Alexandra Taylor: Writer

A short film I wrote has now been released on the world! Watch it here:  https://vimeo.com/224860339

On 2nd May 2017 my short play 'Cake' was performed at the Birmingham REP. You can listen to an audio recording here . 

Moseley writer Tim Stimpson has had an amazing twelve months. He’s played a major part in the ground-breaking, headline-grabbing Rob and Helen storyline on the Archers, which led to an Outstanding Contribution award for the soap at this year’s BBC Audio Drama Awards. And now, after fourteen years in Ambridge, he’s turning his hand to another much-loved, but very different British soap, EastEnders. Tim came to Birmingham University in 1998, where then-Editor of the Archers, Vanessa Whitburn taught a module. Her advice was to “pester someone who can help you”, and Tim took her at her word, pestering her into giving him work experience on the show, then invitations to script meetings then opportunities to write trial scripts. His persistence paid off and in 2003 he was asked to be a part of the Archers writing team, where he’s been ever since. In contrast, Tim’s move to EastEnders was a lot less calculated. In 2016 Sean O’Connor, the then-Editor of the Archers, took over the helm...

Bassist John Dalton played his first live gig with The Kinks on York Road in Kings Heath in 1966. Fifty years later he’s returning with The Kast Off Kinks to bring the band’s hits back to Birmingham. But this time round it’ll be a very different experience for John. “Back then it happened so quickly,” he explains. “I met the band on Thursday, had Friday to learn the music and then played with them on Saturday night. I didn’t know any Kinks songs before that, but the set was only about thirty minutes so I just about got through it! Nowadays we normally play for around two hours and we obviously know the numbers really well.” John is also no stranger to Birmingham. “My dad’s family lived in Balsall Heath and I used to spend my summer holidays there. We went to the Lickey Hills, Cannon Hill Park and saw the cricket at Edgbaston. It was really nice to be coming back to play.” John toured the world with the Kinks for seven years at the height of their fame and, after a long and...

Winterbourne House and Garden is a haven of tranquility, tucked away between the Bristol Road and Birmingham University, where you can escape the stress of city life to take a leisurely stroll around the Edwardian villa and its grounds. The estate was bequeathed to Birmingham University in 1944 and students still come down to collect samples from the extensive botanical collections. As well as the 1903 Arts and Crafts house packed full of antiques, a botanic garden with over 6000 plant species, a woodland walk, a hazelnut tunnel and a 1930s Japanese bridge, there are a wide range of activities for the inquisitive and adventurous of all ages. Inside the house are interactive exhibitions which tell the fascinating story of the estate and the people who lived there, including Margaret Nettlefold, who designed the Grade II listed garden. The family firm, GKN, was once the largest screw, nut and bolt manufacturer in the world. Occasional free tours (check in advance for days an...

“Parks for Play started over ten years ago,” explains Laura Watts. “I was involved with Dens of Equality, which promotes inclusion through leisure, learning and play. A group of local parents with children on the autism spectrum were having problems accessing existing leisure services and asked us to set something up with them. We began with play schemes in the community and within two years we were running sessions in Kings Heath Park.” Inclusivity is at the heart of what they do. “Everyone is on wheels at some point in their life. If you design something around those with the greatest need, it works for everyone. It’s about making sure no one is excluded.” Laura tells me that 40% of parents with disabled children are single, compared to the national average for all children of 25%. They need reliable, consistent support services to enable them to go to work. As well as holiday play schemes and outreach programmes, Parks for Play runs the only specialised after school club in...

Nestled amongst the trees of Kings Heath Park is The House. Built in 1832, it still features the tiled hallway and stained glass windows of an impressive private residence. Many local strollers, joggers and dog walkers regularly visit the Victorian Tea Rooms on the ground floor, but do they know what else goes on in the erstwhile bedrooms, drawing rooms and parlours, now owned by the city council? Regular readers of My Moseley and Kings Heath will already be familiar with Kings Heath Shed and Thrive, community organisations that operate from The House as paying tenants. But it’s council services that occupy the majority of the rooms. On the ground floor is the Park Ranger service, whose dedicated team oversee the health and wellbeing of our local parks. They monitor wildlife, ensure the park is a safe for all visitors, organise school visits, deliver training to park volunteers and put on a wide variety of public events. Feel free to pop in to report problems, ask questions or...

Present your sweetheart with a bunch of fascinating facts about our favourite Valentine’s Day flowers. 1. Tale as old as time… The oldest fossilised remains of a rose were found in Florissant, Colorado and have been estimated to date from 35 million years ago. 2. Ancient associations Roses have been associated with romance for thousands of years since being linked to Aphrodite and Venus, the goddesses of love in ancient Greece and Rome. 3. Growing old The oldest living rose bush grows up the wall of the Cathedral of Hildesheim in Germany and is believed to be up to 1000 years old. 4. National symbol The rose was adopted as the national flower of England by new Tudor king Henry VII in the 15th century. He combined the red rose of Lancaster with the white rose of York to symbolise the country’s unity after the Wars of the Roses. 5. A thorny issue Technically, roses don’t have thorns, they have prickles. Thorns have deeper roots in a plant’s stem, but prickl...

From the outside, 11 Packenham Road in Edgbaston looks like any other traditional Edgbaston town house. But step through the front door and your senses will be captivated by the sights and smells of the Brazilian rain forest. Over twenty indigenous tribes of the Amazon basin have contributed to Xapiri, which is part gallery, part museum, part classroom and part shop. Owners Jack and Gareth are seasoned travellers who have trekked extensively through northern Brazil. In April 2015 they returned to the UK for the first time in five years, on a mission to spread awareness of the peoples they met and the issues faced by them, such as deforestation and a lack of respect from modern Brazilian society. The rooms are packed with beautifully displayed ceramics, jewellery, baskets and carvings. “Eighty per cent of the items here have been made to sell,” explains Jack. “There’s little appreciation for the art in Brazil, but we pay a fair price and it’s a major source of income for the tr...

It would be easy to assume that in this age of ebooks, wifi and online gaming that our Victorian public libraries may have outlived their usefulness. But far from being left behind, these fantastic resources are as relevant to our modern communities as they ever have been. “Where else can you find a friendly, open space with free access to information with expert staff who can help you find exactly what you want?” asks Elaine, who works at Kings Heath Library. “We have a huge mix of people through the door, of all ages and ethnicities,” adds colleague Sam. “Many come in to use the computers, as well as to borrow books, and we’ve got an extensive local history collection including photos scanned from originals brought in by local people.” You won’t be able to find those on the internet. Other assets include piano music, audio books, maps and a community room, available to hire at reasonable rates, for anyone who would like to put on an event. On Mondays it’s used by the Cit...