'There's never a quiet moment'

The Old Rectory, nestled in the heart of Handsworth, is very much a community building - in the most traditional sense.
The Old RectoryThe Old Rectory
The Old Rectory

The picturesque Grade II listed property is always bustling with community events, whether its family fun days and music festivals, or weddings and outdoor screenings.

And, according to centre manager Tim Schfer, it’s also a ‘seven-day-a-week’ building.

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“There are our big calendar events, but also hundreds of karate classes, yoga classes, weekly pensioners’ lunches, mum and toddler groups and car boot sales that mean there’s truly never a quiet moment at The Old Rectory,” said Tim.

And 2017 is already looking fit to bursting.

“We have a series of fun family Bank Holiday events running throughout the year,” Tim explained.

“The next one is a Disney-themed day for Easter, on April 17, when we’ll have bouncy castles, children’s rides, a barbecue and as many free elements as we can - such as a storyteller, a costume dressing-up area and singing princesses.

“Also, new for this year, we’re going to be holding a giant outdoor screening of the men’s Wimbeldon final in July, when we’ll be serving strawberries and cream, and Prosecco, and will have lots of activities to keep children entertained so parents can enjoy the tennis action. We have a lovely picturesque lawn that is just perfect for this.

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“August 6 will be our big annual music festival, when we’ll have six or seven live bands on stage all day, a barbecue and bar, and plenty of summer fun.

“Our wedding diary is also mostly booked up for 2017 and we’re already taking bookings for 2018 and 2019. The Old Rectory is such a beautiful location for a wedding - with its beautiful outdoor lawns and stone building - and it’s functions like these that subsidise all the other community events we’re then able to run throughout the year.”

Visit www.orh.org.uk for details of all upcoming events.