What's On
Friday 27th March, 24th April and 29th May 12pm - 1.30pm
Creative Wellbeing Session (LEAF Creative Arts CIC):
LEAF Creative Arts CIC uplifts, empowers and connects people through art, music and creative reminiscence. Join them for free monthly Creative Wellbeing sessions at Moor Pool Hall. These sessions are dementia friendly, carer friendly and accessible. leafcreativearts@gmail.com or call 07746 642 387.
Saturday 28th March 10am - 12pm
Nettlefold Garden - Spring Tidy-Up:
It’s time for the Nettlefold Garden annual spring tidy-up! Please wear stout boots and gardening gloves. Bring a trowel, secateurs or border fork if you can.
Monday 30th March - Monday 20th April
The Great Moor Pool Chick Rescue:
Last year, the crochet chicks hatched…but this year they’ve wandered off exploring Moor Pool! Can you help Mama Hen find the cheeky chicks and guide them back to the nest in time for Easter? Pick up your free trail map from outside the Hall or download one from 30th March on the Trust’s website.
Thursday 9th April and Thursday 28th May 10am - 12pm
Let’s Do Lego:
We have lots of different bricks so there’s something for everyone to play with, from toddlers to teens. These sessions are free and open to all. No booking required, just turn up! Parents and carers can enjoy refreshments while the kids dive into a world of imagination. If you would prefer a quieter environment to play in, we will be opening from 9am for a limited number of people.
Friday 10th April and Saturday 11th April 7.30pm
Luke Players present Rashomon:
Tickets £12 (£10 concessions) available on Eventbrite. Limited number available at the door. Please note: Not suitable for children.
Friday 10th April and Friday 29th May 10am - 12pm
Springtime Crafts:
Join us for a morning of seasonal crafting this Easter break and May half term. £5 per child. No booking required, just turn up! Cakes and drinks available to purchase.
Saturday April 18th 7.30pm
An Evening With the Brandhall Community Choir:
Free Entry with Tea Coffee Cake and Snacks. Bring your own drinks. Come and enjoy songs games and cake. Moor Pool Main Hall.
Sunday 19th April 7.15pm
Circle Cinema:
A Robert Redford Film TBC. Doors open 6.15 for supper and refreshments.
Saturday 25th April and Saturday 20th June 7.15pm
Fish & Chip Quiz Supper:
Gather the gang and get competitive for our ever-popular quiz night. Tickets are £15 per person and are available to book through www.moorpoolhall.org.uk/shop. Ticket price includes your choice of fish or halloumi and chips. Bring your own drinks.
Tuesday 28th April 7pm - 8pm
Heritage Talk - The Austin Village:
Hazel Griffiths of the Austin Village Preservation Society. Tickets £3 on the door. Refreshments will be available to purchase from 6.30pm.
Saturday 9th May 11am - 2.30pm
Carless Eco Centre Plant Sale:
Early access from 10am for Friends of Moor Pool. We’ll be selling plants, cakes, drinks and tools. There will also be a free mud kitchen and sunflower seed planting for the kids. Cash and card payments accepted. All profits going back into conserving Moor Pool Estate.
Sunday 17th May 10am - 12.45pm
Pitstop Playtime:
Join Pitstop Playtime for two extended sessions: 10am-11.15pm and 11.30-12.45pm. With a wide range of exciting car-themed equipment to fuel endless fun! Book tickets through Pitstop Playtime.
Tuesday 26th May 7pm - 8pm
Heritage Talk - Sweet Heritage:
We will be joined by historian, Emma Barron-Scott, who will explore the history of sweet making in the West Midlands, with free samples and old school sweets to buy. Tickets £3 on the door. Refreshments will be available to purchase from 6.30pm.
Sunday 7th June
Circle Cinema:
10th Anniversary Double Bill - Moor Pool’s resident film club, Circle Cinema, are screening a double bill to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Films TBC.
Sunday 14th June 10am - 3pm
Harborne Handmade Summer Market:
25 of the best local makers selling their unique and handmade products, as well as cake and hot drinks. Entry is free.
From The Chair
Am I a member?
There can be confusion between membership of the
Residents Association and membership of the Moor Pool
Heritage Trust. To be a member of the Trust you must have
lived on the estate for three years and there is no charge for
membership although you may have made a donation since
it is a charity. The Residents Association is open to anyone
living on the estate – no time limit for eligibility, and the
cost of membership is £10 annually per household.
