Today is World Homeless Day… How can a day ever be enough for this enormous crisis we witness on our streets EVERY day? However today is the day we can try to raise awareness for those of us who are less fortunate suffering from homelessness, to not just highlight the persistent predicament, but to share ways in which we, as a community, can invoke a positive response in providing opportunities, help and support.

It’s saddening to know that we reached the highest record of homelessness in January 2018 and it continues to grow, but there is much we can do to help. Click here to find out more and don’t forget show your support #WorldHomelessDay @homelessday

thestudio deeply values and cherishes the communities it calls home. We feel strongly about our local communities, so we’ve teamed up with local charities and not for profit organisations to try a do a little bit…

Who we are working with…?

Wood Street Mission…

This amazing children’s charity which helps and supports local families in Manchester & Salford. At their core, they believe all children should live a poverty free life, encouraging them to value education and offering practical guidance so families can raise themselves out of poverty.

For every booking in our alternative, self-contained events space: The Classroom we offer a £10 donation towards Wood Street Mission’s remarkable work. Enjoy retro snacks whist gathering your team to motivate and inspire whilst supporting some locals.

Find out more about Wood Street Mission by clicking here…

Foodinate…

Foodinate Fancy Cakes are a fantastic way to support our local communities. Grab a slice of feel good by adding “Foodinate Fancy Cakes” to an event with us. Whilst enjoying a selection of delicious gluten free mini cakes, Foodinate will provide a hot nourishing meal to a local person in need.

Find out more about Foodinate by clicking here…

Let’s Feed Brum…

A brilliant Birmingham based charity who focuses on providing “food, drink, essential supplies and friendship” to those living on our streets. We’ve teamed up with Let’s Feed Brum to help get these Brummies back on their feet, every day our chefs and catering team package up any extras, providing nutritious meals to be served up and offered in the soup kitchen. Just by booking lunch with us, you may be contributing to the bigger picture.
Last December our team even cooked and helped serve a Christmas lunch for 300 homeless souls in the Cathedral, quite a feat and one we were all proud to be involved with.

Find out more about Let’s Feed Brum by clicking here…

Crisis…

This inspiring organisation pools all its efforts to help ease homelessness throughout the UK. Through recognising the needs of those on the street, they empower these individuals to stir up real positive change in their lives. Annually, thestudio joins hands with Crisis @ Christmas, hosting their guests with delicious festive themed treats and a space to provide services like health checks, mindfulness, creativity, hair and well-being sessions.

Find out more about Crisis by clicking here…

We’d love to help more and are open to your great ideas and suggestions. Please feel free to DM us on twitter @studiovenues with your thoughts on how we can help build a better future for us all.

Everyone needs a safe space from time to time, a place where you can recharge, restore and refill your positive energy. We’ve had the opportunity to offer just that, by welcoming homeless support charity Crisis through our doors this Christmas for the third year running.

Crisis do amazing work in leading those experiencing homelessness into a better life. By offering guidance to poverty sufferers, Crisis provides the support they need to empower themselves to create a positive change through education, support, employment and health. Our doors are open this week as the host venue for Crisis@Christmas, offering health and wellbeing support along with company, warmth, hot drinks and turkey baps with all the trimmings.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Crisis’s work with the community, please click here to visit their website.

Cathedral Christmas lunch…

This Saturday our chefs will be putting in some voluntary overtime to cook off a fantastic feast! In the spirit of Christmas, we’ll be dishing up 300 freshly cooked Christmas dinners for those in need at St.Peters Cathedral … a hot meal, some friendly faces and a place to be safe and warm for those in difficult and challenging circumstances.

Not just for Christmas, an extra slice…

Did you know, in an attempt to crack down on food wastage, thestudiobirmingham has been donating all leftover and excess food to Let’s Feed Brum? An amazing 4000 meals have been provided over the last couple of years. Let’s Feed Brum are a fantastic Birmingham based charity who aim to help alleviate poverty one meal at a time… Serving up delicious hot meals, the opportunity to restock on essentials and a chance to connect with other people.

