Thanks to grants from the Skills Funding Agency and Design Council CABE, MADE is expanding its work with communities in the West Midlands.  Design Council CABE is supporting us to work in the Charterhouse area of Coventry to turn a Grade 1 listed building into a community asset, and the Skills Funding Agency will support informal learning to give residents the confidence, skills and language to influence the design of their local neighbourhoods.

A former monastery, the Charterhouse has been in ownership of Coventry City College which was using it as a training centre but is now surplus to requirements and no longer used.  MADE will support the local community and civic leaders to put in place a vision and outline feasibility study for putting this historic gem back to use as a visitor attraction close to Coventry City Centre.

And we will be working with residents in Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country, in partnership with Accord and Midland Heart housing associations and Fircroft College, funded by the Adult and Community Learning Fund from the Skills Funding Agency and managed by NIACE.  

Through practical, fun and participative learning sessions, residents will gain the confidence, skills and language to influence the design of their local neighbourhoods, working alongside architects and planners. Half-day sessions and a ‘day school’ will include site visits and practical sessions, using photography, CAD, model-making and digital media, to learn what makes a good place.