Blog Archives - Page 25 of 34

As the festive period fast approaches, somewhat in unusual circumstances, things wouldn’t be the same without watching a Christmas classic. We’ve put together six Christmas films that you need to watch this Christmas. So what are you waiting for, sit back, open the chocolates and enjoy some cinematic festivity.

6. THE POLAR EXPRESSAt six we have Robert Zemeckis’s animated classic The Polar Express. The Polar Express tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve who embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on The Polar Express to meet Santa Clause. The boy’s journey is a memorable one and shows the ways of friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

Featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, who was also one of the film’s executive producers, in multiple distinct roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles.

5. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROLNumber five brings us to another festive classic, where Michael Caine stars in the 1992 hit, The Muppet Christmas Carol. The film is a retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his dastardly ways. Come Christmas Eve night though that begins to take a different shape as he is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.

Featuring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, Kermit The Frog as Bob Cratchit and The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens.

4. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

At four, we have the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life. The story tells of a young George Bailey, overwhelmed by family obligations and a sense of responsibility toward his community. As George increasingly becomes more unhappy, he thinks about ending it all until his life takes a positive step when he meets his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence goes on to show George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all his good deeds over the years.

Featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers.

3. DIE HARDOur film choice at number three brings us to LA on Christmas Eve for the action hit Die Hard. Bruce Willis plays NYPD cop John McClane who sets off on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly who works for the Nakatomi Corporation. The couple head to the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party where things start to take a turn for the worst. A group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John. With no immediate police response, John embarks on a mission with the lives of the hostages in his hands.

Featuring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson and Paul Gleason.

2. ELFIt wouldn’t be Christmas without watching Will Ferrell’s great performance as Buddy, in the Christmas hit, Elf. The film begins 30 years prior to the films events. A baby crawls into Santa’s sack and ends up at the North Pole. The baby grows up to be named Buddy and is raised by a group elves. After believing he was part of the elf family, buddy discovers the truth about his birth farther Walter Hobbs and heads to New York to track him down. Buddy soon experiences human culture and when Walter’s relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.

Featuring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart and Edward Asner.

1. HOME ALONESo we finally get down to number one and how could we forget about Kevin McCallister fending off the troublesome duo of Harry and Marv in Home Alone. As Christmas time arrives the McCallister family set off for their vacation trip to Paris. As the family embark on a mad rush to the airport they completely forget about Kevin who is left at home. Kevin soon realises the situation and starts to enjoy having the house all to himself. As Christmas Eve arrives, Kevin soon learns the danger he is in as two burglers Harry and Marv attempt to break into the McCallister’s home. Kevin acts quickly by wiring up well designed booby traps in order to bring the burglers to justice.

Featuring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard and Roberts Blossom.

Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.

Today we take a fond look back to 2017 when the annual Big Wheel and Ice Rink came to Eastside Green opposite Millennium Point. For those of you who you unaware, each year the city welcomes a few festive staples of the Birmingham festive calendar including the Frankfurt Christmas Market and the Big Wheel and Ice Rink. In 2017, the usual home of the Big Wheel & Ice Rink in Centenary Square was out of bounds due to the ongoing development work around infrastructure and the new tram links. After a few considerations, Eastside Green on New Canal Street was chosen as the temporary site for the festive attraction, directly opposite our landmark public building. The location was chosen for it’s close proximity to the city centre and Digbeth, parking via the multi-story at Millennium Point and the travel links via Birmingham Moor Street and New Street.

What was there?
Described as “bigger and better than ever” at the time, the attraction included numerous fairground rides, food stalls, festive decor and, of course, the ice rink itself with its own lounge and the big wheel – all lit up to create its own magical winter wonderland. Food stalls included German bratwurst and Chinese bibble waffles to quarter-pounder burgers and ostrich burgers, with one stall even offering a full Christmas dinner plated up or wrapped in a giant Yorkshire pudding! the on-site Christmas Bar boasted a huge 30ft tree protruding from its roof (although it didn’t top our 39 ft tree!) where people could stop and enjoy a warm Bailey’s hot chocolate alongside mulled wine, prosecco and ciders. The bar also had a viewing platform where people could watch family and friends zoom around on the ice. If this wasn’t magical enough, the festive Coca-Cola truck pulled appeared on site for a few days as one of its locations around the UK! The attraction was opened by Santa himself and the Lord Mayor in late November and it ran straight through to New Year’s Day, staying open late New Year’s Eve so visitors could reign in the new year in style.