If you’d like to know more about the charities, we currently work with through out our locations please click here.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas break full of festive cheer, we look forward to welcoming you in the New Year and sharing with you another exciting studio year in 2019.

When is it Christmas?

Do you feel like there’s a defining moment where a light bulb pings and you come to the realisation that Christmas is here again? Was it the arrival of the jolly German Markets, the iconic Coca Cola commercial announcing ‘holidays are coming!’ or maybe just the cold weather coupled with the long nights? In the run up to the magical 25th December, there’s always that one thing which makes you take a deep breath in and release with the thought Christmas is here!

Thankfully for many of us, the grand entrance of festivities usually stirs up fond memories of warm evenings in spent cradling a cup of hot chocolate, a furry companion cosied up by the fire, being surrounded by family and friends topped off with feeling uncomfortably full. Unfortunately our reality is a dream for some.

Spare a thought…

Homelessness is a huge problem in the UK and regrettably for some, it can mean spending Christmas sleeping rough, without food or company.
Luckily Crisis do amazing work in leading those experiencing homelessness into a better life. By offering guidance to poverty sufferers, Crisis provides the support they need to empower themselves to create a positive change.

A helping hand…

Sometimes all you need is a little pick me up. That’s why here @thestudio we’re happy to welcome back and support Crisis with their Crisis @ Christmas campaign! Joining forces with volunteers, they’ll be holding health checks, mindfulness, creative and hair/beauty sessions. We’ll be hosting

For more information on their work this winter please click here.

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas and new year from thestudio.

Guess what we got up to last Thursday?

If you answered with handing out one of those novelty sized cheques, then call yourself Mystic Meg as you’re 100% right!

Charity Cheque…

thestudio loves to work with and support the local communities in the cities we call home, it gives us that Friday feeling every day of the week.

Have you heard of Wood Street Mission? They’re an amazing children’s charity which helps and supports local families in Manchester & Salford. At their core, they believe all children should live a poverty free life, encouraging them to value education and offering practical guidance so families can raise themselves out of poverty.

If you “teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

The fisherman needs the basics before he can start to provide for himself… And that’s what Wood Street Mission supply, the necessities!

If you’ve booked thestudio’s funky, retro space The Classroom, you’ve directly helped to support local Mancunians! For every confirmed event in Classroom, thestudio makes a £10.00 contribution to Wood Street Mission!

Our Commercial Director, Julian Kettleborough, was happy to present Wood Street Mission with £1,210.

We look forward in continuing our work with Wood Street Mission and a huge thank you to our clients, you help make this possible!

the studio conference meetings and events venue Birmingham team canvas artsWhat’s your favourite human quality?

Laughter. Funny people definitely leave a lasting impression on us. You might be a hard-core Seth Rogan fan or love to nestle down and stick on Mrs. Doubtfire, one thing’s for sure, everyone loves a good old giggle! Throughout time people have been admired for their talents to influence and shape the world we live in. But what do iconic greats like Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein have in common? Introducing thestudio’s favourite human quality: compassion.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”― Aesop

World Humanitarian Day…

Today we recognise and thank the efforts of those who risk their lives in the hope of improving someone else’s. Find out more about the #NotATarget campaign by clicking here.

Small Victories…

It’s great to celebrate the small victories and the little things you can do to make a difference. That’s why thestudio are teaming up with Foodinate – a multi award winning “meal-for-meal” initiative tackling food poverty in local communities. So when you’re booking a delicious Foodinate Fancy Tea, for your guests, you’ll also be providing the same amount of hot meals for your local community! You and your guests can enjoy a variety of fondant fancies, fresh lemon slices, chocolate tea cakes and Foodinate cupcakes… Compassion and kindness never tasted so good! Curious to find out more? Check out Foodinate’s website by clicking here.

We’re also working with Lets Feed Brum, have a little read of how to help the homeless in Birmingham.

From all of us @thestudio, have a brilliant weekend!

What’s special about today?the studio conference meetings and events venue dessert option

Sundays are the king of lie ins, but why’s this Sunday like no other? Well, it’s a perfect day to talk food as it’s World Hunger Day! Nutrition, inspiration and education take the biscuit when it comes to creating a solution, click here to see how you can compel change.

