Bearwood's Need For Beads

It was really exciting when Bead Savvy opened in Bearwood’s Indoor Market earlier this month, so many gorgeous things to buy.

Realising the true extent of our need for beads Bearwood Savvy now have an online store and they are going to be holding workshops in November too. Perfect timing for Christmas.

Welovebearwood dragged Stefan away from making wire rings to find out more......
"The Bead Savvy website is now online selling almost every bead and accessory that we offer in the shop. That's over 1500 different beads, charms, findings, accessories and assorted chains, cords and threads. 

We offer just about everything that the beader needs, and if there's anything that we don't have, we'll be only too happy to obtain it for you. The website reflects the stock in the shop, so if it's on the website we have it available!

In addition to posting out orders, there's the great store pickup service for all local beaders. This allows you to browse and place an order online, and then everything is packaged up ready for you to collect a couple of hours later. You can choose to pay securely through paypal when you place the order or pay cash on collection. It's a great time saver and saves on postage too!

For more details please just click on this link.

We have also scheduled our initial selection of Workshops for November. These run in the evenings from 7:30pm lasting about an hour and a half. They are fun and informal and are held in a private room just a couple of minutes walk away from the shop.

The workshops range from introductory courses for complete beginners, through to intermediate and advanced techniques covering more specific subjects and types of jewellery.

All courses are priced at £10 and you get to take what you make home with you so it's a great way of producing some Christmas presents with the personal touch. There are limited places for each so book early using this link!

We are holding a competition to win a £10 voucher to spend on absolutely anything in the Bead Savvy Shop or online store, including the Workshops, so why not give it a go?  Here's the link fellow beadsters!"
Website: Bead Savvy
Facebook: Bead Savvy
Twitter: Bead Savvy

Does Your Guitar Gently Weep?

 

Guitar Man has to be welovebearwood's favourite Elvis song! Pure Presley! He was so damn sexy especially when he did his '68 Comeback Special!

Unfortunately the welovebearwood team don't have a musical bone between us but if there's an instrument we'd want to master it would have to be the guitar.

Thank goodness for Thimblemill Library then!  Make It Click Music are bringing their group acoustic lessons aimed at players who already have a guitar which is maybe getting lonesome tonight (see what we did there...clever, eh?) in the cupboard, under the bed or maybe even hidden away in the wardrobe (it wouldn't fit in ours...far too many clothes!)

Make It Click's tuition is very user friendly and they're always very professional and patient. As they see it "no two students are alike and want to help you fulfil your dreams!"

The classes will be running are from 30th October - 13th December between 1-2pm. It only costs £10 for a single session and you can make block bookings too.

Now how cool would it be to play in front of the family this Christmas time!

For more details, please visit the Make It Click website - right here folks!

There's no taste like home...

Back in the summer (although we're not sure if we had one of those this year - boo! hiss!) welovebearwood received a lovely email from David Lewis saying that he had just moved to Bearwood and started a new catering business, Home to Home Cooking.

David caught up with us to let us know how he was settling in and to tell us how things are going.

  "The home cooking side is starting to pick up with pace, with my Moroccan Lamb proving very popular. " 

"The Sunday Brunch at the Food Emporio is very weather dependent but on the sunnier days, we sell out and at £2 a brunch, you can see why."   

My artisan bread making and my home made chocolates are becoming much sort after, with the orders for Christmas starting to come in."

"I have put in a bid for a cafe/bistro with a difference at Lightwoods Park where two days a week, I would dedicate to free cooking lessons for low income families with any produce they make that day, being on offer in the Bistro those nights, maybe have them as a Senior Citizens night and all the profit, the families keep. I would also look to employ between 4-6 apprentices/waiting staff from the unemployed in the area."

"Fingers crossed & let's make this a Better Bearwood. "

P.S.  Talking about foodie heaven.....have you entered our Win Tickets to the BBC Winter Good Food Show  Competition yet?  There are only 14 days left to go until we pull the winning tickets out of our magic colander so make sure you get your answer in quick.  Here's the link to enter!

Bearwood's Bead Savvy!

Welovebearwood are big fans of Bead Savvy's Facebook page and we're really excited that they're going to be opening their shop in Bearwood's Indoor Market.

Their first day of trading is this Saturday so please make sure you pop along, there's going to be so many pretty beads and crafty goodies that you will be spoiled for choice.

If you want to see more of the gorgeous things you'll be able to buy, please visit their Facebook page. Here's the link for their grand opening too!

Facebook: Bead Savvy

Come Along....Drop In.....Speak Out!

For a while now there’s been talk on the Bearwood grapevine that Bearwood Chapel's going to be opening a community cafe.

We decided to look on the Chapel’s website and get in contact with Dave from Bearwood Chapel to get the latest update.

Planning permission’s been granted (well done – one of the main struggles overcome!) so 445 Bearwood Road (it’s that building at the top of the chapel drive) is on its way to becoming a coffee shop and community advice centre. What a brillant idea, a community drop-in centre is somewhere Bearwoodians are always going to need.

