About me
I’m Victoria and I have lived in my current house in the middle of the Brandwood area for the last 18 years and throughout my time I have lived as someone with hidden disability, someone with a walking stick, crutches, a mobility scooter and a full time wheelchair user. Each stage of having a disability has its own challenges but having brought up two children and a dog as a single mum I have found Brandwood a welcoming and inclusive place to live. I thought as someone with a lived experience of disability I could share some of my best and worst bits about the area.
Point of View: The best bits
Pictures are getting on and off the 35. Thanks to Lee for starring!
Getting around by bus
The attitude and willingness of people living in the Brandwood area to help and support each other is in my opinion, excellent. Whether it be reaching the top shelf in the supermarket or putting shopping, children’s toys or a laptop in my bag (a frequent problem of mine!), 90% of people will stop, have a chat and help out.
The same can also be said for the bus drivers that run the services across the area. Obviously it takes a bit more effort to put down the ramp to enable wheelchairs to get onto the bus, but this makes the area so much more accessible.
Brandwood’s community centres, churches and green spaces can all be accessed by a combination of the number 11, 35, 27 and 50 bus routes. The 76 stops alongside the edge of the Brandwood boundary (Kings Heath Park) and gives you direct access to the Queen Elizabeth, the main hospital in the area.
Community Spaces
One of my favourite venues is Hub Hazelwell.. The ramp, buzzer system, friendly welcome, accessible toilet and ground floor space at the Hub means I’m a regular visitor to seated exercise classes on a Tuesday morning or happy to attend meetings there.
They are more than willing to listen to suggestions about improving accessibility or listen to me moan about the toilet. To top it off they also have a lift up to the first floor.
All Brandwood community venues can be used comfortably and easily if inclusive access is needed.
See Access Information provided for each community venue, which includes links to pictures of entrances, car parking and toilets.
The Hub Hazelwell entrance and Tuesday exercise class.
Green Spaces
Dawberry Fields Park is a hidden gem (I didn’t realise it was round the corner until Covid came!). It can be accessed from the bottom of Dawberry Fields Road/Hartons Way, in Brandwood Park Road, Shalnecote Grove and next to the school on Allens Croft Road. Access is via the 35 bus or on foot. There is a tarmac path around the whole field which has a meadow, football pitch and skate bowl inside it. It has a lot of benches for those who are not in a wheelchair but able to walk short distances. It is popular with dog walkers and children alike because at the bottom there is access to a playground and skate park for older children. I have used this with my family and it was the lifesaver during lockdown as there were activities that we could all take part in to get a bit of headspace and fresh air. A warning though, it can be icy on the paths during winter and can be less accessible to people on wheels or unsteady on their feet.
Dawberry Corner Community Garden
This was created by Our Scene CIC in 2024, working with residents and has developed from a patch of unloved wasteland into a thriving community space. From the very early days of Dawberry Corner a particular focus of the design was to make it accessible for all. The first change was to add a concrete path to enter the garden, with more hard standing added later to make all areas accessible. It also has an accessible portaloo toilet. All of the events that take place there are available to all and a range of SEND-friendly activities for children take place over the holidays. I have been to the bhangra exercise classes and dancing in the summer. I forgot to mention the most important thing, the wheelchair friendly picnic benches which are perfect for coffee and cake.
Brandwood End Cemetery
The Cemetery is a popular place for a walk for mindfulness or to visit graves. We have worked with the Friends group there to create an accessible Rest & Reflect Activity Trail to highlight some of the key features. The Cemetery is very well attended for Remembrance Sunday and I take a group of Beavers, Scouts and Cubs to the event along with local Councillors, representatives from the armed forces and the general public. The Cemetery is very community-friendly and has benches and disabled toilets to make it accessible for those who need additional support. Don’t forget your radar key for the toilets!
Point of View: challenging green spaces
Sadly, in my wheelchair I have found it difficult to access some of the other green spaces in the Brandwood area.
Jasmin Fields & Nature Reserve has no wheelchair access and no dropped curb access so I am unable to comment on access in the Fields themselves.
The Brandwood Playing Fields did have an entrance that was big enough for a small wheelchair to get through. It was muddy and damp following the weather at the time I visited so it would need consideration as to whether or not you would want to go on the field because there were no concrete paths.
Access to the canal is down very steep hills from the entrance at Tunnel Lane and on Broad Lane. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using them to get down, although the route is really nice and flat if you could manage the hills. There is better access to the canal from the Towpath Way entrance off Brandwood Park Road.
Lifford Woodland & Reservoir
I was able to access the woods on a clear straight path, but there was no access for a wheelchair all the way to the Reservoir. Wheelchair access to the Reservoir viewing platform (and depending on the weather, partially around the Res is via Tunnel Lane in Kings Norton (next to Lifford Lane Recycling Centre).
Point of View: Other access issues around area
Things to be aware of:
Cracked or damaged pavements are an issue in certain parts of Brandwood. For example, on Featherstone Road I use the road as the pavement is unsteady and on one side there is a step which wheelchairs couldn’t get over.
Gradients were not considered when building certain pavements and roads and there are issues with trying to stay on the pavement. On Listowel Road the dropped curbs have missing bricks to make it impossible to get wheelchairs safely onto and off the pavements. So unfortunately, sometimes it is easier to go into the road to be able to continue journeys.
There is a massive issue with cars parking on the pavement at the Vicarage Road shops meaning it is difficult to manoeuvre around and get into the shops and premises.
Unfortunately, some of the green spaces are spoiled by inconsiderate dog walkers who leave dog mess around the area so this complicates things for both able bodied and wheelchair users.
Point of View: Using connecting gulleys
There are three useful gulleys which connect different neighbourhoods and are great for getting to Dawberry Corner Community Garden and Dawberry Fields Park avoiding the main roads. I was asked to test out access, and this is what I discovered (Images are available HERE.)
Red Gulley: Shalnecote Grove to Dawberry Fields Road
Disappointingly this was the only one that I could not get into. It was a clear path to start with but there was quite a steep incline and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in my wheelchair going up. However, there is an alternative flat route through the top of the park very close by (purple on map).
Green Gulley – Dawberry Fields Road to Dawberry Road
This was clear and easy to access and much more pleasant than last time I had used this. Sections were quite steep gradients which might not be suitable for all. The terrain was a mix of tarmac, earth, roots and soil.
Blue Gulley – Dawberry Road to Kings Road
Of the three this was the only gulley that had been completely tarmacked but because of tree roots running underneath along the side, the tarmac had split, becoming bumpy and quite hard to get over especially when it was dark. Various trees had pushed up the concrete so it was quite uneven. This is not accessible for large mobility scooters as there are three railings at one end.
So, to conclude I am and always will be a very proud Villa fan who is a very proud Brummie living and working in Brandwood. The people and places are thoughtful and a new and exciting challenge for someone with a disability. If anyone reads this far, come say hello or sit and drink coffee.
We hope Victoria has provided some useful information by sharing her experience, and that it will help others navigate around Brandwood’s places and green spaces. Please do get in touch if there is anything you would like to add to this Access Guide. Email us at team@ourscene.org or text 07476 898419.