The Martineau Educational Centre Complex was provided mostly with love and understanding to ensure home, food and education in industrial skills, sport and a basic education for boys who would otherwise be destitute and might turn to crime.  This continued throughout a succession of regimes both at Gem Street in Gosta Green and then in Harborne as a healthier place to live and learn.

An association may be drawn with Aston Villa Football Club whose joyously eccentric President, Joseph Ansell was very interested and involved in the School between 1907 and 1923 when he died. It is no secret that Sport has been a very important part of the activities of the Centre, and various teams from the school have succeeded against their peers.  The playing field at the back of the site has been the scene of enthusiasm as well as triumph.  They hope to attract the attention and support of Sport England for this area of activities. The School Band has also been quite active in the past and used to play in local parks when there were bandstands for them.  There remains one in Lightwoods Park, another in Cannon Hill Park, and there used to be one in the Botanical Gardens where bands played in summer.  Perhaps a link with the Town Hall, and the School of Music might be entertained as a good outlet.  In a City of Music like Birmingham, where students play in the street for ready money, these could be used again.  Also one of the Drums used in one of the photographs provided has been found and put in  safekeeping.

 The Martineau Centre has, since 1984, provided a swimming pool resource to teach children from many schools across the City to swim, and the Centre has housed an Educational administrative centre and a Local Educational Institute for the community.  It has ceased to do most of these things, and maintenance has been ceased except for unavoidable Health and Safety functions. 

The availability of the complex for families has been curtailed, for no really good reason except that without the facility of the swimming pool, closed for safety reasons, the whole centre has been declared unviable, though revenue from the other activities would be very valuable if the swimming pool were useable.  The cost of this repair compares very favourably with costs of refurbishment elsewhere in the City, though it would be churlish to grudge suburban expenditure, it would be nice to have some sent in this direction.

It has been a source of anxiety to local residents, and at many Neighbourhood Forum meetings, ever since the bookings stopped being accepted, they were told by Local Councillors  in answer to their frequent  questions that: “The decision has not yet been made”,  yet local rumours – (mostly new residents and those seeking planning permission) abound to the effect that the decision has been made, but not yet made public or consulted over.  It makes them feel that there has been a marked lack of transparency.

Public information has been accessed to reveal that the demographic in the area, far from ageing even more is becoming younger.  Older people are moving out of the area and being replaced by younger ones with, or planning to have children, so the centre could provide a facility for these children.

The Martineau Ten has a lot of knowledge and motivation, perhaps passion which coalesced in a recent Neighbourhood Forum meeting, in which an enthusiasm for protecting the Martineau Education Centre became manifest and this sub-group arose.  They are keen to operate under the ethos of that group but derive our funding independently. 

Ideally, they would like the Martineau Complex to be one of the Lord Mayor’s “special interests” (they all have them) where various charities or local issues become attached to the Office of Lord Mayor and he/she attends functions.

Depending on the degree of protection available, the danger of losing the Allotments behind Wolverhampton Road South, Norman Avenue, and behind the Centre is always present where there are hungry developers prowling in search of building land for housing.  But what use is housing without entertainment and good facilities?  Do the locals really need more supermarkets?

Artice.....How important is the Martineau Centre to the Local Community.... Click Here.