A helping ladle…

Even though we are in the 21st century, hunger is still a massive issue. Whether you’re thinking international or locally we can all help be part of a solution. thestudio loves the cities it calls home and naturally, we’re always looking for ways to connect with our local community. So, for the past month in Birmingham, we’ve been teaming up with Let’s Feed Brum to help make a difference!

As self-confessed foodies, we appreciate delicious, nutritious, fresh, locally sourced food. We love a
delicious dish, and what better than to share it with others? That’s why at the end of the day, thestudio helps Let’s Feed Brum support the homeless by “providing food, drink, essential supplies and friendship” to those living on our streets. Whether you’re an organisation or an individual with some spare time on their hands, find out how you can support your local brummies here.

Proof is in the pudding…

Everything is easier when you’re a team player! We appreciate the difficulties of today’s modern world but with a bit of elbow grease and shared dreams we can work together to make a better future for everyone. Big things always have small beginnings. 🙂

crisis-2Christmas is undoubtedly the ultimate season of giving. It’s a time where even the most cold hearted of characters are sprung to life with a sprinkle of Christmas spirit. The sight of people scattering, frantically buying and wrapping presents comes with the season, but here at thestudio we recognise the most precious gift you can give someone is your time.

Teaming up with CRISIS Birmingham we’ve taken up the opportunity to give something back to this great city. Opening our doors for two days in the run up to Christmas, CRISIS have hosted a free drop in centre offering advice and support as well as medical and rejuvenating treatments, such as haircuts, facials, pedicures and manicures.

All treatments were provided by local volunteers and supported by the CRISIS team.  thestudio dedicated one of our largest rooms and most importantly lunch! Being the massive foodies that we are, it would be sacrilege to not offer up delicious turkey and stuffing baps with an equally appetizing vegetarian option of falafel to all that joined us, along with copious cups of hot drinks to warm the toes and the soul. To top off the festivities was a live band, again from willing volunteers to offer some festive cheer.

At the end of each year we are reminded that it is important to give, that the most valuable things in this life cannot be bought and if Evan Almighty has taught us anything; one random act of kindness can make someone’s day. We can’t change the world, but every little thing does make a difference to someone, please just be kind.

To everyone, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from thestudio.

 

With the remnants of the British summer slowly dying away, it won’t be long till the luscious green hues of spring and summer fade into a pile of crispy leaves. It’s almost time to dig out the cosy jumpers, gloves and boots! As appealing as that sounds you’d be forgiven for feeling like 2015 is nearly done and dusted. Thankfully there are some great things yet to come before we bid farewell to 2015!

There are quite a few exciting events still in this year’s pipeline and one of which seems to be edging closer and closer is our third venues’ grand opening in Leeds.

Speaking of grand openings, Grand Central – Birmingham’s newest retail destination will launch on 24th September perfectly timed to co-incide with the Birmingham Weekender Event taking place in key locations around the city. If you’re thinking about steaming ahead with your Christmas shopping you can enjoy the exciting arrival of the largest John Lewis outside of London.

With Autumn approaching thoughts turn to “back to school” and from the 1st Sept onwards we’ll be making a £10.00 contribution to Wood Street Mission for every booking made in Classroom, one of the 10 vibrant event spaces we have in our Manchester venue, for more details on Classroom take a look here.

Like us, we bet you’ve got some great memories of school; we hope all children feel as though they are able to have the same opportunities and can create some smashing memories like we all did. The proceedings will enable Wood Street Mission to gear our next generation with supplies and resources to encourage a brighter future, with everything from P.E kits to stationary. Now that’s what we call a great start to the academic year! (more…)

This week, thestudio hosted a Ready Steady Bake event in celebration and support of Birmingham St. Mary’s Hospice.Mary Hospice Judges

Tweet us your favourite cake @studiovenues!

A helping hand…

What’s the best way to help  a family in need? To bake some cakes of course! With a company donation made, it was time for thestudio staff to lock horns in an epic battle of sugar dusting and piping. (more…)