Description:

Welcome to the very first episode of the Kings Heathens podcast — the show all about life in Kings Heath, Birmingham. We're Chris Smith (technologymadesimple.co.uk) and Chris Crouch (infinitybrewing.uk / infinity.pizza), and yes, it's a pilot, so please bear with us.

In this episode we cover:

The Classic Car Show (Bank Holiday Monday, 25th May) Around 50 classic cars took over All Saints Square. There was live music, a bar from Schooners, Indian street food, and pizzas from Infinity Pizza. Glorious weather helped pack the square with families. A proper community day out.

The New Train Stations If you haven't used them yet, Kings Heath and Moseley now have brand new stations. Clean, quick, and running twice an hour into Birmingham New Street. Kings Heath station sits near what was Homebase (now The Range), and Moseley Village station is by St Mary's Church.

York Road Right Now No formal event, but York Road with its outdoor benches in the sun is exactly where you want to be at the moment. Grab a pint and enjoy one of the best stretches Kings Heath has to offer.

What's On — Coming Up A quick run through what The Hare and Hounds has on this week, plus the Kings Heath Farmers Market on Saturday 6th June, and the Kings Heath Artisan Market on Sunday 14th June on York Road. There's also a curry and quiz at All Saints on 20th June — £10 a head, 7pm.

Interview: Dan Cottrell of York Road Supplies Paul Teclaff heads out to speak to Dan Cottrell about one of Kings Heath's most beloved businesses. York Road Supplies has been serving the community since 1947. When the previous owner approached retirement with no successor, the community stepped in — the business was saved through a community share offer and now has over 700 shareholders. It's one of only a handful of cooperatives in the whole of the Midlands, and the Kings Heath Community Centre has since followed the same model.

Dan talks about what makes York Road Supplies unique (hardware, garden centre, tool sharpening, wood cutting, DIY advice — all under one roof), their new rooftop greenhouses where they're growing and propagating their own plants, their regular Saturday workshops (recent topics include home energy efficiency and composting), and their monthly surplus food pay-what-you-feel initiative run in partnership with Incredible Surplus.

Want to get involved? Email us: kingsheathenspodcast@gmail.com Join the conversation with 16,000+ locals: facebook.com/groups/kingsheathens

We're back next week — see you then.