Media office

BBC Birmingham Public Space is on a mission this summer to help make the school holidays a fun-packed time for bored children and stressed parents alike!

Everyone will be forever blowing bubbles after a visit to BBC Birmingham Public Space this summer. To coincide with the schools breaking up, BBC Birmingham is handing out free BBC Birmingham Bubbles to people who visit one of the many events and activities the BBC is holding to put the fun back into summer.

So if the ‘Great British Summer’ proves to be a wash out – there is plenty of entertainment to be had with BBC Birmingham!

Events this summer include an arts and crafts day with Craftspace Touring – an exhibition from the Community Integration Partnership – who are a group of women who have created wonderful textile portraits and cool embroidered and decorated furniture, which are on display within the BBC Public Space. On Thursday 26th July children and parents can get stuck in and create their very own decorated wall plaques to take away and display at home.

As part of BBC Asian Network’s ‘Asian Nation’ project and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the partition of the India subcontinent in 1947, when India won its independence and Pakistan became a nation in its own right, the BBC Birmingham Public Space are displaying recordings of people’s memories from this time - told through the stories handed down from generation to generation.

From 20th August onwards, budding musical maestros can visit the BBC Public Space and have a shot at conducting their own virtual orchestra as part of the BBC Proms coverage. With the virtual orchestra displayed on a large screen, potential conductors direct the orchestra using a popular interactive computer console to ensure the musicians are playing at the correct tempo – or alternatively at the wrong tempo – which is a lot of fun!

Don’t let your bubble burst and miss out this summer - come and eat your lunch in the Public Space every lunchtime from the 27th to the 31st August whilst being entertained by live acoustic music to keep in with the summer vibe - don't let work commitments ruin your summer holidays!

All visitors can have a go at being Nick Owen or Suzanne Virdee by having a go at reading the news and weather on a special green screen – then sending it to the internet to be able to view it again later.  Situated next to the ‘Be on TV’ game is a new interactive touch screen enabling visitors to have a go at driving a desk to put out a radio programme of their choice: Radio 2, BBC WM, Silver Street or Asian Network.  So visit BBC Birmingham this summer, escape the rain and enjoy a fun-packed, exciting and interactive school summer holidays!

In addition, all the usual BBC Birmingham Public Space attractions and amenities are available including the BBC Shop, a café, viewing windows through to the radio studios and BBC Midlands Today gallery and touch screen computers with access to information on BBC programmes, jobs and careers. 

The BBC Birmingham Public Space is open weekdays from 9.30am – 6pm, Saturdays from 9.30am – 5.30pm and Sundays from 11am – 5pm.

For further details please contact:

Andrea Collier, BBC Birmingham Public Space Co-ordinator, 0121 567 6301

17 July 2007

www.bbc.co.uk