Birmingham residents share their favourite green spaces and explain why they matter. As financial pressures rise, some wonder if these parks and woodlands could ever be at risk. Richard Gullick hits the streets to find out what Brummies really think about the future of their green spaces.
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00:01In a city packed with bricks, mortar and ever-rising towers, finding a patch of green can feel like fighting a lifeline.
00:08It's not just about somewhere to walk your dog or eat a sandwich, it's about space to breathe.
00:13Birmingham's green spaces offer a chance to recharge, to reconnect, to escape the constant churn of modern life without leaving the city limits.
00:20They're where generations of families have grown up kicking a ball about, where friendships have started
00:25and where people can have a rare bit of silence away from the noise of their everyday.
00:30We're right here asking people who use these spaces why they matter and which part of Birmingham's green lungs they hold the dearest.
00:38Highgate's a green space. I'd say Cannon Hill Park.
00:41Oh, like a green space like a park? Yeah. I'd say Cannon Hill Park.
00:46I'd say Edgbaston Reservoir. Oh, that's nice. It is.
00:49Nah, but I grew up going picnics in Cannon Hill Park.
00:51I only like Edgbaston because of the water. Yeah, that's nice.
00:56Cathedral Close, I would have said, because it's just a nice space to be and the cathedral's nice to visit too.
01:03For me the favourite one is Cannon Hill Park. It's quite a nice park with boating facilities and a lot of family areas where you can hang out, do barbecues.
01:12As well as the Sutton Park, which is more towards the north-east of Birmingham. And that is famous for its big lakes and it's one of the biggest parks in Europe, from what I've heard.
01:21I normally use the canal, but I have anywhere along the canal. I like it. It's peaceful. It's tranquil. You know what I mean?
01:29I've always liked water and the wilderness and it's just one of them. So anywhere along the canal.
01:36Sutton Park, Cannon Hill, Handsworth Park, Licky Hills, the list goes on. These aren't just big fields. They're stitched into the city's DNA.
01:44Some spots have been protected for hundreds of years. Others sprang up to give Victorian workers somewhere to escape the factories.
01:51In an age where private developers want every inch and councils are forced to count every penny.
01:57Maintaining free public spices feels almost rebellious. There's an economic side too.
02:02Green spices improve mental health, cut down NHS costs, even boost local businesses by making neighbourhoods nicer places to live and work.
02:10So as Birmingham grows and changes, we've been asking what role these spices still play in everyday city life.
02:17Yeah, they're important because if there's no trees and no grass anywhere, then how are we going to survive?
02:22Yeah. That's how we breathe air. And it's just nice to get out, especially when it's sunny like this.
02:27Go sit on the grass, have a picnic, chill with your friends, have a cup of drinks.
02:30And I think the generation has changed quite a lot. Like our generation growing up, we would go out to the park and stuff like this.
02:35This generation just sits in town and does whatever they're doing.
02:38I think they're very important. I mean, I think Covid showed that when lockdown was there.
02:43The amount of people that use the green spaces around, they're very important.
02:47They're very important for peace, escaping from our daily routines, from our day to day lives.
02:52And the green spaces basically provide like a form of peace in our mind when we go there and hang out with our friends and families and loved ones.
02:59Thank you very much.
03:01territ in Taiwan again.
03:02Thank you very much for handling the sighed and the comments from Alavance.