Dadirai Tsopo

Dadirai Tsopo is the Project Manager for the Hard Times Creative Change Project which is a community-based arts project that brings together Birchfield Big Local and Welsh House Farm Big Local.
As a community arts practitioner Dadirai is passionate about promoting resident-led arts, creativity, culture and heritage especially amongst underrepresented groups such as migrants in general and in particular migrant women and girls, the elderly and residents with special needs at the grassroots.
Dadirai Tsopo is a resident of Welsh House neighbourhood in Birmingham.
She is also one of the community development workers for Welsh House Farm Big Local. She started her Big Local journey as a volunteer and served as Chairperson on the partnership board for two and half years. She has been working for WHFBL since 2019.
She is also a member of the Big Locals Together initiative, a proposed legacy organisation that seeks to continue as a resident-led support network beyond the end of the Big Local programme.

Sophie Handy

Sophie is a multidisciplinary artist and maker with a passion for working with people. She recognises the value of creative opportunities and loves facilitating others to identify and explore their own creative skills. She works collaboratively with other artists and has worked on a number of outdoor events including community lantern processions, festivals and art events.
She is a skilled mosaic and stained glass artist and has created pieces for public art trails and private commission.

Sophie works with people of all ages and with a range of resources and materials, recycled and reclaimed where possible. She aims to bring people together through shared creative encounters, to help understand differences and to identify common threads.

“I loved working in Welsh House Farm and will always feel very connecting to the place from now on. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”

Adlin Shorter

My name is Adlin Shorter and I am a local artist from Birmingham. Since joining the Birmingham Big Local I have been involved in a number of art projects. These include, Birmingham Black History, family fun open days etc. I have also taken part in art workshops and have successfully had an art exhibition at the Birmingham Ikon.
I have been involved in the Creative Civic for Change Project in which I had participated in a number of projects. One such project included work with the British Motor Museum that involved creating art based on the “Life in Cars” project 2022.

I am presently involved with ATHAC (Access to Heritage Arts and Culture) in which I assist and work with young people with special needs for forthcoming suitcase projects on the local history of Birmingham, Ladywood and St Mary’s Convent in Birmingham.

Michael Thawe

My name is Michael Thawe and I am a Community Development Worker for Welsh House Farm Big Local. I enjoy using my skills to contribute to the HTRFD creative arts programme that has given opportunities for residents in both Welsh House Farm & Birchfield to become community artists themselves.
I hope in the very near future that the project can be resourced to carry on as creative art is a great inclusive mechanism bringing people together.

Faith Pearson

I have worked across Birmingham for 25 years engaging all ages and abilities in different art projects as a freelance artist in schools and communities.
Projects with children and young people with special needs through ATHAC and Seven Up Charity have been ongoing since 2013 and include ‘Sense of the City’ project for Birmingham Arts Team.
In 2014 I set up GLUE Collective (Growing and Learning in Urban Environments) with a group of artists, Play and Community workers and we have developed a piece of unused land in Northfield as a creative play space. We devise opportunities that connect people to nature and we were commissioned by Birmingham 22 Festival to deliver SPARK interactive creative play installations in communities and an exhibition of artwork.
Transforming unused pockets of land is a thread through all of my work and involving children and young people in decision making. As a director of Crick Gardens CIC, we have created an outdoor hub from a tip site by working in partnership with individuals and community organisations.
Whilst I do create and exhibit my own artwork I prefer to work collectively and in communities as in the Creative Civic Change project. This project utilised my skills in creativity, art, gardening and as a play work practitioner