How is The Warehouse faring through Covid?

We’re going strong here at The Warehouse! As lockdowns come and go, there are some constant presences keeping the building and its community thriving.

Sprocket Cycles remains open and doing a great service supplying bikes to people to need to get to work safely and to those newly exploring the outdoors as their gyms are closed.

The Solidarity Kitchen operates from the Cafe kitchen at least once a week, making hot meals for hundreds of people each week which get distributed through community centres around the city. This initiative came together largely from people involved in our wonderful Warehouse Cafe, which of course has mostly been closed during the year apart from a short spell of offering takeaways between lockdowns. They were also active in the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, are planning exciting events for post-pandemic times and have been an inspirtrion to us this year in challenging the injustices of the UK pandemic experience. Meanwhile we were sorry to lose Well Rooted Wholefoods and would really love to hear from anyone interested in operating a vegan/wholefood business from our building.

BrumRadio’s music and podcasts can still be heard online with its various presenters, DJs and hosts working either from home or occasionally from the studio. Its founder Richard also continues to offer us invaluable IT support!

New tenant Vesta Living have moved in to our former reception and are busy making and selling lovely fabric-based sustainable products. Need any more masks?

Our various office tenants are of course mainly working from home – in particular the quite amazing Muslim Women’s Network continue their incredibly vital helpline service which supports so many people in difficult circumstances across the country.

Our own campaigns group (the Birmingham Friends of the Earth local group) meets weekly online and has continued challenging our decisionmakers and engaging positively on a local level on issues such as our local incinerator contract, clean air and local planning.

Digbeth Community Garden is looking better than ever with new fruit trees, bird feeder stations, shelters, wood fired pizza oven and a small stage!

We get the occasionally (relatively) busy day when a few of these organisations are in at the same time – often on a Thursday. It’s always lovely to see ‘real people’ and we take pride in ensuring we stick to Covid rules and keep the place clean and safe as well as friendly.

In general while a community building could be a bit lost without its community of people, there is so much still thriving that has put its roots down here in the Warehouse, even if some of it isn’t here right now, and we know we will still be here to play our part in society as we emerge from the pandemic.

See you then!