The Big Wheel & Ice Rink returned in 2018 in a more limited capacity due to the start of HS2 works on part of the green, but we will never forget the huge success it had in 2017 and how it transformed a cosy space outside our award-winning venue into a winter wonderland! Sadly, like the Frankfurt Market, it has not returned to Birmingham this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, don’t get too downhearted because, like the Christmas activities at Millennium Point, it will be back in 2021!

Did you visit the Big Wheel & Ice Rink when it was outside Millennium Point? Let us know on social media by tagging @millenniumpoint.

Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.

On Wednesday 9^th December our award-winning venue Millennium Point hosted an exclusive audience with two of the candidates for Mayor of the West Midlands. Our Level 4 Auditorium space welcomed Mayor Andy Street and Liam Byrne MP, where they were interviewed by Simon Topman (Chairman of Millennium Point).

How The Event Was Presented
The event was lived-streamed to the Millennium Point YouTube channel and was hosted by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Each mayoral candidate discussed their vision for Birmingham, giving us an insight into the future opportunities and challenges for the region. The event also offered the opportunity for audience members to send in questions for both mayoral candidates. These were read out by Simon Topman, with Andy and Liam giving their responses.The Interviews
Andy Street was the first interview and he discussed some prevalent topics including job opportunities in the construction industry, more leisure potential in Birmingham, addressing industry skill gaps in the region and the road ahead for the hospitality industry recovery, including the need for larger grants.

Once Andy Street had concluded his vision for Birmingham, Liam Byrne was next to discuss his with Simon. Liam discussed a number of topics including building new careers for young people in the region, green manufacturing to support local organisations, building new cancel homes and putting an end to hunger and homelessness.If you missed the event last week or would like to watch any of the discussions again you can access all the content by clicking the button below.

Live Streaming at Millennium Point
Our Events team worked hard behind the scenes to set up this live stream and make sure everything was delivered successfully. There was a number of features included on the live stream including on screen graphics, switching of different camera angles and an introduction video by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Below you can see some different shots of the set up.We are delighted to announce this package is now available for you to add to your events package. Our award-winning venue prides itself on being forward thinking and always looking ahead for new and exciting ways to enhance our clients event experience. This package offers a professional and affordable live streaming service designed to ensure that your delegates can enjoy your event wherever they are.

If this is something you are interested in then don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Events team today on 0121 202 2200 or email [email protected].

A leading music industry-academic at Birmingham City University has welcomed the findings of UK Music’s Music By Numbers report and calls for UK Government and industry to work together to secure further support tackling ongoing challenges presented by Covid-19 and Brexit.

Dr Matt Grimes is the music industries course leader at Birmingham City University and member of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP) initiative. Dr Grimes warns that ‘the UK’s music industries are facing the biggest existentialist crisis in history due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, but that the year on year growth recorded in the Music By Numbers report available to read here, is likely to be significantly damaged – potentially irreparably – by both the pandemic and new legislation following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Dr Matt Grimes Senior Music Industry Lecturer Birmingham City University

“Amongst the headlines from UK Music’s latest report – recording data from January 2019 – December 2019 – is a stark reminder of the music industries’ importance, documenting an increase in its financial contribution to the UK economy via an increase of 11.8% from 2018 data to £5.8 billion. But after the worst year on record, with the widely reported brutal blow to the live music sector, what does the latest data tell us about how the UK’s music industries can recover from the combined challenges posed by Covid-19 and Brexit?