Dave told welovebearwood that “the aim is to turn the ground floor into a community café which would include internet access facilities -including links to be able to order Christian books and resources. We would also provide advice. That would be partly through having volunteers able to give basic advice and provide contacts for specialised advice where necessary or to refer people to myself or trained counsellors within the church. We'd also aim to have pop up surgeries for specific advice where specialists would come in and be available on a range of issues. The aim is both to provide something for the community (there's been much talk about the need for a "hub" and perhaps this will help) and also much needed additional facilities for the church. We would like it to be a place where people can come to relax, to get help where needed and also to find out about Christian faith.”

You can get regular updates by keeping an eye on the Bearwood Chapel’s website and their Twitter page.

Christmas in Bearwood

This year Bearwood has definitely done Christmas in style!

We’ve had fantastic craft fairs courtesy of those lovely Crafty Muthas, a very merry Christmas Ceilidh at St Mary's Hall, Santa has visited Warley Woods at least twice, lots of gorgeous gifts to buy helped along by mulled wine and mince pies at Webb’s and the REP’s Snowman judging snowmen in Lightwoods Park.

There's been so much happening it's been amazing! Please forgive me if I’ve missed any yuletide events.

Starting tomorrow and bringing us nicely up to Christmas Eve we’ve got Bearwood on Ice.

It’s going to be great.....lots of market stalls, mulled wine and hot cider(yes please!), snowmen, a fun fair, inflatable slides and how could I forget the ice rink!

I know that I’m going to fall over and get lots of bruises but I can’t wait...it’s going to be such a giggle.

Bearwood All-Star: Webb's of Bearwood

I think it’s fantastic that Webb’s of Bearwood is 90 years old this year and still going strong! In these turbulent times that’s not an easy thing to achieve.

Webb’s did me a huge favour this summer because I wanted to get something a bit more exciting than a CD for my Dad’s birthday and my Mum suggested a bird table. I hunted high and low in town and in Harborne and had no success at all. Everywhere I went they said you’ve got no chance as it was far too late in the season.

Well what a load of cobblers! I had a brainwave, it does happen now and again, and I went to Webb’s instead. They had everything you could ever want to feed the birds in your back garden. I was able to get my Dad a really sweet little bird house, a peanut feeder, fat balls (they are called that you know!), a big bag of peanuts and a bird seed all from Webbs and all for a very good price too! I learnt a valuable lesson that weekend always go to Webb’s of Bearwood first!

I went for a wander down to the shop on Sunday for a bit of a mooch and in their gift shop there’s a gorgeous range of Christmas gifts and decorations. The gift shop has been up and running for over 3 years and I think Samantha Davis (Webb is her mum's maiden name) has done a brilliant job!

I fell in love with all the lovely things that you can buy there that I asked Samantha’s mum, Pauline, if it was ok for Mr B to take some photos. I bought one of the very cute gingerbread men for my Christmas tree.


All in all, Webb’s of Bearwood is a really friendly & helpful family run shop with loads of lovely things to buy all at very reasonable prices. They definitely deserves to be a Bearwood All-star.

Where do you like shopping in Bearwood? Please email us at welovebearwood@googlemail.com with the details.

P.S. HOT NEWS! It’s just been announced that Webb’s of Bearwood are going to have a stall at Lightwood’s Park Winter Wonderland next to the ice-rink from Saturday 17th December to Christmas Eve. I can’t wait!

Word up!

The very friendly people at Bearwood Chapel contacted us to let us know their plans for the summer.

Direct from the lovely Dave:

‘Bearwood Chapel are hosting a team from Brazil, South Korea and China between May and August. The team have joined international mission organisation Operation Mobilisation, which is based in Halesowen, for three months. The team members are here to spend time improving their English and to help the local church with its community outreach.’

‘During their time with us, the team members will be helping us with several events which people are invited to come along to including: CAMEO -a club for the over 60s, every Wednesday at 1:30pm, starting 1st June and an afterschool club for primary school children which will begin after half-term.’

For more info please check out their website - www.bearwoodchapel.org.uk

Follow The Bear!

When I was a kid one of my favourite adverts was for Hofmeister beer. No, don’t worry I wasn’t early drinker (I don’t think I’ve even tasted the beer) but the advert was - and still is - a classic!

A bit of a tenuous link this one but in the 1980s when the ad was on our TVs the Bear Pub was a cool place to hang out. Comedy nights run by the then unknown Chris Collins, who went on to become a huge star as Frank Skinner, were really popular and the pub was always busy.

Over the years it went a bit ‘pete tong’ and The Bear got a bad reputation as somewhere to go if you wanted a fight...not just a pint. Thankfully this has all changed. The pub’s recently gone through a huge refurbishment and seems to be turning over a new leaf. The Bear serves great ale, is very cheap (£6 for 3 pints of cider – I know!) and is keen to get a new name for itself.

So, if you follow that Bear down to the Bear Pub hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised!