Fantastic place to retire too. It's for over 55's, some of the apartments have balconies and has…read morelot's of things all under one roof: Library, cafe, pub, hairdresser, 2 x craft centres (sewing/art and woodwork), gym + jaccuzi, ballroom, shop etc.

When you live in Cradley Heath, the charity shops of Harborne feel kind of upmarket. Cradley Heath…read moreis all second hand Primark, Harborne is all rarely worn Marks and Spencer. This is a well presented and neat little shop that can turn up to occasional treasure. There's rarely much to get overly excited over, though I'm always impressed by the quality and condition of some of the wedding dresses. I saw two there on my last visit that were really pretty and priced up at £90.00. Budget conscious brideswould be well advised to pay this place a visit!

Based at the bottom end of the High Street near Iceland, this is a very well kept charity shop that…read moresells a good handbag. It also does a good range of bric-a-brac and glassware and often seems to have rather snazzy frocks - not neccesarily to my style as well the odd wedding dress. Prices are a little more expensive than some of the lesser known charities so probably comparable with Oxfam say.

I've always been accused of being stressful so I decided to take up yoga. Classes were held at the…read moreKings Heath Community Centre. I had never heard of the community centre before, but I was keen to try out their facilities. The yoga classes went very well; I found yoga to be a very relaxing method of meditation and exercise. The facilities at the community centre were very good; the rooms were spacious and the floor was clean. I couldn't find any showering facilities, but that was not a problem because I live close by and could shower at home. The following classes and groups that take place here are as follows- Yoga Children's yoga Weight watchers Stay and play All nations church group Children's dance Circle dance (folk dance) Senior citizens dance Councillor's advice surgeries Home start Rhythm time for babies and toddlers 11+ Tuition Karate Scale model club African Caribbean group

I have been to a few events at Kings Heath Community Centre. In typical council community centre…read morefashion it has quite a boring exterior and interior for that matter, it is by no measure the most inspiring building I have ever looked at. However it seems to host a lot of events, I have been to a few there and I suppose they turn this otherwise boring centre into a valuable resource for the local community - that is essentially what it does, it's not supposed to appear pretty. It is a purely functional building that gives a space to members of the local community who need a space for an event, whatever that event may be.

Halesowen is charity shop central with each one having a different feel or level of stock to…read moreexplore. This is one of the smaller charity shops but it has some good quality goodies to explore. What I particularly love is that despite their small size they make a point of creating a vintage section in the small clothing stock they have. This included accessories as well as clothing and really saved time for me scouting the store as I knew the car parking time was running out. The focus for this store is definitely on the book side of things with a good range of really old books and more modern fiction. What I would say is that the number of staff seem to outweigh the customers massively, which makes the store seem busy and more cramped as you navigate loitering staff with no real purpose.

Support Staffordshire Lichfield and District is a great third sector organisation which provides…read moredevelopment support and an active volunteer centre in addition to other services. However, this is a review for their meeting rooms. There are a range of meeting rooms available for hire. I use the therapy rooms which are inviting and neutrally decorated. The rooms are in a quiet location at the rear of the building whilst being well heated so your clients will be comfortably warm. The toilets are also clean, well maintained and conveniently positioned within the building. Booking is easy and takes a quick telephone call. There is an inviting reception area with seating and welcoming staff to greet your clients.

Although this is only a small shop in comparison to the other 3 or 4 charity shops on this road, it…read moreis striving with business. There is always plenty of stock in and the staff are friendly. They organized a wedding fashion show a few years back too, offering designer dresses at a cut of the price! There is a small amount of parking, but should probably be only used to drop items off and not to shop!

This building dates back to 1876, when it was used as a junior and infant school. The school closed…read moredown in 1982 and the building was changed and adapted to become the Cradley Heath Community Centre and Citizens Advice Bureau. The centre has two large rooms and two smaller rooms that can be hired for functions, clubs and meetings. It is home to Cradley Heath Model Railway Club and also hosts loads of other activities including dog training sessions, Zumba classes, slimming groups and local councillor surgeries. I really like the building, but I fear that it is getting a bit run down and neglected. The community centre still plays a big part in local life and gets really busy during classes and events. Yet at quieter times, local kids tend to mess about around the building and I once saw one idiot climbing onto the apex of the roof.

I always thought this place was a school, til i saw the adverts for zumba outside on the gates…read more Well it was a school til it became a community centre and home for most the clubs in Cradley. Like the rest of Craldey is looks abit rubbish from the outside, and the inside still looks like a school. Everything here is council funded and in my opinion that means you'll find a leveled very safe and standard service throughout. Avoid if possible.

We took our dog here last weekend following the recommendations here on Yelp. I've lived in…read moreBirmingham for 14 years and didn't even know the place existed despite having driven past it many times! Wow. What a place. The fist thing that struck me was how big it is for saying that I never knew it was there. A huge open golf course area (which is not your usual fancy pants golf club - dog walkers were very welcome), a children's play area and a beautiful wooded area. There is also a cafe but we didn't try that out. The paths are well kept and there are many dog waste bins. I didn't spot any dog mess on the ground - clearly it's a park for well behaved dog owners!! I was also struck by how well kept it is. The people who care for the park obviously take great pride in the park. There are some lovely sculptures and boards showing the history of the park. Absolutely loved it and it's now on our regular dog walking rota! I've deducted one point because the car park is tiny - we visited in February and it was very full so I imagine that in summer it's a nightmare. It did look as though there would be decent street parking around re area though.

This park has an active team who organise a great deal of activities year round. Their latest event…read moreis a tree walk and talk by Chris Shortis. Chris is a local resident and an expert when it comes to the many variety of trees in Warley Woods. We may take trees for granted but after one of Chris's walk and talk events you'll be forever hugging trees everywhere and telling them just how fabulous they are. A learn how to identify birds walk and talk by Liz Coleman who's an RSPB volunteer will get you twitching like crazy, you'll be amazed just how many birds we have flying about us. or you could just use the park to have a wander. It's 100 acres, about 4 miles from the city centre, offers free parking and is another of Birmingham's fantastic retreats.