“We need the UK Government to negotiate and put in place a simplified system to enable the continuation of reciprocal artistic exchange between the UK and EU. This is just one of a number of ‘next steps’ we must see taken in order to protect and secure the massive contribution that music makes to the UK’s economy and cultural fabric. Other steps highlighted in the UK Music report include Covid-19 recovery and revival; a continuation of and a more robust system for workforce support during the pandemic, to make sure that skilled workers are ready to reactively and successfully hit the ground running at the earliest opportunity post-Covid.

“UK Government must develop a post Brexit copyright framework to enable music creators to fairly monetise their work; offer international trade support that further develops the UK music industries around the globe by entering into trade agreements that allow UK music to grow in key markets; a nurturing of the UK’s talent pipeline by an investment by the government into music education and the development and support of regional music boards; and tax incentive schemes, which are common in other countries, to support the growth and development of the UK music industries.

Music industries form part of the wider S.T.E.M umbrella, alongside digital technology, film and the games industry. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is working in partnership with Birmingham City University to offer a fully funded undergraduate scholarship at the faculty of computing, engineering and the built environment. Courses eligible for funding include Music Technology and Sound Engineering and Production. Applications open on 2nd December 2020 for any young people looking to start their career in music. For more information or to apply please visit this page.

Promote Millennium Point Scholarship — Scholarship 2020 Finalists (From Left to Right) Kallum Wright, Chloe Copeland, Shennice Talburt, Lauren Davies, Amber Kelsey.

Dr Grimes concludes: “The music industry is critical to the UK’s post-Covid recovery. It may well have to mutate to survive and new models of music production, distribution and consumption may well emerge from post-Covid music industries. Models we hope will be able to sustain and grow what is a key national asset.”

For print, online and broadcast interviews with Dr Matt Grimes, please contact Lyle Bignon on 07740 753 779 or via [email protected].

Our award-winning venue Millennium Point is set to host an exclusive audience with two of the candidates for Mayor of the West Midlands.

Andy Street, the current West Midlands Mayor, will join mayoral candidate Liam Byrne MP in conversation on Wednesday 9 December 2020. The virtual event will be live-streamed from Millennium Point and hosted by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Following an unprecedented year, the event promises to offer a fascinating insight into the future opportunities and challenges for the region. Each mayoral candidate will present their vision for Birmingham followed by a question and answer session from the audience. Local residents and businesses are being invited to register now for the event and for the chance to submit their questions to the candidates.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO at Millennium Point, says: “We’re delighted to be hosting this event and look forward to welcoming Mayor Andy Street and Liam Byrne MP to Millennium Point. 2020 has been a year like no other and the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every individual, organisation and business in Birmingham. We’re passionate about our city and its people so it’s a pleasure to facilitate what I’m sure will be an engaging and important discussion about our region’s future. We invite local people across the city to register now, join the conversation and help shape the debate.”

Millennium Point is an award-winning event, conference and exhibition space situated in the heart of Birmingham city centre. Profits from its commercial activity as a venue and landmark public building are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths in the west midlands combined authority.

When and Where can I watch?
‘An audience with Andy Street and Liam Byrne’ will be streamed live from our Level 1 event space on Platform at Millennium Point on Wednesday 9 December 2020 at 4.00 pm. The event is free and will be available to watch live via Millennium Point’s YouTube channel. This is an unmissable opportunity to see the future vision of Birmingham from two candidates for your Mayor of West Midlands.

We love Christmas at Millennium Point, so much so that in 2019 we made it our mission to spread a bit of festive joy. While we can’t be with you and bring you together in the ways that we would like, that doesn’t stop us from helping you get into the season and (hopefully) lift your spirits as we close off what has been an extraordinary and challenging year for a lot of us. Throughout this month we’ll be bringing you a host of Christmas related content from playlists to Christmas gift ideas and much, much more. Kicking off, we’re sharing 4 highlights from Christmas at Millennium Point in 2019.

