doing vital work for the local community and sharing a long term ethos with Calthorpe Estates.

“It was fantastic to see our team come together in the spring sunshine, not only to contribute physically but to help create a lasting impact for both local people and the environment."

The Birmingham Settlement Nature & Wellbeing Centre, just off Selwyn Road and near Edgbaston Reservoir is a pioneering eco-site that is championing sustainability at a local level.

From community composting and rainwater harvesting to habitat creation and climate education, the centre plays a leading role in shaping sustainable neighbourhoods.

“It also provides a home for a community café, two geodesic learning domes, and an outdoor Amphitheatre.

Sam March, Nature & Wellbeing Centre manager at Birmingham Settlement, added: "The Calthorpe Estates team brought enthusiasm and real energy to the site, and their work will have an immediate and long-term benefit for our community.

“The new path will be a key link between our Amphitheatre and Forest School, improving accessibility and encouraging more people to engage with nature here."