We hope that if you are a member, you would have set up a
standing order for your subscription and updated it to reflect
the current membership fee. Our bank details can be found
at the foot of this page
What do your subscriptions pay for?
If we have a free event with refreshments (such as Carols In
The Hall) we use the money to pay for those refreshments.
There is a cost to the printing of The Duck. The MRA pays
for that with a contribution from the Trust. Committee
members have some modest expenses. Recently we were
able to offer to pay if a contractor was required to take away
the leaf debris volunteers had collected – see story below.
This proved to be unnecessary in the end but that the offer
was there, made the clean-up possible.
West Pathway Clean Up!
On Sunday March 1st
a volunteer group of
40 residents of all ages
met, armed with brooms
and spades, to clear the
huge piles of leaf debris
which were filling West
Pathway, reducing it to
single carriageway and
causing blocked drains
and slippery unsafe
pavements. At the MRA
AGM in January this issue had been raised, and a decision
was taken to ask for volunteers to form a work party to clear
the leaves with the MRA agreeing to pay for a contractor to
take the bagged debris away if the Council did not.
Sunday was a dry day, and the volunteers set to and there
were enough people also to do some clearing in upper Moor
Pool Avenue and Ravenhurst Rd by the pool.
West Pathway was clear by the early afternoon with a huge
pile of bagged up leaves ready on the verge for collection.
Cllr Martin Brooks was contacted later the same day and
in turn he contacted BCC’s Street Cleaning team and they
turned up on Monday afternoon to take all the bags away. So
good to see West Pathway clean and tidy. Congratulations to
the volunteers who did all the hard work and many thanks to
Sal Bourner who organised the whole thing.
New Gas Pipes
I think everyone will be aware that Cadent have been back
on the Estate again putting a new gas main down Carless
Avenue. I spoke to the team leader and reminded them
that the verges needed to be repaired with good soil and
the kerbstones replaced. The conversation was amicable.
Whether we can get the damage to the verges opposite where
heavy vehicles have gone over the kerbs and verges because
the road was narrowed remains to be seen.
A sociable, musical evening on April 18th
The Association’s Spring event will be an evening with the
Brandhall Community Choir in the Moor Pool main hall on
April 18th at 7.30 in the evening .Those of you who came to
Carols in the Hall before Christmas know how entertaining
the choir is and they are coming back by popular demand.
This will be a chance to socialise, enjoy the music with
snacks and cake, tea and coffee (or BYO if you would prefer
something stronger!)
Margaret Harrold
chair@moorpool.org.uk
Heritage Festival September 2026
Do you have memories of working life at Moor Pool?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker - what
did previous residents of Moor Pool do for a living
and what was their daily life like? This year Heritage
Open Days 2026 is exploring everyday working lives
and we are delving into Moor Pool’s working past.
Did you, your parents or grandparents work at Chad
Valley, teach at a local school or factory, or something
else? Did you work at the Builder’s Yard or for
Harborne Tenants’? Run a business or trade from
home? Do you remember what your neighbours did?
How did they travel to work? Do you have any stories
you can share about working life at Moor Pool?
We would love to hear your stories! Please get in
touch with Barbara at
manager@moorpoolhall.com.
The Moor Pool Project – Initial Update
Amy Sanghera a member of the newly formed project team writes :
"A Moor Pool Project Working Group has recently been formed to explore the possibilities of improving and safeguarding
the future of the pool. The group brings together trustees, residents, fishing representatives and ecological advisers who
are examining the condition of the pool and what practical steps may be required to restore it. Early investigations are
focusing on understanding the build-up of sediment, the long-term water supply to the pool, and options for ecological
improvement. At this stage the group is gathering information and assessing what might realistically be achievable.
Further updates will be shared in future editions of The Moor Pool Duck as plans develop.
In the meantime, residents are warmly invited to support a community clear-up day, “Your Moor Pool Needs You” on
Sunday 19th April from 10am to 1pm. This will be a chance for volunteers to help tidy the pool area, meet members
of the working group and contribute to the care of this much-loved local feature. Even an hour of help would make a real
difference, and everyone is very welcome to come along and lend a hand."