1. Bringing sparkle to Eastside with lights and a 39ft Christmas Tree!

To show we were serious about our mission, we pulled out all the stops for looking the part. We installed icicle lights across the length of our landmark public building, accompanied by lit star motifs to the left-hand side of the building of the venue. Inside, over 131 metres of icicle lights adorned the balconies on each level with 9 large 3D stars illuminated with ED lights. Lastly, our pièce de résistance, was the installation of our 39ft Christmas tree covered by 23,000 LED Christmas lights in our multi-award-winning venue’s Atrium. If you think putting up your tree is a faff, this tree took Birmingham based company, The Christmas Decorators, twelve hours to put up! You can watch the full time-lapse video of the spectacle below. The tree formed the backdrop for a range of activities we put on throughout December. While we can’t bring those events back for 2020 due to the ongoing restrictions, we’re pleased to say that all the decorations are back! If you’re in the area, come by and check them out for yourself!

2. When Santa and the BBC turned our lights on.

So, we looked the part, but what next? No winter wonderland is complete without a festive light switch on of course! To mark our first ever Christmas celebrations we invited Richie Anderson (Co-host on BBC Radio 2 Zoe Ball Breakfast show) and BBC Midlands Today presenter Rebecca Wood, alongside Santa himself to pull the plunger. The event was attended by our staff, tenants and a few friends. Watch the big moment below!

3. Then Santa and Olaf handed out presents to children

The light switch on wasn’t the only time Santa came to Millennium Point. Santa appeared for several meet and greets over the holiday period. Sitting underneath our Christmas tree on a red and gold throne, accompanied by a nutcracker either side and a mountain of presents; Santa met and handed out gifts to families from all over Birmingham in this completely free series of events. He asked the children for their Christmas lists, posed for photos and brought the excitement and magic ahead of the big day. Alongside the meet and greet, the children were also treated to an assortment of free activities including face painting, games and dancing with Olaf from Disney’s Frozen! We also hosted exclusive meets with Santa for several SEND groups, including a dedicated event for Calthorpe Academy, a 2-19 special needs school in Birmingham city centre.

4. And G4 gave a stunning performance on our steps

Oh yes, and what a performance it was! Prior to their concert at Birmingham Town and Symphony Hall as part of their “G4 Christmas”, the boys took to the steps of our multi-award-winning venue to give an intimate and magical free preview to fans and lovers of all things Christmassy. The operatic four-piece rose to fame on the original series of the X Factor. They reunited in 2014 after disbanding in 2007, with the release of their first post-reunion album ‘G4 Christmas’ followed by a Christmas tour, a tradition which has continued and grown in the years since. One attendee commented, “It was magical, truly breath-taking and I couldn’t have picked a better place to see them than here!” During the performance, the group laughed and chatted to the crowd and afterwards posed for photos before heading off to prepare for their full show.

Look to the future!

Looking back on last year makes us excited for the future. We promise that this won’t be the last of the fun – like Birmingham, we’re coming back for 2021 with all the events and activities you enjoyed so much and when we do, it’s going to be big! In the meantime, if you’re around in Birmingham City centre then please do visit us (but remember your facemask!) and see the decorations for yourself, pose under our giant Christmas tree with nutcrackers, share your photos online, and while you’re in the building, why not have a nice warm drink from the delicious Mulinos?

Applications are now open for our life-changing scholarship at Birmingham City University.

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust fully fund an undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. Now in its seventh year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already funded six young people from the region through their degrees at Birmingham City University – which originally started as the Young Innovator Prize in 2015.

The competition is open to applicants aged 17 and over within the West Midlands Combined Authority, who are looking to start a qualifying degree in September 2021. To apply, they need to download and complete our quick and easy application form from our website by answering four questions. They will then submit their completed form to [email protected] by Sunday 31st January 2021. We will invite five applicants to a final assessment day in March 2021 before deciding a winner.

Who can apply?
Applications are only being accepted from students living in the West Midlands Combined Authority, who cannot already have or currently be studying an undergraduate degree. The scholarship only applies to a qualifying course at Birmingham City University. For further information, check out the rules section.

Why should they apply?
All finalists will benefit from the programme with opportunities that can kick start their career in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM). One person will get a fully funded degree – which means they won’t pay their undergraduate tuition fees. They’ll also have several opportunities to develop through networking, events and industry links provided through Millennium Point. All finalists receive skills development and training to build their confidence before the live final. Following the competition, they can become an alumnus of the programme and benefit from a range of opportunities such as mentoring, work placements and networking.

Why do we do this?
Birmingham and the West Midlands is teeming with unfettered STEM talent. Now, more than ever, young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is one of several ways we, as a charitable trust, support the growth of STEM industries in the region and do our bit to secure the future and economic growth of an area and a community that has been designated the largest hub for science and innovation outside of London. For more information on how you can get involved please visit this page.

Get started
If you or someone you know is interested, head over to millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship and start the application.

Organisations within the West Midlands Combined Authority have just one week left to apply for a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to support their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects. Not-for-profits, schools and charities can apply for funding from £1,000 up to £20,000 from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to fund their STEM projects starting in September 2021. Projects can be activity focussed or for the purchasing of resources and materials which enables STEM-related education to children or communities. With the deadline fast approaching, we are urging organisations not to miss out on this important funding opportunity.

Applications close on Monday 30th November at 5pm.

How do you apply?
Applicants will need to download and complete the application form on the Millennium Point website. The completed application should be submitted to [email protected] before 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Since 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has donated over £969,000 through its annual grants process to a diverse range of projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities and museums. This year Millennium Point awarded £560,000 to fund over 60 projects across the region. Projects funded include ‘STEM stars’ from Aston Villa Foundation, a programme which engages young people in coding using football; and ‘Sensory STEM’ from Longwill School for the Deaf, Northfield, and a programme teaching the science of rollercoasters to children with illnesses, which will make science more visual and accessible to their pupils through science-based equipment and an enhanced curriculum.

Where does the money come from?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust owns the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building on Curzon street in the eastside of Birmingham City Centre (opposite the future Curzon Railway). Millennium Point is “COVID Secure” and has 17 versatile event spaces capable of holding a variety of events from meetings to formal dinners. Profits from our commercial activity as a landmark public building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feedback into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives. The grants scheme is our flagship initiative alongside the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds at least one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University.

Head over to our grants page and start your application. Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Lockdown series 2 promises to be shorter than its predecessor, and while we are over half-way through, we are still watching and waiting to see how the next few weeks will unfold to determine what comes next for our city and for the nation. Nevertheless, you can be certain that it is another trying time to add to a very trying year for the many independent eateries who are proud to call Birmingham home.

We’ve talked previously about the impact of COVID-19 on STEM, as well as the ongoing impact government restrictions are having on venues like ours at Millennium Point. Now we take a look at some of the local independent pubs, cafés and restaurants in the Digbeth and Birmingham’s Eastside who need your support right now. Many eateries are adapting their businesses to operate through online delivery, which means while their offering may be limited, they can still give you an experience while trying to make ends meet. We have chosen a handful of independents local to our landmark building, who are still offering their great food for takeaway or delivery.

Before we begin, all of these businesses and many, many more can be found on Independent Birmingham’s Website and through the Independent Birmingham App – this isn’t a sponsored article, we just appreciate the work IB is doing to support independents during these times as a small business themselves. Check out their website here: independent-birmingham.co.uk

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Mulino Birmingham – Takeaway or Delivery
Mulino is a brand new mouth-watering eatery that has opened-up inside Millennium Point (fancy that!), and we cannot get enough of it. It’s the sister restaurant brought to us by the team behind the fantastic Laghi’s Deli (who incidentally, are also doing takeaway and delivery). Mulino brings you an authentic Italian experience serving fresh hand-made wood-fired pizza, proper Italian coffee and a changing menu of delicious sandwiches, pastries and even prosecco! Everything is made on-site and the smells you experience when you visit are on another level.

Mulino is takeaway or delivery and can be found on the second floor of our landmark building on Curzon Street in Birmingham city centre. You can find their menu and get in touch with the team about delivery on their Instagram: instagram.com/mulinobirmingham

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Original Patty Men (O.P.M) – Take away or delivery
You haven’t had a burger until you’ve tried an O.P.M burger. Succulent and bursting with flavour each burger brings a unique twist to the classic combinations. We also love the vegan and vegetarian options available here. O.P.M burgers can be enjoyed with skin-on fries with optional coatings and toppings. They also do crispy chicken nuggets and a brownie for those of you with a sweet tooth. You can order from Original Patty Men via Uber Eats or they offer a takeaway service from their premises in Digbeth.

Check them out here: originalpattymen.com

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Baked in Brick – Take away or Delivery
Starting out as an insanely popular street food business, Baked in Brick brings you a mouth-watering menu based around real live-fire cooking. Their staple is their exquisite wood-fired pizzas made in their own custom build woodfire oven, additional items including crinkle-cut fries and some delicious small plates like Korean stuffed mozzarella balls or chorizo bites in a maple syrup glaze.

Baked in Brick are available for collection or delivery via their own app. For more information or to check out their menu visit their website here: bakedinbrick.co.uk

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Karibu Coffee House – Take Away or Delivery
This amazing little family-run coffee shop is the only place in the city where you can experience the true taste of East African coffee. Karibu provides you with a variety of delicious fresh sandwiches, paninis and salads alongside some authentic African street food dishes, all freshly made to order. You’ll also have the staple coffee accompaniments such as pastries, cakes and muffins. This is just the pick-me-up you need when working from home all day every day.

You can order by calling them on dropping them a message on social media: facebook.com/Karibu-Coffee-House

That’s a wrap! Four independent eateries you can support right now during the lockdown. Of course, there are hundreds across the city all needing your support, so don’t forget to check out sites like Independent Birmingham and social media and help your community by shopping local.

Each year Millennium Point Charitable Trust give hundreds-of-thousands in grants to schools, charities and not-for-profits in Birmingham and the wider region. These grants fund projects, resources and activities which enhance education of science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) education. While applications for 2021 are open now, we look at how a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust changed one primary school for the better.

Great Bridge Primary School – “Lego WeDo” Project
Great Bridge Primary, Tipton, is a large primary school with over 500 students. The school sits in an area of known deprivation within the region. Like many of its kind, the school suffers from limited funding which means a restricted programme to engage pupils in the opportunities of STEM learning. In 2019, they successfully applied for a grant from the Millennium Point Trust to change this.

Their application sought to enhance their teaching and learning within computing and coding which would expand their currently limited curriculum. The grant-funded 17 LEGO WeDo sets, for coding lessons at the school alongside resources to help train staff in how to use the equipment. “LEGO WeDo” are sets designed for primary school classrooms comprising of an assortment of physical LEGO building components, electronics and accompanying software for desktops or mobile devices. With the kits, the pupils at the school can build physical LEGO models including tilt and movement sensors and motors then control them via code they build themselves in the dedicated LEGO WeDo software programme. Students would then be set real-life scenarios in which to come up with models and code that would suit, such as creating a science rover to explore a radioactive setting or spy bots detecting movement.

What was the impact?
Now the school benefits from an engaging computing curriculum which is inspiring their students to pursue STEM learning previously unobtainable. Over 120 Year 5 and 6 pupils benefited from the programme. Each 2-hour lesson developing their computer and coding literacy alongside transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and communication. Most significantly, the project has created a much stronger enthusiasm for STEM subjects, with the school reporting an increase in student performance. Similarly, several members of staff also benefited from the project which improved their confidence with computing and coding, allowing for them to set more engaging and “outside-of-the-box” tasks for the pupils as their confidence with the equipment grew.

Judith Bedford, Computing Curriculum Leader for Great Bridge Primary Comments:
“Enhancing the computing curriculum for upper Key Stage 2 at Great Bridge has had an immediate impact. The children who have taken part in the initial part of the project have had the opportunity to see how coding can be used to control a range of physical mechanisms and relate this to developing knowledge of coding in real-life scenarios […] As a school, we will not look back on our Computing curriculum but instead, this project has made us look to the future and consider how we can inspire children to engage with STEM.”

This is just one example of how a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust can help make a difference to schools in the region. Applications are now open for 2021 and close on 30^th November 2020. For further information visit millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants